SEC Tournament: Every team’s history at the conference tourney

This season’s SEC men’s basketball tournament may feature the most complete collection of teams in conference history.

It’s no secret — the SEC just finished up as strong of a regular season as is possible. Auburn or Tennessee held the top spot in the AP Poll for all but 6 weeks — and 5 of those 6 weeks were led by Kansas thanks to some (perhaps misplaced) preseason hype. The 16 conference programs, including newcomers Oklahoma and Texas, combined to lose just 23 nonconference games all season. No team lost more than 4 nonconference games.

Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee all locked up double byes at this year’s event, meaning these top teams won’t start play until Friday. Here’s a look at the official bracket put out by the SEC:

As you can imagine, Auburn is the betting favorite to win the SEC Tournament. The Tigers, searching for their 4th SEC Tournament championship, sit at +150 according to some of the best sports betting apps, followed by No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Alabama and so on. Considering how elite the conference has been this season, I wouldn’t count out any of the top 8 teams.

Before the action tips off on Wednesday, here’s a quick look at each team’s history in the SEC Tournament, including their last win, total number of titles, fun stats and more.

(One more thing: A good chunk of the information on this page comes from the SEC men’s basketball tournament record book. It’s a goldmine for SEC hoops fans.)

Alabama

SEC Tournament titles: 8

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2023

Tidbit: HC Wimp Sanderson is the leader in SEC Championship game appearances for a head coach with 9.

Alabama is known as a football school, but its hoops program has performed well at the SEC Tournament across the years, especially in the 1980s and early 2020s.

The Crimson Tide won their first SEC Tournament title all the way back in 1934, beating Florida by a score of 41-25. The Tide also reached the title game in 1936, but fell to Tennessee.

As alluded to above, Alabama’s next SEC Tournament title didn’t come until 1982 — though it’s worth noting the tournament was not played from 1953-1978. Head coach Wimp Sanderson, an excellent recruiter, went on to win 4 more SEC Tournament titles at Alabama, including 4 of 5 from 1987-1991. The Crimson Tide played for the championship in 1983, 1985 and 1986 but fell to Georgia, Auburn and Kentucky, respectively.

Alabama fell quiet for a long time following the 1991 season, only appearing in the title game once across the next 30 years. Jahvon Quinerly and company ended the drought in 2021, beating LSU for SEC Tournament title No. 7. Trophy No. 8 came just 2 years later, when No. 1 Alabama beat No. 2 Texas A&M in dominant fashion. Alabama was pretty much untouched in 2023, winning all 3 tournament games by an average of 18 points.

Arkansas

SEC Tournament titles: 1

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2000

Tidbit: Arkansas has been a part of the 8 highest attended sessions/days, including the most attended game in conference tournament history, 1995 Arkansas vs. Kentucky.

Arkansas is historically known as a strong basketball program. The Razorbacks won the national title in 1994 (but not the SEC) and have advanced to the Final Four 6 times — twice as a member of the SEC.

Of course, the Razorbacks didn’t join the conference until the 1991-92 season, but they were immediately competitive. While Nolan Richardson’s dominant 1990s Razorbacks didn’t win the SEC Tournament until 2000, they did make it to the championship game twice — only to fall to Kentucky both times.

Razorbacks vs. Wildcats in 1995 is still one of the greatest SEC Tournament games ever played. Rick Pitino’s Wildcats beat Arkansas 95-93 in overtime. Arkansas went on to post the better NCAA Tournament run between the pair and advanced all the way to the national championship game only to fall to UCLA.

The Razorbacks got some revenge on the Cats in the 2000 SEC Tournament with an 86-72 win in the quarterfinal round. Arkansas later sneaked past No. 10 LSU before beating Auburn to collect their first and only SEC Tournament title.

Arkansas returned to the SEC title game in 2007, 2008, 2015 and 2017 but lost all 4 matchups — 2 of which came at the hands of Kentucky yet again.

