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2023 SEC Tournament
The Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament returns to Nashville and Bridgestone Arena after a one-year visit to Tampa.
This will mark the start of a long run that will make the city of Nashville and the Arena the home of the event well into the 2030s.
The winner of the 13-game tournament receives the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament seeds are determined by the 18-game conference schedule during the regular season. Teams are seeded 1-14 based on their regular season conference finish. Atlanta served as host of the inaugural SEC Tournament played following the 1932-33 season and did so again after the 1933-34 season. The event was held every year through 1952, with the exception of 1935. After a 26-year layoff (1953-78), the tournament was renewed in 1979. The 2022 tournament will be the 63rd in league history and the 43rd since the renewal.
It will be the 12th time that the city has served as the host of the SEC Tournament. The building has seen a champion crowned on nine occasions in 2001, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021. The 2020 Tournament was halted after one day because of the nationwide pandemic that stopped all sports.
Also the home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, Bridgestone Arena has the distinction of being one of the busiest venues in the United States over the past decade and a half, hosting more than 18 million guests during that time. Seating capacity is approximately 19,395 for basketball games. The event has helped set the stage for SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament, as 24 of the tournament champions since the tournament resumed in 1979 have advanced to at least the Sweet 16. Three of the last 13 SEC Tournament champions have gone on to win the national championship.
Kentucky leads the league with 31 SEC Tournament titles. Alabama is second with seven, while Tennessee is third wtih five and Florida has won four. Mississippi State has three championship trophies while Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have two. Arkansas, LSU and former league member Georgia Tech have each won one SEC Tournament championship. Future SEC Tournament Dates & Sites
March 8-12 • Bridgestone Arena • Nashville, Tennessee First Round - March 8 (Wednesday) Game 1 Seed #12 vs. Seed #13 (SEC Network) 6 p.m. CT Game 2 Seed #11 vs. Seed #14 (SEC Network), 25 minutes after
Second Round - March 9 (Thursday) Game 3 Seed #8 vs. Seed #9 (SEC Network) Noon CT Game 4 Seed #5 vs. Winner of Game 1 (SEC Network) 25 minutes after Game 5 Seed #7 vs. Seed #10 (SEC Network) 6 p.m. CT Game 6 Seed #6 vs. Winner of Game 2 (SEC Network) 25 minutes after
Quarterfinals - March 10 (Friday) Game 7 Game 3 Winner vs. Seed #1 (ESPN) Noon CT Game 8 Game 4 Winner vs. Seed #4 (ESPN) 25 minutes after Game 9 Game 5 Winner vs. Seed #2 (SEC Network) 6 p.m. CT Game 10 Game 6 Winner vs. Seed #3 (SEC Network) 25 minutes after
Semifinals - March 11 (Saturday) Game 11 Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner (ESPN), Noon CT Game 12 Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner (ESPN), 25 minutes after
