SEC Tournament

The 2010 SEC Tournament in men's basketball will be held from March 11 to March 14, in the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee. http://www.secsports.com/news/default.aspx?ArticleId=5730 Of the twelve teams that appear, the first two teams in each division (the SEC East and the SEC West) receive a buy, so that the first round features the eight lowest seeded teams in the tournament. They face off in four games on March 11, at noon, 2:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8:45 p.m. The next day, in the quarterfinals, the first-day winners face off against the four teams that received a bye in the first round. The four games are scheduled for the same times. The semifinals come on Saturday, March 12, at noon and 2:15 p.m. The SEC champion is crowned in the finals on March 13, at noon. http://www.secsports.com/championships/2010_sec_mens_basketball_tournament.aspx

In 2010, the top seeds in the SEC tournament will be Kentucky in the East, and either Mississippi State or Arkansas in the West. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/conference?confId=23 The tournament champion has a guaranteed spot in the NCAA tournament, which crowns the national champion. In addition, a handful of SEC teams also receive one of the 34 at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. In 2009, only three SEC teams made the NCAA tournament, which is lower than the typical number. http://ncaatournament.fanhouse.com/viewbracket The 2009 champ is Mississippi State, which was a surprising victory. That victory followed a surprise win by Georgia in 2008, which in turn followed a three-peat by Florida in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

The tournament was first played in 1933. It was suspended from 1953 to 1978, but other than that hiatus, it has been every year since the inaugural tourney. The team with the most wins is Kentucky, with 25. http://www.ukathletics.com/w2k/

NCAA Tournament | Atlantic Coast Conference | Basketball | Southeastern Conference | Big East Conference

Due to severe wind damage suffered at the Georgia Dome during the March 14 Atlanta Tornado, the remaining games of the tournament were contested on the campus of Georgia Tech. The storm hit during overtime of the quarterfinal games between Alabama and Mississippi State.

• 2008: Georgia Bulldogs Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2007: Florida Gators Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2006: Florida Gators Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2005: Florida Gators Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2004: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2003: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2002: Mississippi State Bulldogs Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2001: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 2000: Arkansas Razorbacks Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1999: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1998: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1997: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1996: Mississippi State Bulldogs Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1995: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1994: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1993: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1992: Kentucky Wildcats Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1991: Alabama Crimson Tide Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1990: Alabama Crimson Tide Official site: SEC Tournament Champions
• 1989: Alabama Crimson Tide Official site: SEC Tournament Champions