Auburn

SEC Tournament titles: 3

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2024

Tidbit: Chuck Person holds the record for the most made field goals at the SEC Tournament with 36. He set this record in 1985.

Auburn basketball has been perhaps the best SEC program of the past 5 years, though Tennessee and Alabama would have something to say about that. The Tigers have won the SEC Tournament title 3 times: Once in 1985 just after the departure of Charles Barkley, again in 2019 and of course last season, 2024.

But perhaps the most memorable moment of Auburn’s history, at least from an outsider’s point of view, was the 1984 SEC Championship loss to Kentucky, an excellent game that left Barkley in absolute disbelief. Of course, the Tigers fought their way back to the title game the following year and downed rival Alabama to get the job done in overtime, 53-49.

Auburn was effectively irrelevant in the SEC until Bruce Pearl showed up in 2014-15. The Tigers did advance to the 2000 SEC title game with an upset win over Florida, but fell to Arkansas as mentioned above.

Then comes the Bruce Pearl era, where it feels like there is more history to write. Auburn won its 2nd SEC title over Tennessee in 2019 and returned to the top of the mountain 5 years later, demolishing Florida for title No. 3.

Florida

SEC Tournament titles: 4

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2014

Tidbit: Billy Donovan currently holds the record for wins at the SEC tournament with 27. Wimp Sanderson, mentioned above, is 2nd with 25.

Florida basketball can claim 4 SEC Tournament titles, an impressive stat made more impressive considering all of those titles have come within the past 20 years.

Florida hoops was a bit of a disappointment before Billy Donovan arrived on campus in 1997. Florida, like Alabama, was a football school first and foremost, and its basketball team was hardly comparable. But Donovan turned the Gators from one of the worst programs in the SEC to one of the best with haste.

The Gators won their first SEC title in 2005 with wins over Mississippi State, Alabama and Kentucky in the championship game. The Gators went on to win the next 2 consecutive titles while also winning the national championship in 2006 and 2007. Florida made its way to the title game in 2011 and 2013, losing both before winning yet again in 2014, this time dispatching a Julius Randle-led Kentucky squad, 61-60.

Can Florida post SEC title No. 5 in a few days?

Georgia

SEC Tournament titles: 2

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2008

Tidbit: Charles Claxton holds the record for the most career offensive rebounds at the SEC tournament with 37 across 7 games.

Georgia has won a pair of SEC titles, which is surprising considering Georgia’s limited basketball success. Both of those titles featured a Georgia squad that was by no means expected to be in the SEC title game.

Let’s start with 1983, when Georgia won its first SEC title. The Bulldogs, led by Vern Fleming and James Banks, defeated Ole Miss, Tennessee and Alabama — with each opponent’s seeding getting worse with each round. The 6-seed Bulldogs beat 9-seed Alabama for the title.

Then there was the 2008 season, when Georgia became a team of destiny. The Bulldogs were the very worst team in the SEC and had to scrap for a win over Ole Miss in Round 1. A tornado then struck the Georgia Dome, forcing the tournament’s relocation to Georgia Tech’s arena. The Bulldogs thrived in this chaos, posting wins over Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas in just 2 days to collect their 2nd SEC title.

Kentucky

SEC Tournament titles: 32

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2018

Tidbit: Kentucky has more SEC final losses (10) than 10 SEC teams have SEC final appearances (Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St, Mizzou, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt)

Another tidbit, because it’s Kentucky: Kentucky has won 32 of the 64 SEC Championship games played — essentially, Kentucky has a 50% chance to win any given SEC Tournament before it even stars.

Where do we even start? Kentucky boasts one of the best basketball programs the college game has seen, and the Wildcats own 4 times the amount of SEC titles as 2nd place Alabama. As the tidbit suggests, Kentucky has won half of all the SEC championship games ever played.

The Wildcats’ run from 1992-2004 is perhaps the most impressive feat on this entire list. Kentucky, led by Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith, won 10 titles across this span, including 7 of 8 titles from 1992-1999. The lone Kentucky loss across this time period came at the hands of Mississippi State, which pulled out a 10-point wins behind a furious effort from Dontae Jones. More on that later.

