Welcome to the best league in the country! The SEC projects to have at least 12 teams in the NCAA Tournament, and it could see as many as 14 if the bubbly squads make waves in Nashville.
This conference tournament format is standard for what is now a 16-team league: top four get double-byes to the quarterfinals and seeds five through eight get single byes.
Historically, the Sunday afternoon championship game hasn't mattered much to the committee, as it happens so late versus when the field must be announced. Only a bid stealer situation would shift much at that point.
Read below for SEC picks, odds and the bracket, including best bets for the 2025 conference tournament.
Note: The odds below come via BetMGM – but shop around!
2025 SEC Tournament Odds & Bracket
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Auburn | +160 |
| Florida | +250 |
| Alabama | +450 |
| Tennessee | +600 |
| Kentucky | +2200 |
| Texas A&M | +2500 |
| Missouri | +3000 |
| Ole Miss | +6000 |
| Georgia | +10000 |
| Mississippi State | +10000 |
| Arkansas | +15000 |
| Vanderbilt | +20000 |
| Texas | +20000 |
| Oklahoma | +25000 |
| LSU | +50000 |
| South Carolina | +50000 |
SEC Tournament Favorites
- Auburn (+160)
- Florida (+250)
- Alabama (+450)
- Tennessee (+600)
The Tigers could end up as the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance no matter what happens in Nashville, which makes Auburn a tough nut to crack here. The Tigers are clearly good enough (and deep enough) to win three games in three days, but how badly do they want to?
It's entirely possible that they would be better served bowing out early and using the week to get guys like Johni Broome, Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara back to full health.
Try telling that to a competitor like Bruce Pearl, though.
Fellow top-five squad Florida is also loaded with depth and high-end talent, and the Gators won on the
road at both Auburn and Alabama. However, gauging their motivation is somewhat tricky.
Both times that Gators coach Todd Golden has made the NCAA Tournament (once at San Francisco, last year at Florida), his team lost a key player to injury during the conference tournament. More than most coaches, he's aware of the risks inherent in the conference tournament.
Next in line are Alabama and Tennessee, the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the field. Both are chasing the Gators for the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tide just played the other three top teams in succession, going 1-2 in three extremely close games. As brilliant as Mark Sears has been, the Tide may not have the high-end consistency and defensive fortitude to conquer this tournament.
They did reach the Final Four last year after a quarterfinal loss in the SEC Tournament, though.
The Vols, meanwhile, have the best defense in the country, per KenPom. They could get beat by a hot
shooting opponent – they surrender a ton of triples, landing 345th in 3-point attempted rate allowed – but their athleticism and physicality have forced a ton of misses.
The offense can stagnate at times if shots aren't falling, though, as the Vols lack some dynamism off the bounce.
SEC Tournament Contenders
- Kentucky (22/1)
- Texas A&M (25/1)
- Mizzou (30/1)
- Ole Miss (60/1)
- Mississippi St. (100/1)
This bloated group of contenders underscores the incredible depth of this league. All five teams will likely be wearing white jerseys in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but none of them could crack the double-bye portion of the SEC bracket.
Kentucky has a challenging path, with Alabama waiting in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats couldn't stop the Tide in two meetings this season, falling both times.
Missouri won on the road against its quarterfinal foe (Florida), but the Tigers’ defense has completely vanished recently. They might get Mississippi State in the second round, assuming Chris Jans’ Bulldogs dispatch LSU in the first round.
The Tigers destroyed Mississippi State in Starkville in their only meeting.
The Aggies of Texas A&M recently bounced back from a four-game losing streak, and their path is somewhat interesting. After the winner of Vanderbilt/Texas, they would see Tennessee, which will be a slugfest of epic proportions.
After that, A&M would get Auburn in the semifinals, and the Aggies have a major matchup edge on the offensive glass against the Tigers.
Ole Miss, the No. 8 seed, has the looming specter of Auburn waiting in the quarterfinals. Good luck, as the Rebels lost by 40 combined points in their two meetings this season.
SEC Tournament Dark Horses
- Vanderbilt (200/1)
- Georgia (150/1)
Both of these teams are going to be in the NCAA Tournament. In any other conference, they would be clear contenders.
But given the gauntlet that lies ahead of them, winning the SEC Tournament would be a Herculean accomplishment.
Georgia could be tempting as a dart throw; the Bulldogs have won four in a row and have already beaten both Oklahoma (opening-round opponent) and Kentucky (second-round opponent).
Vanderbilt’s value lies in its ability to dominate turnover margin.
