Let’s jump straight into this week’s action and what the standings look like entering another big weekend:

South Carolina 77, UK 59

LSU 81, Florida 75-LSU clinched a share of the SEC title with this win in a Super Tuesday showdown. Florida hung with the Tigers on Mardi Gras, but LSU started to pull away with about 10 minutes left. Marcus Thornton continues his stellar play with a 32 point, 5 rebound, 5 assist performance. It’s tough to imagine the leading scorer on a 12-1 team in conference being overlooked, but that is the case. Walter Hodge led Florida with 16 points.

Georgia 61, Vanderbilt 57-In a matchup of arguably the two SEC teams with the least offensive firepower, Georgia survived a second half Vandy rally for its second SEC win. The teams combined to shoot 38-107 from the field (35.5%) and no player scored more than reserve guard Ricky McPhee’s 14 (only his fourth double figure scoring game all season). There’s really not much good to be said for this ball game.

Auburn 77, Mississippi 64-Trent Johnson and Darrin Horn will get most of the attention among SEC coaches, but I don’t think anybody is doing a better job that Jeff Lebo at Auburn. Auburn, with the win, moves into a second place tie with Mississippi State in the SEC West with a 7-6 record. Korvotney Barber notched a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Terrico White again led his Ole Miss team with 24 points. It’s not going to be any fun dealing with that kid for three more years.

Alabama 88, Arkansas 67-Arkansas was never competitive in this one. Alabama was up 49-23 at the half, and coasted to victory with no player playing more than 28 minutes. Senior Alonzo Gee was the guy who played that many minutes, scoring 23 points and grabbing 7 boards. Gee’s athleticism has never been debatable, but he’s been playing well lately leading up to his shot in the draft…good for him. Courtney Fortson led Arkansas with 21 points.

Tennessee 81, Mississippi State 76-Tennessee was up 11 with just under four minutes and held on despite the Bulldogs scoring 19 points in the final 3:40. Tennessee picked up a big win for its Tourney hopes largely thanks to a career high 21 points from freshman Scotty Hopson. Mississippi State jacked up their regular 30 threes, hitting 11, but it was not enough. Mississippi State’s Tournament chances are slim to none, and closer to none.

As you can see, LSU has things wrapped up in the West, and any LSU win or loss by South Carolina will clinch an outright regular season title for the Tigers. The Tigers first shot will come Saturday in Rupp in a game that is much bigger for UK than LSU.

In the East, there’s a requisite three way tie in second place. It seems like no matter what happens, there will be a three way tie for first or second place in the SEC East. South Carolina clearly has the inside track to the SEC East title, but a trip to Nashville is up next, and it’s never a given to go in there and win.

Let’s take a look at the SEC bubble teams, their chances to get in the NCAA’s, and their remaining schedules (note, I am no longer including Mississippi State):

South Carolina (@Vandy, Tennessee, @UGA)-The Gamecocks could very easily sweep these three games, but I think they will lose one of the first two. South Carolina is approaching “lock” territory for the NCAA’s, who has jumped up to 42 in the RPI. They’re missing a top quality win, but I think they are safe enough where all that will do is knock them down a seed line. Predicted finish: 2-1; NCAA chances: 85/15

Florida (Tennessee, @Miss. St., UK)-Their loss to LSU really doesn’t damage their chances too much; it’s more of a missed opportunity. They are at 43 in the RPI but their non-conference was marginal at best. Regardless, they are pretty safe, barring an 0-3 finish and a flameout in the SEC Tournament, which is not impossible with their tough remaining schedule. Predicted finish: 2-1; NCAA chances: 75/25

Tennessee (@Florida, @South Carolina, Alabama)-They held serve at home in beating Mississippi State, but they still have work left to do. The more I think about it, though, it’s hard for me to see a top 30 RPI team getting left out if they finish about .500 in conference (which only requires one more win). Predicted finish: 1-2; NCAA chances: 60/40

Kentucky (LSU, Georgia, @Florida)-I wouldn’t mind a game from UK where my opinion of the team didn’t change entirely based on how they played. UK is likely going to be the underdog in 2 of its last 3 games, and I don’t think winning only versus Georgia will put UK on the right side of the bubble, although I think they will be safe with a win versus LSU or Florida, assuming they knock off Georgia at home. Predicted finish: 1-2; NCAA chances: 50/50