The Men’s 2025 SEC Tournament is set to tip off on Wednesday afternoon with the first matchup between No. 16 South Carolina and No. 9 Arkansas.
Eight SEC teams will be in action Wednesday with four more joining the fold on Thursday and the last four entering the fray on Friday.
It has been a historic year for the conference, which is trending toward breaking the record for most teams from one league to make the NCAA Tournament, seeking to beat 11 set by the Big East.
Ahead of the showdowns in Nashville, 10 SEC teams appear to be firmly safe in the March Madness field while four more are on the bubble, either projected in or just out. Truly, only LSU and South Carolina have no chance at an at-large bid to the big dance.
With that in mind, each team has notable concerns, goals and questions attached to them heading into Bridgestone Arena. The Kentucky Kernel broke those down in one comprehensive story.
No. 16 South Carolina and Lamont Paris: What happened and where do you go from here?
One year ago, South Carolina went into the SEC Tournament with very different fortunes than it goes into the 2025 edition with.
By the time the tournament rolled around, the Gamecocks were 25-6 overall and 13-5 in the SEC, easily in the NCAA Tournament field. They had wins over the likes of Florida, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi State.
While, yes, many believed South Carolina was exceeding expectations after being picked to finish last in the conference preseason, the Gamecocks were still very good.
After blowing out Arkansas in the first round, South Carolina lost to Auburn in the quarterfinals with the NCAA Tournament still to come.
The effort earned Head Coach Lamont Paris a six-year contract extension and the institution hoped he could get it back to the Final Four for the first time since 2017 and second time ever.
From there, however, the Gamecocks were upset in the first round of the big dance and superstar Meechie Johnson transferred to Ohio State. On top of that, B.J. Mack and Ta’Lon Cooper exhausted their eligibility.
South Carolina struggled to replace those key pieces, though it did bring in Nick Pringle from Alabama and Jamarii Thomas, but Collin Murray-Boyles stepped up big, making his way onto the All-SEC second team for his efforts.
Despite that, however, it has been an extremely poor year for the Gamecocks. Standing at 12-19 overall, USC is 2-16 in the SEC with a non-conference loss to North Florida.
There’s no concern about Paris’ job by any means, but this season has been brutal and somehow catching fire to win five games in five days against the likes of Arkansas, Ole Miss, No. 1 Auburn and more seems highly unlikely.
With that, it’s likely South Carolina will be the first team in the conference firmly eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention.
It would be naive to think next year isn’t already on Paris’ mind, but what that next year looks like is heavily in question with Pringle out of eligibility, Thomas a senior and Murray-Boyles looking like a first-round NBA draft pick.
No. 15 LSU and Matt McMahon: How hot is the seat in Baton Rouge?
Things at LSU for Matt McMahon have simply not gone well. That is stating the obvious.
McMahon was hired in 2022 after former Tigers coach Will Wade was fired due to a plethora of allegations and investigations into violations in recruiting and paying athletes ahead of the implementation of NIL. McMahon had been at Murray State prior to that and led the Racers to three NCAA Tournaments and possibly would have nabbed a fourth if the 2020 edition wasn’t canceled.
In his three years with LSU, he hasn’t gotten particularly close to making the big dance, only making it to the NIT once, in 2024, and losing in the first round.
LSU is a program that has been to four Final Fours and won 11 SEC regular season championships and an SEC Tournament championship.
While he had to go due to the myriad of allegations, Wade never failed to bring the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament after his first season (he made the NIT) and even made the Sweet Sixteen in 2019.
Since leaving Baton Rouge, Wade turned McNeese State into easily the best team in the Southland Conference and is trending toward making a second consecutive NCAA Tournament, with high major schools already looking to give him a call and bring him back to the highest level of the sport.
As for McMahon, his Tigers were picked to finish 14th in the conference this season (they were picked 13th out of 14 last year) and haven’t even lived up to those expectations.
LSU is 14-17 overall and 3-15 in the conference, taking losses to Pittsburgh and SMU in the non-conference.
