The SEC didn't get the 14 teams it had in 2025, but the league still pulled in a huge NCAA Tournament haul and is intent on creating another magical March.
The Arkansas basketball team is one part of a much larger story at the 2026 NCAA Tournament. SEC basketball produced 10 tourney teams one year after the league created an unfathomable 14 teams among its 16-school membership.
Last year the SEC couldn't have done much better than it did in March Madness. The league produced the national champion, Florida. It had two teams in the Final Four. It had four teams in the Elite Eight. It had seven teams in the Sweet 16. Though the league has fewer NCAA Tournament teams this March and doesn't have nearly as many teams seeded in the top three, a 10-team haul still gives the SEC plenty of avenues and openings to do significant damage in the brackets.
Texas got out of the First Four by beating North Carolina State. The Longhorns might be a lowly 11 seed, but they have a real chance to beat sixth-seeded BYU, which is laboring without star player and elite scorer Richie Saunders. Texas can win a game or two this weekend. If it plays Gonzaga in the Round of 32, the Zags will be without key big man Braden Huff.
Missouri is a No. 10 seed, but the Tigers received a gift from the selection committee: They will face seventh-seeded Miami in St. Louis, a quirk of the bracketing placement process. The committee wanted tickets to be sold in St. Louis, and Mizzou is the beneficiary of that development. The Tigers can advance in the bracket.
Texas A&M is a No. 10 seed facing No. 7 seed Saint Mary's. The Aggies face an opponent which has size but not a ton of athleticism. A&M will try to push the pace in this game and not allow the Gaels to slow them down.
Georgia is a No. 8 seed playing No. 9 seed Saint Louis. Georgia did not play well in the SEC Tournament, but the positive result of that early flameout in Nashville is that the Dawgs are very fresh for the NCAA Tournament. They can hit the reset button against an Atlantic 10 opponent which struggled in its conference tournament and is not playing its best basketball of the season.
Kentucky is a No. 7 seed going up against No. 10 seed Santa Clara. The Wildcats have been brutally inconsistent but should have a favorable matchup against an opponent which has not been tested outside of Gonzaga and Saint Mary's over the past two and a half months.
Tennessee is a No. 6 seed, flying below the radar in this year's Big Dance. This is not UT's best team, but perhaps a lower seed and lower expectations will enable the Vols to play with more freedom and less pressure.
Vanderbilt is a 5 seed, widely viewed as an underseeded team in this tournament. The Commodores face McNeese in the first round, which is no cakewalk, but if VU wins, the Dores then get (likely) Nebraska in the second round. Vandy has a good shot at the Sweet 16.
Alabama -- like Arkansas -- is a No. 4 seed. The Crimson Tide will play Hofstra without Aden Holloway. They can still win that game, but a possible second-rounder against No. 5 seed Texas Tech will be a challenge.
Arkansas carries its No. 4 seed to Portland. The Razorbacks should beat Hawaii but figure to run into a major test against Wisconsin in the second round.
Last but certainly not least, Florida takes its No. 1 seed to the South Region, where the Gators figure to be tested by No. 2 seed Houston in a possible Elite Eight game. That game would be in Houston, so Florida will need its best game of the year to return to the Final Four for a chance to defend its national championship.