Under John Calipari, Kentucky posted another impressive run in the mid 2010s. The Wildcats advanced to 4 straight SEC title games and won the last 3, beating Arkansas, Texas A&M and Arkansas again in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Cats to one more title in 2018, and Kentucky has been quiet (by its standards) ever since. Can Mark Pope reawaken a sleeping giant?

LSU

SEC Tournament titles: 1

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 1980

Tidbit: LSU has suffered more losses than any other team at the SEC tournament (63). Simply longevity mixed with failure to win the SEC title.

LSU has not seen much success in the SEC Tournament, but the same team that reached the Final Four in 1980 was able to provide their lone SEC title, too. Led by Howard Carter and Rudy Macklin, 1980 LSU beat Florida, Alabama and Kentucky on its way to the first and only SEC title in Tigers history.

It’s not for a lack of effort, though. The Tigers are 1-5 in SEC Championship games, and 2 of those losses came by just 1 point. Most recently, LSU fell to Alabama in 2021 under head coach Will Wade.

Mississippi State

SEC Tournament titles: 3

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2009

Tidbit: Mississippi State has lost 3 SEC title games. All 3 of those losses came at the hands of Kentucky.

Mississippi State lost to Kentucky in the very first 1933 SEC Tournament game, falling 46-27. The Bulldogs didn’t do anything of note in the tournament across the next 63 seasons — including the 25-year hiatus from 1953-1978 — until winning the tournament in 1996 against Kentucky.

As mentioned above, the reason for that win was one Dontae Jones, who turned in one of the best performances the tournament has seen against the future NCAA champs. Jones dropped 28 points and snagged 11 boards, leading the Bulldogs to their first SEC title 84-73.

The Bulldogs had an up and down 2000s but still managed to win a pair of SEC titles. The 2009 title, which ended with a win over Tennessee, was especially impressive. The Bulldogs advanced to the title game all the way from Round 1, downing Georgia, South Carolina, LSU and Tennessee on the way to their 3rd title. Since then, Mississippi State has underperformed in early March.

Missouri

SEC Tournament titles: 0

Last SEC Tournament Championship: N/A

Tidbit: Despite Missouri’s struggles in the SEC Tournament (so far), the Tigers were constant threats to win their previous conference tournaments. The Tigers are 6-time Big 8 and 2-time Big 12 champions.

Missouri is one of 3 SEC programs along with Texas A&M and South Carolina (not including Oklahoma and Texas, who are new), to not have won an SEC title. Of course, that’s not exactly a surprise — the Tigers joined the SEC just over 10 years ago — and it probably won’t be long before the Tigers cut down the nets.

Missouri’s best performance in the SEC tournament came in 2023, when the Tigers advanced to the semifinal round against Alabama. The eventual tournament champions kept Dennis Gates’ squad out of the tournament final, despite the Tigers’ strong win over Tennessee the day prior. It’s also the only time Missouri has reached the semifinal round.

Ole Miss

SEC Tournament titles: 2

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2013

Tidbit: Ole Miss has the worst overall record at the SEC Tournament, sitting at 33-60 all-time. They have also never beaten Kentucky at the SEC Tournament, with a record of 0-15 all-time.

Remember Florida’s impressive run from around 2005-2014? Well, Ole Miss kept the Gators from title No. 5 across that span in 2013, spurred by Murphy Holloway and Marshall Henderson. Down double figures for most of the game, the Rebels fought back to win their second ever SEC title.

The 2013 run ended a 31-year drought for Ole Miss. In 1981 the Rebels — the 6-seed in the tournament — defeated Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Georgia, which was led by Dominique Wilkins. Elston Turner, who posted a 7-year career in the NBA afterward, led the Rebels in scoring against both the Bulldogs and Commodores, scoring 22 points in both.

