Tennessee Vies for First SEC Regular-Season Championship in Six Years – Sky Bulletin

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The No. 5 ranked Tennessee basketball team is on the brink of claiming its first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship since the 2017-18 season when they shared the honors with Auburn.

As they head into the final week of the regular season, Tennessee holds a one-game lead over both No. 16 Alabama and No. 17 South Carolina. However, securing the title will be a challenge.

Tennessee’s head coach Rick Barnes expresses his confidence in his team’s experience after their recent 81-74 victory over Alabama on Saturday: “We’ve got a lot of these guys that have been with us for a long time and they’ve been in games like this.”

The SEC has showcased its strength this season with 10 teams reaching the AP Top 25 rankings, posing a constant challenge. Tennessee has two significant matchups this week, facing South Carolina away and then No. 15 Kentucky at home.

Victories in both games will secure the outright title for the Volunteers. Even a win against South Carolina coupled with an Alabama loss to Florida would clinch the title for Tennessee.

If Tennessee splits this week’s games, they would share the title; however, the dynamics of who they would share it with depends on other results within the league. A pair of losses could open the door to other contenders such as Kentucky, Auburn, South Carolina, and Alabama.

With a mindful approach, Barnes notes, “Every team we play from here on out is going to be an NCAA team and a team that can play deep into March. But we’ve just tried to keep our focus on what’s ahead, not feel too good about anything.”

Potential Championship for Houston Cougars?

Houston, holding the top spot in the nation, has made a remarkable first run in the Big 12 conference.

After a buzzer-beater victory against Oklahoma, the Cougars are in a promising position to secure the Big 12 regular-season championship in their freshman year within the conference.

With the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 over the past two weeks, Houston leads No. 6 Iowa State by one game at 13-3. The Cougars could claim at least a part of the Big 12 title with a win at UCF on Wednesday and could own it outright with two wins this week.

However, their second challenge is considerable—hosting No. 14 Kansas on Saturday. Kansas previously handed Houston a defeat by 13 points.

Looking to catch Houston, the Cyclones will host No. 20 BYU and visit Kansas State on Saturday.

Connecticut Huskies Champion?

Historically successful with three national titles since 2006, UConn has struggled more with Big East titles.

Fresh off a dominant 91-61 win over Seton Hall, the No. 2 Huskies have locked up their first outright Big East title in a quarter century. It has been 18 years since they even shared in the title.

Ahead for UConn are upcoming games against No. 8 Marquette and then at Providence come Saturday. Winning out could put the Huskies in an excellent position for a top seed heading into March Madness.

Duke-Carolina Rivalry Renewed

Awaiting sports fans is another chapter of the infamous Duke-Carolina rivalry on Saturday.

North Carolina, holding a narrow lead over Duke in the ACC at 15-3, will take on Notre Dame this Tuesday. This sets the stage for a potential ACC title-deciding game against Duke. If the Tar Heels beat the Fighting Irish but falter against Duke, they would share the regular-season ACC title with their rivals.

The first matchup went to North Carolina with a 93-84 win.

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For more information on AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball.

Tennessee’s pursuit of the SEC regular-season title is a testament to the team’s hard work throughout the season. As they face the final hurdles, their outcomes will not only define their standing in the SEC but also set the stage for their potential in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. With the rest of the college basketball landscape also brimming with anticipation for conference titles and tournament seedings, the closing week of the regular season is filled with high stakes and thrilling matchups that basketball fans won’t want to miss.



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