Everything you need to know about the 2021 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament
Everything you need to know about this week’s SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament:
When: Wednesday through Sunday (March 10-14)
Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This is the third straight year and sixth in the last seven that Nashville has been the site for the tournament. Last year’s tournament was canceled after one day in Nashville because of the coronavirus outbreak. It moves to Amalie Arena in Tampa for 2022. Then it’s back to Nashville through 2030.
Championship Game: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET/noon CT at Bridgestone Arena.
Attendance: Twenty percent capacity of Bridgestone Arena, or about 3,400 fans, because of COVID-19 restrictions.
SEC Fan Advisory for Men’s Basketball Tournament
Television coverage: The opening game Wednesday night and all of Thursday’s games are on the SEC Network. Friday’s afternoon quarterfinals are on ESPN. Friday’s two night quarterfinals are on the SEC Network. Saturday’s semifinals and Sunday’s finals are on ESPN.
Seeds: 1-Alabama; 2-Arkansas; 3-LSU; 4-Tennessee; 5-Florida; 6-Ole Miss; 7-Missouri; 8-Kentucky; 9-Mississippi State; 10-Georgia; 11-South Carolina; 12-Texas A&M; 13-Vanderbilt. Auburn is not participating because of a self-imposed postseason ban.
Schedule: You can find the schedule for the 2021 tournament here.
SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket
History: Auburn won the last SEC Tournament to be played, defeating Tennessee 84-64 to take the 2019 championship in Nashville. That snapped a four-year streak in which Kentucky won the title from 2015 through 2018. Florida won it in 2014, Ole Miss in 2013 and Vanderbilt in 2012.
Titles by school: Kentucky (31), Alabama (6), Florida (4), Tennessee (4), Mississippi State (3), Auburn (2), Ole Miss (2), Vanderbilt (2), Georgia (2), Arkansas (1), LSU (1), Georgia Tech (1).
Fun fact: The SEC did not hold a postseason tournament from 1953 until 1979. For 12 straight years, from 1941 to 1952, the tournament was held at Louisville Gardens. The cancellation of the 2020 tournament was the first time since 1952 a postseason tournament was not held or completed.
OFFICIAL:
The 2021 #SECMBB Tournament Bracket is SET!
See y'all in Nashville pic.twitter.com/9j2Csj4IYd— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 7, 2021
Calipari era: John Calipari is 23-4 in the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats lost to Tennessee 82-78 in the 2019 semifinals, snapping a 13-game winning streak in the conference tournament. Before that, UK’s last loss in the tourney was 61-60 to Florida in the 2014 finals. Kentucky beat Arkansas 78-63 in the 2015 finals; Texas A&M 82-77 in overtime in the 2016 finals; Arkansas 82-65 in the 2017 finals and Tennessee 77-72 in the 2018 finals.
League’s strength this year: Ken Pomeroy ranks the SEC as the nation’s third-best conference behind the Big Ten and the Big 12 and ahead of the ACC, Big East, Pac-12 and American Athletic.
Here’s how kenpom ranks the 14 teams: 8-Alabama; 18-Arkansas; 23-Tennessee; 29-LSU; 30-Florida; 47-Kentucky; 49-Missouri; 50-Ole Miss; 64-Auburn; 71-Mississippi State; 89-Georgia; 96-Vanderbilt; 113-South Carolina; 129-Texas A&M.
Ranked teams: Alabama is No. 8 in last week’s poll. Arkansas is No. 12. Those are the only two SEC teams in the poll. Florida, Tennessee and Missouri received votes.
NCAA NET rankings: 7-Alabama; 17-Arkansas; 21-Tennessee; 28-Florida; 29-LSU; 45-Missouri; 52-Ole Miss; 58-Kentucky; 68-Auburn; 79-Mississippi State; 94-Georgia; 110-Vanderbilt; 133-South Carolina; 144-Texas A&M.
Hot teams heading into the tournament: Arkansas has won 11 straight league games. Alabama has won six of its last seven. Ole Miss has won seven of its last nine games. LSU has won five of its last seven. Kentucky has won four of six.