Cam Carter and Jordan Sears have been good for the Tigers, but both are seniors and the squad seems directionless. With a matchup with Mississippi State on Wednesday, few would predict the Tigers have any shot at even winning one game in Nashville with five games in five days being a pipe dream.
Questions have to be asked as to how long McMahon’s leash is in Baton Rouge and whether or not the school may be looking for new life in its men’s basketball program.
No. 14 Oklahoma and Porter Moser: How stale is too stale in Norman?
Oklahoma is in a weird situation.
When Porter Moser was hired in 2021 not long after taking Loyola Chicago to the Final Four, it seemed like a slam dunk for a Sooners program that needed a strong hire after Lon Kruger retired.
The flash has worn off.
Oklahoma went a combined 54-45 in Moser’s first three seasons and 20-34 in the Big 12. Not offensively poor, but uninspiring to be certain. Moser only led the Sooners to one postseason, making an NIT second round in his first season in Norman.
Coming into the SEC, Moser had a tall task, losing major producers like Otega Oweh (Kentucky) and Javian McCollum (Georgia Tech). Despite that, incoming prospect and expected NBA draft pick Jeremiah Fears was expected to bring some glitz and glamor to the squad.
Even still, Oklahoma was picked to finish 15th in the SEC preseason and, admittedly, has exceeded those expectations even if just by one spot.
What makes the situation so complicated, however, is not the overall, but the season broken down into two parts.
Oklahoma ended its non-conference slate 13-0, winning the Battle 4 Atlantis over Providence, Arizona and Louisville, beating Michigan and besting McCollum’s new squad in Georgia Tech in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Ranked No. 12 in the country, Oklahoma lost its first four conference games and never got much better, stumbling to a 6-12 conference record and a 19-12 overall record.
Once easily in the field, Oklahoma is on the NCAA Tournament bubble with ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projecting the Sooners in the First Four as one of the last four in and CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm projecting them narrowly in the field as well.
Heading into the SEC Tournament against a hot Georgia squad, a first-round loss could prove detrimental for Moser’s crew and potentially see it miss the big dance for the fourth season in a row.
It’s not expected that OU would move on from Moser this season, but unless a deep run is made in March, it’s very likely he enters next season on the hot seat.
No. 13 Texas and Rodney Terry: Who will be the next head coach of the Texas Longhorns?
Rodney Terry and Texas parting ways at the end of this season, barring something incredible, seems like one of the worst kept secrets in the SEC.
Terry took over in Austin under unusual circumstances as current Ole Miss Head Coach Chris Beard was fired midseason after allegations of domestic abuse. Terry, an assistant, took over as the interim.
Terry led Beard’s squad to the Elite Eight that year and was given the full-time head coaching position, but things haven’t gone that smoothly since.
Texas wasn’t bad in its last year in the Big 12, but it was uninspiring. A 21-13 record and 9-9 conference figure led to a No. 7 seed in the big dance, a comfortable first round win and an unceremonious second-round exit.
Coming into the SEC, Texas was ranked No. 19 in the country by the AP and projected within the top half of the conference (seventh).
With plenty of expectations and SEC Freshman of the Year and expected first round NBA draft pick Tre Johnson — not to mention Arkansas transfer Tramon Mark — the Longhorns’ first season in the SEC has been… uninspiring.
Texas is 17-14 overall and 6-12 in the conference, floating on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Lunardi has Texas in the “first four out” while Palm doesn’t even have it near the field.
All in all, a win over Vanderbilt is absolutely necessary if the Longhorns want any chance of dancing and they will maybe even need more than that. Regardless of what happens in Nashville, barring the famed five-game-five-day run, Texas won’t be a very high seed if it makes the NCAAs anyway.
Anything short of a daring deep run in March feels too little, too late for Terry and Texas will be searching for its third head coach since 2021.
No. 12 Vanderbilt and Mark Byington: What is the ceiling for Vanderbilt basketball?
