TUSCALOOSA, Ala. − Tennessee basketball is in control of its chances of winning the SEC regular-season title this season following its 81-74 win at Alabama on Saturday.
The Vols entered Saturday tied for first place with the Crimson Tide, but gained sole possession of the top spot with its second win against Alabama. UT is 13-3 in SEC play, a game up on Alabama and South Carolina entering the final two games of the regular season.
Here is how Tennessee can claim the SEC title:
Tennessee will win the SEC outright if it wins out
As Tennessee holds a one-game lead, the simple path to the outright title is beating South Carolina on Wednesday and Kentucky on Saturday. That would render any of Alabama’s remaining games meaningless in terms of gaining ground as UT would finish 15-3 and Alabama can finish no better than 14-4. It also would eliminate South Carolina from contention with a potential record of 13-5 at best. UT also would knock Auburn and Kentucky from contention with a win in Columbia, South Carolina.
UT has not won an outright SEC title under Rick Barnes, having split the 2017-18 title with Auburn.
How Tennessee basketball can win an outright SEC title at South Carolina
Tennessee can win the regular-season title outright by beating South Carolina and if Florida beats Alabama on Tuesday.
That would give the Vols a two-game edge on both the Gamecocks and Crimson Tide with one game to play, thus making the UT vs. UK game irrelevant to SEC standings.
Tennessee beating South Carolina or Kentucky guarantees the Vols at least a share of the SEC title
Tennessee would guarantee itself at least a share of the SEC regular-season title with a win at South Carolina or against Kentucky. USC and Alabama could do no better than tie the Vols if they go 1-1 in the final week.
Alabama is the only team that could split the title with UT if the Crimson Tide wins out and UT beats South Carolina and loses to Kentucky in the regular-season finale, meaning both teams finish 14-4. The SEC does not utilize tiebreakers for the regular-season title. UT would be the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, however, holding the tiebreaker over Alabama for going 2-0 against the Crimson Tide.
What happens if Tennessee basketball loses both games
If Tennessee loses both games, it would need help to claim the SEC title. The Vols would finish 13-5 in SEC play with such an outcome, which opens up a lot of possibilities and keeps four teams in the title race.
They would need Mississippi State to beat South Carolina in the regular-season finale to tie the Gamecocks at 13-5. They also would need Alabama to lose either at Florida or against Arkansas for a three-way tie and a split title. If Alabama lost both like UT, the Vols and Gamecocks would tie at 13-5.
Auburn and Kentucky are not out of the title chase if UT goes 0-2. Both can finish 13-5. The Wildcats would have to beat Vanderbilt along with a win at UT to have a shot. Auburn would need wins over Missouri and Arkansas. Auburn and UK would need UT to go 0-2 and Auburn and South Carolina to go 1-1 or worse.
If UT goes 0-2 and either Alabama or South Carolina finishes 2-0, UT would not win a share of the SEC regular-season title.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Tennessee basketball has to do to win SEC regular-season title
