The 2026 SEC tournament will take place at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, beginning Wednesday, March 4. The tournament will culminate in a Championship match on Sunday, March 8.
The South Carolina Gamecocks enter the tournament heavily favored to win. South Carolina has won three straight SEC tournaments and nine of the past 11. But the team will face challenges, especially from Shea Ralph and the Vanderbilt Commodores, and potentially from Jennie Baranczyk and the Oklahoma Sooners.
The tournament will include a lot of basketball and plenty of players and teams to watch. Here are seven stories to pay attention to during the 2026 SEC tournament.
Edwards, Okot anchor South Carolina’s title chase in Greenville
South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball has won three straight SEC tournament titles and nine of the past 11 since 2015. Now, Dawn Staley’s team returns to Greenville aiming to add another trophy inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
South Carolina’s identity remains the same — elite defense, balanced scoring and poise in key moments — but its postseason ceiling hinges on the interior dominance of Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot. With Chloe Kitts out with injury this time around, Edwards and Okot must control the paint with size, skill and efficiency around the rim.
Okot enters the tournament riding seven straight double-doubles, including her 20th of the season in the team’s regular-season finale at Kentucky. Edwards has topped 20 or more points 18 times while expanding her game off the dribble and protecting the rim. If the Gamecocks secure a fourth consecutive SEC title, their frontcourt presence will likely lead the way.
Will Vanderbilt make a deep push and even win it all?
It’s no secret that the Vanderbilt Commodores just finished up a season for the ages. The team’s 27-3 record includes the most wins collected in the regular season in program history, and the team’s 13 league wins set the record for the most SEC wins in a season.
Nearly every time the team spoke to reporters throughout the regular season, they presented a united front: coaches and players made it clear they weren’t talking about March yet. Well, March is upon us, and now it’s time to talk about it.
Blakes and Aubrey Galvan are one of the best backcourts in the country. The pair excel at stretching the court with long passes hurled at Sacha Washington and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, and Galvan in particular is especially adept at lobbing a pass seemingly nowhere only for it to land exactly where it was meant to.
Vanderbilt’s path in the SEC tournament isn’t quite clear — the team will first have to wait to see who wins Wednesday’s match between Auburn and Texas A&M, followed by Thursday’s between that game winner and Ole Miss, before they make their tournament debut Friday. Should they win, they’ll advance to the semifinals against Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, or Alabama — all teams they soundly won against this season.
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Veteran guards take center stage in March
Tournament basketball rewards elite guard play, and the SEC features no shortage of proven playmakers ready for the moment. South Carolina pairs Raven Johnson, a defensive tone-setter, with sharpshooter Tessa Johnson and dynamic scorer Ta’Niya Latson to form one of the league’s most complete backcourts. But the Gamecocks aren’t alone.
LSU counters with MiLaysia Fulwiley’s speed, Mikaylah Williams’ perimeter shot making and Flau’Jae Johnson’s versatility. Texas Longhorns women’s basketball relies on Madison Booker’s scoring punch, Jordan Lee’s confidence and Rori Harmon’s defensive grit and late-game poise.
Elsewhere, Mikayla Blakes fuels Vanderbilt, Cotie McMahon leads Mississippi, Tonie Morgan steadies Kentucky and Oklahoma leans on Payton Verhulst – among others – alongside freshman standout Aaliyah Chavez. Tennessee, despite entering on a six-game skid, still features Talaysia Cooper and company as a potential difference-maker. When possessions tighten and margins shrink, expect these veteran guards to deliver the plays that decide who survives and advances.
Despite their tough season, Tennessee faces easy path to semifinals
The Lady Vols were forced to begin the season with the loss of Ruby Whitehorn, and have spent a tumultuous few months fighting tooth and nail, game after game. For a variety of reasons that may or may not include the program’s NIL allocation, Coach Caldwell’s ability to adjust mid-game or between games, and the fact that it just takes a season or two for a recruitment vision to come together, Tennessee isn’t where they want to be right now.
But their 8-8 conference record and 16-12 overall record may not heavily influence how the team performs in Greenville. The Lady Vols have a favorable path toward the semifinals at least. They’ll first play the winner of Missouri vs. Alabama, two teams that they’ve decisively beaten of late (the Lady Vols were 70-59 over the Crimson Tide in January and 98-53 over Missouri in February).
Should they win, the following game will be against the Texas Longhorns, where things may get dicey. The Lady Vols lost by a scant two points the last time the two teams met on February 15. If Tennessee can stay consistent, their tournament push may surprise a few people.
Sira Thienou’s status could shift Mississippi’s postseason outlook
Mississippi enters the SEC tourney searching for momentum after dropping six of its final eight games, including a Senior Day loss on Sunday to Texas A&M. Despite another 20-win season and a likely fifth straight NCAA appearance, Mississippi fell short of its goal to host in the first round.
Much of Mississippi’s production runs through Cotie McMahon, Christeen Iwuala and Latasha Lattimore. Still, the absence of Sira Thienou has loomed large. Before suffering a bone bruise, Thienou averaged 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds, led the team with 44 steals and added 10 blocks while starting every game. She anchored the defense, rebounded at a high level and provided secondary scoring.
Coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin has not committed to Thienou’s availability. If she returns, she could provide the spark Mississippi needs in a second-round matchup against the winner of Auburn and Texas A&M. If not, the Rebels must rely on players such as Tianna Thompson and company to elevate their roles and push Mississippi into the quarterfinals.
Will Oklahoma’s lack of depth hurt the team?
The Oklahoma Sooners earned the No. 5 seed after they went 11-5 in SEC play this season, which landed the team right in the thick of will likely prove to be a tough push toward what would be the team’s first-ever SEC title.
The Sooners will first play the winner of Mississippi State vs. Florida, and either match up will work in their favor. Oklahoma demolished the former 95-47 early in the regular season, and skated past Florida 81-74 during a home game in February. Should they advance, the Oklahoma will then face a formidable LSU Tigers squad who most recently dominated the Sooners 91-72.
If Oklahoma does pull off an upset, their next challenger will be the South Carolina Gamecocks, the defending SEC champions. Though the Sooners pulled off a surprise 94-82 overtime win against the Gamecocks during the regular season, Dawn Staley’s team will be in the mood for revenge.
The biggest challenge the Sooners will face is a lack of depth. Freshman Aaliyah Chavez has proven to be a scoring powerhouse, but this will be her first SEC rodeo and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Four days of back-to-back play may prove too much for a young squad with plenty of room to grow — next season.
Can Dani Carnegie fuels Georgia’s push for a breakthrough?
Georgia has engineered one of the SEC’s most notable turnarounds. After finishing 13-19 a year ago amid injuries and inexperience, Georgia enters the tournament at 22-8, a nine-win improvement that includes eight conference victories and statement wins over Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Mississippi.
In her fourth season, head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson has built the resurgence around dynamic guard Dani Carnegie. The sophomore averages 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 82.7% from the free-throw line. She sets the tempo, ignites the offense and provides the scoring punch UGA needs in pressure moments.
Georgia thrives when Carnegie scores from the perimeter, attacks the midrange and finishes at the rim. Mia Woolfolk anchors the paint, Trinity Turner steadies the offense and Rylie Theuerkauf stretches defenses, shooting 39.8% from 3-point range.
Now, the Bulldogs seek to ride Carnegie’s spark past the second round against the winner of Arkansas and Kentucky and potentially into a quarterfinal showdown with top-seeded South Carolina. Georgia has already secured its first single-digit SEC tournament seed since 2023. The next step depends on whether Carnegie can elevate the Bulldogs once more.
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