The SEC tournament is perhaps one of the most evenly matched in the country as Arkansas looks to back up its regular season title with a first ever tournament championship. Challenging are a long list of teams that have had impressive seasons of their own whether with offensive firepower or defensive fortitude.

All games in Pensacola, Florida

Home Safe: Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina

The SEC has five guaranteed at-large bids regardless of how the conference tournament unfolds. Each team has floated in and out of the top-25 and will play with more freedom of mind to chase a conference title.

Work to Do: Texas A&M, LSU, Kentucky, Tennessee

These four teams are not guaranteed an at-large bid with varying degrees of difficulty needed to do so. The easiest path is Tennessee, they are currently slated for an at-large bid but a first round loss to Auburn could still put that in jeopardy. Next up are Kentucky and LSU, who match up in the first round knowing a win is likely enough for an at-large bid. Then you have Texas A&M who will be in if it defeats South Carolina in the quarter finals.

Win and In: Auburn

Auburn has plenty of work to do to get into the NCAA tournament. Wins against Auburn and Arkansas to even get to the semi-finals will go a long way, but it is more likely that an SEC Championship is the only way in at this point of the season.

First Round Preview:

No. 8 Auburn vs. No. 9 Tennessee

This will be the first time these two teams matchup in what will be an even contest. Both have had bright moments like Auburn defeating No. 6 Arkansas, and Tennessee losing just once in three games versus top-25 opponents. However there is a reason they find themselves as two of the lower seeds as both will fight for their NCAA tournament chances.

No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 LSU

After winning just one of its last 7 games, LSU scrapes into the conference tournament, but Kentucky is not much better with one win from four after an undefeated start. Winner of this game is looking to regain form and confidence for a potential run at the title.

Quarterfinals Preview:

No. 1 Arkansas vs. Tennessee/Auburn

Arkansas is the one seed for a reason having won the regular season crown with a dominant 25 points from 30 possible. However, their lone loss of the conference did come against Auburn, and part of me feels they want Auburn to win to get their shot at revenge. But, both Tennessee and Auburn will be more confident than seeding suggests, considering Arkansas built its success off a formidable 9-0-0 record at home, but was just 3-3-2 in road games and the SEC tournament is played on neutral ground.

No. 2 Georgia vs. LSU/Kentucky

Georgia is another team with an opportunity at revenge having defeated Kentucky but lost to LSU in the regular season. That LSU loss was also Georgia’s only lone loss of the season back on September 21^st, while they may want to avoid playing Kentucky again, having defeated them 1-0 on October 19^th.

No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 6 South Carolina

South Carolina has to feel hard done by coming in as a 2-seed strictly on technicality of divisional games, despite amassing the second most conference points. Fortunately, seeding has little meaning in a tournament taking place in a singular location as South Carolina heads to Florida having only lost once this season, back in early September to No. 5 North Carolina. Texas A&M will feel confident in its game plan though, having played the Gamecocks on October 19^thwith plenty of lessons learned in a 1-0 loss. 

No. 4 Mississippi State vs. No. 5 Alabama

In another battle of two teams who met fairly recently, there will be just nine days between this quarterfinal and when Mississippi State defeated Alabama 2-0 on October 22^nd. This is not nearly as formidable as the Alabama team from last season, but the roster has plenty of players who were part of that historic run and will know what it takes to win high-pressured tournament games. Mississippi State on the other hand has conceded more than one goal just once this season, and will rely on that defensive fortitude to make a run.

Final Notes

• Arkansas wins the SEC regular season for the fourth time in six years, but still chasing first conference tournament title.
• South Carolina returns as 2022 champions.
• Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Alabama all chasing first title.
• 10 TDS TOP 100 Players in Attendance: No. 30 Catherine Barry (South Carolina), No. 35 Bea Franklin (Arkansas), No. 37 Anna Haddock (Auburn), No. 38 Gianna Paul (Alabama), No. 49 Kameron Simmonds (Tennessee), No. 60 Anna Podojil (Arkansas), No. 64 Jordyn Rhodes (Kentucky), No. 75 Felicia Knox (Alabama), No. 85 Gessica Skorka (Alabama), No. 91 Croix Bethune (Georgia).
• 15 TDS Top 100 Freshmen in Attendance: No. 10 Kiera Staude (Georgia), No. 26 Avery Wren (Arkansas), No. 36 Tanner Strickland (Kentucky), No. 39 Ava Galligan (LSU), No. 43 Linette Hofmann (Tennessee), No. 48 Kennedy Ball (Arkansas), No. 52 Kate Runyon (Tennessee), No. 53 Reagan Schubach (South Carolina), No. 57 Coralie Lallier (Alabama), No. 59 Margo Matule (Texas A&M), No. 70 Christian Brathwaite (Georgia), No. 77 Sabrina Jones (Arkansas), No. 82 Bella Field (Arkansas), No. 88 Nadia Ramadan (Alabama), No. 94 Devon Winters (Georgia).
• The semifinals are November 2, and the final is on November 5.