SEC Tournament 2019: Bracket, Schedule and Championship Odds

Kentucky has dominated the SEC tournament this decade, winning the championship four straight seasons and six of the past nine years. This year, the 13 other conference teams will try to put an end to the Wildcats' run.

The SEC tournament begins Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and concludes Sunday afternoon with the championship game. The tourney is back in Nashville, where it took place from 2015-17, after it was held in St. Louis last year.

LSU is the No. 1 seed after going 16-2 in SEC play and winning the regular-season conference championship. Kentucky and Tennessee each went 15-3 in conference games and are the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively.

SEC Tournament Schedule (All Times ET)

View the full bracket here

Wednesday, March 13

No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 13 Georgia (7 p.m., SEC Network)

No. 11 Texas A&M vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt (25 minutes after end of previous game, SEC Network)

Thursday, March 14

No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 Arkansas (1 p.m., SEC Network)

No. 5 Auburn vs. Winner of No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 13 Georgia (25 minutes after end of previous game, SEC Network)

No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Alabama (7 p.m., SEC Network)

No. 6 Mississippi State vs. Winner of No. 11 Texas A&M vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt (25 minutes after end of previous game, SEC Network)

Friday, March 15

No. 1 LSU vs. Winner of No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 Arkansas (1 p.m., ESPN)

No. 4 South Carolina vs. Winner of No. 5 Auburn vs. No. 12 Missouri/No. 13 Georgia (25 minutes after end of previous game, ESPN)

No. 2 Kentucky vs. Winner of No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Alabama (7 p.m., SEC Network)

No. 3 Tennessee vs. Winner of No. 6 Mississippi State vs. No. 11 Texas A&M/No. 14 Vanderbilt (25 minutes after end of previous game, SEC Network)

Saturday, March 16

Semifinal No. 1 (1 p.m., ESPN)

Semifinal No. 2 (25 minutes after end of previous game, ESPN)

Sunday, March 17

Championship (1 p.m., ESPN)

SEC Tournament Championship Odds (via MyBookie.Ag)

Tennessee +190 (Bet $100 to win $190)

Kentucky +190

LSU +420

Auburn +420

Mississippi State +1500

Florida +1800

Ole Miss +4000

South Carolina +4400

Arkansas +5100

Alabama +6500

Missouri +6500

Texas A&M +9500

Georgia +9700

Vanderbilt +9800

Can LSU Win Without Wade?

BILL FEIG/Associated Press

LSU won its first SEC regular-season championship since 2009. But if the Tigers are going to win their first conference tournament since 1980, they may have to do it without their head coach.

Will Wade was recently suspended indefinitely by the university after an FBI wiretap was released that included the LSU coach appearing to make an offer during recruiting. According to NOLA.com, Wade declined to meet with school officials, and the incentives he would earn for the Tigers' success are currently in limbo.

Just as important for the Tigers, how will they play under interim coach Tony Benford?

Benford has been an assistant for the Tigers since 2017. Prior to that, he was the head coach at North Texas from 2012-17. Benford never coached in the NCAA tournament, but he also was not leading a team as talented as this year's LSU squad.

The Tigers won their first game with Benford at the helm, an 80-59 victory over Vanderbilt in Saturday's regular-season finale. But the competition in the SEC tournament will be much tougher.

Benford will certainly have an opportunity to prove himself when he goes up against veteran coaches such as Kentucky's John Calipari or Tennessee's Rick Barnes.

Can Vols Get Revenge?

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Last year, Tennessee shared the SEC regular-season championship with Auburn, its first title since 2008. However, the Vols were the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and lost to No. 4-seeded Kentucky in the championship game.

If Tennessee is going to get back to the title game this year, it will likely have to beat Kentucky. The Vols are the No. 3 seed and the Wildcats are the No. 2 seed, so they could match up in the semifinal on the bottom side of the bracket.

The Vols haven't won the SEC tournament since 1979. They lost their regular-season finale against Auburn on Saturday, so they'll be looking to get back on track at the start of the conference tourney.

"This league is terrific," Barnes said after Saturday's loss, according to 247sports.com. "A year ago, you think about it, we win the league with five losses. This year we only have three. But the fact that these guys, you have to learn from this. Some of the mistakes we made today we can’t make. Not at this time of year.”

Tournament Prediction

Although LSU and Tennessee both have strong teams this season, it isn't time for Kentucky's dominant run to come to an end just yet.

The Wildcats will likely be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with an SEC tourney championship, and that will motivate this team to win the conference tournament for the fifth straight year.

Not only that, but Kentucky lost to both LSU and Tennessee late in the regular season. This will be the Wildcats' time for revenge.