FanHouse NcaaBid

Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
Record: 21-13, 12-6 in conference
RPI: 184
How They Got In: Automatic bid (conference tournament champs)
Seed/Bracket: 16 / Midwest

Mascot: "The Blue Bengals." Since our image provider has no photos of the Jackson State basketball team available, please enjoy this photo of a Chinese man balancing a basketball on a paintbrush.

Big Win(s): 100-97 win over UTEP.

Notable Loss(es): Destroyed by the three ranked teams they played; lost 96-65 to #12 Alabama, 100-70 to #21 Georgia Tech, and 111-69 to #13 Memphis.

Player You Should Know: Look for the jersey with #24 on it. 6' 5" guard Trey Johnson should have the ball in his hands most of the night. He plays 37.8 minutes per game and is responsible for an average of 27.1 points per game. No other player on the team averages in double figures. He is 90% of the Tigers' offense.

Outlook: Grim, brief, and painful. When you're a #16 seed matched up with the tournament's overall #1 seed, the defending national champion Florida Gators, you know you're the last team in. The Tigers give up size, speed, talent, and athleticism at every position. However, making the field is a huge accomplishment for "Mississippi's Urban University."

WHEN: Thursday, 9:45pm

ABOUT LSU: LSU has been fighting for nothing but pride since mid-February, but they are no easy draw for the Vols. Despite finishing 5-11 in conference play (with a 16-14 overall record), LSU ended their season on a slight upswing, winning two out of their three final games. They soundly beat #3 Florida, lost at Auburn, then beat South Carolina in Baton Rouge to close out their con-sched. With Glen Davis back and a squad motivated to finally be "0-0" again, LSU has every chance to send the Vols home early.

ABOUT TENNESSEE: ... But luckily for the Vols, their outstanding freshmen, Duke Crews and Wayne Chism, plus AP SEC Player of the Year Chris Lofton, have been playing well. In fact, Tennessee is arguably the hottest team in the conference right now, winning their last four games (which included two ranked opponents, #25 Alabama and #3 Florida), and seven of their last eight. The smart money would favor Tennessee.

WHAT THIS GAME MEANS: LSU's only hope of making the NCAAs is to walk out of the Georgia Dome as SEC Tournament Champs, so they, like all the teams in the tourney, will be extraordinarily motivated to win. Tennessee, meanwhile, is all but guaranteed an at-large bid; but a few tourney wins could help with their seeding.

OUTLOOK: LSU lost a heartbreaker in Knoxville the last time these two teams met, and Glen "Big Baby" Davis scored only five points despite a huge advantage in size and experience over his young defenders. The Vols have only lost one game since, while the Tigers have dropped four. I believe LSU is possibly the most dangerous, and underrated team in the SEC-T. The Vols will need their A-game to win.

PICK: Yeah, I know I said the smart money was on Tennessee. But who ever accused me of being smart, especially when it comes to sports? My monopoly money is on LSU for the upset. Besides, in Bruce Pearl's brief tenure at Tennessee, the Vols have not been a good tournament team. Look for Magnum Rolle and Tee Martin to give great performances on the court, lifting LSU to the second round.

Conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Record: 29-5, 13-3 in conference
RPI: 9
How They Got In: Conference champions / At-large bid
Seed/Bracket: 1 (also #1 overall seed) / Midwest

Mascots: Albert... and Alberta, the Alligator. Kid-friendly, crowd-approved.

Big Win: 86-60 demolition of current #1 Ohio State.

Notable Loss: Bowed to SEC cellar dweller LSU -- who were sans All-SEC center Glen Davis -- in Baton Rouge, 66-56.

Player You Should Know: If you're not already somewhat familiar with all five of Florida's starters, you probably live under a CBB rock... so here's a new one for you. Given the brutal three-day SEC tournament schedule the Gators face this weekend, big man frosh Marreese Speights could be a difference maker. The 6' 10" F/C is nicknamed "Instant O" by Florida fans for his ability to come off the bench and immediately produce offense. He only plays 6 minutes per game, but in those six minutes he averages 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and half a block. Do a little mental extrapolation across 25 minutes and you'll see why this kid could be make a big impact when the bench is filled with tired legs.

Outlook: The Gators suffered a late February skid, losing three out of four games (all road losses.) But Florida seemed to return to form against Kentucky this past weekend, with Joakim Noah appearing re-energized, Taurean Green making good decisions and knocking down shots, and guard Walter Hodge hitting big threes when they mattered. Are the Gators a Final Four team this year? Can they repeat, a feat historically so rare that it's only happened once in the past two decades? We'll know after the SEC Tournament has concluded. (The Gators demolished all three of their SEC tournament opponents, easily clenching the SEC Tournament championship.) The Gators are favored to win it all again, but the tourney is loaded from top to bottom with teams perfectly capable of doing the same thing. And repeating is oh-so-hard to do.