SEC Tournament 2015: Preview, Predictions and Players to Watch

The bracket for the 2015 SEC tournament is locked.

The No. 1 and undefeated Kentucky Wildcats are the top seed and will receive a buy into the quarterfinals. Joining them in the quarters will be the No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks, the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers. The Tigers pulled off an upset 81-78 victory Saturday over the Razorbacks to help secure a double buy.

Click here to see the bracket and seedings.

Players to Watch

Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The 6'11" freshman is the only Kentucky player ranked in the top five in a major statistical category. He averages 2.4 blocked shots per game. In Kentucky's platoon system, Karl-Anthony Towns is scoring 9.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

His length and offensive skill set have made him a perfect complement to senior center Willie Cauley-Stein. Together Towns and Cauley-Stein are perhaps the most dominant big-man tandem in college basketball.

Jordan Mickey, LSU

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The conference's most productive player is the Tigers' Jordan Mickey. The 6'8" sophomore ranks fifth in scoring at 16 points per game. He's tied for first in rebounding at 9.9 and is tops in blocked shots at 3.7 per game. 

Despite being undersized at his position, Mickey projects as a solid NBA prospect. Here's what Kyle Nelson of DraftExpress said about Mickey:

"

Measured at just 6'7 ½ in shoes on two separate occasions, Mickey is undersized for the power forward position, but compensates with a massive 7'2 wingspan and a solid 235-pound frame. He is also a very good athlete, showcasing excellent quickness in the half court and in transition while being very explosive around the basket.

"

He'll be a load for any team LSU faces in the SEC tournament or the Big Dance.

Bobby Portis, Arkansas

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

As good as Mickey is, Arkansas' Bobby Portis might be the best non-Kentucky NBA prospect in the SEC. The 6'11" Portis is scoring 17.8 points and 8.7 rebounds. His size creates issues for most teams. He has only failed to score double figures just once this season and also has 11 double-doubles.

If Arkansas gets deep into the conference tournament, it'll need a strong performance from Portis.

Can Any Team Beat Kentucky?

After back-to-back overtime wins to open SEC play, only three teams were able to stay within 10 points of the Wildcats. Since Kentucky is undefeated, it's hard to pinpoint a strategy to topple it. However, it seems clear that controlling the glass is one of the primary keys.

The teams that have come the closest to pulling off the upset have rebounded on par with Kentucky.

In its second meeting with Kentucky, Georgia won the rebounding battle 41-38. Georgia's issues were turnovers (11), poor free-throw shooting (50 percent) and inaccuracy from beyond the three-point line (17.6 percent).

The Wildcats' depth, talent and size makes it tough to win with glaring deficiencies in any area. Perhaps the most intimidating thing about Kentucky is that none of those three qualities go into a slump. The team brings a ton of bigs, athleticism and two full rotations of players even when the shots aren't falling.

It may take a lights-out shooting performance from three-point range to produce the upset. The Vanderbilt Commodores are the best three-point shooting team in the conference. Vandy gave Kentucky a tough game back on Jan. 20. The Wildcats won 65-57, but the Commodores were 7-of-18 shooting from deep. 

If they survive the early portions of the conference tournament, the Commodores would be a potential sleeper pick to upend Kentucky. It's fun to speculate, but that's just a "what if" scenario. Logically speaking, Kentucky has great coaching and an excellent mix of experience and talent.

They will remain undefeated heading into the NCAA tournament.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. Basketball is awesome.