SEC Tournament 2012: Why Kentucky Won't Cruise to Conference Title

Kentucky is the No. 1-ranked team in college basketball and the top seed in the SEC tournament, but they won't have an easy time capturing another conference title.

With all the immense talent on head coach John Calipari's Wildcats team, everyone is expecting them to dominate this tournament and capture the SEC crown. However, the immense pressure to succeed and the quality of their opponents will ensure that Kentucky's path to an SEC title won't be a walk in the park.

Tennessee, the tournament's second overall seed, will be a tough out for the Wildcats. The Volunteers are a well-coached group who have won eight of their last nine games.

In their two meetings with Kentucky this season, Tennessee kept it close both times, including a narrow three-point loss at home in early January.

Mississippi State also has played well against Kentucky this season and would also be a threat to upset the Wildcats.

Kentucky is under a lot of pressure to win this tournament and become national champions, and it will be interesting to see how they handle these kinds of expectations.  They have had a great season, evidenced by their 30-1 record, but now the real pressure will start to mount.

For a young team with not many experienced players, the Wildcats will need to play well at both ends of the floor consistently to reach their goals.

The SEC is a talented conference and teams, such as Tennessee, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Florida are all capable of giving Kentucky a run for their money.

The Wildcats must not take any of their conference tournaments lightly, because there will be no easy matchups for them this week.