Helena Frye
The SEC men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament involving all league schools. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, although the official championship is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. Kentucky has won the most SEC tournament titles (32), while Auburn is the defending champion, having defeated Florida in the 2024 final. Alabama won the 2023 tournament, beating Texas A&M in the final.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of the latest tournament | 2024 |
| Winner of the latest tournament | Auburn |
| Runner-up of the latest tournament | Florida |
| Score of the latest tournament | 86-67 |
| Team with the most tournament titles | Kentucky (32) |
| Previous winner | Alabama |
| Year of the previous tournament | 2023 |
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What You'll Learn
Previous winners of the SEC tournament
The SEC men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament involving all league schools, with the winner receiving the conference's bid to the NCAA Tournament. From 1933 to 1950, the official SEC Champion was determined by a tournament (except in 1935, when no tournament was held).
Beginning in 1951, a round-robin schedule was introduced, and the SEC title was awarded to the team with the highest regular-season in-conference winning percentage. This schedule expanded over the years, from 14 games in 1965 and 1966 to 18 games from 1967 to 1991.
In 2000, the Arkansas Razorbacks won the conference tournament by playing all four days, defeating Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, and Auburn. Auburn accomplished the same feat in 1985, becoming the first SEC team to do so.
Kentucky has won the most SEC tournament titles, with 32. However, they were stripped of their 1988 championship due to NCAA violations. Auburn is the defending champion, having won the 2024 title game against Florida. In 2025, Florida beat Tennessee to take the title.
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How is the SEC tournament structured?
The SEC men's basketball tournament is the conference tournament for the Southeastern Conference (SEC). It is a single-elimination tournament that involves all 16 league schools. The seeding is based on regular-season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. However, it is important to note that the official conference championship is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record.
Before 2012, the top two teams in both the Eastern and Western Divisions received byes in the first round, while #3 in the East played #6 from the West, #4 played #5, and so on. Each half of the bracket contained the odd-numbered seeds from one division and the even-numbered seeds from the other. This meant that #2 would play the winner of the game involving #3 from the other division, and #1 would play the winner of the game involving #4 from the other division. The semifinals would typically pit #1 from one division against #2 from the other, and the championship game would feature the regular-season winners of the two divisions, although this rarely occurred in practice.
Since the abandonment of divisions in SEC men's basketball starting in the 2011–12 season, the top four teams in the conference standings received first-round byes. The 2013 tournament was the first with a new format, as the SEC expanded to 14 schools with the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M.
The SEC Tournament has a rich history, with the tournament being held at various storied sites across the South, including Old Louisville Gardens, which hosted 12 consecutive tournaments from 1941 to 1952, and the Georgia Dome, which hosted 11 tournaments between 1995 and 2014 before being demolished. The tournament has also seen some memorable performances, such as Dontae Jones' standout game against one of the best teams in SEC history in 1996, and the 1995 championship game between Kentucky and Arkansas, which went to triple overtime and set an attendance record.
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Who has won the most SEC tournament titles?
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament involving all league schools, currently consisting of 16. The winner receives the conference's bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. From 1933 to 1950, the official SEC Champion was determined by a tournament (except in 1935 when no tournament was held).
Kentucky has won the most SEC tournament titles with 32. The Kentucky Wildcats dominated the tournament in its early years from 1933 to 1953. The tournament was then cancelled until 1979, when it returned with the winner receiving the SEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In 2000, the Arkansas Razorbacks became the first team since the league expansion in 1992 to win the conference tournament by playing all four days, beating Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, and Auburn.
Auburn was the first SEC team to accomplish this feat in 1985 when they defeated Ole Miss, LSU, Florida, and Alabama to win their first SEC tournament. Since then, the feat has been accomplished three times, first in 2008 by Georgia, and then in 2009 by Mississippi State.
It is worth noting that the official league champion is awarded to the team or teams with the best regular-season record.
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Has the SEC tournament always existed?
The SEC men's basketball tournament has a long history, with the official SEC Champion determined by a tournament as far back as 1933 (except for 1935). From 1951 onwards, a round-robin schedule was introduced, and the SEC title was awarded based on the highest regular-season, in-conference winning percentage. Notably, from 1953 to 1978, there was a hiatus in the tournament, but it resumed in 1979 with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Over the years, the tournament championship game has been held at various iconic venues, including the Georgia Dome, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Bridgestone Arena, BJCC Coliseum, Rupp Arena, and Louisville Gardens, to name a few. The sites for the tournament have changed, but the intense competition remains constant.
The format of the tournament has also evolved. For example, with the expansion of the SEC to 14 schools in 2012 with the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M, the tournament format changed. The bottom four seeds began playing in opening-round games, while the top four seeds received a "double-bye" into the quarterfinals.
The SEC tournament has a rich history, with Kentucky dominating the record books with an impressive 32 tournament titles. However, other teams have also made their mark, with Auburn, Florida, and Mississippi State emerging as champions in recent years.
While the specific details of the tournament have evolved, the SEC tournament has always been a significant part of the college basketball season, with a history spanning decades and creating memorable moments that have left an indelible mark on the sport.
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Has the SEC tournament format changed over time?
The format of the SEC men's basketball tournament has indeed changed over time.
From 1933 to 1950, the official SEC Champion was determined by a tournament, except for 1935 when no tournament was held. Then, from 1951 to 1991, a round-robin schedule was introduced, and the SEC title was awarded based on the team's regular season in-conference winning percentage. The number of games in the round-robin schedule varied during this time, from 14 games from 1951 to 1964, to 16 games from 1965 to 1966, and finally, 18 games from 1967 to 1991.
Starting with the 1991-1992 season, the SEC expanded, and the league split into the Eastern and Western Divisions. They continued to recognize the SEC Champion based on winning percentages over a 16-game conference schedule. During this time, the top two teams in each division received byes in the first round, while the remaining teams were seeded and played each other accordingly.
However, beginning with the 2011-2012 season, the divisions were eliminated, and the top four teams in the conference standings received first-round byes. This change was implemented in the 2013 tournament, coinciding with the expansion of the SEC to 14 schools with the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M. The new format featured the four bottom seeds playing opening-round games, while the top four seeds received a "double-bye" into the quarterfinals.
The SEC men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament that includes all 16 league schools, with seeding based on regular season records. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, but the official SEC championship is still awarded to the team with the best regular season record.
The 2025 SEC Basketball tournament, for example, started on March 12, with the first round featuring seeds 9 through 16, and the top four seeds receiving a bye into the quarterfinals.
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Frequently asked questions
Auburn won the 2024 SEC basketball tournament, beating Florida 86-67 in the championship game.
Alabama won the 2023 SEC basketball tournament, beating Texas A&M in the final.
Kentucky has won the most SEC tournament titles, with 32.
The SEC men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament that involves all 16 league schools.
