Florida Gators SEC Tournament Hub: Schedule, Bracket, History, Prediction

After winning its SEC regular-season title in 12 years, the Florida Gators are now looking to go back-to-back in the SEC Tournament for the first time since winning three-straight from 2005-07. Entering the postseason as the AP No. 4 team with a 25-6 record and 16-2 record in SEC play, the Gators are favorites to clinch a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

While winning the SEC Tournament may not be necessary to clinch the one-seed, head coach Todd Golden does not want to take any chances.

“I’m not from the school of thought that you should lose before the postseason because you want to remember how that feels," he said on Monday. "No. I remember how Auburn feels, I remember how Missouri feels and we don’t want to feel that way. This team is mature, that’s just the reality. We’ve got some studs who can handle the expectation at this point. I think that was an issue for us early in the year, but we battled through that and have grown up a lot."

Todd Golden has completed the trifecta of championships, winning his first SEC regular-season title after winning the SEC and NCAA tournaments last season. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

The No. 1 seed in the league tournament, the Gators are riding an 11-game winning streak into the tournament and are looking to clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

"I think we're in a great spot now, especially compared to last week," Golden said. "We just have to worry about we can control. If we win the games, I don't think we have anything to worry about. If we don't, then we start to worry and start allowing other people to dictate and determine what happens with us."

Below is the complete schedule, bracket, television information and plenty more as Florida heads to Nashville for the 2026 SEC Tournament.

2026 SEC Tournament Bracket, Schedule & Results

The SEC released its full bracket and schedule on Sunday after its regular season fully concluded. All games can be televised on SEC Network unless noted otherwise.

Bracket

🚨 THE BRACKET.

🔗 https://t.co/DN2gdVm3Sz #SECMBB x #SECTourney pic.twitter.com/3Apdvomhsd
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 8, 2026

Schedule

Wednesday, March 11 - First Round

Game One (12:30 p.m.): No. 16 LSU vs. No 9. Kentucky
Game Two (25 min. after conclusion of Game One): No. 13 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Auburn
Game Three (7 p.m.): No. 15 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Texas
Game Four (25 min. after conclusion of Game Three): No. 14 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oklahoma

Thursday, March 12 - Second Round

Game Five (12:30 p.m.): LSU/Kentucky vs. No. 8 Missouri
Game Six (25 min. after conclusion of Game Five): Mississippi State/Auburn vs. No. 5 Tennessee
Game Seven (7 p.m.): Ole Miss/Texas vs. No. 7 Georgia
Game Eight (25 min. after conclusion of Game Seven): South Carolina/Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Texas A&M

Friday, March 13 - Quarterfinals

Game Nine (1 p.m., ESPN): Game Five winner vs. No. 1 Florida
Game 10 (25 min. after conclusion of Game Nine, ESPN): Game Six winner vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt
Game 11 (7 p.m.): Game Seven winner vs. No. 2 Alabama
Game 12 (25 min. after conclusion of Game 11): Game Eight winner vs. Arkansas

Saturday, March 14 - Semifinals

Game 13 (1 p.m., ESPN): Game Nine winner vs. Game 10 winner
Game 14 (25 min. after conclusion of Game 13): Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner

Sunday, March 15 - Finals

Championship (1 p.m., ESPN): Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner

Gators' Path to Back-to-Back, One-Seed in NCAA Tournament

As one of the league's top four seeds, Florida will get a double bye to start the tournament, not having to play until the quarterfinals on Friday. While not playing, the Gators will certainly be watching the first two rounds of play.

The game to keep note of is No. 16 LSU vs. No. 9 Kentucky, with the winner facing No. 8 Missouri in the second round. The winner of that second-round game will face the Gators on Friday. The Gators went 3-1 in matchups against those three teams, including two notable wins over Kentucky and a loss to Missouri to open SEC play.

Golden detailed the hypothetical rematches against each team.

"I mean, to be honest, right now, I'm not being like, ‘Man, I hope we play these guys, not these guys,’" he said. "You know, I think Missouri would be a great challenge for us. Part of me would like an opportunity to compete against them again. But the same goes for Kentucky. So truthfully, like, whoever we see, we’ll be prepared for.

"I mean, there's a world where LSU gets hot, you know, they've had some struggles, but they had Kentucky beat on their own floor, and they gave that game away late, and they almost won at Texas. Like, LSU has it in them."

Florida lost to Missouri, 76-74, on Jan. 3 to open SEC play. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Should Florida advance, the Gators will face the winner of No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 5 Tennessee/No. 12 Auburn/No. 13 Mississippi State in the semifinals. Of that group, only Auburn has defeated Florida this season with a 76-67 upset in Gainesville on Jan. 24, which remains the Gators' last loss this season.

A trip to the SEC Tournament Championship, regardless of the result, should be enough for the Gators to lock up the fourth and final one-seed in the NCAA Tournament over UConn, while a win all but guarantees it.

Florida's SEC Tournament History

The Gators are going for its sixth SEC Tournament title after wins from 2005-07, a win in 2014 and a win in 2025. A tournament title would give Golden his second SEC Tournament title of his career, making him just the third active SEC head coach to do so.

The Florida Gators won its most recent SEC Tournament title last season. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

An appearance in the title game would mark Golden's third straight, being the first SEC head coach to do so since Jon Calipari went to five straight from 2014-18.

Florida has only won an SEC regular-season title and SEC Tournament title in the same season twice with victories in 2007 and in 2014.

Prediction

With its recent dominance in league play, with nine of its 11-straight wins coming by double digits and five coming by at least 20 points, it is hard to see Florida lose anytime soon. However, one team could cause issues depending on how the bracket plays out.

Nine-seed Kentucky, despite its 10-8 conference record, has given the Gators the most trouble during the win streak as the only team to lose by single digits during the run. The Wildcats erased double-digit deficits in both losses before Florida pulled away in the final minutes.

If Kentucky can get through LSU and Missouri, it would create an interesting third matchup between the Gators in the Wildcats. The last time that happened came in the 2014-15 season, when Kentucky swept the Gators with a close win in Gainesville and double-digit wins in Lexington and in the SEC Tournament. That sweep came after the Gators had its own three-game sweep over the Wildcats the previous season.

While Florida is largely expected to win its second-straight SEC Tournament, which is ultimately what Florida Gators on SI is predicting, possibly having to beat Kentucky a third time could be the difference between a one-seed and a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament, while potential rematches against Alabama and Arkansas create interesting storylines after heated matchups in the regular season.