2026 SEC Tournament: Bracket revealed, 1st-round matchups finalized
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The 2025-26 regular season has wrapped up, which means it’s time for the SEC Tournament! On Saturday night, the bracket was revealed after seeds were finalized.
All 16 teams were in action on Saturday. Much of the drama surrounded seeds Nos. 4-9.
Before Saturday, regular-season champion Florida had already locked up the No. 1 seed. Alabama and Arkansas had also secured coveted double-byes as top-4 seeds.
Many teams were in contention for the No. 4 seed and the last double-bye. Kentucky could have been the No. 4 seed with a win over Florida on Saturday, but the Wildcats lost and wound up as the No. 9 seed. Vanderbilt defeated Tennessee to close out the regular season and earned the No. 4 seed in the process.
As seeds Nos. 5-8, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia and Mizzou receive first-round byes and begin play on Thursday. Florida, Alabama, Arkansas and Vanderbilt begin play on Friday in the quarterfinal round.
Here’s the full bracket and tournament schedule:
There’s plenty to play for over the 5 days in Nashville.
Auburn and Oklahoma are on the wrong side of the bubble and will need to go far in the conference tournament to potentially make the field of 68. Texas A&M, Texas and Mizzou are all trying to shore up NCAA Tournament byes and avoid playing in the First Four.
For non-bubble teams, it’s about getting the best seed possible for the Big Dance. Florida, for instance, is contending for the last No. 1 seed.
Who will cut down the nets in Nashville? Kalshi is taking action on predictions to win the SEC Tournament!
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
