SEC Tournament 2022: Full Schedule and Complete Bracket Predictions

Not that long ago, the SEC men's basketball tournament was being dominated by Kentucky. One of the top programs in the nation for much of the past decade, the Wildcats won the conference tourney every year from 2015-18. However, they're no longer the overwhelming favorite in the SEC.

Auburn won the SEC tournament in 2019, and after the event was canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Alabama won the tourney title upon its return in 2021. In 2022, there are a handful of teams that appear to be legitimate contenders to win the SEC tournament, so it should be exciting to watch.

This year's SEC tourney is scheduled to take place March 9-13 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. But before then, there are still regular-season games to be played that could impact the seedings for the tournament.

Here's the full schedule for the 2022 SEC Tournament, followed by some predictions for how this year's event is going to unfold.

2022 SEC Tournament Schedule

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First Round (March 9)

Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed, 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 2: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Second Round (March 10)

Game 3: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, noon ET, SEC Network

Game 4: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner, 2 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 5: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed, 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 6: No. 6 seed vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Quarterfinals (March 11)

Game 7: No. 1 seed vs. Game 3 winner, noon ET, ESPN

Game 8: No. 4 seed vs. Game 4 winner, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 9: No. 2 seed vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 10: No. 3 seed vs. Game 6 winner, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Semifinals (March 12)

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

Championship (March 13)

Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Florida Won't Do Enough to Reach NCAA Tournament

Matt Stamey/Associated Press

Conference tournaments are an important time for bubble teams to prove they should be selected to play in the NCAA tournament. Only one team can clinch an automatic bid by winning each conference's tourney, but others can improve their resumes for the NCAA tourney selection committee.

That's what Florida will be looking to do during the SEC tournament. The Gators are on the bubble, as they're 18-11, including 8-8 in conference play. They conclude the regular season with games against Vanderbilt (on Tuesday) and Kentucky (on Saturday), and every matchup moving forward will be crucial.

Florida will likely be among the Nos. 6-10 seeds in the SEC tourney, meaning it will play its first game in the second round. But it could immediately face a difficult opponent. And considering it has lost three of its past five games (a down stretch that could continue this week), it may not have much momentum entering the tournament.

The prediction here is that Florida will go 0-1 in the SEC tournament, which won't be enough to secure a spot in this year's NCAA tourney. It's been an up-and-down season for the Gators, and that will end with them missing March Madness for the first time since 2016. 

Alabama Could Still Make It Back to Championship Game

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In the 2020-21 season, Alabama was the most dominant team in the SEC. It lost only two conference games during the regular season, then went 3-0 in the conference tournament, taking down Mississippi State, Tennessee and LSU to win the event for the first time since 1991.

This season, the Crimson Tide have been less successful, as they enter the final week of the regular season with a 9-7 record in SEC play. They could finish strong in their remaining matchups against Texas A&M and LSU, but it won't be enough for them to be among the top four seeds in the conference tournament.

However, Alabama could be getting hot at the right time. It has won five of its past six games, and it may continue to build momentum heading into the SEC tourney. If that's the case, the Crimson Tide—who are averaging a conference-best 80.5 points per game—could be difficult to beat.

While Alabama may not repeat as SEC tourney champions, it should make it back to at least the semifinals and potentially even the championship game. The Crimson Tide are a strong offensive team, and that will power them to another impressive showing at the event.

Arkansas Will Ride Momentum to SEC Tournament Title

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From 1979 to 2021, the SEC tournament has crowned a champion every year outside of 2020. However, Arkansas has only won the conference tourney once. And that happened more than two decades ago, as the Razorbacks' lone SEC tournament title was captured in 2000.

It's quite possible that Arkansas will end that drought this year, especially with how well it's been playing of late. The Razorbacks have won 13 of their past 14 games, and they could keep rolling to close the regular season with matchups against LSU (on Wednesday) and Tennessee (on Saturday) still to play.

Arkansas will be among the top four seeds in the SEC tourney, but it will likely have to take down some tough competition to win the event. Senior guard JD Notae, who is averaging a team-high 19.1 points per game) could play well enough for the Razorbacks to do just that.

Although there will be some close games late in the tournament, expect Arkansas to finally win the event again, as Notae will have some big performances that power the Razorbacks to the championship.