SEC Tournament Schedule: How to Watch LSU Basketball vs. Kentucky Wildcats Matchup

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The LSU men’s basketball team faces a rare first-round opponent in Kentucky Wednesday morning in the opening game of the 2026 SEC Basketball Tournament at the downtown Bridgestone Arena.

The game is set to start just after 11:30 a.m. CT as the first of four first-round games involving seeds 9-16.

All four games are set to be broadcast on the SEC Network (Roy Philpott and Jon Crispin on the call of the LSU game) and the LSU game will be broadcast on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network (Guaranty Media flagship in BR Eagle 98.1 FM) with the “Voice of the Tigers” Chris Blair and former LSU head coach John Brady.

The Tigers are 15-16 overall, while Kentucky is 19-12.

This will be the 19th time LSU and Kentucky have played in the SEC Tournament and the 11th time since the renewal of the tournament in 1979. In those 10 previous meetings, LSU and Kentucky met in either the quarterfinals (3), semifinals (5) or championship game (2). This will be the first time they have met in a first-round contest of the event.

LSU is the 16 seed and Kentucky in a very jumbled center of the league standings fell to ninth with a 10-8 league record.

This will be the first time LSU and Kentucky have met since a 2014 quarterfinal game in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, won by Kentucky, 85-67. LSU’s wins came in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tamba in 2009 in a quarterfinal game, 67-58; and, in the championship game in 1980 in Birmingham when LSU won its only SEC Tournament title, 80-78.

LSU has a 51-64 record in 65 tournament appearances and 30-44 mark since the renewal of the tournament. LSU, which lost to Mississippi State last year in the first round, has won its first game in the tournament 33 times.

“When I talked to the players afterward, as you can imagine there (was) a great disappointment in the locker room,” said Coach Matt McMahon in his media session after Saturday’s contest. “I thought we had two really good days of preparation for Texas A&M.

"I really admire the everyday work that our players have put in through some of the adversity they’ve encountered this season … These guys have been resilient, they’ve done it every time, and I expect … it’ll be nothing different … We’ll be locked in and ready to compete on Wednesday.”

LSU and Kentucky met on Jan. 14 in Baton Rouge with Kentucky winning on a buzzer beating jumper after a three-quarter court pass to set up the shot with 1.6 seconds remaining as the Wildcats won, 75-74.

Mackinnon made two free throws to go up 74-72 late before Kentucky on its offensive possession was fouled and went make-miss to make it 74-73 for LSU. The Tigers got the defensive rebound and was fouled. LSU missed both free throws and Kentucky rebounded and called time with 1.6 remaining to set up the winning pass and shoot.

The winner of the LSU-Kentucky game will meet eighth seed Missouri in the second round on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. CT.

LSU is 6-12 in SEC Tournament games at Bridgestone Arena.