SEC Tournament 2023: Top Storylines for Men's Round 2 Games
A majority of the six teams entering the 2023 SEC tournament in the second round share a common goal: They are just trying to get right in Nashville, Tennessee after dealing with injuries or a bad run of results.
The Tennessee Volunteers will take up most of the spotlight on Thursday afternoon, when they will be analyzed on how they play without Zakai Zeigler.
Rick Barnes' team lost its first full game without the star guard, who tore his ACL on February 28, by nine points to the Auburn Tigers on Saturday.
Tennessee needs a win over the Ole Miss Rebels to find its footing without Zeigler and earn as many games without him as possible before the NCAA tournament rolls around.
The Florida Gators know all too well what an injury freefall feels like, as they struggled down the stretch without big man Colin Castleton, who suffered a broken hand on February 15.
The Arkansas Razorbacks got Nick Smith back from injury in mid-February, and they are just trying to get back on track after going 2-5 in their last seven games.
Arkansas and Tennessee are safely in the NCAA tournament field, but that can't be said about the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which need to beat Florida to feel more comfortable about their status.
The Vanderbilt Commodores are considered a long shot to make the field of 68, and their time in the spotlight will come in Friday's quarterfinals, as long as they get past the LSU Tigers.
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How Does Tennessee Look Without Zakai Zeigler?
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Tennessee will receive a ton of attention on Thursday afternoon.
The Vols were one of the top picks to win the NCAA tournament earlier in the season, but they are a shell of themselves without Zeigler running the offense.
Their loss to Auburn was excused because it was the first game without the floor general and it took place in a tough road environment.
However, there will be no excuse if they lose to Ole Miss in their SEC tournament opener in front of what should be an orange-clad crowd in Nashville.
Tennessee's goal inside Bridgestone Arena should be to win as many games as possible so the offense feels comfortable without Zeigler.
That may mean the Vols win some ugly games along the way, but the more in-game time they get, the better they should feel about making a move in the NCAA tournament.
Santiago Vescovi, who is second to Zeigler on the team in assists, should take over the ball-handling responsibilities.
Vescovi is a four-year player within the Vols program, so he is as good of a replacement at the point as they could get at this time of year.
Zeigler also averaged 10.7 points per game, so the scoring has to be made up for between Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James and others.
Tyreke Key could be the X-factor to Tennessee's success in March. He scored 13 points in 23 minutes off the bench on Saturday, and if he steps up to take over some of Zeigler's scoring production, the Vols can be in the best position possible to approach the next few weeks.
Mississippi State Needs Win to Feel Safe in Bubble Discussion
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Mississippi State is the SEC's only bubble team going into Thursday.
The Bulldogs are listed on the "Last Four Byes" line in the latest bracket projection from Joe Lunardi of ESPN, while Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has them in an even safer spot as a No. 10 seed in his latest projection.
A win over Florida in Thursday's opening game will ensure the Bulldogs that they won't have any potential bad losses in the future.
Chris Jans' team will be expected to lose to the top seed Alabama Crimson Tide in Friday's quarterfinals, but by then, it should be safely in the field of 68.
The 53-year-old has done a terrific job in his first season as head coach to get the Bulldogs on the verge of a NCAA tournament berth.
Mississippi State thrives in low-scoring games. It allows 60.4 points per game and held opponents under 70 points in all eight of its SEC victories.
The formula is simple for Mississippi State against Florida. The Bulldogs need to play strong defense and win the battle on the glass against a Gators team that is without its top big man.
Arkansas Needs to Get Right
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Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman usually has his teams playing their best basketball in March.
The 58-year-old has guided the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight in each of the last two seasons, and he took the Nevada Wolf Pack to the Sweet 16 in 2018.
Arkansas comes into Nashville with a 2-5 mark in its last seven games and on a three-game losing streak.
That is far from the ideal form for any team to enter the NCAA tournament in, so a win over Auburn on Thursday would mean more to Arkansas than most No. 10 seeds in the power conference tournaments.
One could argue Arkansas needed a reset because it finished the regular season against Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, but it could also be said that it should have beaten one of those teams to prove it's on the right track ahead of the postseason.
The Razorbacks can answer a lot of concerns about their current state if they beat Auburn and play well against the Texas A&M Aggies in the quarterfinals.
If not, they could be viewed as one of the most vulnerable teams entering the NCAA tournament.
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