As the final Saturday of the regular season winds down, the outlook for the 2024 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament is clearer.
The 14-team bracket is set, less than a week before the tournament tips off at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday.
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On the heels of its first outright conference title in 16 years, Tennessee (24-7) will be the No. 1 seed and benefit from a double-bye, making its tournament debut in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The Vols, who clinched the league's regular season crown with a 66-59 win at South Carolina last week, enter the postseason fresh off of a daunting stretch that included four-straight games against AP Top 20 teams.
Tennessee went 3-1 in those match ups, beating Auburn, Alabama and South Carolina before dropping its regular season finale against Kentucky on Saturday. The Vols head into the tournament as a projected 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Elsewhere in the league, Kentucky clinched the No. 2 seed while Alabama and Auburn took the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively, all earning double-byes.
The rest of the field includes 5-seed South Carolina, 6-seed Florida, 7-seed Texas A&M, 8/9-seed LSU and Mississippi State, 10-seed Ole Miss, 11-seed Georgia, 12-seed Arkansas, 13-seed Vanderbilt and 14-seed Missouri.
SEC Tournament seedings, TV schedule
Wednesday, March 13
First Round
Game 1: 12-seed Arkansas vs. 13-seed Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 2: 11-seed Georgia vs. 14-seed Missouri, 9:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Thursday, March 14
Second Round
Game 3: 8/9-seed LSU vs. 8/9-seed Mississippi State, 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 4: 5-seed South Carolina vs. Game 1 winner, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 5: 7-seed Texas A&M vs. 10-seed Ole Miss 8 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 6: 6-seed Florida vs. Game 2 winner, 10:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Friday, March 14
Quarterfinals
Game 8: 1-seed Tennessee vs. Game 3 winner, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 9: 4-seed Auburn vs. Game 4 winner, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 10: 2-seed Kentucky vs. Game 5 winner, 8 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 11: 3-seed Alabama vs. Game 6 winner, 10:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Saturday, March 16
Semifinals
Game 12: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Sunday, March 17
Championship Game
Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Tennessee looking for second tournament title in three years
Tennessee isn't too far removed from its last tournament championship.
The Vols won the SEC Tournament at the 2-seed in Tampa in 2022, beating Mississippi State and Kentucky on its way to the tournament final. Tennessee topped Texas A&M, 65-50 in the championship game, ending a 43-year tournament title drought.
The Vols are in good position for another run, needing to win just two games to reach the championship final for the second time in three years.
Tennessee doesn't necessarily need to make a run. The Vols' resume is already one of the most impressive in college basketball with a regular season championship in one of its toughest leagues to its name.
It could, though, boost Tennessee's chances at the first NCAA Tournament 1-seed in program history.
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