History of SEC men's basketball tournament in Timeline

The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination tournament featuring all teams from the Southeastern Conference. Seeding is determined by regular-season records. The tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Notably, the official SEC championship is awarded to the team(s) with the best regular-season record, separate from the tournament outcome. It determines which team represents the conference in the national tournament and provides a highly competitive environment to showcase talent within the SEC.

1933: No MVP Selection Made

From 1933 to 1952, no MVP selection was made for the SEC Tournament.

1933: SEC Champion determined by a tournament

From 1933, the official SEC Champion was determined by a tournament.

1935: No Tournament Held

In 1935, no SEC men's basketball tournament was held.

1950: SEC Champion determined by a tournament

Until 1950, the official SEC Champion was determined by a tournament.

1951: Round-robin schedule introduced

Beginning in 1951, a round-robin schedule was introduced, and the SEC title was awarded to the team with the highest regular season in-conference winning percentage.

1952: No MVP Selection Made

From 1933 to 1952, no MVP selection was made for the SEC Tournament.

1953: No Tournament Held

From 1953 to 1978, no SEC men's basketball tournament was held.

1964: Round-robin schedule consisted of 14 games

From 1951 to 1964, the round-robin conference schedule consisted of 14 games.

1965: Round-robin schedule expanded to 16 games

In 1965 and 1966, the round-robin schedule was expanded to 16 games due to Georgia Tech's departure from the league.

1966: Round-robin schedule expanded to 16 games

In 1966, the round-robin schedule was expanded to 16 games due to Georgia Tech's departure from the league.

1967: Round-robin schedule was 18 games

From 1967, the round-robin conference schedule consisted of 18 games due to Tulane's departure.

1978: No Tournament Held

From 1953 to 1978, no SEC men's basketball tournament was held.

1979: SEC Tournament renewed

In 1979, the SEC Tournament was renewed, with the winner receiving the SEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The official league champion remained the team with the best regular season record.

1985: Auburn won the tournament in 1985.

Auburn was the first SEC team to accomplish this feat in 1985 when they defeated Ole Miss, LSU, Florida, and Alabama to win their first SEC tournament.

1991: Round-robin schedule was 18 games

Until 1991, the round-robin conference schedule consisted of 18 games due to Tulane's departure.

1992: Arkansas Razorbacks win the conference tournament

In 2000, the Arkansas Razorbacks became the first team since the league expansion in 1992 to win the conference tournament.

1992: SEC split into divisions

Starting with the 1991–1992 season, the SEC split into an Eastern and Western Division and began awarding division championships.

2000: Arkansas Razorbacks win the conference tournament

In 2000, the Arkansas Razorbacks became the first team since the league expansion in 1992 to win the conference tournament by playing all four days, beating Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, and Auburn to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Basketball Championships.

2008: Georgia repeated the feat.

In 2008, Georgia repeated the feat of winning the conference tournament by playing all four days.

2008: Tornado Hits Georgia Dome

In 2008, a tornado struck the downtown Atlanta area during the SEC tournament, damaging the Georgia Dome and surrounding buildings. The remaining games were moved to Alexander Memorial Coliseum at Georgia Tech with limited attendance.

2008: Emergency Relocation of the SEC Tournament

In 2008, the SEC tournament games were held at various sites, including the Georgia Dome, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Bridgestone Arena, the BJCC Coliseum, the Pyramid, Rupp Arena, Louisville Gardens, and Alexander Memorial Coliseum at Georgia Tech after an emergency relocation.

2009: Mississippi State repeated that feat.

In 2009, Mississippi State repeated the feat of winning the conference tournament by playing all four days, defeating Georgia, South Carolina, LSU, and Tennessee.

2011: Abandonment of divisions in SEC men's basketball

In 2011, divisions in SEC men's basketball were abandoned, and the top four teams in the conference standings received first-round byes in the tournament.

2011: Divisions Eliminated

Starting with the 2011-2012 season, divisions would be eliminated from the SEC.

2012: Previous Tournament Format

Before 2012, the top two teams in each division received a bye in the first round, and the rest of the bracket was created with the odd and even seeds from the divisions.

2012: SEC expands to 14 schools

In 2012, the SEC expanded to 14 schools with the arrival of Missouri and Texas A&M.

2012: Regular season expanded

With the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri to the conference, the regular season expanded to an 18 conference game schedule starting with the 2012–13 season.

2013: New tournament format

In 2013, the SEC men's basketball tournament featured a new format with the four bottom seeds playing opening-round games and the top four seeds receiving a double-bye into the quarterfinals.

2019: Auburn achieved the feat a second time.

In 2019, Auburn achieved the feat a second time, defeating Missouri, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee to win the conference tournament by playing all four days.

March 2020: 2020 SEC Tournament Canceled Due to COVID-19

In March 2020, the SEC men's basketball tournament was canceled after the first round due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. The NCAA tournament was also ultimately canceled, and the conference's NCAA men's basketball tournament auto-bid was awarded to the regular season champion, Kentucky.