The NCAA men’s basketball postseason has arrived, and it’s kicking off with conference tournaments.
The SEC Tournament will be one of the conference competitions leading up to the NCAA Tournament. The winner of each tournament will receive automatic entry into the big dance.
Action starts on Wednesday at Amalie Arena, where Alabama will begin its quest at defending the tournament title.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament:
When is the 2022 SEC Tournament?
The 2022 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament begins with the first round on Wednesday, March 9, at 6 p.m. ET. Games will be played every day until the championship game on Sunday, March 13, at 1 p.m. ET.
Where is the 2022 SEC Tournament?
All games for the SEC Tournament will be held at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
The home of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Amalie Arena last hosted the SEC Tournament in 2009.
What is the SEC Tournament bracket?
First round (March 9)
Game 1: No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 13 Ole Miss, 6 p.m. ET
Game 2: No. 11 Vanderbilt vs. No. 14 Georgia, 8 p.m. ET
Second Round (March 10)
Game 3: No. 8 Texas A&M vs. No. 9 Florida, 12 p.m. ET
Game 4: No. 5 LSU vs. winner of Game 1, 2 p.m. ET
Game 5: No. 7 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Mississippi State, 6 p.m. ET
Game 6: No. 6 Alabama vs. winner of Game 2, 8 p.m. ET
Quarterfinals (March 11)
Game 7: No. 1 Auburn vs. Winner of Game 3, 12 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 8: No. 4 Arkansas vs. Winner of Game 4, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 9: No. 2 Tennessee vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m. ET
Game 10: No. 3 Kentucky vs. Winner of Game 6, 8 p.m. ET
Semifinals (March 12)
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 12: Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
Championship (March 13)
Game 13: Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 12, 1 p.m. ET
How do I watch the SEC Tournament?
The first and second rounds of the SEC Tournament will be on the SEC Network. The quarterfinals will be split between ESPN and the SEC Network. The semifinals and championship game will air on ESPN.
Who are the best players in the SEC?
Jabari Smith, Auburn: The forward has been shining in his freshman campaign, accumulating six SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Standing at 6-foot-10, Smith is averaging 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. NBC Sports named Smith its projected No. 1 NBA draft pick on Feb 25.
Auburn (27-4) enters the SEC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky: After transferring to the Wildcats midseason last year, the junior forward is a National Player of the Year candidate. Tshiebwe is averaging 17.3 points and has been named Conference Player of the Year. The Wildcats have won more conference tournaments than any other SEC school with 31.
Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt: The junior, son of Hall of Famer and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, thrives in shot-making and racking up steals. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 20.5 points and 4.2 assists per game as he looks to lead Vanderbilt to its first SEC title since 2012.
JD Notae, Arkansas: The senior guard is averaging 18.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the rising Razorbacks. Notae was named the Bleacher Report National Sixth Man of the Year and the SEC Coaches Sixth Man of the Year after being Arkansas' first substitute 16 times and going 13-3 in those games.
Jaden Shackelford, Alabama: The junior guard became the 53rd player in Alabama history to surpass 1,000 career points earlier in the season. Shackelford earned SEC Player of the Week honors following the Tide’s victory over then-No. 3 Gonzaga. He is averaging 16.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.