Few power conference teams have seen the kind of one-year turnaround that Vanderbilt has with Mark Byington this season.
Vanderbilt hadn’t made an NCAA Tournament since 2017 and last year’s 9-23 season was enough for the school to fire head coach Jerry Stackhouse.
Hiring Byington from James Madison, administration promised to support whatever the former Duke needed monetarily to bring success to Nashville.
Byington, who led JMU to an NCAA Tournament first round upset of Wisconsin the season prior, brought in 11 transfers to build out the roster, including two former Dukes in Hollman Smith and Jaylen Carey.
Kicking off year one with the Commodores, Vandy took a somewhat concerning loss to Drake but entered conference play 12-1 on the season.
Some inconsistency early led to Vanderbilt floating around the bubble, but a three-game win streak over Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri put to bed any doubt that Byington and the ‘Dores would be dancing.
With Byington turning Vanderbilt from a nine win team into an NCAA Tournament lock before the SEC Tournament has even tipped off — as well as having the financial support of his institution — the head coach has a real chance at building something sustainable in Nashville assuming he’s not poached by a bigger gig.
The Commodores have a crumbling Texas team in the first round, meaning they have a real chance at securing at least one win in Bridgestone Arena, and a possible second-round date with Texas A&M is hardly a bad matchup.
Vandy shouldn’t be expected to win five games in five days to claim SEC gold, but the future looks very promising under Byington and fans should keep an eye out for this program going forward.
No. 11 Georgia and Mike White: How long can this fire burn?
Georgia might truly be one of the biggest sleepers of the SEC Tournament.
Just a few weeks ago, Mike White’s Bulldogs were 4-10 in the SEC and seemed to be in the same boat as South Carolina and LSU: firmly on the outside of the NCAA Tournament looking in.
Then, something changed. Georgia got hot.
The Bulldogs enter Nashville having won four straight over Florida, Texas, Vanderbilt and South Carolina, currently being projected as a No. 9 seed by both Palm and Lunardi. Wins over Kentucky, Oklahoma and St. John’s boost the resume as well.
White’s hiring was debated after he’d been canned at Florida after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2022, and his first two seasons in Athens left a lot to be desired with a combined 36-33 record (12-24 SEC), with nothing more than an NIT appearance last year to show for it.
Now, however, White’s Dawgs will be dancing for the first time since 2015.
As exciting as this prospect is, however, plenty of questions surround how reliable Georgia actually is and whether or not it may have peaked too early. Despite the hot streak, Georgia had previously lost four straight in conference for the second time this season.
Is this streak indicative of the actual state of this Georgia team or is it simply a good run?
A first-round SEC Tournament date with a stumbling Oklahoma is promising, but a second-round venture against a revenge-seeking Kentucky may cause problems for White’s squad.
Georgia is in the big dance, no worries there, but winning five games in five days is extremely unlikely and many are quite uncertain as to how UGA will respond when its win streak finally comes to an end.
No. 10 Mississippi State and Chris Jans: Why should anyone believe in you?
Mississippi State is a good basketball team. No one should try to deny that.
Led by Chris Jans in his third season, the former New Mexico State coach has never missed the NCAA Tournament in Starkville and this year is no different. The Bulldogs are in. Lunardi projects State as a No. 8 seed but Palm sees it as high as a No. 6.
A loss to LSU would be bad for the resume, but nothing is keeping the Bulldogs out of the dance at this point.
With that in mind, though, this State team hasn’t done a ton to instill confidence that it’s a serious threat in the conference or in the big dance.
After entering conference play with a head-scratching loss to Butler and a 12-1 record, Mississippi State won its first two conference games. It would be one of just two times the Bulldogs would win two in a row.
Apart from those instances, four two-game losing skids and plenty of wins and losses back-to-back paint a confusing picture for the skill level of Jans’ squad.
Sure, Mississippi State has a regular season sweep of Ole Miss and wins at Vanderbilt and over Texas A&M, but, for the most part, when it played the better teams in the conference, it lost. State finished just 8-10 in the SEC.
