2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season

2025-26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
Teams16
TV partner(s)ESPN, SEC Network
Regular season
SEC tournament
VenueBridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 12 Florida 11 2   .846 20 6   .769
No. 25 Alabama 9 4   .692 19 7   .731
No. 20 Arkansas 9 4   .692 19 7   .731
Tennessee 9 4   .692 19 7   .731
No. 19 Vanderbilt 8 5   .615 21 5   .808
Missouri 8 5   .615 18 8   .692
Texas A&M 8 5   .615 18 8   .692
Kentucky 8 5   .615 17 9   .654
Texas 8 5   .615 17 9   .654
Georgia 6 7   .462 18 8   .692
Auburn 5 8   .385 14 12   .538
Mississippi State 5 8   .385 13 13   .500
Oklahoma 3 9   .250 13 12   .520
Ole Miss 3 10   .231 11 15   .423
LSU 2 11   .154 14 12   .538
South Carolina 2 11   .154 11 15   .423
2026 SEC tournament winner
As of February 18, 2026
Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2025. The season officially started on November 3, 2025, as part of the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Conference play is scheduled to begin on January 3, 2026, and conclude on March 7, 2026. The 16 member teams will then participate in the 2026 SEC men's basketball tournament, scheduled for March 11–15, 2026, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

This is the second season with 16 members, as Texas and Oklahoma joined the conference in 2025.

Previous season

The Florida Gators, the tournament champions, received the conference’s automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament. They went on to win the national title with a 65–63 championship victory over the Houston Cougars. The league set a record for the most schools sent to the NCAA tournament, with 14 out of its 16 members earning bids.

Coaches

Coaching changes

Coach School Reason Replacement
Rodney Terry Texas Fired Sean Miller
Buzz Williams Texas A&M Accepted coaching position at Maryland Bucky McMillan

Head coaches

Notes: Records shown are through the end of the 2024–25 season, before the start of the 2025–26 season. NCAA tournament appearances, Final Fours, and championships include achievements earned at other schools.


Team Head coach Previous job Seasons at school Record at school SEC record SEC titles NCAA tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA Championships
Alabama Nate Oats Buffalo 7th 145–63 (.697) 75–33 (.694) 2 5 1 0
Arkansas John Calipari Kentucky 2nd 22–14 (.611) 8–10 (.444) 6 24 6 1
Auburn Steven Pearl N/A 1st 9-6 (.600) 0–2 (.000) 0 0 0 0
Florida Todd Golden San Francisco 4th 76–33 (.697) 34–20 (.630) 1 3 1 1
Georgia Mike White Florida 4th 56–46 (.549) 20–34 (.370) 0 5 0 0
Kentucky Mark Pope BYU 2nd 24–12 (.667) 10–8 (.556) 0 3 0 0
LSU Matt McMahon Murray State 4th 45–48 (.484) 14–35 (.286) 0 3 0 0
Oklahoma Porter Moser Loyola Chicago 5th 74–59 (.556) 6–12 (.333) 0 3 1 0
Ole Miss Chris Beard Texas 3rd 44–24 (.647) 17–19 (.472) 0 5 1 0
Mississippi State Chris Jans New Mexico State 4th 63–40 (.612) 24–30 (.444) 0 6 0 0
Missouri Dennis Gates Cleveland State 4th 55–46 (.545) 20–32 (.385) 0 3 0 0
South Carolina Lamont Paris Chattanooga 4th 49–49 (.500) 19–35 (.352) 0 2 0 0
Tennessee Rick Barnes Texas 11th 232–109 (.680) 111–66 (.627) 2 29 1 0
Texas Sean Miller Xavier 1st 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0 13 0 0
Texas A&M Bucky McMillan Samford 1st 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0 1 0 0
Vanderbilt Mark Byington James Madison 2nd 20–13 (.606) 8–10 (.444) 0 2 0 0

Notes:

  • SEC records, conference titles, etc. are based on time at the current school, and are through the end of the 2025–26 season.
  • NCAA tournament appearances, NCAA Final Fours, and championships also include achievements earned while at other schools.

