SEC Tournament 2023: Men's Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions

When the Alabama men's basketball team won the SEC tournament in 2021, it ended a drought that stretched back to 1991.

Now, the Crimson Tide are is looking to win the event for the second time in three years. And they head to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee as the favorite to do so.

They are the No. 1 seed for the SEC tournament, which gets underway Wednesday. Alabama won't be in action until Friday, though, as it's among the four teams that received double byes into the quarterfinals.

Here's everything else you need to know about the men's 2023 SEC tournament.

2023 SEC Tournament Schedule

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GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 05: The SEC logo is seen outside the arena before the championship game of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Lady Vols at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 05, 2023 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Wednesday, March 8

Game 1: No. 12 South Carolina vs. No. 13 Ole Miss, 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 2: No. 11 Georgia vs. No. 14 LSU, 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network

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Thursday, March 9

Game 3: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 Mississippi State, 1 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 4: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Game 1 Winner, 3 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 5: No. 7 Auburn vs. No. 10 Arkansas, 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 6: No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. Game 2 Winner, 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network

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Friday, March 10

Game 7: No. 1 Alabama vs. Game 3 Winner, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 8: No. 4 Missouri vs. Game 4 Winner, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 9: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 10: No. 3 Kentucky vs. Game 6 winner, 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network

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Saturday, March 11

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN

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Sunday, March 12

Championship Game, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Odds to Win SEC Men's Tournament

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GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 01: The SEC logo is seen before the Texas A&M Aggies play the Vanderbilt Commodores for the first round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 01, 2023 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Alabama: +150 (bet $100 to win $150)

Tennessee: +300

Kentucky: +450

Texas A&M: +500

Auburn: +1200

Arkansas: +1200

Missouri: +2500

Vanderbilt: +4000

Mississippi State: +5000

Florida: +6000

Georgia: +50000

Ole Miss: +50000

South Carolina: +80000

LSU: +100000

Via DraftKings Sportsbook

Preview, Predictions

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - JANUARY 7: Jaden Bradley #0 of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks for a lane during the second period behind Adou Thiero #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats at Coleman Coliseum on January 7, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)

Alabama never lost at home this season, going 15-0 in those games, but it will be playing on neutral courts moving forward.

Still, the Crimson Tide are in a good position to make a deep run through the SEC tournament and potentially come away with the championship. Their only conference losses came in road matchups against Texas A&M and Tennessee, and there's no guarantee they'll encounter either in the tourney.

In the top half of the bracket, Alabama could face No. 4-seeded Missouri in the semifinals. The Tigers have a good chance of taking down the Tennessee Volunteers, but they could struggle against the Tide, which cruised to an 85-64 win at Mizzou Arena on Jan. 21.

While anything is possible in tournament play, the prediction here is that Alabama has no trouble getting to the championship game. It should win handily in each of its first two contests.

The bottom half of the bracket could feature some competitive matchups, but a semifinal between No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 3 Kentucky seems inevitable. If that's the case, the Aggies will be seeking revenge against the Wildcats, which beat them 76-67 at home on Jan. 21.

However, Kentucky head coach John Calipari consistently has his team playing its best at this time of year. And with the Wildcats coming into the tournament having won five of their past six games, expect them to get to the championship game.

So, Alabama and Kentucky will face off for the conference tourney title. It should also be a better game than when the teams met in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 7, when the Tide won 78-52.

However, the Crimson Tide are the better team, and the best squad in the SEC. They proved that by leading the conference in points (82.8) and rebounds (44.3) per game.

It could be a competitive championship tilt, but Alabama will prevail and win the tournament.

Prediction: Alabama over Kentucky in the championship game

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