2026 SEC Tournament Bracket: Full Results, Quarterfinals Schedule, and What to Watch Friday

Bassyonni

Published: March 12, 2026 8:44 PM ET

2026 SEC Tournament Bracket

The 2026 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament is moving into the quarterfinal round Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville after a first round full of upsets and a second round that delivered Tennessee's stunning comeback over Auburn. Here is every result so far, the full Friday bracket, and everything you need to know heading into the weekend.

2026 SEC Tournament Bracket: First Round Results (Wednesday, March 11)

The opening round produced several major upsets. No. 15 Ole Miss knocked out No. 10 Texas 76-66. No. 11 Oklahoma upset No. 14 South Carolina 86-74. No. 12 Auburn beat No. 13 Mississippi State 77-61. No. 9 Kentucky eliminated No. 16 LSU 87-82.

Game	Result
Game 1	No. 9 Kentucky 87, No. 16 LSU 82
Game 2	No. 12 Auburn 77, No. 13 Mississippi State 61
Game 3	No. 15 Ole Miss 76, No. 10 Texas 66
Game 4	No. 11 Oklahoma 86, No. 14 South Carolina 74

2026 SEC Tournament Bracket: Second Round Results (Thursday, March 12)

Thursday's second round produced two completed results. No. 9 Kentucky beat No. 8 Missouri 78-72 to advance to face No. 1 Florida in the quarterfinals. No. 5 Tennessee rallied from 11 down to beat No. 12 Auburn 72-62, ending Auburn's season and putting their NCAA Tournament hopes in serious jeopardy. No. 7 Georgia faces No. 15 Ole Miss at 7:00 PM ET, and No. 6 Texas A&M faces No. 11 Oklahoma 25 minutes after that on SEC Network.

Game	Result
Game 5	No. 9 Kentucky 78, No. 8 Missouri 72 ✅
Game 6	No. 5 Tennessee 72, No. 12 Auburn 62 ✅
Game 7	No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 15 Ole Miss — 7:00 PM ET
Game 8	No. 6 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Oklahoma — ~9:30 PM ET

2026 SEC Tournament Quarterfinals: Full Friday Schedule

Florida is the defending SEC Tournament champion, having knocked off Tennessee in the 2025 championship game. The Gators then went on to win the national title. They are the No. 1 seed and the heavy favorite to repeat.

Coverage shifts to ESPN for the afternoon quarterfinals on Friday, with the nightcap games airing on SEC Network. All games are at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Game	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Game 9	No. 1 Florida vs. No. 9 Kentucky	1:00 PM	ESPN
Game 10	No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 5 Tennessee	~2:30 PM	ESPN
Game 11	No. 2 Alabama vs. Georgia/Ole Miss winner	7:00 PM	SEC Network
Game 12	No. 3 Arkansas vs. Texas A&M/Oklahoma winner	~9:30 PM	SEC Network

Who Has a Bye: Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt

The top four seeds — No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Arkansas, and No. 4 Vanderbilt — earned double byes and did not play until Friday's quarterfinals. Florida clinched the SEC regular season title at 15-2 in conference play and is the favorite to win the tournament and potentially the national title.

Florida is the only legitimate No. 1 seed threat in the bracket — the conference boasts tremendous depth but not four potential top seeds the way it did a year ago.

Auburn Eliminated: NCAA Tournament Bubble in Crisis

After trailing by as many as 11 points, Tennessee put together a dominant second-half rally including 20 consecutive points to defeat Auburn 72-62. Nate Ament led the charge with 27 points to eliminate the Tigers. Auburn's NCAA Tournament hopes took a severe blow with the loss.

SEC Tournament Semifinals and Championship Schedule

The semifinals take place Saturday, March 14, with both games airing on ESPN. The SEC Tournament championship game tips Sunday, March 15 — the final day before Selection Sunday — also on ESPN. The winner earns the SEC's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.