Vanderbilt basketball has secured the No. 4 seed and the double-bye in the SEC Tournament and will play at Bridgestone Arena on March 13 at approximately 3 p.m. CT.
The 22nd-ranked Commodores (24-7, 11-7 SEC) clinched the double-bye with the 86-82 win over No. 25 Tennessee March 7 in Knoxville, coupled with Florida’s victory over Kentucky.
Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and the Vols finished tied for fourth in the league with 11-7 records.
In a three-team tiebreaker, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record among all tied teams. Tennessee and Vanderbilt both went 2-1 against the other two, while Texas A&M is 0-2. That would eliminate the Aggies and revert to the two-team tiebreaker between the Commodores and Vols.
Because Vanderbilt and Tennessee split two games, the second tiebreaker is record against the highest-seeded team, going from the top seed down to 16. Neither team defeated Florida, so the tiebreaker moved to Alabama. The Commodores went 1-0 against Alabama and the Vols went 1-1.
Vanderbilt will face the No. 5, 12 or 13 seed in its first game. The No. 5 seed is Tennessee, while the No. 12 and 13 seeds are Auburn and Mississippi State.
Friday, March 13: No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 5 Tennessee, No. 12 Auburn or No. 13 Mississippi State, approximately 3 p.m. CT, ESPN
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.