Yes, Josh Hubbard is fantastic and his All-SEC second team appearance shows that. Yes, Cameron Matthews is an elite defender as his All-SEC defensive team honor shows.
But, overall, this isn’t a squad that seems like a real threat to do some damage in the postseason. The Bulldogs do have an intriguing draw in Nashville with LSU and Missouri, but Florida should surely end their chances of a conference title.
Come NCAA Tournament, don’t expect too many brackets to have this team making the second weekend.
No. 9 Arkansas and John Calipari: Does the SEC Tournament REALLY not matter?
John Calipari is in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar situation in Fayetteville this season.
For a head coach that has preached that the SEC Tournament “doesn’t matter,” the 2025 SEC Tournament could be the difference between Cal’s Hogs making the dance or being sent to the NIT.
Arkansas has disappointed after being projected to finish fourth in the SEC and ranked No. 16 in the preseason AP Poll, and a five-game losing streak to start SEC play led to plenty of mockery in Calipari’s direction.
A win over Michigan in the non-conference still helped the Razorbacks’ resume, but a win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena really flipped a switch for the Hogs.
After upsetting Calipari’s former school in Lexington, Arkansas went 4-3 with wins over Texas (twice), Missouri and LSU and losses to Auburn, Alabama and Texas A&M, all understandable.
Then, the unthinkable happened: a 19-point loss that was, at one point, a 28-point gap against South Carolina.
Granted, the Razorbacks bounced back with wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt and SHOULD be in the field with Palm giving Arky a No. 10 and Lunardi leaning toward a No. 11 in the “last four byes,” but another loss to South Carolina in the first round would be crippling.
Assuming the Hogs take care of business despite Boogie Fland’s season-ending injury and Adou Thiero’s injury issues, a win over Ole Miss would likely be all that’s needed to guarantee safety for March… if Calipari chooses to take the tournament seriously.
No. 8 Ole Miss and Chris Beard: How enticing is Bloomington?
Interestingly enough, the biggest question surrounding Ole Miss doesn’t have much to do with the Rebels at all.
After just missing the NCAA Tournament in Chris Beard’s first season in Oxford, the Rebels are comfortably in the field with 21 wins and a winning record in a stacked SEC. They’re projected anywhere from a No. 7 seed to a No. 5 seed in the big dance.
Unfortunately for the ole’ University of Mississippi, its ability to obtain Beard at all came with unusual circumstances.
Beard got his first NCAA Division-I head coaching job with Arkansas Little Rock in 2015 and led the Trojans to a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament. His efforts got him an immediate job at Texas Tech.
With the Red Raiders, Beard made the NCAA Tournament every season except his first and was firmly in the field when the 2020 tournament was canceled. He even led Tech to be the 2019 runner-up, losing to Virginia in the national championship.
Beard then made the controversial move to Texas, leading the Longhorns to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and starting his second season 7-1 with buckets of potential before allegations of domestic violence led the institution to fire him midway through the year.
Beard stuck with Ole Miss after his first season, but with multiple high profile jobs opening ahead of the 2025-26 season, he may be looking for a bigger school with more money and a more established basketball fanbase.
One job in particular that may be quite enticing for Beard is none other than the Indiana Hoosiers, who saw their head coach Mike Woodson announce he would step down at the end of the season after never seeming to live up to his potential.
Sure, Indiana is doing well and has a good shot to make the NCAA Tournament with Woodson even commenting that he may be “leaving too soon,” but it seems the split is irreversible.
Beard’s rocky personal history may keep Indiana from making the move, but if that offer is given, the head coach would have to strongly consider it.
It’s a tough spot for Ole Miss to be in while having a good season, with fans just being left to hope that off-the-court business doesn’t result in an on-the-court upset.
No. 7 Missouri and Dennis Gates: How do you bounce back?
Dennis Gates deserves his flowers for the way he has turned around Missouri after a disastrous 2023-24 season.
