The final week of the regular season is here, and once again it’s all down to Kentucky and Florida. The conference ended in a split a season ago, but it was Florida and Missouri taking the crown as the Wildcats finished a match back. Florida could be involved again, but if both teams go 2-0 it will be with Kentucky this time.
The two schools have merit to earn a top four seed as well for the NCAA Tournament, so it should be interesting how the pair are weighted against each other.
Beyond that, teams will put together their final stand as they look to push toward the NCAA Tournament. Maybe no other conference has more bubble teams than the Southeastern Conference too.
More analysis after the SEC table:
SEC Volleyball Standings (As of November 22, 2017):
| CONF | OVERALL | HOME | ROAD | NEUTRAL | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 15-1 | 23-1 | 13-1 | 8-0 | 2-0 | – |
| Kentucky | 15-1 | 24-3 | 13-1 | 8-2 | 3-0 | – |
| Missouri | 12-4 | 19-10 | 5-2 | 8-4 | 6-4 | – |
| LSU | 10-6 | 19-8 | 7-2 | 7-6 | 5-0 | – |
| Georgia | 9-7 | 19-10 | 10-4 | 7-4 | 2-2 | – |
| Arkansas | 8-8 | 18-10 | 9-2 | 6-6 | 3-2 | – |
| Auburn | 8-8 | 15-10 | 7-5 | 5-4 | 3-1 | – |
| Ole Miss | 7-10 | 16-14 | 11-6 | 4-7 | 1-1 | – |
| Alabama | 6-10 | 18-12 | 10-4 | 5-7 | 3-1 | – |
| South Carolina | 5-11 | 12-16 | 6-8 | 5-5 | 1-3 | – |
| Texas A&M | 5-11 | 8-15 | 6-8 | 1-7 | 1-0 | – |
| Tennessee | 5-12 | 12-14 | 9-5 | 2-8 | 1-1 | – |
| Mississippi State | 0-16 | 9-22 | 5-11 | 1-9 | 3-2 | – |
Splitting hairs:
Both of these sides are tied right now atop the SEC standings, and sure enough things could finish that way after the schools split the two-match series with each other. Not only would the split be interesting for the SEC, but it would make the committee’s job more difficult as they try to discern who deserves a top four seed as both are ranked one and two in the latest RPI.
Florida (15-1 Conference Record)
The Gators are part of this two-team pair at the top of the SEC as the worst they can do by winning out is collecting a share of the SEC title. Beyond that, if they can earn a pair of victories and Kentucky were to be upset, they would claim the conference to themselves. First they get Auburn before they head to Columbia to take on Missouri in what should be a challenging match against a team that shared the title with the Gators last year.
Remaining schedule:
- vs. Auburn (8-8)
- at Missouri (12-4)
Kentucky (15-1 Conference Record)
The other part of the pair at the top is Kentucky, who are also in a situation where winning out this week gives them an SEC title – at the least a split. Both matches for the week come on the road against middle to upper-half SEC opponents, as they will hope Georgia doesn’t have a good scouting report on them now after they played them just last week.
Remaining schedule:
- at Arkansas (8-8)
- at Georgia (9-7)
Right side of the bubble: Missouri (12-4 Conference Record) & LSU (10-6 Conference Record)
These two sides are on the bubble as the season comes to its close, but both look to be on the right side of it. Take care of business this week vs. Alabama for Missouri (with nothing to lose against Florida after) and vs. Georgia and Tennessee for LSU, and you’re good to go.
Work to do:
Georgia (9-7 Conference Record)
The Bulldogs RPI sits at 62, so they may be in impossible territory, but with two tough matches ahead if they could somehow win in Baton Rouge and upset Kentucky, they would finish the regular season in the top four of the SEC. It would surely catch the committee’s attention on Saturday too, as they aren’t out of it but need both wins.
Remaining schedule:
- at LSU (10-6)
- vs. #6 Kentucky (15-1)
Arkansas
The Razorbacks also don’t have a good enough RPI to likely get in at 57, but just like Georgia have a couple of big opportunities in front of them that could test that question. Win over Kentucky and you’ve caught some attention and gotten your best win of the season. After that, you take on another bubble team in Auburn in what would be a for sure elimination match with the winner hoping they’ve done enough.
Remaining schedule:
- vs. #6 Kentucky (15-1)
- vs. Auburn (8-8)
Auburn
The Tigers are sitting on the bubble with an RPI of 49 – higher than Georgia despite being a match back in conference play. They can actually retract that second part with a win on the Bulldogs home field, but their NCAA Tournament hopes may actually rest on their first match of the week as they look to spoil Florida’s SEC title hopes and take a huge boost to a potential postseason berth.
Remaining schedule:
- at #2 Florida (15-1)
- at Georgia (9-7)
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