On the final day of the regular season for Southeastern Conference men’s basketball, there was little to be settled Saturday among the teams near the top of the standings.
Top-ranked Auburn had secured the league’s regular-season title outright a week earlier and with two games to spare — good thing for the Tigers, considering they lost at No. 22 Texas A&M on Tuesday fell to No. 7 Alabama at home in the final — while midweek results locked No. 5 Florida into the league’s No. 2 spot and ensured Alabama and No. 4 Tennessee would also be among the top four teams that secure double byes in the SEC tournament, with only the order for the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers to be determined.
There was more opportunity for movement in the middle of the standings and further down for the SEC, which added to its ranks this season with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12, resulting in what will be the league’s first 16-team men’s basketball tournament starting Wednesday.
Teams that play that day would have to win five games in five days to win the championship and the SEC’s automatic bid for the 68-team NCAA tournament. But in a superb season for the conference, last year’s record-tying 10 NCAA bids look likely to be surpassed, meaning few SEC teams are worried about having to get that golden ticket in Nashville.
Here’s the complete schedule for this year’s event, which will be televised by ESPN/SEC Network from start to finish.
2025 SEC MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
At Bridgestone Arena in Nashville
Numbers indicate seeds; overall and conference records in parentheses; all times Eastern
Wednesday, March 12
First round
Game 1: No. 16 South Carolina (12-19, 2-16) vs. No. 9 Arkansas (19-12, 8-10), 1 p.m. on SECN
Game 2: No. 13 Texas (17-14, 6-12) vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt (20-11, 8-10), 3:30 p.m. on SECN
Game 3: No. 15 LSU (14-17, 3-15) vs. No. 10 Mississippi State (20-11, 8-10), 7 p.m. on SECN
Game 4: No. 14 Oklahoma (19-12, 6-12) vs. No. 11 Georgia (20-11, 8-10), 9:30 p.m. on SECN
Thursday, March 13
Second round
Game 5: No. 8 Ole Miss (21-10, 10-8) vs. G1 winner, 1 p.m. on SECN
Game 6: No. 5 Texas A&M (22-9, 11-7) vs. G2 winner, 3:30 p.m. on SECN
Game 7: No. 7 Missouri (21-10, 10-8) vs. G3 winner, 7 p.m. on SECN
Game 8: No. 6 Kentucky (21-10, 10-8) vs. G4 winner, 9:30 p.m. on SECN
Friday, March 14
Quarterfinals
Game 9: No. 1 Auburn (27-4, 15-3) vs. G5 winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN
Game 10: No. 4 Tennessee (25-6, 12-6) vs. G6 winner, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Game 11: No. 2 Florida (27-4, 14-4) vs. G7 winner, 7 p.m. on SECN
Game 12: No. 3 Alabama (24-7, 13-5) vs. G8 winner, 9:30 p.m. on SECN
Saturday, March 15
Semifinals
G9 winner vs. G10 winner, 1 p.m. on ESPN
G11 winner vs. G2 winner, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday, March 16
Championship game
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. on ESPN