2020 SEC Up/Mid/Downs: Florida, Kentucky Women Chasing Tennessee on Final Night

2020 SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 18 – Saturday, February 22, 2020
• Auburn, AL – James E. Martin Aquatic Center
• Prelims/Finals: 9:30 AM/5:30 PM Wed-Sat, 10/4:20PM Tues (Central Standard Time)
• Defending Champion: Florida (7x) (results)
• Live Video – SEC Network+ (prelims), ESPN (finals)
• Men’s Fan Guide|Women’s Fan Guide
• Psych Sheets
• Championship Central
• Estimated NCAA Invite Times|NCAA ‘A’ Cuts
• Live Results

The 2020 SEC Championships will conclude tonight in Auburn, Alabama with finals of the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 400 free relay, and women’s platform diving. Read on for the up/mid/down tracking of this morning’s preliminary events, and how it may impact the team standings.

For those unfamiliar with swimming terminology, the concept of “Ups” and “Downs” is a good way to track which teams performed best at prelims. In prelims, swimmers qualify for one of three finals heats: the top 8 finishers make the A final, places 9 through 16 the B final and places 17 through 24 the C final. In finals, swimmers are locked into their respective final, meaning a swimmer in the B heat (spots 9-16) can only place as high as 9th or as low as 16th, even if they put up the fastest or slowest time of any heat in the final.

With that in mind, we’ll be tracking “Ups,” “Mids” and “Downs” after each prelims session. “Up” refers to swimmers in the A final, “Mid” to swimmers in the B final and “Down” to swimmers in the C final.

WOMEN’S TOTAL UP/MID/DOWNS

(Does not include the 1650 free, platform diving, or 400 free relay)

The Kentucky women put 4 up in the 200 back this morning and have 6 total championship finalists. That could go a long way in the battle for a top 3 finish. They should go by A&M, as the Aggies have no championship finalists tonight. They’re also projected to outscore the Gators, who are only 19 points ahead of the Wildcats going into finals.

Tennessee appears to have an edge over Florida and Kentucky based on their lead after day 4, but when we consider the mile and diving, there is an outside possibility that the Gators or Wildcats could close the gap. Florida and Kentucky each have 4 swimmers projected to score based on the psych sheet, while Tennessee has only 1.

The Gators and Wildcats have both had diving events with multiple championship finalists. Tennessee had a diver place 3rd on the 1-meter. How those divers perform on the platform will have a big say in the team outcome.

*= pending swimoff results

WOMEN’S 200 BACK

WOMEN’S 100 FREE

*= pending swimoff results

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST

*= pending swimoff results

1650 FREE PROJECTIONS

These are based solely on entries. They’re not as stable as the typical up/mid/down projections, because we have no indication of how a swimmer is performing after a prelims swim. So a swimmer who is entered with no time, for example, could place in the top 8 in theory. If a swimmer entered in the “down” heat (the 3rd fastest heat) has a no time for an entry, they have not been included in the chart.

MEN’S TOTAL UP/MID/DOWNS

(Does not include the 1650 free or 400 free relay)

The Florida Gators look like a lock to win it tonight, but the battle is on between Texas A&M and Georgia for the runner-up spot. The Bulldogs have 2 fewer championship finalists coming out of prelims, but should get big points in the mile with 5 men who have the potential to score in the top 8. The mile is harder to predict, though, as it’s a timed final.

Missouri (12)and Alabama (11) are among the top total scoring teams. Missouri has the most with 12, while Alabama is tied with Florida for the 2nd most with 11. The Tigers and Crimson Tide have a shot at a top-3 finish. Georgia is currently 3rd with 7 scorers tonight, but that doesn’t include their slew of milers.

*= pending swimoff results

MEN’S 200 BACK

MEN’S 100 FREE

*= pending swimoff results

MEN’S 200 BREAST

1650 FREE PROJECTIONS

These are based solely on entries. They’re not as stable as the typical up/mid/down projections, because we have no indication of how a swimmer is performing after a prelims swim. So a swimmer who is entered with no time, for example, could place in the top 8 in theory. If a swimmer entered in the “down” heat (the 3rd fastest heat) has a no time for an entry, they have not been included in the chart.

The mile will have the most impact for Georgia as they’re battling Texas A&M for 2nd.