The 2023-2024 college basketball season came to a close this weekend, and now conference tournaments are in full swing. Among those conference tournaments will be the 2024 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, which gets underway this week.
The SEC was one of the best conferences in college basketball this season, with several high level teams capable of going on deep runs in March as well as a few programs that are easily good enough to play spoiler. That's sure to make for a competitive and entertaining SEC Tournament.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 SEC Tournament...
When is the 2024 SEC Tournament?
The 2024 SEC Tournament is scheduled to take place from Wednesday March 13 through Sunday March 17. Two opening round games tip off Wednesday evening. Thursday and Friday will see four games a piece played throughout the day. A pair of semifinal games are set for Saturday, and on Sunday, the SEC Championship Game will be played.
Where is the 2024 SEC Tournament?
The 2024 SEC Tournament is being played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. This is the ninth time that Bridgestone Arena has played host to the SEC Tournament, and it's the eleventh time the event has taken place in Nashville.
2024 SEC Tournament bracket
Here's a look at the full bracket for the 2024 SEC Tournament and the seeding for each team...
The Bracket.
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 10, 2024
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Seeds 11-14 open up SEC Tournament action on Wednesday night, with Arkansas facing Vanderbilt and Georgia facing Missouri. Seeds 5-10 begin play on Thursday. 5-seed South Carolina will play the winner of Arkansas and Vanderbilt, and 6-seed Florida will play the winner of Georgia and Missouri.
7-seed Texas A&M faces 10-seed Ole Miss, and 8-seed LSU faces 9-seed Mississippi State. The top four seeds - Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Auburn - will await Thursday's winners.
What's at stake in the 2024 SEC Tournament?
Each team has plenty to play for in the 2024 SEC Tournament. Specifically, the champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That alone creates high stakes.
The top-6 seeds of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, and Florida are all considered to be NCAA Tournament locks entering the SEC Tournament. These teams all won enough during the regular season that they'll certainly be selected to the Big Dance regardless of how they play this week. But how they perform in the SEC Tournament could impact their seeding.
Texas A&M and Mississippi State are NCAA Tournament bubble teams. They could either be in or out of the NCAA Tournament depending on how they perform in Nashville. Ole Miss could potentially garner at-large consideration with a deep run in the SEC Tournament, but it's unlikely.
As for everyone else, their chances of reaching March Madness hinge on winning the entire SEC Tournament. They're all longshots, but that's the beauty of this time of year. Everyone has a chance, and crazy things do happen.
But even if the lower seeds don't make any noise, at least half the field is more than capable of going on a run and winning the 2024 SEC Tournament. It's sure to be a thrilling five days of action.