By Chris Marler
It’s tournament time. That means it’s time for six of the best days of the entire collegiate calendar, the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. Here’s our full preview.
The Bracket
The Bracket is loaded once again. This year’s tournament is especially deep considering that every team from No. 1 through 11 is projected as a top two seed in a regional for postseason play. As of Monday, 11point7 baseball has seven SEC teams projected as host sites for regionals. That includes five teams ranked in the top eight and having home field advantage throughout regionals and super regionals.
There are some talented teams that will open play on Tuesday, like Ole Miss and Tenenssee who are projected as two seeds everywhere for regional play. There’s also Vanderbilt and LSU who are desperately trying to find a way to get into the tournament after two of the most underwhelming seasons in the last two decades for each school.
Here’s a look at the bracket itself.
The Road to Omaha runs through Hoover. 😤
🔗 https://t.co/N7VfO29Px5#SECBSB x #SECTourney pic.twitter.com/JwgvhRNbRi
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) May 17, 2026
The Odds
Here are the current odds to win the SEC Tournament according to DraftKings.
Texas +370
Georgia +400
Texas A&M +450
Mississippi State +550
Auburn +650
Florida +900
Alabama +1000
Arkansas +1700
Tennessee +2500
Ole Miss +2500
Vanderbilt +3500
Kentucky +5000
LSU +5500
Oklahoma +6000
South Carolina +20000
Missouri +20000
Most to Gain
There are more obvious answers here like LSU and Vanderbilt who could go from an early summer vacation to an unexpected postseason appearance if they can somehow go 6-0. That just doesn’t seem like a remotely possible thing at this point from either of those teams, though.
The team with the most to gain this week is Arkansas. The Hogs have been playing really good baseball as of late but are projected as a two seed. They have a one round bye and would be favored to advance to Thursday when they play the winner of South Carolina and Tennessee. If they win that game, they advance to Thursday to face Texas. Crazier things have happened, and if Arkansas were to win that game they have a great chance at getting to Sunday. Winning the conference would all but assure them to host an NCAA Regional when selection Monday rolls around.
Statement: Our team faced multiple extended delays over the weekend, extensive travel days and challenging rest and recovery periods as there’s a drive into deep right field by Arkansas and that’ll be a home run. And so that’ll make it a 16-12 ballgame. pic.twitter.com/NlM6LXGl64
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 16, 2026
Best Longshot Bet
There are several here to choose from, and with a 16 team, single elimination tournament the odds for every team are higher than most other conference tournaments. In fact, Texas at +370 are the highest odds for any champion of the six conference tournament winners at DraftKings. Arkansas, who we just talked about, is +1700 as the No. 7 seed. I also really like Mississippi State and Auburn at +550 and +650 respectively.
The best longshot bet though is Florida at +900. The Gators won’t have to use Aiden King until Thursday or Friday. If they use him Thursday against Alabama, I like their chances because I’d like their chances against the Dodgers as long as King is on the mound. They would also avoid Texas, Texas A&M and Auburn’s side of the bracket and could potentially face Georgia in the Semifinals. Guess who the only team that Georgia lost a season to all year was? You guessed it, Florida.
Aiden King is so good
Dominant
But of all the pitches, that wasn’t a strike lol pic.twitter.com/aLsX3XJVf0
— Dave Myrick 🐐🦡🛫🇺🇸 (@Danny_Bigmac13) May 2, 2026
Picking a Winner
This is tough because the two favorites are both the most logical picks here and also the least sexy and fun picks imaginable. Anyone that knows me would probably use sexy and fun in the description. That’s a lie, but nevertheless we are going to make a more fun, sexy pick.
Georgia and Texas have been arguably the two best teams all year with Auburn in a close third. I’m going to go out on a limb here and give a dark horse. Let me start by saying I think whoever wins will come from the same side as Georgia because they’re avoiding Arkansas, Auburn, Texas, and Texas A&M. I’m not as sold on Alabama who’s hitting .252 as a team and is a No. 4 seed. I think the winner of the tournament comes from that side of the bracket.
And, I think that winner will be Mississippi State.
Ace Reese. Will Clark. Rafael Palmeiro.
20 home runs in consecutive seasons. pic.twitter.com/R8XaiS2Vcm
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) May 17, 2026
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