Off-season

Recruiting classes

Rankings
Team ESPN[1] On3 Recruits[2] 247 Sports[3] Signees
Alabama No. 19 No. 6 No. 10 4
Arkansas No. 3 No. 4 No. 4 6
Auburn No. 11 No. 18 No. 14 6
Florida No. 22 No. 7 No. 47 2
Georgia No. 23 No. 28 3
LSU No. 29 No. 23 4
Kentucky No. 6 No. 16 No. 7 4
Missouri No. 37 No. 76 2
Mississippi State No. 12 No. 17 No. 19 5
Oklahoma No. 43 No. 42 4
Ole Miss No. 15 No. 12 No. 12 4
South Carolina No. 49 No. 41 5
Tennessee No. 7 No. 8 No. 8 6
Texas No. 51 No. 36 3
Texas A&M No. 81 No. 61 2
Vanderbilt No. 78 No. 57 3

Pre-season

Preseason watchlists

Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists.

Player Wooden[4] Naismith[5] Olson[6] Robertson[7] Cousy[8] West[9] Erving[10] Malone[11] Abdul-Jabbar[12]
Darius Acuff, Arkansas Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Nate Ament, Tennessee Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Alex Condon, Florida Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Malique Ewin, Arkansas Green tickY
Boogie Fland, Florida Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Keyshawn Hall, Auburn Green tickY Green tickY
Thomas Haugh, Florida Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Karter Knox, Arkansas Green tickY
Xaivian Lee, Florida Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Jaland Lowe, Kentucky Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Duke Miles, Vanderbilt Green tickY
Mark Mitchell, Missouri Green tickY
Felix Okpara, Tennessee Green tickY
Otega Oweh, Kentucky Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky Green tickY Green tickY
Derrion Reid, Oklahoma Green tickY
Dailyn Swain, Texas Green tickY
D.J. Wagner, Arkansas Green tickY

Preseason All-American teams

Player AP[13] ESPN 2nd Team[14] ESPN 3rd Team SI 2nd Team[15] SI 3rd Team CBS Sports 2nd team[16] Blue Ribbon 1st team[17] Blue Ribbon 2nd team Blue Ribbon 3rd team SN 1st Team[18] SN 3rd Team
Nate Ament Green tickY Green tickY
Alex Condon Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Thomas Haugh Green tickY
Otega Oweh Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Tahaad Pettiford Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Labaron Philon Jr. Green tickY

Preseason polls/ratings

AP[19] Blue Ribbon[20] CBS Sports[21] Coaches[22] ESPN[23] Fox Sports[24] KenPom NCAA Sports[25] Sports
Illustrated
[26]
Alabama 15 11 13 16 17 22 23 20 27
Arkansas 14 15 19 15 11 10 29 17 14
Auburn 20 13 26 22 14 15 31 27 16
Florida 3 1 11 3 2 16 2 5 3
Georgia 54 44 65
Kentucky 9 8 3 9 9 8 4 8 10
LSU 60 56 71
Missouri RV 42 RV 28 32 34
Mississippi State RV 37 26 36 54
Oklahoma RV 28 58 37
Ole Miss RV 36 RV 24 26 48
South Carolina 80 86 101
Tennessee 18 7 17 17 23 13 9 12 17
Texas RV 24 34 RV 39 28 51
Texas A&M 56 35 37 32
Vanderbilt RV 44 RV 19 42

SEC media days

The SEC conducted its 2025 SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Alabama, in October 2025, broadcast on the SEC Network.

Teams and representatives attending were as follows:

Team Coach Player
Alabama Nate Oats
Arkansas John Calipari
Auburn Bruce Pearl
Florida Todd Golden
Georgia Mike White
Kentucky Mark Pope
LSU Matt McMahon
Mississippi State Chris Jans
Missouri Dennis Gates
Oklahoma Porter Moser
Ole Miss Chris Beard
South Carolina Lamont Paris
Tennessee Rick Barnes
Texas Sean Miller
Texas A&M Bucky McMillan
Vanderbilt Mark Byington
Reference:

SEC preseason coaches poll

The SEC preseason coaches poll was released in October 2025. All awards were voted on by the league's 16 head coaches, however they could not vote for their own team/players.

Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
Place Team Points
1. Florida
2. Kentucky
3. Alabama
4. Tennessee
5. Arkansas
6. Auburn
7. Missouri
8. Ole Miss
9. Mississippi State
10. Texas
11. Oklahoma
12. Texas A&M
13. Vanderbilt
14. Georgia
15. LSU
16. South Carolina
Reference: (#) first-place votes

SEC Preseason All-Conference

All-SEC Preseason First team[27]

Player School Pos. Yr. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School)
Labaron Philon Jr. Alabama G So. 6' 4", 185 Mobile, AL
Tahaad Pettiford Auburn G So. 6' 1", 170 Jersey City, NJ
Alex Condon Florida C Jr. 6' 11", 236 Perth, Australia
Otega Oweh Kentucky G Sr. 6' 4", 220 Newark, NJ
Josh Hubbard Mississippi State G Jr. 6' 0", 190 Madison, MS
All-SEC Preseason second team
Player School Pos. Yr. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School)
Boogie Fland Florida G So. 6' 3", 185 Bronx, NY
Malik Dia Ole Miss F Sr. 6' 9", 250 Murfreesboro, TN
Mark Mitchell Missouri F Jr. 6' 9", 230 Kansas City, KS
Nate Ament Tennessee F Fr. 6' 10", 207 Manassas, VA
Ja’Kobi Gillespie Tennessee G Sr. 6' 1", 188 Greeneville, TN
All-SEC Preseason third team
Player School Pos. Yr. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School)
Aden Holloway Alabama G Jr. 6' 1", 180 Charlotte, NC
Darius Acuff Arkansas G Fr. 6' 3", 190 Detroit, MI
Karter Knox Arkansas G So. 6' 6", 220 Tampa, FL
D.J. Wagner Arkansas G Jr. 6' 4", 190 Camden, NJ
Thomas Haugh Florida F Jr. 6' 9", 215 New Oxford, PA

Regular season

The schedule was released in late October. Before the season, it was announced that for the seventh consecutive season, all regular-season conference games and conference tournament games would be broadcast nationally by the ESPN Inc. family of networks, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and the SEC Network.

The conference matchups for each school had yet to be announced.

Key
Schedule Home & Away Conference Schedule
Home (H) & Away (A)
Home Only (H)
Away Only (A)
  Alabama Arkansas Auburn Florida Georgia Kentucky LSU Mississippi State Missouri Oklahoma Ole Miss South Carolina Tennessee Texas Texas A&M Vanderbilt
vs. Alabama
vs. Arkansas
vs. Auburn
vs. Florida
vs. Georgia
vs. Kentucky
vs. LSU
vs. Mississippi State
vs. Missouri
vs. Oklahoma
vs. Ole Miss
vs. South Carolina
vs. Tennessee
vs. Texas
vs. Texas A&M
vs. Vanderbilt

Conference matrix

 
  Alabama Arkansas Auburn Florida Georgia Kentucky LSU Mississippi State Missouri Oklahoma Ole Miss South Carolina Tennessee Texas Texas A&M Vanderbilt
vs. Alabama 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 1-0 0–0 1–0
vs. Arkansas 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1
vs. Auburn 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Florida 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1
vs. Georgia 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Kentucky 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. LSU 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0
vs. Mississippi State 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0
vs. Missouri 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Oklahoma 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
vs. Ole Miss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
vs. South Carolina 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0
vs. Tennessee 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0
vs. Texas 0–1 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–1
vs. Texas A&M 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0
vs. Vanderbilt 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0
Total 4-3 6-2 5-3 6-2 4-5 5-3 2-7 3-6 5-4 1-8 3-4 2-7 4-3 4-5 7-1 5-3

Thru Mar. 2026.

Points scored

Team For Against Difference
Alabama 0 0 0
Arkansas 0 0 0
Auburn 0 0 0
Florida 0 0 0
Georgia 0 0 0
Kentucky 0 0 0
LSU 0 0 0
Mississippi State 0 0 0
Missouri 0 0 0
Oklahoma 0 0 0
Ole Miss 0 0 0
South Carolina 0 0 0
Tennessee 0 0 0
Texas 0 0 0
Texas A&M 0 0 0
Vanderbilt 0 0 0

Note: Thru March, 2026[28]

Multi-team tournaments

Team Tournament Finish
Alabama Players Era Festival 7th
Arkansas
Auburn Players Era Festival 12th
Florida Rady Children's Invitational 3rd
Georgia Charleston Classic 2nd
Kentucky
LSU Emerald Coast Classic 1st
Missouri
Mississippi State Hall of Fame Classic 4th
Oklahoma
Ole Miss Acrisure Classic 4th
South Carolina Greenbrier Tip-Off 4th
Tennessee Players Era Festival 4th
Texas Maui Invitational 5th
Texas A&M
Vanderbilt Battle 4 Atlantis 1st

ACC–SEC Challenge

Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record
December 2nd, 2025 Texas A&M Pittsburgh Petersen Events Center ACC-SEC Challenge Texas A&M 81-73 1-0
December 2nd, 2025 Virginia Tech South Carolina Colonial Life Arena ACC-SEC Challenge Virginia Tech 86-83OT 1-1
December 2nd, 2025 No. 13 Tennessee Syracuse JMA Wireless Dome ACC-SEC Challenge Syracuse 62-60 1-2
December 2nd, 2025 Oklahoma Wake Forest LJVM Coliseum ACC-SEC Challenge Oklahoma 86-68 2-2
December 2nd, 2025 No. 15 Florida No. 4 Duke Cameron Indoor Stadium ACC-SEC Challenge No. 4 Duke 67-66 2-3
December 2nd, 2025 Miami (FL) Ole Miss SJB Pavilion ACC-SEC Challenge Miami (FL) 75-66 2-4
December 2nd, 2025 Georgia Florida State Donald L. Tucker Civic Center ACC-SEC Challenge Georgia 107-73 3-4
December 2nd, 2025 Missouri Notre Dame Joyce Center ACC-SEC Challenge Notre Dame 76-71 3-5
December 2nd, 2025 No. 16 North Carolina No. 18 Kentucky Rupp Arena ACC-SEC Challenge No. 16 North Carolina 67-64 3-6
December 3rd, 2025 LSU Boston College Conte Forum ACC-SEC Challenge LSU 78-69OT 4-6
December 3rd, 2025 No. 6 Louisville No. 25 Arkansas Bud Walton Arena ACC-SEC Challenge No. 25 Arkansas 89-80 5-6
December 3rd, 2025 Clemson No. 12 Alabama Coleman Coliseum ACC-SEC Challenge No. 12 Alabama 90-84 6-6
December 3rd, 2025 SMU No. 17 Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium ACC-SEC Challenge No. 17 Vanderbilt 88-69 7-6
December 3rd, 2025 NC State No. 20 Auburn Neville Arena ACC-SEC Challenge No. 20 Auburn 83-73 8-6
December 3rd, 2025 Mississippi State Georgia Tech McCamish Pavilion ACC-SEC Challenge Mississippi State 85-73 9-6
December 3rd, 2025 Virginia Texas Moody Center ACC-SEC Challenge Virginia 88-69 9-7

Coast to Coast Challenge

Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record
December 7th, 2025 LSU #19 Texas Tech Dickies ArenaFort Worth, Texas USLBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge No. 19 Texas Tech 82-58 0-1

Team rankings are reflective of the AP poll at the time the game was played, not current or final rankings.

Regular season honors

SEC Players of the Week

Throughout the regular season, the SEC offices will honor 2 players each week based on performance, naming them 'Player of the Week' and 'Freshman of the Week'.

