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Even On Judgment Day, SEC Still A Mess

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By MARTIN FENNELLY

mfennelly@tampatrib.com

Published: March 14, 2009

TAMPA - Twelve teams, give or take Georgia and Arkansas, came to this SEC Tournament, determined to show that reports of their death had been greatly exaggerated. Four days in Tampa would straighten us out.

Then why are we still shoveling dirt?

The SEC remains as much of a mess as when it arrived. The NCAA Tournament selection committee will pat down the grave later today.

"I mean, the SEC, as much as it's been bashed, I'm not so sure we're even going to get the automatic qualifier," Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said. "They might even take that from us this year."

He's joking.

We think.

LSU, the regular-season champion, was thumped by Mississippi State 67-57 in one Saturday semifinal before Tennessee beat Lebo's bubble-sitting Tigers 94-85 in the other, thwarting a championship matchup all of Tampa panted for - Mississippi State-Auburn. When those schools met in football this season, the score was Auburn 3, Mississippi State 2. Probably would have been 8-6 in basketball.

Florida and Kentucky are long gone from the Forum, them and the fans they rode in on. It's Mississippi State, Tennessee and the tumbleweeds this afternoon.

LSU and Tennessee are the only NCAA Tournament locks in the SEC. All from a league that has produced more national champions (five) than any other conference the last 15 years. The SEC has sent at least five teams to the tournament that last 12 seasons and at least six teams in eight of the last 10 seasons.

Now this.

Mississippi State (22-11) probably needs a win today to get the SEC a third tournament team. This conference has been bumper cars all season. A wreck is a wreck. When your conference is down, 23 wins don't mean as much. Florida's don't. Auburn's 22 might not count much, either.

Remember the Oklahoma-Texas BCS controversy last football season? We screamed that the teams should settle it on the field. Well, SEC basketball tried to do that.

It didn't work.

It's not the fault of our title game entrants that you can't give away tickets to today's championship game. Tennessee didn't mean to lose its lofty preseason ranking, along with 11 games. It's coming on strong.

Then there's poor Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are always a punch line, always a pratfall away from a just-got-indoor-plumbing-in-Starkville joke. But they won the SEC Tournament in 2002 and made the final in 2003. They can become only the fourth team to win four games in four days to win this tournament. And there's MSU center Jarvis Varnado, who swatted seven LSU shots Saturday to set the SEC single-season record for blocks. Old record? Guy named Shaq.

Then there's today's other finalist. The Vols got a career-high 27 points from big man Wayne Chism on Saturday to make their first SEC title game since 1991. Tennessee won its only tournament title 30 years ago, though Lane Kiffin phoned in to say the basketball team also won in 1994. We think he's lying.

And how do you beat a basketball coach like Tennessee's ever-engaging and fun-loving ringmaster Bruce Pearl, who's great for the league? He once showed up for a Tennessee women's basketball game with his chest painted orange. He's one nutty guy. This year, it's one nutty basketball conference, too.

Bruce Pearl wants to make a case for an NCAA bid - for Auburn.

"I hope they get very strong consideration," Pearl said. "And I hope our league is able to get four or five teams to the dance."

Four or five?

That's it. Two-drink limit at future SEC Tournaments.

Meanwhile, "We don't need to apologize for being here," Mississippi State guard Phil Turner said.

It's time for the opening tip. Someone has to win.

We think.

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