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SEC Tournament 2021: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates, Live Stream Info
March 7, 2021
The SEC men's basketball tournament will likely have an unfamiliar program cut down the nets in Nashville.
In the last decade, the Kentucky Wildcats held a firm grip on the tournament title by winning six times.
There is guaranteed to be a new champion in 2021 since the Auburn Tigers, who won in 2019, are not eligible because of a postseason ban.
Of the 13 programs entering Nashville, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Arkansas Razorbacks have the best shot to win, but there are a few teams capable of beating both teams that ranked outside the top two.
The LSU Tigers have one of the top scorers in the country, and the Tennessee Volunteers have plenty of experience that could lead them to a deep run inside their home state.
SEC Tournament Bracket
Alabama and Arkansas followed similar paths to reach the top of the conference standings.
The Crimson Tide and Razorbacks have fast-paced offenses that shoot well from three-point range, and they both play solid defense as well.
Alabama's only loss in its last seven games came at the hands of Arkansas, and it avoided upsets throughout SEC play. Its other league defeat was at the hands of the Missouri Tigers.
The consistency against some of the league's weaker teams leads you to believe that Nate Oats' team will handle its business in the quarterfinals.
The No. 1 seed could officially end Kentucky's decade-long reign atop the SEC, if the Wildcats get past the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round.
Alabama owns a pair of double-digit victories over Kentucky, who is expected to miss out on the NCAA men's basketball tournament unless it makes a deep run in Nashville. If Alabama makes quick work of Kentucky and others, it could play for its first SEC tournament crown since 1991.
Tennessee could present a tough test for Alabama with its paint combination of John Fulkerson and Yves Pons, but the Vols have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the last month.
Rick Barnes' team alternated wins and losses in its final seven games of the regular season, but it does have the most SEC tournament experience of the top contenders. The Vols lost to Kentucky in 2018 and Auburn in 2019 in the SEC tournament final.
On the other end of the bracket, LSU should be the toughest road block to Arkansas' championship game hopes.
Cameron Thomas eclipsed the 20-point mark in each of his last 20 games, including a 29-point performance against Missouri on Saturday to clinch the No. 3 seed.
The guard scored 25 points in his last meeting with Arkansas, but the Razorbacks got the best of the Tigers in that matchup.
The 83-75 win was part of Arkansas' eight-game winning streak that landed it the No. 2 seed. Eric Musselman's side reached 80 points in six of those contests.
In three of those wins, Arkansas held opponents under 70 points and it contained another two at or below the 75-point mark.
If the Razorbacks continue to score at a high pace and limit the production of Thomas and other top scorers, they could leave Nashville with their first conference tournament crown since 2000.
Arkansas held Alabama to 66 points in its February 24 meeting, and if it does the same in a potential title clash, it could bolster its NCAA tournament stock while bringing home hardware.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.