After making the dance in his first season after being hired from Cleveland State, Gates and his squad, dealing with plenty off the court, went 0-18 in SEC play last season with an 8-24 record and losses to Jackson State and Seton Hall.
This season, Missouri has put together a 21-10 regular season (10-8 SEC) and is projected firmly into the field with Palm giving the Tigers a No. 6 seed and Lunardi giving a No. 7.
With third team All-SEC member Mark Mitchell and SEC Sixth Man of the Year Caleb Grill, the Tigers jumped out to a 9-4 record to start conference play with wins over Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Alabama.
Since then, however, Gates and Co. finished 1-4 with losses to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. This includes the last three games of the regular season, with Kentucky downing the Tigers in Columbia for their senior day.
Mizzou will have a good chance to bounce back, facing the winner of LSU and Mississippi State, but a quarterfinals date with Florida will be a tall task.
Momentum is valuable in college basketball and the Tigers don’t have much of it right now. They need a serious bounce back before the NCAA Tournament kicks off or else Gates runs the risk of missing the second weekend once again.
No. 6 Kentucky and Mark Pope: What is this group’s actual ceiling without Jaxson Robinson?
Perhaps one of the most compelling cases heading into the SEC Tournament, Kentucky has far more than just one question attached to it before Nashville.
Following John Calipari’s exodus to Arkansas, Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart chose to go a different direction for his next head coach, selecting Mark Pope, a national-championship winning alumnus, out of BYU.
Rebuilding the roster from scratch with zero returning scholarship players and only one recruit from before his tenure (Travis Perry), few were sure of how Pope’s first season in Lexington would go.
The highs have been extremely high, winning over Duke early on, beating Gonzaga in Washington, knocking off Louisville and grabbing plenty of ranked SEC wins including Florida, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Tennessee (twice) and, most recently, Missouri. The Cats reached a peak of No. 4 in the AP Poll.
On the flip side, a blowout loss to Ohio State, a frustrating one to Arkansas and a collapse at Texas have led this team to get the reputation for being rather “boom or bust.”
It must be stated that injuries have plagued this team all year with Amari Williams, Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr all missing time during the season and backup point guard Kerr Kriisa suffering a season-ending injury in December. Above all, though, one injury stings the most: the season-ending wrist injury to NBA prospect Jaxson Robinson.
Sure, the Cats got a big win in Columbia over Missouri to end the regular season without Robinson, but a loss against No. 1 Auburn that was never truly competitive really displayed the ugly side of what a Robinson-less squad can look like. None of that even counts the fact that Butler is far from 100%.
Kentucky will have a chance at a revenge win over Georgia or a winnable game over a struggling Oklahoma squad, but a potential quarterfinals date with Alabama and the likelihood of future matchups against Florida and Auburn will really put on display what this team is truly capable of without its star against the best teams in the sport.
Pope made it clear he believes in the value of and wants an SEC banner, but it’s going to be a very tough road to get there. Regardless, big wins in the postseason will be invaluable for a head coach that has never won an NCAA Tournament game, another concern for a segment of Kentucky fans.
All in all, this Kentucky squad is just so unpredictable with Madness on the horizon.
No. 5 Texas A&M and Buzz Williams: How do you separate from the pack?
Buzz Williams has a very good squad with the 2024-25 Texas A&M Aggies, that’s undeniable.
With that said, recent form has made this squad feel just a tier below the top four in the conference, despite being projected as a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A non-conference loss to UCF was concerning, but by mid February, the Aggies were 9-3 in the SEC with wins over Texas, Oklahoma (twice), Ole Miss, Missouri and Georgia.
Earning a No. 7 ranking in the AP Poll, Texas A&M hit stormy seas, losing four straight to fall out of the top four of the conference. Yes, a win over No. 1 Auburn is massive, but many felt as though the result had more to do with the Tigers than the Aggies.
A&M is loaded, boasting All-SEC first teamer Wade Taylor IV, averaging 15.2 points a night, and other stars like Henry Coleman III and Zhuric Phelps, but still feels like it hasn’t reached all that it is capable of.
