Texas A&M is the top seed, but many see Kentucky as the favorite in the SEC tournament. (Getty)
The SEC still may not be as deep as the other major conferences, but it isn’t short on talent.
Kentucky is the obvious headliner, as Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray make up arguably the best backcourt in the country, while blue-chip freshman Skal Labissiere is finally rounding into form after a mostly lackluster freshman season.
Then there’s the talented-but-confusing category: Vanderbilt has a pair of potential first-round picks in Damian Jones and Wade Baldwin, and LSU features a certain potential No. 1 pick named Ben Simmons, but both are still battling for a chance at the NCAA tournament, with Vandy on the bubble and LSU needing to run the table in the SEC tourney.
The opposite of those two teams, Texas A&M doesn’t have the same kind of future NBA talent but went 13-5 in the SEC under Billy Kennedy, shaking off a February slump to win the regular season and enter Nashville as the top seed.
Put it all together, and we have the ingredients for a very compelling tournament.
Play starts Wednesday, and we’ll keep you updated with results and matchups right here:
2016 SEC Tournament Bracket & Scores
(SECSports.com)
Note: All times ET
Wednesday, March 9
Game 1: Tennessee 97, Auburn 59
Thursday, March 10
Game 2: Florida 68, Arkansas 61
Game 3: Tennessee 67, Vanderbilt 65
Game 4: Alabama 81, Ole Miss 73
Game 5: Georgia 79, Mississippi State 69
Friday, March 11
Game 6: Texas A&M 72, Florida 66
Game 7: LSU 84, Tennessee 75
Game 8: Kentucky vs. Alabama, 7 p.m., SEC Network
Game 9: South Carolina vs. Georgia, 25 minutes after previous game, SEC Network
Saturday, March 12
Game 10: Texas A&M vs. LSU, 1 p.m., ESPN
Game 11: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 25 minutes after previous game, ESPN
Sunday, March 13
Championship: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN
