SEC Tournament 2023: Top Storylines for Men's Round 1 Games

Four SEC teams have a more challenging path to a conference tournament championship than the other 10. That's because those four schools are the Nos. 11-14 seeds and will need five wins in five days to capture the title.

For Georgia, South Carolina, Ole Miss and LSU, the quest for a Cinderella run starts Wednesday.

The 2023 SEC tournament will get underway with a pair of first-round matchups at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The No. 11-seeded Bulldogs will take on the No. 14-seeded Tigers, while the No. 12-seeded Gamecocks face the No. 13-seeded Rebels.

Here's the full schedule for the SEC tournament, followed by more on the upcoming first-round action.

2023 SEC Tournament Schedule

Eakin Howard/Getty Images

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)

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

Can Ole Miss Finish Strong Under Win Case?

AP Photo/L.G. Patterson

Mississippi head coach Win Case catches the ball as it goes out of bounds during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, March 4, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 82-77. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

On Feb. 24, Ole Miss mutually parted company with head coach Kermit Davis. The Rebels were 10-18 at that point, and they had especially struggled in SEC play, going 2-13 in conference action. So, it wasn't too surprising they opted to go in a different direction.

That left assistant coach Win Case to lead Ole Miss on an interim basis. It's the first time he has gotten an opportunity to lead a Division I program.

The Rebels won their first game under the 59-year-old, notching an 82-69 victory against LSU on Feb. 25. However, they dropped their final two games of the regular season, losing at home against Texas A&M and on the road vs. Missouri.

Now, Case will look to lead Ole Miss on a surprise run through the SEC tournament. Even if that doesn't happen, it could be big for the Rebels to at least claim one more win when they play South Carolina on Wednesday night.

The Gamecocks have had a tough season (11-20, including 4-14 in conference games), but they're coming off a 61-55 home win over Georgia. So they'll look to carry that momentum into tournament play.

Ole Miss and South Carolina split their regular-season series, with the road team winning each time. The Rebels recorded a 70-58 victory on Jan. 17, while the Gamecocks won 64-61 on Feb. 11.

One player to watch in this matchup will be South Carolina forward Gregory Jackson II. He's having an impressive freshman season, leading his team with 15.1 points per game.

Georgia Aiming to Get Back on Track, Avoid Upset

AP Photo/Vasha Hunt

Georgia guard Terry Roberts (0) shoots against Alabama during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Of the four teams playing in the first round of the SEC tournament, Georgia is the only one with a winning record. The Bulldogs are 16-15, although most of their success came in non-conference play. They went 6-12 in SEC contests.

Not only that, but Georgia had a tough conclusion to the regular season. After notching back-to-back victories over Kentucky and LSU in mid-February, the Bulldogs went on to lose six straight, including a road defeat at South Carolina.

But there's a good opportunity for Georgia to get back on track and win at least one game in the SEC tournament. That's because it's facing LSU, which finished in last place in the regular-season conference standings after going 2-16 in SEC play.

However, it was a competitive game when the Bulldogs and Tigers met in the regular season. On Feb. 14, Georgia held on for a 65-63 home victory over LSU, even though it had no players score more than 13 points.

There's a good chance the Bulldogs will get better performances this time from their guard duo of senior Terry Roberts (13.3 points per game) and junior Kario Oquendo (12.8). If they play well, then Georgia will likely take down LSU again.

It would be surprising if the Bulldogs make a deep run through the tournament, as there's some tough competition waiting in the second round and quarterfinals. But expect them to beat the Tigers to open the tourney.