While the conference is certainly more renowned for its football, SEC basketball has provided fans with endless excitement. season. The league is among the deepest in the country with several teams already assured of an NCAA Tournament berth. Several others will look to boost their resumes with a strong showing in the SEC Tournament. Read on for the SEC Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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SEC Conference Standings
Team | Conference Record | Overall Record | Tournament Outlook |
Alabama | 16-2 | 21-6 | 1 seed |
Arkansas | 13-4 | 21-5 | 2 seed |
LSU | 11-6 | 16-8 | 3 seed |
Tennessee | 10-7 | 17-7 | 4 seed |
Florida | 9-7 | 13-8 | 5 seed |
Ole Miss | 10-8 | 15-10 | 6 seed |
Missouri | 8-8 | 15-8 | 7 seed |
Kentucky | 8-9 | 9-15 | 8 seed |
Mississippi State | 8-10 | 14-13 | 9 seed |
Georgia | 7-11 | 14-11 | 10 seed |
South Carolina | 4-12 | 6-14 | 11 seed |
Vanderbilt | 3-13 | 8-15 | 12 seed |
Texas A&M | 2-8 | 8-9 | 13 seed |
Auburn | 7-11 | 13-14 | N/A |
SEC Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 10-14
TV: ESPN, SECN
Site: Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, TN
Byes: Top 11 get single bye; Top 4 get double
Most Recent Champion: Auburn
SEC Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (12) Vanderbilt 79, (13) Texas A&M 68
Second Round
- (5) Florida 69, (12) Vanderbilt 63
- (6) Ole Miss 76, (11) South Carolina 59
- (7) Missouri 73, (10) Georgia 70
- (9) Mississippi State 74, (8) Kentucky 73
Quarterfinals
- (1) Alabama 85, (9) Mississippi State 48
- (2) Arkansas 70, (7) Missouri 64
- (3) LSU 76, (6) Ole Miss 73
- (4) Tennessee 78, (5) Florida 66
Semifinals
- (1) Alabama 73, (4) Tennessee 68
- (3) LSU 78, (2) Arkansas 71
Championship
- (1) Alabama 80, (3) LSU 79
Alabama advances to NCAA Tournament
SEC Conference Breakdown
Auburn won the most recent SEC Tournament title back in 2019. The Tigers won’t be able to defend their championship this year as the school self-imposed a postseason ban in the wake of program violations. Prior to 2019, perennial SEC basketball powerhouse Kentucky won four straight tournaments from 2015-18. It’s been a down year for Kentucky basketball, but John Calipari’s team certainly has the talent to go on a run. One would have to go all the way back to 1991 to find the last time that this year’s top seed Alabama won an SEC Tournament title.
11 of the 14 total teams in the SEC finished the season inside the top 100 in the College Basketball Net Rankings. Top seed Alabama topped all SEC basketball teams at No. 7 in the Net. Arkansas (16), Tennessee (18), LSU (28) and Florida (29) also all rank in the top 30. The top three seeds in the SEC Tournament bracket were also the top three scoring offenses in the conference this season. 2-seed Arkansas led all teams with an average of 83.3 points per contest.
There was a lot of shuffling in the final SEC basketball standings relative to the preseason poll’s projected order of finish. Regular-season champion Alabama was in fact the league’s top overachiever after being picked to finish fifth. 6-seed Ole Miss also overachieved, finishing sixth after being picked ninth. The Rebels come into the SEC Tournament firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and likely need to win at least two games to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. Kentucky was the biggest underachiever in SEC basketball this season. After being picked second in the preseason poll. The Wildcats stumbled to an eight-place finish.