The league office released the bracket for the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville, March 2-6, and Tennessee (22-7/11-5 SEC) has earned a No. 3 overall seed for the second straight season.
The Lady Vols will open tourney play on Friday at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET (8:30 CT) at Bridgestone Arena vs. the winner of Thursday’s contest between No. 6 Georgia and either No. 11 Alabama or No. 14 Auburn. UT won at Georgia, split a home and home with Alabama and lost at Auburn in previous meetings this season with that trio of schools.
The Lady Vols, who are seeking their 18th SEC Tournament Championship, were picked in the preseason by the league’s coaches to finish third in the regular season. In no small feat, Kellie Harper‘s squad managed to do just that despite losing four of last year’s starters to injury. Keyen Green and Marta Suárez were lost for the season, Jordan Horston’s return this season remains in question and Rae Burrell missed 12 contests early in the year and continues to work toward the elite level of play she displayed as a junior.
No. 1-ranked South Carolina earned the tournament’s No. 1 seed, while eighth-ranked LSU is No. 2 by virtue of its 57-54 win over the Lady Vols on Sunday in Knoxville. Ole Miss is the No. 4 seed. UT is on the same side of the bracket with LSU and could potentially face a rematch with the Tigers on Saturday if both teams advance past the quarterfinal round.
-UT Athletics
