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.
They’re joined by Tennessee (No. 6), Kentucky (No. 7), Georgia (No. 8), Texas A&M (No. 10) and Texas (No. 11), which advanced into the round of 64 with a First Four victory over NC State.
The Midwest Region has the heaviest SEC presence, with four programs looking to unseat No. 1 seed Michigan to reach the Final Four. Florida’s South Region and the West Region, helmed by Arizona, feature three SEC teams apiece. No SEC teams are competing in the East Region.
SEC record in NCAA tournament after day one of the first round
After one full day of March Madness, the SEC is off to a strong start, with a 5–1 record. No. 4 Arkansas got things rolling, maintaining the momentum from their impressive SEC tournament run to take down No. 13 Hawai’i, 97–78 behind 24 points from Darius Acuff Jr. No. 5 Vanderbilt, which lost to the Razorbacks in the conference final, had a rocky start against No. 12 McNeese but used a strong second half to separate themselves from the Cowboys, winning 78–68.
No. 11 Texas and No. 10 Texas A&M were seed-line underdogs entering their matchups, but both put together impressive showings. The Longhorns, who advanced out of the First Four, picked up their second win in three days, overcoming a 35-point, 10-rebound explosion by AJ Dybantsa of No. 6 BYU to win 79–71. The Aggies handled No. 7 Saint Mary’s from the jump, 63–50, behind 22 points and nine rebounds by Rashaun Agee.
The lone blemish for the SEC was a particularly ugly one, though. No. 8 Georgia was absolutely blitzed by No. 9 Saint Louis, falling 102–77 in a game that may have actually been more lopsided than that 25-point deficit relays.
What SEC teams are still alive?
Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Texas and Texas A&M have all advanced to the Round of 32. Five more SEC teams will have the chance to join them on Friday.
No. 7 Kentucky opens the day of hoops against No. 10 Santa Clara, an upstart from the WCC. No. 4 Alabama faces Speedy Claxton’s No. 13 Hofstra squad in the late afternoon. No. 6 Tennessee will look to deal No. 11 Miami (Ohio) its second loss of the year, after the RedHawks’ impressive First Four showing. No. 1 Florida, the defending national champions, take on No. 16 Prairie View A&M. No. 10 Missouri is the lone SEC underdog today, playing the final game of the night against No. 7 Miami.
SEC March Madness schedule
Below are all the details available for the nine remaining SEC teams’ upcoming games on Friday and Saturday. All times are ET. SEC programs are in bold. The full men’s NCAA tournament schedule and TV lineup is available here.
| Game | Date | Time | Location | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara | Friday, March 20 | 12:15 p.m. | St. Louis | CBS |
| No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra | Friday, March 20 | 3:15 p.m. | Tampa | truTV |
| No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) | Friday, March 20 | 4:25 p.m. | Philadelphia | TBS |
| No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M | Friday, March 20 | 9:25 p.m. | Tampa | TNT |
| No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri | Friday, March 20 | 10:10 p.m. | St. Louis | truTV |
| No. 2 Houston vs. No. 10 Texas A&M | Saturday, March 21 | 6:10 p.m. | Oklahoma City | TNT |
| No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 Texas | Saturday, March 21 | 7:10 p.m. | Portland | TBS |
| No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt | Saturday, March 21 | 8:45 p.m. | Oklahoma City | TNT |
| No. 4 Arkansas vs. No, 12 High Point | Saturday, March 21 | 9:45 p.m. | Portland | TBS |
Biggest Wins and Most Disappointing Losses
The most impressive win thus far was probably Texas’s handling of BYU. While the Cougars have struggled down the stretch this season, they got one of the best performances of the early tournament from Dybantsa, the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, and the Longhorns still managed to keep them at arm’s length throughout the entire game. Texas was one of the final teams included in the field but have confirmed their Dance-worthiness to this point.
The league’s only loss thus far was a whopper, as Georgia was completely outclassed by Saint Louis. The Billikens got off to an impressive start this year, but had also tailed off down the stretch, ceding the Atlantic 10 to VCU (another Thursday upset winner, against North Carolina). On Thursday it looked like the rest they got did them good. Saint Louis didn’t even have a barrage of threes, converting on just 9-of-28 from deep, but were an impressive 58% of the field while holding the Bulldogs to 35% and just 26% from three.
How the SEC Compares to other conferences in the 2026 NCAA tournament
So far, the SEC is off to the best start of any of the Power 5 leagues. The Big Ten—the SEC’s main rival atop college sports, is 4–2 so far, the Big 12 is 2–1 and the ACC is out to a disappointing 2–3 start, losing a pair of teams in the First Four. None of the three Big East programs has played thus far.
In the mid-major ranks, the Atlantic 10 is the early winner, with both VCU and Saint Louis picking up wins to move to 2–0.
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- The Three Worst Game-Changing Calls From Kentucky’s Nervy Win Over Santa Clara
- How a Missed Timeout Helped Kentucky Survive Scare From Santa Clara in March Madness
- Where Is Queens University Located? What to Know About No. 15 Seed Playing Purdue
- ACC Record in March Madness 2026 After Thursday’s First Round NCAA Tournament Games
- What to Know About High Point University, An NCAA Cinderella School That Caters to the Rich
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SEC Record in March Madness 2026 After Thursday’s First Round NCAA Tournament Games.