The Aggies have another chance for a Quad-1 win against either Texas or Vanderbilt, but a potential quarterfinal date with Tennessee will be a big test. Texas A&M has a real chance to win the SEC Tournament, but it has just as much of a chance to fall victim to a Vanderbilt or Texas squad with more to play for.
Right now, A&M feels just a step below the top of the conference. It has a chance to change that in the SECs and then make a serious splash in the dance to get Williams his first second weekend at College Station, but, now, it’s time to put up or shut up.
No. 4 Tennessee and Rick Barnes: Is this finally the year for a first Final Four?
No matter how many consecutive good seasons Rick Barnes puts together at Tennessee, one thing has always plagued him: his inability to get the Vols to their first ever Final Four.
Barnes has been an NCAA Division-I head coach since 1987 with George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and, now, Tennessee. He has made 28 NCAA Tournament appearances with just one Final Four (with Texas in 2003), while going out in the first weekend 19 times.
At Tennessee, Barnes has gone out in the first weekend three times, made the Sweet Sixteen twice and gone to the Elite Eight once, last season. Since 2018, Tennessee has been a top three seed four times and a No. 2 seed twice.
Interestingly, Barnes has seen a gradual increase year by year since 2021, being a first round exit that year, a round of 32 exit in 2022, making a Sweet Sixteen in 2023 and the Elite Eight last year. That pattern would suggest that 2025 is the year the Vols finally make a Final Four, but the pressure is on.
Tennessee is 25-6 overall and 12-6 in the SEC, with two of those losses coming in a regular season sweep versus Kentucky. The other losses are to Ole Miss, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Florida.
On the flip side, Tennessee has bested Alabama, Texas A&M, Missouri, Florida and Mississippi State, getting non-conference wins over Louisville, Baylor and Illinois.
The Vols were well-represented in the SEC regular season awards with Newcomer of the Year Chaz Lanier, Defensive Player of the Year Zakai Zeigler and All-SEC defender Jahmai Mashack. Zeigler was also on the All-SEC first team and All-Defense team while Lanier made the All-SEC second team.
Tennessee has the capability to make the Final Four, trending toward another No. 2 seed in the big dance, but it won’t be an easy feat in a year with so many strong teams at the top of the sport.
There isn’t a ton in the SEC Tournament that will change it, apart from the chance to log several more signature wins, but with the postseason arriving in general, a Final Four is the biggest concern for Tennessee.
No. 3 Alabama and Nate Oats: How good really is Alabama?
One of the most prolific offenses in the country, Alabama is NOT a team anyone wants to see in the postseason, whether that’s SECs or NCAAs.
With that being said, despite a 24-7 record and 13-5 conference record, Alabama is a much more modest 11-7 in Quad-1 games. Acknowledging the elephant in the room, 11 Quad-1 wins is fantastic and no losses outside the first quadrant is spectacular, but Alabama isn’t a team that has eyes for just being really good.
Nate Oats led his Crimson Tide to the school’s first ever NCAA Final Four last season after making the tournament three times in four years at Buffalo before being hired in Tuscaloosa. At Alabama, he has led the Tide to four straight NCAAs, just trending out of the big dance once, in 2020.
With two Sweet Sixteens and a Final Four in the last four years, Alabama has eyes for a national title, and, in a typical season, in order to win that national title, a team has to beat the best of the best.
While Alabama has beaten top tier teams 11 times, its odds against those teams is just 61%. This figure favors the Tide, but is much closer to a coin flip than one might prefer for a national championship favorite. For context, Auburn is 80% in Quad-1 games while other elite schools also rank higher such as Houston (76%), Michigan State (75%), Duke (70%) and Florida (69%). In fact, Bama ranks much closer to Tennessee (62%), a team that’s biggest goal is a Final Four.
This isn’t to say Alabama doesn’t have juice in big games. The Crimson Tide scores an NCAA-leading 91.2 points per game with All-SEC first teamer Mark Sears and All-SEC freshman team honoree Labaron Philon. Alabama has massive wins, including over Auburn, and a season sweep of Kentucky.