Week Player of the Week Team Freshman of the Week Team Ref.
November 10, 2025 Labaron Philon Jr. Alabama Nate Ament Tennessee [29]
November 17, 2025 Thomas Haugh Florida Nate Ament (2) Tennessee [30]
November 24, 2025 Labaron Philon Jr. (2) Alabama Amari Allen Alabama [31]
December 1, 2025 Duke Miles Vanderbilt Amari Allen (2)
Nate Ament (3)
Alabama
Tennessee
[32]
December 8, 2025 Labaron Philon Jr. (3) Alabama Darius Acuff Arkansas [33]
December 15, 2025 Trevon Brazile Arkansas Darius Acuff (2) Arkansas [34]
December 22, 2025 Otega Oweh
Ja'Kobi Gillespie
Kentucky
Tennessee
Darius Acuff (3) Arkansas [35]
January 5, 2026 Josh Hubbard Mississippi State Darius Acuff (4) Arkansas [36]
January 12, 2026 Tyler Tanner Vanderbilt Darius Acuff (5) Arkansas [37]
January 19, 2026 Rueben Chinyelu Florida Amari Allen (3) Alabama [38]
January 26, 2026 Nate Ament
Keyshawn Hall
Tennessee
Auburn
Darius Acuff (6) Arkansas [39]
February 2, 2026 Alex Condon
Rashaun Agee
Florida
Texas A&M
Nate Ament (4) Tennessee [40]
February 9, 2026 Labaron Philon Jr. (4)
Otega Oweh (2)
Alabama
Kentucky
Nate Ament (5) Tennessee [41]
February 16, 2026 Xaivian Lee
Dailyn Swain
Florida
Texas
Darius Acuff (7) Arkansas [42]
February, 2026
March, 2026
March, 2026
Totals per school
School Total
Arkansas 8
Alabama 7
Tennessee 7
Florida 4
Kentucky 2
Vanderbilt 2
Auburn 1
Mississippi State 1
Texas 1
Texas A&M 1
Georgia 0
LSU 0
Missouri 0
Oklahoma 0
Ole Miss 0
South Carolina 0

SEC records vs other conferences

The SEC has a record of 155–50 in non-conference play for the 2025–26 season. Only the regular season records are displayed.

  1. ^ a b Gonzaga, playing its final season in the WCC before joining the Pac-12 Conference in July 2026, is widely considered a major program despite its mid-major affiliation. SEC teams went 0–3 against Gonzaga in the regular season.

Record against ranked non-conference opponents

This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll at time of the game):

Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record
Nov. 3 No. 3 Florida† No. 13 Arizona T-Mobile ArenaLas Vegas, NV Hall of Fame Series Arizona 93−87 0−1
Nov. 4 Texas† No. 6 Duke T-Mobile ArenaCharlotte, NC Dick Vitale Invitational Duke 75−60 0−2
Nov. 8 No. 15 Alabama No. 5 St. John's Madison Square GardenNew York, NY Alabama 103−96 1−2
Nov. 8 No. 14 Arkansas No. 22 Michigan State Breslin CenterEast Lansing, MI Michigan State 69−66 1−3
Nov. 8 Oklahoma No. 21 Gonzaga Numerica Veterans ArenaSpokane, WA The Bad Boy Mowers Series Gonzaga 83−68 1−4
Nov. 10 Mississippi State† No. 16 Iowa State Sanford PentagonSioux Falls, SD Iowa State 96−80 1−5
Nov. 11 No. 9 Kentucky No. 12 Louisville KFC Yum! CenterLouisville, KY Rivalry Louisville 96−88 1−6
Nov. 13 No. 2 Purdue No. 8 Alabama Coleman ColiseumTuscaloosa, AL Purdue 87−80 1−7
Nov. 16 No. 1 Houston No. 22 Auburn† Legacy ArenaBirmingham, AL RxBenefits Battleground 2k25 Houston 73−72 1−8
Nov. 18 No. 17 Michigan State No. 12 Kentucky† Madison Square Garden ● New York, NY Champions Classic Michigan State 83−66 1−9
Nov. 19 No. 11 Alabama† No. 8 Illinois United CenterChicago, IL Alabama 90−86 2−9
Nov. 24 No. 12 Gonzaga No. 8 Alabama† MGM Grand Garden Arena ● Las Vegas, NV Players Era Festival Gonzaga 95−85 2−10
Nov. 25 No. 17 Tennessee† No. 3 Houston MGM Grand Garden Arena ● Las Vegas, NV Players Era Festival Tennessee 76−73 3−10
Nov. 25 No. 21 Auburn† No. 7 Michigan Michelob Ultra Arena ● Las Vegas, NV Players Era Festival Michigan 102−72 3−11
Nov. 26 No. 14 St. John's No. 21 Auburn† Michelob Ultra Arena ● Las Vegas, NV Players Era Festival Auburn 85−74 4−11
Nov. 26 No. 23 NC State Texas† Lahaina Civic CenterLahaina, HI Maui Invitational Texas 102−97 5−11
Nov. 27 No. 4 Duke No. 22 Arkansas† United Center ● Chicago, IL CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic Duke 80−71 5−12
Dec. 2 No. 15 Florida No. 4 Duke Cameron Indoor StadiumDurham, NC ACC–SEC Challenge Duke 67−66 5−13
Dec. 2 No. 16 North Carolina No. 18 Kentucky Rupp ArenaLexington, KY ACC–SEC Challenge North Carolina 67−64 5−14
Dec. 3 No. 6 Louisville No. 25 Arkansas Bud Walton ArenaFayetteville, AR ACC–SEC Challenge Arkansas 89−80 6−14
Dec. 5 No. 11 Gonzaga No. 18 Kentucky† Bridgestone ArenaNashville, TN Music City Madness Gonzaga 94−59 6−15
Dec. 6 No. 20 Auburn No. 2 Arizona McKale Memorial CenterTucson, AZ Arizona 97−68 6−16
Dec. 6 No. 14 Illinois No. 13 Tennessee† Bridgestone Arena ● Nashville, TN Music City Madness Illinois 75−62 6−17
Dec. 6 Ole Miss No. 23 St. John's Madison Square Garden ● New York, NY St. John's 63−58 6−18
Dec. 7 LSU† No. 19 Texas Tech Dickies ArenaFort Worth, TX Coast-to-Coast Challenge Texas Tech 82−58 6−19
Dec. 7 Missouri† No. 21 Kansas T-Mobile CenterKansas City, MO Kansas 80−60 6−20
Dec. 9 No. 18 Florida† No. 5 UConn Madison Square Garden ● New York, NY Jimmy V Classic UConn 77−73 6−21
Dec. 12 Texas No. 5 UConn PeoplesBank ArenaHartford, CT UConn 71−63 6−22
Dec. 13 No. 1 Arizona No. 12 Alabama† Legacy Arena ● Birmingham, AL C.M. Newton Classic Arizona 96−75 6−23
Dec. 13 No. 16 Texas Tech No. 17 Arkansas† American Airlines CenterDallas, TX Arkansas 93−86 7−23
Dec. 16 No. 11 Louisville No. 20 Tennessee Food City CenterKnoxville, TN Tennessee 83−62 8−23
Dec. 20 No. 21 Auburn† No. 6 Purdue Gainbridge FieldhouseIndianapolis, IN Indy Classic Purdue 88−60 8−24
Dec. 20 No. 8 Houston No. 14 Arkansas† Prudential CenterNewark, NJ Never Forget Tribute Classic Houston 94−85 8−25
Dec. 20 No. 22 St. John's Kentucky† State Farm ArenaAtlanta, GA CBS Sports Classic Kentucky 78−66 9−25
Dec. 22 Missouri† No. 20 Illinois Enterprise CenterSt. Louis, MO Braggin' Rights Illinois 91−48 9−26

† denotes neutral site game

In-season awards and watchlists

Midseason watchlists

Below is a table of notable midseason watch lists.

Player Wooden[43] Naismith Naismith DPOY[44] Robertson[45] Olson Cousy[46] West[47] Erving[48] Malone[49] Abdul-Jabbar[50]
Darius Acuff, Arkansas Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Nate Ament, Tennessee Green tickY Green tickY
Rueben Chinyelu, Florida Green tickY
Alex Condon, Florida Green tickY
Somto Cyril, Georgia Green tickY
Keyshawn Hall, Auburn Green tickY
Thomas Haugh, Florida Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Duke Miles, Vanderbilt Green tickY Green tickY
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Dailyn Swain, Texas Green tickY
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY

Coaching Midseason watch lists

Coaches Naismith

Final watchlists

Below is a table of notable year end watch lists.