South Carolina

SEC Tournament titles: 0

Last SEC Tournament Championship: N/A

Tidbit: South Carolina is the longest tenured SEC program without a men’s basketball conference tournament title, having joined the SEC in 1991.

Unfortunately for South Carolina fans, the Gamecocks have seen the least success in the SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks have been to the SEC final twice — adding fuel to Kentucky and Florida’s respective dynasties in the process.

The Gamecocks have really, really struggled to gain any traction in the SEC Tournament in recent years. They’ve won 2 games at the same tournament only once across the past 10 seasons and most of those seasons ended without much of a fight.

When will things turn around for South Carolina hoops?

Tennessee

SEC Tournament titles: 5

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2022

Tidbit: Apart from Kentucky, Tennessee has lost the most SEC Tournament finals (8). Kentucky has 10 such losses.

Tennessee basketball is as strong as it has ever been heading into the 2025 tournament. That’s thanks to Rick Barnes, who secured the Vols’ first SEC title since 1979 in 2022 with a 65-50 win over Texas A&M. Led by Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler, the Vols downed Mississippi State and Kentucky before facing 8-seed Texas A&M in the championship game. The Vols’ defense was just too much for Texas A&M to handle.

The win gave the Vols their first SEC title since 1979, the year the tournament made its return. The Vols beat Auburn and — who else — Kentucky in overtime to secure that victory.

Despite not being known as a basketball school, the Vols saw some early success in the tournament. The Vols beat Kentucky twice (1941, 1943) and Alabama once (1936) across a 10-year span.

Texas A&M

SEC Tournament titles: 0

Last SEC Tournament Championship: N/A

Tidbit: The Aggies are an even 11-11 in the SEC Tournament heading into Wednesday, March 12.

Texas A&M has only been in the SEC for a little over 10 years, but the Aggies have made the most of their time. Yes, Texas A&M has yet to win an SEC title, but it’s not for a lack of a trying. The Aggies have reached the SEC final twice across the last 3 years, and they were *this* close to beating Kentucky in 2016. But still, Texas A&M is 0-3 and still hunting for title No. 1.

The Aggies are a bit of a weird case year-to-year, struggling to find consistency. They very rarely win just 1 game in the tournament — Texas A&M has either failed to win a game or reached the SEC Championship game in 8 of their 11 appearances.

Vanderbilt

SEC Tournament titles: 2

Last SEC Tournament Championship: 2012

Tidbit: Vanderbilt has never lost an SEC title matchup. The Commodores are 2-0 all time in such games.

By my view, Vanderbilt has the most impressive SEC Tournament win on this list. The Commodores — who would go on to earn a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament — beat the eventual national champions, Kentucky, 71-64 in the 2012 SEC final. They were 1 of just 2 teams to down the Anthony Davis-led Wildcats that season, and Indiana needed an ‘unbelievablllle’ buzzer beater to pull its win out.

The Commodores have to go all the way back to 1951 to find their previous SEC title. Similar to 2012, Vanderbilt beat Kentucky, the No. 1 team in the country and eventual national champions and SEC regular season champs, for the title.

Vanderbilt won a pair of SEC Tournament matchups in both 2023 and 2024. The new-look Commodores are absolutely capable of doing that again this season.

Oklahoma and Texas

Obviously, the Sooners and Longhorns have no history at the SEC Tournament, considering this is their first year with the conference. But the title of this post says “every,” so we’ll dive into some brief conference tournament history for the Big 12 newcomers.

Let’s start with the Sooners, who have not won a conference tournament in over 20 years. Oklahoma’s last title came in 2003, their 3rd straight under Kelvin Sampson. Those Sooners went to the Final Four in 2002, falling to Indiana. Oklahoma boasts 7 Big 8/12 conference tournament championships from 1979-2003.

The Longhorns saw a lot of recent success in the Big 12 Tournament, but their history is pretty quiet in that arena. Texas has won 4 conference titles: 1994, 1995, 2021 and 2023. They head into this year’s tournament as the 14-seed in one of the toughest conferences the college game has ever seen.