We've said it before; the SEC is a gauntlet, no easy games, 13 teams could get into the NCAA Tourney, yada yada. You know the conference is really good. But before Auburn, Alabama, Floriday, Kentucky and the rest of the likely dozen-plus SEC teams that will be in the field challenge the rest of the country for a national championship, they'll have to enter the ultimate gauntlet — the SEC conference tourney.
With a few games left to play, this bracket is not set in stone — especially with how bunched up so many of the teams around the league currently are. But here's how the SEC Tourney bracket looks as of today, February 27th.
Projected SEC Men's Basketball tournament bracket
First Round
No. 16 South Carolina vs. No. 9 Mississippi State
No. 13 Texas vs. No. 12 Georgia
No. 15 LSU vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt
No. 14 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Arkansas
The biggest thing to notice here is that Mississippi State would have to play in the first round of the SEC tourney. The Bulldogs are 19-8 and in the AP Top 25 right now and would still be playing on day one of the tourney. They'd need to win five games to win the SEC Tournament which is a pretty huge disadvantage to start at.
Second Round
No. 8 Kentucky vs. South Carolina / Miss. State
No. 5 Missouri vs. Texas / Georgia
No. 7 Ole Miss vs. Vandy / LSU
No. 6 Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma / Arkansas
If I'm forced to pick which of the 5-8-ranked teams in the SEC has the most efficient route to the conference semifinals, I have to go with Missouri. The Tigers should handle either Texas or Georgia, and then would advance to play a Tennessee team they've already shown they can hang with.
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Alabama
No. 2 Alabama
No. 3 Florida
No. 4 Tennessee
And, of course, the elite teams in the SEC will have double-byes into the quarterfinals. Only having to win two games — granted, against really good teams — to make the conference championship is a pretty massive advantage to have, so securing a top-four regular season finish is vital.
Missouri and Texas A&M are both right in the mix for a top four seed, but the Aggies are in danger of entering freefall mode after losing three straight games. Matchups with Florida and Auburn in the next week will decide whether A&M gets a double-bye to the quarters or a single bye to the second round.