Player Wooden[51] Naismith Naismith DPOY Robertson Cousy West Erving Malone Abdul-Jabbar Olson
Darius Acuff, Arkansas Green tickY
Thomas Haugh, Florida Green tickY
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama Green tickY
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt Green tickY

Rankings

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25
NV No votes received
Team Poll Pre Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Wk
14
Wk
15
Wk
16
Wk
17
Wk
18
Wk
19
Wk
20
Final
Alabama AP 15 8 11 8 12 12 16 14 14* 13 18 17 23 RV RV 25
C 16 9 11 9 12 12 16 15 15 12 18 17 23 RV RV RV
Arkansas AP 14 21 21 22 25 17 14 18 18* 15 17 20 15 21 21 20
C 15 21 22 21 23 17 14 18 18 15 17 20 16 21 21 17
Auburn AP 20 22 22 21 20 21 21 RV RV* RV RV NV RV RV RV NV
C 22 25 RV 25 24 24 24 RV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
Florida AP 3 10 10 10 15 18 23 22 22* RV 19 16 19 17 14 12
C 3 10 9 8 14 18 21 22 22 RV 20 16 21 16 14 11
Georgia AP NV NV RV NV NV RV 25 23 23* 18 21 21 RV RV RV NV
C NV RV NV NV NV RV RV 24 24 20 22 22 RV RV RV NV
Kentucky AP 9 9 12 19 18 RV RV RV RV* RV NV RV RV RV 25 RV
C 9 8 13 18 18 RV RV RV RV RV NV RV RV RV RV RV
LSU AP NV NV NV NV RV RV RV RV RV* RV NV NV NV NV NV NV
C NV NV NV NV RV RV RV RV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
Mississippi State AP RV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV* NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
C NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
Missouri AP RV RV RV RV RV NV NV NV NV* NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV NV NV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV
Oklahoma AP RV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV* NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
C NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
Ole Miss AP RV RV RV RV NV NV NV NV NV* NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
C RV RV RV RV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
South Carolina AP NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV* NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
C NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
Tennessee AP 18 20 20 17 13 20 20 19 19* 21 24 RV RV 25 RV RV
C 17 18 17 16 13 20 23 20 20 22 RV RV RV RV RV RV
Texas AP RV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV* RV NV NV NV NV NV NV
C RV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV
Texas A&M AP NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV* NV RV RV RV RV NV NV
C NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV RV RV RV 25 RV NV
Vanderbilt AP RV RV RV 24 17 15 13 11 11* 11 10 15 18 15 19 19
C RV RV 24 23 16 14 12 11 11 10 8 14 15 15 20 18

*AP did not release a week 9 poll.

Postseason

SEC Tournament

  • The 2026 SEC Men's Basketball tournament will be played on March 11–15, 2026, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.[52]

* – denotes overtime

2026 SEC men's basketball tournament seeds and results
Seed School Conf. Over. Tiebreaker First round
March 11
Second round
March 12
Quarterfinals
March 13
Semifinals
March 14
Championship
March 15
1. #‡ 0–0 0–0 Bye Bye vs. TBD
2. 0–0 0–0 Bye Bye vs. TBD
3. 0–0 0–0 Bye Bye vs. TBD
4. 0–0 0–0 Bye Bye vs. TBD
5. 0–0 0–0 Bye vs. TBD
6. 0–0 0–0 Bye vs. TBD
7. 0–0 0–0 Bye vs. TBD
8. 0–0 0–0 Bye vs. TBD
9. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
10. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
11. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
12. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
13. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
14. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
15. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
16. 0–0 0–0 vs. TBD
# – SEC regular season champions, and tournament No. 1 seed
‡ – Received a double-bye into the conference tournament quarterfinal round
† – Received a single-bye into the conference tournament second round
Overall records include all games played in the SEC tournament.

