SEC Tournament 2012 Schedule: Breaking Down Kentucky's Hardest Path to Title

When the regular season ended, the Kentucky Wildcats established themselves as the best team in the country and easily the best in the SEC. An undefeated conference record has taken a lot of intrigue out of the tournament, but the drama is about to ramp up. 

Just because a team made it through the conference schedule undefeated doesn't mean they are infallible. There aren't a lot of weaknesses on John Calipari's squad this year, so you have to really look for where an upset could happen. 

Here is a breakdown of the hardest path the Wildcats could potentially face on their way to an SEC tournament title. 

Quarterfinals: Kentucky vs. Arkansas

*LSU plays Arkansas in the Opening Round

Considering the way that Kentucky destroyed both LSU and Arkansas in the regular season, it is difficult to envision a scenario where either team would give the Wildcats problems in the conference tournament. 

Arkansas, however, does have a solid offense that is capable of putting up points. The strength of this Kentucky team is on defense, though its offensive firepower is not chopped liver, so the Razorbacks will have to attack the hole to keep the Wildcats on their heels. 

This is just going to be a tune-up game for Kentucky before the meat and potatoes of the conference tournament begins. 

Semifinals: Kentucky vs. Florida

*Florida will play the winner of Alabama-South Carolina in Quarterfinals

It really says something about how great Kentucky is when Florida is probably the most complete team that the Wildcats could potentially play, and they have already defeated the Gators twice by a combined 35 points. 

Where the Gators have struggled against the Wildcats is on the outside. They don't have the athletes to hang with them over the course of an entire game.

Patric Young has been very good on the inside against Kentucky, they just need shooters on the outside who can step up their performance. It hasn't happened yet, but the third time could be the charm. 

Finals: Kentucky vs. Tennessee

Tennessee didn't find its rhythm until conference play started. The Volunteers played a rough non-conference schedule that included matchups with Duke and Memphis, which contributed to their 8-7 start. 

They started to gel as a team once the SEC schedule started. They now find themselves as the No. 2 seed in the tournament. 

In addition to that, the Volunteers gave the Wildcats their hardest game since that loss to Indiana. It was on January 14 that Tennessee led late into the second half before fading at the end. 

The rematch on January 31 was not nearly as kind to Tennessee, but there is a blueprint out there for this team to follow. 

Defensively, the Volunteers shut down the Kentucky shooters for as long as they possibly could. If they can put together another performance like they did the first time these teams met, they can pull off the upset. 

*All Games Will Be Played At New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, LA

First Round—March 8, 2012 (All Games Broadcast on SEC Network)

Game 1: No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 Arkansas, 12:00 p.m. CDT

Game 2: No. 5 Alabama vs. No 12. South Carolina, 2:30 p.m. CDT

Game 3: No. 7 Mississippi vs. No. 10 Auburn, 6:30 p.m. CDT

Game 4: No. 6 Mississippi State vs. No. 11 Georgia, 9:00 p.m. CDT

Quarterfinals—March 9, 2012 (All Games Broadcast on SEC Network)

Game 5: No. 1 Kentucky vs. LSU/Arkansas Winner, 12:00 p.m.CDT

Game 6: No. 4 Florida vs. Alabama/South Carolina Winner, 2:30 p.m. CDT

Game 7: No. 2 Tennessee vs. Mississippi/Auburn Winner, 6:30 p.m. CDT

Game 8: No. 3 Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State/Georgia Winner, 9:00 p.m. CDT

Semifinals—March 10, 2012 (All Games Broadcast On ABC)

Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 12:00 p.m. CDT

Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 2:30 p.m. CDT

Finals—March 11, 2012 (ABC)

Game 11: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 12:00 p.m. CDT

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