SEC Tournament 2022: Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Conference Tourney

Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee will be the four teams with double byes into the quarterfinals of this year's SEC tournament. However, there's still plenty for these squads to play for on Saturday (the final day of the regular season), especially with the No. 1 seed still up for grabs.

The bracket for the SEC tourney will be finalized Saturday, when all 14 conference teams will be in action. And the top four teams won't be the only ones playing important matchups, as few of the schools are already locked into seeds for next week's tournament.

The 2022 SEC tournament should be entertaining to watch, as there's no overwhelming favorite in the field. The top four teams will all be contenders, yet it's also possible that another squad will emerge as the champion.

Here's the full schedule for this year's SEC tournament—which will take place March 9-13 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.—followed by predictions for how the final games of the event will play out.

First Round (March 9)

Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed, 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 2: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Second Round (March 10)

Game 3: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, noon ET, SEC Network

Game 4: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner, 2 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 5: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed, 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 6: No. 6 seed vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Quarterfinals (March 11)

Game 7: No. 1 seed vs. Game 3 winner, noon ET, ESPN

Game 8: No. 4 seed vs. Game 4 winner, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 9: No. 2 seed vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 10: No. 3 seed vs. Game 6 winner, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Semifinals (March 12)

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN

Championship (March 13)

Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Auburn will secure the No. 1 seed with a win over South Carolina in its regular-season finale. Meanwhile, Arkansas will lose a competitive game at Tennessee, which will drop the Razorbacks to the No. 4 seed. But that won't stop them from advancing to the semifinals, where they'll meet the top-seeded Tigers.

Many people will be excited about an Auburn-Arkansas rematch, as it was a thrilling contest the first time these teams met this season. On Feb. 8, the Razorbacks outlasted the Tigers (who were ranked No. 1 in the country at the time) for an 80-76 overtime win, their most impressive victory thus far.

Can Arkansas beat Auburn a second time? It's quite possible, especially considering the Razorbacks didn't play their best game in the previous matchup, shooting 34.3 percent from the field and getting outrebounded 60-42, and yet still came out victorious.

This time, Arkansas will shoot better and play more physical, with sophomore forward Jaylin Williams likely playing a key role in the matchup. And with a victory, the Razorbacks will advance to the championship game by knocking out the No. 1 seed.

Prediction: Arkansas beats Auburn

While Auburn and Arkansas will avoid getting upset in the top half of the bracket, Tennessee and Kentucky will do the same in the bottom half. These four teams are too talented to fall to lesser competition, especially with the stakes raised in the SEC tournament.

The Vols and Wildcats will be facing off for the third time after splitting their two regular-season matchups. Kentucky rolled to a 107-79 home win on Jan. 15, while Tennessee got revenge in the second meeting by notching a 76-63 victory on its home court.

What will happen when the Wildcats and Vols face off at a neutral site? It should be a more competitive game, and it could potentially go either way. These are both strong teams that will be moving on to March Madness regardless.

But the prediction here is that head coach John Calipari will have Kentucky ready to rise to the occasion. The Wildcats, who are averaging an SEC-best 40.5 rebounds per game, will rely on their physicality and post play to take down the Vols and advance.

Prediction: Kentucky beats Tennessee

Kentucky has won the SEC tournament 31 times, while no other team has captured the tourney championship more than seven times. That includes Arkansas, which has only won the tournament once (2000). So the Wildcats have had a much better history at the event.

However, that won't matter when these two programs face off in this year's SEC tournament championship game. Either team could come out victorious, and both will be entering the matchup with momentum after recording a strong victory in the semifinals.

Last Saturday, Arkansas recorded a 75-73 home win over Kentucky in the lone regular-season meeting between the two teams. The Razorbacks were powered to victory by senior guard JD Notae (30 points), but it was a game that could have gone either way.

The rematch will likely be just as thrilling, and perhaps even more so. However, Arkansas has been playing well and finding ways to close out these tight matchups. So don't be surprised if the Razorbacks end a 22-year title drought by taking down the Wildcats to conclude the SEC tournament.

Prediction: Arkansas wins SEC tournament title