Schedule
All times Eastern; all games on SEC Network and ESPN3
1:00 - #8 LSU vs. #9 Arkansas
3:30 - #5 Alabama vs. #12 South Carolina
7:30 - #7 Ole Miss vs. #10 Auburn
10:00 - #6 Mississippi State vs. #11 Georgia
Team with the Most to Gain: Tennessee
It's kind of an odd thing to name a team that isn't playing as the one with the most to gain today, but UT needs every ounce of help it can get in its quest for an NCAA Tournament at large. That includes playing the best teams possible this weekend in New Orleans. If Ole Miss wins, it pairs the Volunteers up with a solid NIT team that, according to some, is actually closer to the Big Dance than Big Orange is. As opposed to Auburn, whose season is most assuredly done after it loses this weekend.
Among the teams actually playing, Alabama is the pick here. The Crimson Tide is in the 8/9 range for the tourney right now, but winning a game or two this weekend could get them up out of that danger zone and into a nicer seeding.
Team with the Most to Lose: Mississippi State
For a team that went 8-8 in conference, doesn't have too many really good wins, and lost five in a row in February, the Bulldogs are in surprisingly decent shape for March Madness. That could go out the window with (yet another) bad loss to Georgia. They probably would still make the field anyway, but it could include a First Four trip to Dayton. Every committee is its own beast, so it's best not to give it a reason to put you in a bad spot.
Arkansas gets a shout out here as well, as a loss to LSU would likely put the Razorbacks on the NIT bubble.