SEC Tournament 2022: Betting Tips for Round 2 Odds, Spreads and Over-Under
Every college basketball game in March has a must-win feel to it, but that meaning goes up a notch at the 2022 men's SEC tournament Thursday.
The Florida Gators and Texas A&M Aggies are clinging to their NCAA basketball tournament hopes, and only one of them will get a shot at the Auburn Tigers in the quarterfinals.
As of Thursday morning, Florida and Texas A&M reside on the "Next Four Out" line, per ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
A miraculous run through the bracket in Tampa, Florida, is not out of the question, and Thursday's winner could be more motivated to pull that off with so many bubble teams already out of their respective conference tournaments.
Texas A&M won the lone regular-season meeting with Florida by one point, and it won four of its five games after that to land in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game.
The other three second-round games in Tampa do not carry as much meaning as the opener.
The Alabama Crimson Tide will try to use their first game inside Amalie Arena to regain some momentum in order to challenge for the tournament title over the next few days.
SEC Tournament 2nd Round Schedule and Odds
No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 8 Florida (-2.5) (Over/Under: 135) (noon ET, SEC Network)
No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 5 LSU (-10.5) (O/U: 133.5) (2:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
No. 10 Mississippi State (-4) vs. No. 7 South Carolina (O/U: 137.5) (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
No. 11 Vanderbilt vs. No. 6 Alabama (-5.5) (O/U: 147.5) (8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Texas A&M (+2.5) vs. Florida
Texas A&M's late-season resurgence came out of nowhere.
The Aggies started SEC play with a 4-8 record and then reeled off five wins in six games, starting with their victory over Florida, to earn the No. 9 seed in Tampa.
Buzz Williams' team proved in its victory over Florida that it can win tight games with defense, and it also showed how it can win with a ton of offense versus Alabama on March 2. The Aggies put up 87 points in a 16-point win over the Tide.
Florida has been inconsistent, especially away from Gainesville. It suffered five of its nine league losses on the road, and all but one of those defeats were by at least seven points.
The Gators hung tough against some of the league's best teams at home, but they have not been overly impressive elsewhere outside of an 84-72 win over the last-placed Georgia Bulldogs.
Mike White's team has one of the better inside threats in the country in Colin Castleton, but it has not been able to match that with production on the outside. Florida ranks 62nd in two-point offense and 300th in three-point offense on KenPom.com.
The only saving grace for Florida is that Texas A&M ranks 268th in free-throw shooting. Missed foul shots plagued the losers during Wednesday's power-conference tournament games.
If Texas A&M contains Florida's offense in the manner it did February 15, it will not have to worry about sealing the contest at the free-throw line in the final minute.
Vanderbilt vs. Alabama (-5.5)
You never know which Alabama team is going to show up on the hardwood.
The Crimson Tide play at one of the fastest offensive tempos in the country, but their defensive production has not been able to compare to their offensive stats. Alabama allowed 75 or more points in eight of its nine league losses.
Alabama held the Vanderbilt Commodores to 72 points in the teams' lone regular-season meeting, a game the Tide won by two points.
Nate Oats' side can extend that margin of victory Thursday if it cleans up its defensive play. A little less than a week away from the court could have helped the Crimson Tide reset after losing back-to-back games to Texas A&M and the LSU Tigers to cap the regular season.
Vanderbilt comes into Thursday off the equivalent of a practice match after destroying Georgia in the first round. That was a welcome result after the Commodores lost five of their final seven regular-season contests. However, Jerry Stackhouse's squad does not have a victory outside of the first round of the SEC tournament in the past four seasons.
If the game is close, Alabama could pull away and cover with its free-throw shooting. Alabama ranks 101st in free-throw shooting on KenPom, while Vanderbilt sits in 266th.
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