SEC HOOPS: Conference sets up big finish to regular season schedule

Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers will open defense of their SEC regular-season conference title on Saturday, Jan. 3 against Georgia. (Photo courtesy Auburn Unv. Athletics)

By GRAHAM DUNN

The Southeastern Conference posted the 2025-26 conference schedule on Wednesday.

The highlights are numerous but the final day of the regular season may be the tops.

The SEC deemed Saturday, March 7 as “Rivalry Saturday” with several games featuring in-state matchups, including Auburn and Alabama, which will play on the final day for the second straight season.

The two teams are slated to play twice with the first matchup coming on Feb. 7, also a Saturday, in Auburn. Both games are expected to be placed in a primary TV slot.

Last year, the two teams split the regular-season matchups with both winning on the other team’s floor, a first for the series. Auburn is the defending regular-season champion and a Final Four participant while the Crimson Tide reached the Elite 8 a season ago.

The opening day of conference play has plenty of interesting matchups including Tennessee facing Arkansas, two teams expected to be in the thick of the conference race. On that same day, Kentucky visits Alabama, a first in the series in that these two have never opened conference play against each other.

Defending national champ Florida will face Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 10 and will play host to Auburn on Saturday, Jan. 24. That same day Alabama plays the first of two games against Tennessee at Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama goes to Florida on Jan. 31 for the lone meeting of the regular season.

The SEC is coming off one of the most dominate seasons in historyl, winning a record 88.9 percent (185-23) of regular season non-conference games in 2024-25. The KenPom.com rating of +22.09 was the highest in history. 

The league set NCAA records with 14 NCAA Tournament selections and seven Sweet 16 teams while tying the NCAA record with four teams in the Elite Eight. Auburn and Florida advanced to the Final Four with the Gators winning the league’s first national championship since 2012.

2025-26 SEC Basketball Conference Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 3

Tennessee at Arkansas

Auburn at Georgia

Florida at Missouri

Vanderbilt at South Carolina

LSU at Texas A&M

Mississippi State at Texas

Ole Miss at Oklahoma

Kentucky at Alabama

Jan. 6 or 7

Georgia at Florida

Oklahoma at Mississippi State

Alabama at Vanderbilt

Texas A&M at Auburn

Missouri at Kentucky

South Carolina at LSU

Arkansas at Ole Miss

Texas at Tennessee

Saturday, Jan. 10

Arkansas at Auburn

Tennessee at Florida

Mississippi State at Kentucky

Missouri at Ole Miss

Georgia at South Carolina

Oklahoma at Texas A&M

LSU at Vanderbilt

Texas at Alabama

Jan. 13 or 14

Kentucky at LSU

Alabama at Mississippi State

Auburn at Missouri

Florida at Oklahoma

South Carolina at Arkansas

Ole Miss at Georgia

Texas A&M at Tennessee

Vanderbilt at Texas

Saturday Jan. 17

South Carolina at Auburn

Arkansas at Georgia

Missouri at LSU

Ole Miss at Mississippi State

Kentucky at Tennessee

Florida at Vanderbilt

Texas A&M at Texas

Alabama at Oklahoma

Jan. 20 or 21

Texas at Kentucky

Auburn at Ole Miss

Mississippi State at Texas A&M

Vanderbilt at Arkansas

LSU at Florida

Georgia at Missouri

Oklahoma at South Carolina

Saturday, Jan. 24

LSU at Arkansas

Auburn at Florida

Ole Miss at Kentucky

Vanderbilt at Mississippi State

Oklahoma at Missouri

South Carolina at Texas A&M

Georgia at Texas

Tennessee at Alabama

Jan. 27 or 28

Texas at Auburn

Tennessee at Georgia

Mississippi State at LSU

Florida at South Carolina

Missouri at Alabama

Kentucky at Vanderbilt

Arkansas at Oklahoma

Saturday, Jan. 31

Kentucky at Arkansas

Alabama at Florida

Texas A&M at Georgia

Vanderbilt at Ole Miss

Mississippi State at Missouri

LSU at South Carolina

Auburn at Tennessee

Texas at Oklahoma

Tuesday, Feb. 3

Texas A&M at Alabama

Feb.  3 or 4

Oklahoma at Kentucky

South Carolina at Texas

Ole Miss at Tennessee

Saturday, Feb. 7

Alabama at Auburn

Tennessee at Kentucky

Georgia at LSU

Arkansas at Mississippi State

Missouri at South Carolina

Florida at Texas A&M

Oklahoma at Vanderbilt

Ole Miss at Texas

Feb. 10 or 11

Alabama at Ole Miss

Missouri at Texas A&M

Vanderbilt at Auburn

Florida at Georgia

Arkansas at LSU

Wednesday Feb. 11

Tennessee at Mississippi State

Saturday Feb. 14

Auburn at Arkansas

Kentucky at Florida

Mississippi State at Ole Miss

Texas at Missouri

LSU at Tennessee

Texas A&M at Vanderbilt

Georgia at Oklahoma

South Carolina at Alabama

Feb. 17 or 18

South Carolina at Florida

Auburn at Mississippi State

LSU at Texas

Arkansas at Alabama

Georgia at Kentucky

Vanderbilt at Missouri

Oklahoma at Tennessee

Ole Miss at Texas A&M

Saturday,  Feb. 21

Missouri at Arkansas

Kentucky at Auburn

Texas at Georgia

Alabama at LSU

Florida at Ole Miss

Mississippi State at South Carolina

Tennessee at Vanderbilt

Texas A&M at Oklahoma

Tuesday Feb. 24

Tennessee at Missouri

Feb. 24 or 25

LSU at Ole Miss

Texas A&M at Arkansas

Kentucky at South Carolina

Georgia at Vanderbilt

Auburn at Oklahoma

Mississippi State at Alabama

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Florida at Texas

Saturday, Feb. 28

Ole Miss at Auburn

Arkansas at Florida

South Carolina at Georgia

Vanderbilt at Kentucky

Oklahoma at LSU

Missouri at Mississippi State

Alabama at Tennessee

Texas at Texas A&M

March 3 or 4

Texas at Arkansas

Mississippi State at Florida

Kentucky at Texas A&M

LSU at Auburn

Alabama at Georgia

Tennessee at South Carolina

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt

Missouri at Oklahoma

Saturday, March 7

Florida at Kentucky

Texas A&M at LSU

South Carolina at Ole Miss

Georgia at Mississippi State

Arkansas at Missouri

Vanderbilt at Tennessee

Oklahoma at Texas

Auburn at Alabama