Bracket

First round
Wednesday, March 11
Second round
Thursday, March 12
Quarterfinals
Friday, March 13
Semifinals
Saturday, March 14
Championship
Sunday, March 15
1  
8    
9      
16    
4  
5    
12      
13    
2  
7    
10      
15    
3  
6    
11    
14  

* Indicates overtime game

NCAA Tournament

Seed Region School First round Second round Sweet 16 Elite Eight Final Four Championship
Bids W-L (%): 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) TOTAL: 0–0 (–)

NIT

Seed School First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
W−L (%): 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–)

CBC

Seed School First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
W-L (%): 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) TOTAL: 0–0 (–)
Index to colors and formatting
SEC member won
SEC member lost

Postseason awards and honors

2025–26 SEC season statistic leaders

Source: [53]

Through February 17, 2026

Television Selections

The Southeastern Conference has television contracts with ESPN and FOX, which allow games to be broadcast across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1 and FS2 and TNT Sports. Streaming broadcasts for games under SEC control are streamed on ESPN+. Games under the control of other conferences fall under the contracts of the opposing conference.

Team ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU FOX FS1 CBS CBSSN TBS TNT TruTV Streaming (ESPN+/Peacock/ACCNX/FloSports)
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Texas A&M
Vanderbilt
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Platform Games
Broadcast 0
Cable 0
Streaming 0


Home game attendance

Home attendance
Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Game 9 Game 10 Game 11 Game 12 Game 13 Game 14 Game 15 Game 16 Game 17 Game 18 Game 19 Total Average % of Capacity
Alabama Coleman Coliseum 15,383 13,474† 13,474† 13,474† 13,474† 11,256 12,626 13,474† 13,474† 104,726 13,091 85.10%
Arkansas Bud Walton Arena 19,368 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 19,200† 92,000 19,200 99.13%
Auburn Neville Arena 9,121 9,121† 9,121† 9,121† 9,121† 9,121† 9,121† 9,121† 9,121† 9,121† 82,089 9,121 100.00%
Florida O'Connell Center 11,255 10,065 10,785 10,935† 9,023 10,189 10,917 9,563 10,182 10,593 92,252 10,250 91.07%
Georgia Stegeman Coliseum 10,523 6,187 5,595 5,706 10,523† 5,971 7,125 6,652 10,523† 7,541 10,261 10,523† 10,523† 97,130 8,094 76.92%
Kentucky Rupp Arena 20,545 19,289 20,016 20,000 19,764 19,602 20,029 19,247 20,061† 19,706 19,085 19,725 216,524 19,684 95.81%
LSU Pete Maravich Assembly Center 13,215 6,252 6,505 6,306 6,291 6,829 7,479 8,174 7,995 6,303 8,671 7,816 11,065† 89,686 7,474 56.56%
Missouri Mizzou Arena 15,061 11,314 7,986 8,969 7,595 8,027 7,887 9,463 7,976 8,049 12,746† 10,196 100,208 9,110 60.49%
Mississippi State Humphrey Coliseum 9,100 9,060 7,401 6,943 7,810 6,186 6,971 6,497 6,883 9,212† 9,212† 76,175 7,618 83.71%
Oklahoma Sooners Lloyd Noble Center 10,967 6,476 3,269 5,765 4,746 4,410 4,646 4,866 7,040 5,866 7,922† 55,006 5,501 50.16%
Ole Miss SJB Pavilion 9,500 8,883 8,212 8,731 4,362 7,473 9,373 8,362 8,012 7,859 9,530† 80,797 8,080 85.05%
South Carolina Colonial Life Arena 18,000 12,344† 11,420 11,874 11,623 9,789 11,420 9,055 10,199 10,171 9,501 9,760 11,091 10,861 139,108 10,701 59.45%
Tennessee Thompson–Boling Arena 21,678 18,559 18,661 17,614 17,283 17,313 21,678† 19,059 18,279 17,402 17,808 21,678† 205,334 18,667 86.11%
Texas Moody Center 10,763 10,712 9,820 10,593 10,641 10,802 10,410 10,532 10,888 10,823 11,422† 11,422† 10,523 118,065 10,733 99.72%
Texas A&M Reed Arena 12,989 7,517 6,821 9,099† 6,304 7,545 6,426 6,250 4,495 7,797 7,570 9,096 78,920 7,175 55.24%
Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium 14,316 6,577 5,677 6,435 5,673 7,437 7,227 8,314 11,429 9,399 14,316† 82,484 8,248 57.61%
Total 13,823 1,710,504 10,797 78.11%

Bold – At or exceed capacity
†Season high

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