Monday, February 15, 2010

SI and ESPN: Dores are Dancing

Not that we didn't already know this, but both SI and ESPN have officially moved the 'Dores to "Lock" Status on their weekly Bubble Watch. Bobby, myself, and pretty much all of us have known for quite some time that we are playing for seeding at this point, but it's always nice to see more recognition for the feat.

This week is going to go a long way to determining just how high a seed we can catch in March. The Ole Miss game, though not nearly as touted, will be a tough match-up against a team that badly wants to go dancing as well. A road win for us at Ole Miss followed by a Florida stumble on their road trip to Oxford, might very well be enough to lock up a second place finish for good, and get us that pivotal first round bye in the SEC tournament. At that point, we'd put some very solid pressure on Kentucky, who finishes their SEC slate with some tough road games, including the big match-up against us on Saturday in Nashville.

While it's nice to be dancing, if we come out of the rest of the season with anything less than a four-seed, I will be disappointed. The great news is that with an extra day of rest, we can hopefully get John Jenkins and Andre Walker back and healthy for a stretch, one which may give the 'Dores an easier road in the SEC Tournament, and their highest seeding in the NCAA.

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