NASHVILLE — A familiar face to Kentucky basketball fans will help get the proceedings underway today at this year’s SEC Tournament: former coach John Calipari leads Arkansas in the opening game of the first round, as his ninth-seeded team squares off with 16-seed South Carolina.
The winner moves on to Thursday’s second round, meeting 8-seed Ole Miss.
After Arkansas and USC wrap up, three more first-round games will follow, beginning with Vanderbilt/Texas and then Mississippi State/LSU. Of greatest interest to UK is the first-round finale between Georgia and Oklahoma. The victor will be the Wildcats’ second-round foe Thursday.
Yet intrigue abounds in every game today, with the SEC in line to potentially set a record for most NCAA Tournament bids by a league in a single season.
Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt aim to strengthen their at-large candidacies, while the only path to an NCAA berth for LSU, South Carolina and Texas likely lies with making a miracle run to the SEC Tournament title, which comes with an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
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So, which of the eight teams taking the court today at Bridgestone Arena will live to play another day in the league tourney? And which four will be heading home after a short stay in the Music City?
Follow along below with live updates from Nashville:
FINAL: Oklahoma 81, Georgia 75
In a game that was tightly contested for nearly the duration, it’s the Sooners that end on the right side of the scoreboard.
With the win, Oklahoma punches its ticket to the second round, where sixth-seeded Kentucky awaits. Thursday’s scrap between the Wildcats and Sooners will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET.
Halftime score: Oklahoma 43, Georgia 39
It was an ultra-competitive first half.
The Sooners led for 9:08, the Bulldogs for 8:44. There were six lead changes and four ties.
And it’s been a bit of a 1-on-1 battle: Jeremiah Fears has 13 points for Oklahoma while Silas Demry Jr. has 14 for UGA.
FINAL: Mississippi State 91, LSU 62
In a matchup that was more of a bludgeoning, the Bulldogs easily tamed the Tigers, winning by nearly 30 points.
Mississippi State moves on to a second-round matchup with Missouri, which is the 7-seed. Thursday’s tussle MSU and Mizzou will start at 7 p.m. ET.
Halftime score: Mississippi State 44, LSU 24
It was all Bulldogs in the first half, as they head into the locker room armed with a 20-point lead.
FINAL: Texas 79, Vanderbilt 72
The Commodores drew within seven points multiple times in the second half, but ulitimately it wasn’t enough to topple the Longhorns.
Texas moves on to face bitter in-state rival Texas A&M, which is the 5-seed. Thursday’s second-round tilt between the Longhorns and Aggies will tip off at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET.
Halftime score: Texas 41, Vanderbilt 26
The Longhorns, who are hoping to play themselves off the NCAA Tournament, are up 15 points on the Commodoes after the opening 15 minutes.
FINAL: Arkansas 72, South Carolina 68
The Razorbacks fend off a spirited second-half rally from the Gamecocks.
Arkansas advances to play 8-seed Ole Miss in the second round. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. Thursday.
Arkansas vs South Carolina basketball score in second half
With under 12 minutes remaining in the second half, Arkansas leads South Carolina, 59-48. The Razorbacks haven’t hit a shot from the field in more than four minutes.
How to watch first-round games in 2025 SEC Tournament
All first-round matchups today in the SEC Tournament will air on SEC Network.
Authenticated subscribers can access SEC Network via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
You also can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
SEC Tournament schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, March 12
First round
Game 1: No. 9 Arkansas vs. No. 16 South Carolina, 1 p.m., SEC Network
Game 2: No. 12 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Texas, 3:30 p.m.*, SEC Network
Game 3: No. 10 Mississippi State vs. No. 15 LSU, 7 p.m., SEC Network
Game 4: No. 11 Georgia vs. No. 14 Oklahoma, 9:30 p.m.*, SEC Network
Thursday, March 13
Second round
Game 5: No. 8 Ole Miss vs. Game 1 winner, 1 p.m., SEC Network
Game 6: No. 5 Texas A&M vs. Game 2 winner, 3:30 p.m.*, SEC Network
Game 7: No. 7 Missouri vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m., SEC Network
Game 8: No. 6 Kentucky vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m.*, SEC Network
Friday, March 14
Quarterfinals
Game 9: No. 1 Auburn vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN
Game 10: No. 4 Tennessee vs. Game 6 winner, 3:30 p.m.*, ESPN
Game 11: No. 2 Florida vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m.*, SEC Network
Game 12: No. 3 Alabama vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m.*, SEC Network
Saturday, March 15
Semifinals
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN
Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 3:30 p.m.*, ESPN
Sunday, March 16
Final
Championship game: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN
*Denotes approximate start times
SEC Tournament bracket
SEC tournament predictions
Who will win 2025 SEC Tournament?
While an argument could legitimately be made that any of the top-eight seeds will capture this year’s conference tourney title, we’re picking Florida to return to the championship game for the second straight season. But this time, the Gators bring home the title instead of settling for runner-up.
Florida will drop Missouri in the quarterfinals and Alabama in the semifinals before facing Tennessee (which upsets Auburn in the other semifinal) in the championship contest. In the third meeting between the Gators and Volunteers this season, Florida wins the rubber match for its first league tournament crown since 2014.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This story was updated to add a gallery.