Alabama is good, but the Crimson Tide still has something to prove. A potential third chance at Kentucky and a likely quarterfinal date with Florida will help increase that Quad-1 record — and Alabama is certainly capable of winning the entire tournament — but a slip up would only bring the figure closer to 50% – a coin flip.
No. 2 Florida and Todd Golden: Can you get that last one seed?
Florida is in a position few ever expected it to be entering the season.
Being projected to finish sixth in the SEC and ranking just No. 21 in the preseason AP Poll, Florida finished its non-conference slate 13-0 and currently stands at 27-4 on the season and 14-4 in the SEC.
After not getting any massive wins in the non-con – the best was North Carolina – many doubted Florida’s ability to win big games. Many felt vindicated when Kentucky picked off the Gators 106-100 to start conference play. Many detractors then shut their mouths when the Gators won 14 of their next 17, beating Tennessee, Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama.
The Gators have won three straight heading into the postseason with All-SEC first teamer Walter Clayton Jr. and All-SEC third teamer Alex Condon.
With all of that put together, both Palm and Lunardi currently give Florida the nod to secure the fourth No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, an honor that would be Florida’s first since 2014.
The other three, all but already belonging to Duke, Auburn and Houston, seem pretty stable, but Florida’s spot on the one line is still up for debate as high No. 2s like Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan State still linger.
Regardless of whether or not Florida is able to secure that last spot on the one line won’t make it any less dangerous in the dance, but it’s an honor that Todd Golden is sure to want, particularly in a season that, at one point, seemed destined to be marred by off-the-court allegations.
The SEC Tournament is a great opportunity for Florida to show how dangerous it can be and lock up that last one seed, but it could also be just as big of a chance to slip up and allow Alabama or Tennessee to steal it instead.
No. 1 Auburn and Bruce Pearl: How much value does that No. 1 overall seed truly hold?
There truly isn’t much to say about the 2024-25 Auburn Tigers and Bruce Pearl that hasn’t already been said.
Taking over the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll in mid January, the Tigers held it until the final poll of the regular season. The Tigers have a jaw-dropping 16 Quad-1 wins and an 11-0 record outside the first quadrant.
Pearl was named SEC Coach of the Year, Johni Broome was SEC Player of the Year and has been in the race for National Player of the Year, Chad Baker-Mazara was on the All-SEC third team, Denver Jones was on the All-Defensive team and Tahaad Pettiford was on the All-Freshman team.
For most of the year, Auburn has seemed like a sure-fire lock for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, something both Palm and Lunardi still foresee happening.
With that in mind, however, the comfortability Pearl has in that accolade has decreased during the last week of the season.
After clinching the SEC regular season championship with games to spare in a blowout win in Rupp Arena versus Kentucky, Auburn got comfortable and lost its last two games versus Texas A&M and Alabama.
Those losses are nothing to scoff at and the Tigers truly didn’t have much to play for, but they matter nonetheless.
While it would be ridiculous to suggest that Auburn could be a one-and-done in Nashville, it is theoretically a possibility. In that scenario, a Duke team that murders the ACC Tournament or even perhaps a Houston team with a comfortable Big 12 title could potentially snag that No. 1 overall seed.
Sure, Auburn still may well get it anyway regardless of what happens around the country, but a quarterfinals win would really add some cushion to the Tigers’ lead and ensure it. Heck, Auburn is more than capable of winning the entire thing to bring a trophy home to Alabama, but it doesn’t necessarily have to.
Everyone knows a national championship is the real objective for Pearl and the Tigers, anyway.
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The 2025 Men’s SEC Tournament is set to kick off on Wednesday, March 12, from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first game of the tournament will be between South Carolina and Arkansas and is set to tip-off at 1 p.m. EDT.
The first two rounds of the tournament will air live on the SEC Network while the later rounds will move to ESPN. The championship is scheduled for Sunday, March 16, for 1 p.m. EDT.
