SEC Tournament 2015: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Live Stream Info
The SEC has been Kentucky’s playground all season, but every team is allowed on the swing set in the conference tournament. The only question is whether one will actually take advantage of its opportunity and knock the dominant Wildcats off their perch.
Kentucky is assured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but there are a number of other teams playing for their postseason lives and seeding in Nashville. Picking up marquee wins in the conference tournament is an ideal way to make a late statement to the selection committee.
With that in mind, here is a look at the schedule and broadcast information for the SEC tournament and some storylines to watch.
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2015 SEC Tournament
Dates: Wednesday, March 11, through Sunday, March 15
Location: Bridgestone Arena; Nashville, Tennessee
Bracket: Available here, courtesy of ESPN
TV: SEC Network (first, second and third rounds), ESPN (semifinals and finals)
Live Stream: WatchESPN
SEC Tournament Schedule
| Game 1 | Mississippi State vs. Auburn | 6 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Game 2 | South Carolina vs. Missouri | * | SEC Network |
| Game 3 | Florida vs. Alabama | 12 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Game 4 | Texas A&M vs. Game 1 Winner | * | SEC Network |
| Game 5 | Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee | 6 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Game 6 | Ole Miss vs. Game 2 Winner | * | SEC Network |
| Game 7 | Kentucky vs. Game 3 Winner | 12 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Game 8 | LSU vs. Game 4 Winner | * | SEC Network |
| Game 9 | Arkansas vs. Game 5 Winner | 6 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Game 10 | Georgia vs. Game 6 Winner | * | SEC Network |
| Game 11 | Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 12 | Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner | * | ESPN |
| Game 13 | Game 11 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
(Note: Each * symbol denotes that a game will tip off 25 minutes following the conclusion of the game preceding it.)
Storylines to Watch
Will Anyone Challenge Kentucky?
This is the overarching topic of discussion anytime the SEC is brought up this season (and really in any other).
John Calipari has built a machine in Lexington, and it is clicking on all cylinders during the 2014-15 campaign. Between Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis on the perimeter and Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marcus Lee and Dakari Johnson on the inside (and Trey Lyles on the wing/inside), there is talent all over the floor.
A number of those players will be lacing it up in the NBA this time next year, so it is almost unfair to ask the rest of the SEC to really do anything to stop them in Nashville.
However, there is something to be said about familiarity with many of these opponents. Georgia, LSU, Florida and even Vanderbilt challenged the Wildcats this season, and they could all build a game plan off what kept them in the regular-season contests in the first place.
Still, that is much easier said than done against the basketball machine that is Kentucky.
How Far Will LSU’s Big Men Carry It?
Kentucky gets most of the attention for its big men in the SEC, and rightfully so, but LSU has a productive pair of its own that will make some noise in March.
Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey are both walking double-doubles who can dominate almost any opponent down low with size, strength and soft touch around the basket. Martin checks in at 6’10”, while Mickey is 6’8”, which is particularly difficult for most teams outside of the Wildcats to match up against in this league.
Martin and Mickey are both likely future pros as well and have a chance to make a final impression to the selection committee during the conference tournament.
Martin certainly understood how important these March games are, via Glenn Guilbeau of The Shreveport Times: “Our team realizes now how important each game is in fulfilling our dream.”
If both big men take that attitude into the SEC tournament games, they should be able to control the boards, swat plenty of attempts at the rim and score in the paint. That could be enough to get the Tigers deep into the bracket in Nashville.
How Will the Bubble Teams Fare?
The SEC is one of the more entertaining bubble scenes in the entire country.
With a number of teams playing for postseason positioning and even an NCAA tournament spot, the SEC tournament is bound to be packed with intriguing contests outside of just the ones Kentucky plays in. Throw in a dark-horse candidate like Florida that has no chance at the Big Dance, unless it wins the entire thing, and the SEC tournament is appointment viewing for the selection committee.
How these teams perform against each other in Nashville will go a long way toward determining how many bids the league gets as a whole and where those seeds will be on the bracket.
Ultimately, that is the most important thing with any conference tournament.
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