SEC Tournament 2012: Kentucky's Biggest Threats

Kentucky has established itself as the king of the SEC this season.

A perfect regular season in conference play makes the Wildcats the overwhelming favorite to walk away with the SEC tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

But, the calendar has flipped to March, and—as we know all too well—strange and unexpected things happen when desperate teams are backed up against a wall. 

The Wildcats are clearly the Goliath in this SEC Tournament. All that we have to determine now is which team will do its best David impression. 

Here are the teams that will give Kentucky fits when the tournament tips off. 

Tennessee Volunteers 

The only team that gave Kentucky a tougher game than Indiana—the Wildcats only loss—was Tennessee. On Jan. 14, the two faced each other and Tennessee was up by six at halftime and lost by three. 

This has not been a great year overall for the Volunteers, but they thrived in SEC play. They put together a 10-6 record that was good enough for the No. 2 seed in the conference. 

Momentum is on their side, with eight victories in their last nine games. They don't have spectacular playmakers like the Wildcats do, but they play hard and physical. 

Mississippi State Bulldogs

A 13-point second-half Bulldogs lead was washed away in a hurry by the Wildcats in their Feb. 21 meeting with Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs outplayed them in every conceivable way early in that game, but the speed and athleticism of the Wildcats took over late in the game. Kentucky scored 45 points in the final 20 minutes to walk away with a 73-64 victory. 

Inconsistency on both sides of the ball have plagued Mississippi State all season long, so it will be paramount that the team plays with the energy and intensity it showed in the first half of that February game. 

Arkansas Razorbacks

Unlike the first two teams on the list, the Razorbacks did not play a good game against Kentucky earlier in the season. In fact, they played terribly in their 23-point loss at Rupp Arena on January 17. 

They do matchup well with the Wildcats, however.

Marshawn Powell has the size in the middle needed to contest shots, and he has been a dominant offensive player. Their guards, particularly sharpshooter B.J. Young, give them explosiveness off the dribble. 

To compete with Kentucky, you have to score points and have someone in the middle who can matchup with Anthony Davis. The Razorbacks have the formula, they just have to put it all together in the SEC Tournament. 

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