Eight SEC Teams Projected to Make March Madness Entering Final Week of Regular Season

With only two regular-season games to play, all 14 SEC men’s basketball teams will look to finish strong. Some will look to lock up a spot in March Madness.

March Madness Projections

Eight teams are projected to make the 2023 NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. This includes four top-25 ranked teams — No. 2 Alabama, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 23 Kentucky and No. 24 Texas A&M.

The Crimson Tide, who have only one conference loss, are projected to earn the top overall seed. The Volunteers are a projected No. 3 seed, while the Aggies are a No. 6 seed and the Wildcats are a No. 8 seed.

Arkansas is a projected No. 8 seed with 19 wins and an 8-8 SEC record. But the Razorbacks may struggle to remain .500 as they prepare to face Tennessee in Knoxville on Tuesday before they welcome Kentucky on Saturday.

Auburn and Missouri are both projected to earn No. 10 seeds as both teams are 9-7 in conference play. Auburn will face a challenging ending to its schedule. The Tigers will face in-state rival Alabama on the road on Wednesday before they host Tennessee on Saturday. Mizzou will be favored to win its final two contests as it prepares to face LSU on Wednesday and Ole Miss on Saturday.

Despite 19 wins this season, Mississippi State owns a losing conference record (7-9) and is projected to be one of the last four teams to punch its ticket. Lunardi has the Bulldogs facing Wisconsin in a play-in game.

pic.twitter.com/JnAVEBVnik

— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 25, 2023

Vanderbilt also remains on the March Madness bubble with a 9-7 SEC record and a 7-6 non-conference record. The Commodores will need to prove their tournament-worth after they lost to last-place LSU last Wednesday.

SEC Tournament

The SEC Tournament will begin on March 8 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The champion will automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament — leaving a slim chance for even the bottom-five teams in the conference standings to secure a spot. This includes 7-9 Florida and 6-10 Georgia, who will face off in Athens on Tuesday.

The top-four teams in the standings will receive a two-round bye and advance straight to the quarterfinals. Alabama and Texas A&M have clinched the top-two spots, but the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds remain up for grabs.

Updated SEC basketball standings after Saturday's action. Tiebreakers not included.

Three-way tiebreakers would have MIZ at 5, VU at 6, and AUB at 7.

Two-way tiebreakers would have UF at 9, MSU at 10, SC at 12, and MISS at 13. pic.twitter.com/FyIEmIXVe2

— Blake Lovell (@theblakelovell) February 26, 2023