And we’re off. The 2026 men’s NCAA tournament is fully underway, after a Thursday of upsets, close calls and fantastic finishes. For the Southeastern Conference, it was a largely successful day.
For the second consecutive year, the SEC landed the most teams in the field, although this year’s 10 doesn’t quite stack up to the NCAA record 14 programs that went dancing a year ago. Florida, the defending national champion, earned a No. 1 seed. Behind them, there’s a bit of a gap, however, until Alabama and Arkansas, the SEC tournament champion, pop up on the No. 4-seed line. Vanderbilt, the runner-up in the conference tournament, is a No. 5 seed.