Cold teams heading into the tournament: South Carolina has lost eight of its last nine games. Vanderbilt has lost five of its last six. Texas A&M has played just two games since Jan. 30 but lost both.
Record to remember: As second-year coach in his current job, Alabama’s Nate Oats will be coaching in his first SEC Tournament, since last year’s tourney was canceled before the Crimson Tide played. Arkansas’ Eric Musselman, in his second year in Fayetteville, is 1-0 after the Hogs beat Vanderbilt 86-73 in a Wednesday night game last year.
Three players to watch: Many believe Alabama’s Herb Jones should be SEC Player of the Year. The 6-foot-8 senior averages 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. LSU freshman Cameron Thomas is the league’s leading scorer at 23.1 points per game. Arkansas freshman Moses Moody averages 17.5 points per game for the red-hot Razorbacks.
Three players who don’t get enough attention: Ole Miss senior guard Devontae Shuler averages 15.6 points and 3.3 assists per game for the Rebels. Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith, a transfer from Western Kentucky, leads the league in rebounds at 8.6 per game. Georgia guard Sahvir Wheeler leads the league in assists at 7.2 per game.
Coach of the Year: In the SEC’s preseason media poll, Alabama was picked to finish fifth, yet Nate Oats guided the Crimson Tide to a 16-2 record and the regular-season title. He gets the nod over Arkansas’ Eric Musselman for Coach of the Year.
Most improved: Musselman’s Razorbacks went from 7-11 in the conference a year ago to 13-4 this season. Arkansas is 21-5 overall and split a pair of games with regular-season champ Alabama. Plus, after a 92-76 loss at LSU on Jan. 12 and a 90-59 blowout loss at Alabama on Jan. 16, Arkansas did not lose another conference game.
Biggest drop: Kentucky went from 15-3 in the league to 8-9 this year. The Cats also went from 25-6 overall to 9-15 this season.
Most overlooked: Though not as hot as Arkansas, Ole Miss is 9-4 after a 1-4 start. The Rebels own wins over Tennessee (52-50), Missouri (80-59 and 60-53), Mississippi State (64-46) and Kentucky (70-62). Kermit Davis Jr. can coach.
Coach who could use a tournament run: It has been tough sledding so far for Georgia’s Tom Crean, who is 41-48 overall and 14-40 in the league since coming to Athens in 2018. Georgia comes to Nashville having lost three of its last four games.
Teams probably already in NCAA Tournament: ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Alabama (No. 2 seed), Arkansas (3), Tennessee (6), Missouri (8), LSU (8) and Florida (9) in the field. CBS’ Jerry Palm has Alabama (2), Arkansas (3), Florida (6), Tennessee (6), Missouri (6) and LSU (8).
On the NCAA bubble: Ole Miss has the most gain by making a strong tournament run. Both Lunardi and Palm have Ole Miss in their “next four out.”
Favorite: Having won 16 of its 18 conference games, Alabama has to be the favorite. After an 81-66 loss at Arkansas, the Tide recovered to win their final three games, beating Mississippi State on the road, Auburn at home and Georgia on the road. Arkansas is a close second-choice. An Alabama-Arkansas final would be a rubber match. The Tide won in Tuscaloosa. The Hogs won in Fayetteville.
Sleeper: The preseason pick to win the conference, Tennessee finished a disappointing 10-7 in the league. But the Volunteers have plenty of talent and Rick Barnes took the Vols to the finals in both 2018 and 2019.
Long shot with a shot: Winning four games in four days will be a tough task for a Kentucky team that hasn’t won more than three in a row all season. But as previously mentioned, Calipari has an SEC Tournament record of 23-4.
Quote to remember: “I wish it was a full house because we’d have 17,000 fans there,” Calipari said Sunday. “My hope is our fans figure out a way of getting in, anyway. Sneak in, jump through windows, do whatever. Have your mask on so they don’t know it’s you. Get in there.”
