COLUMBIA, Mo. – The top two seeds at this week’s Southeastern Conference men’s basketball tournament are the league’s two biggest overachievers, at least when compared to the coaches’ preseason poll.
Alabama, the SEC regular-season champion, locked down the No. 1 overall seed with its 16-2 record, while Arkansas secured the No. 2 seed with a 13-4 league record. The Razorbacks cruise into Nashville on an 11-game winning streak in conference play and were just one of two SEC teams to beat the Crimson Tide this year.
Alabama was picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, one spot ahead of Arkansas.