SEC Tournament 2018: Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions
March 6, 2018
There's no getting around it, the SEC tournament was built on Kentucky basketball.
But this year's tournament is exciting because there are other teams looking to change that.
The SEC doesn't have a team in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 this year, and that includes the Wildcats.
However, with Auburn ranked 14th, Tennessee ranked 16th and Kentucky ranked 23rd in the nation, the SEC tournament will be worth a watch.
The big change this year is that the tournament is leaving Nashville, Tennessee for St. Louis Missouri.
Fourteen teams will converge on the Scottrade Center from Wednesday to battle for the SEC title.
The Wildcats normally rule the SEC—they recorded their third successive triumph last year, beating Arkansas 82-65 in the final.
But 2018 is all about Auburn.
The Tigers clawed their way to their first regular-season SEC title since 1999 on Saturday with a 79-70 comeback win over South Carolina.
Auburn will have to share the title with Tennessee, but it is rolling and is set to enter the NCAA tournament after a 15-year drought.
SEC Tournament Schedule
All times ET.
1st Round—Wednesday
Game 1 | Georgia (12) vs. Vanderbilt (13) | 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 2 | South Carolina (11) vs. Ole Miss (14) | 25 minutes after Game 1, SEC Network
2nd Round—Thursday
Game 3 | Texas A&M (8) vs. Alabama (9) | 1 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 4 | Missouri (5) vs. Game 1 winner | 25 minutes after Game 3, SEC Network
Game 5 | Mississippi State (7) vs. LSU (10) | 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 6 | Arkansas (6) vs. Game 2 winner | 25 minutes after Game 5, SEC Network
Quarterfinals—Friday
Game 7 | Auburn (1) vs. Game 3 winner | 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 8 | Kentucky (4) vs. Game 4 winner | 25 minutes after Game 7, ESPN
Game 9 | Tennessee (2) vs. Game 5 winner | 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Game 10 | Florida (3) vs. Game 6 winner | 25 minutes after Game 9, SEC Network
Semifinals—Saturday
Game 11 | Semifinal 1 | 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 12 | Semifinal 2 | 25 minutes after Game 11, ESPN
Championship—Sunday
Game 13 | Championship Game | 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
SEC Championship Odds
Odds according to OddsShark.
Favorite: Auburn
Head coach Bruce Pearl is making Charles Barkley proud.
It's only been four years since Pearl took over the reins at Auburn (25-6, 13-5 in the SEC), but he's brought the program back to respectability and is taking time to celebrate with all of the Tiger alumni.
"There are guys like Charles Barkley right now ... who is celebrating this victory," Pearl said, per ESPN. "That was for you, Charles, and a lot of those guys who wore this uniform."
Another famous alumnus who wore the uniform was associate head coach Chuck Person, who was let go in November after being indicted in a federal grand jury. But despite that adversity, which included losing Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, the Tigers have persevered.
With signature wins over Middle Tennessee, Tennessee and Arkansas, they are poised to continue surprising everyone until they hoist that SEC tournament trophy.
"It's unreal," said Bryce Brown, who scored 29 points, including eight three-pointers, to beat the Gamecocks, per ESPN. "It's unbelievable, knowing where the program came from. When I signed here, of course our goal was to win a championship. But I don't know if I really, truly felt like we were going to be able to. Three years later, here it goes."
Sleeper: Kentucky
No matter where it stands in the rankings, Kentucky (21-10, 10-8 in the SEC) just can't be counted out.
It is the No. 4 seed in the tournament, but don't let that fool you. The Wildcats are loaded with talent, and they could easily turn it on and run a team off the court.
Kentucky's offense could use a lot of work, but its defense is improving. The Wildcats have a 96.3 adjusted defensive ranking on KenPom.com.
The Wildcats' inability to pass the ball was their Achilles' heel in their 80-67 loss to Florida on Saturday, during which they committed 13 turnovers and only dished out six assists.
But Kentucky has won 30 SEC championships, five under head coach John Calipari. With that much of a winning tradition, the Wildcats always have a chance.
Winner: Auburn
Tennessee and Florida are no jokes, but this is Auburn's year.
Led by Brown, the Tigers are poised to make their mark.
They are ranked 15th in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom and hold their own on the defensive end with a 97.5.
Auburn has posted its second-most wins since 1999 and is not done etching its name into the history books.
Look for the Tigers to cut down the nets Sunday.