College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide: SEC Odds, Picks, Stats and Predictions

College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Preview - SEC
 
The countdown to the NCAA Tournament is less than one week away, and Selection Sunday is March 16. The small conference tourney's have started to finish with some teams punching their ticket to the Big Dance, and the West Coast Conference will send two teams to the NCAA Tournament with Gonzaga beating top seed St. Mary's Tuesday night in Las Vegas. But the power conferences will crown their winners this week with many at-large teams completing the March Madness brackets. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament tips off Wednesday, March 12, and 16 teams will try to take the title with 8 teams secure for March Madness and five other teams givin at least a 70% chance to make the Big Dance next week according to ESPN's Bracketology. 

It's wall-to-wall basketball every day this week with conference tournament engaging action providing many of the most exciting games as the memorable moments build into March Madness and the most live bet games of the season as the media coverage ramps up for the NCAA Tournament. 

Follow the Big 12 and ACCtournaments and teams along with the Big Ten as those CCT's tip-off and crown champions this weekend. The top seeds Houston, Duke and Michigan State lead a number of teams that will make the NCAA Tournament with top teams odds and stats to review as you craft your bets ahead of March Madness. 

While the college basketball conference tournaments and March Madness generate billions of dollars wagered, the money bet offshore is 3-4 times that amount. So, there are still many benefits to wagering offshore, and Off Shore Gaming Association provides benefits for players to get more out of their online gambling experience. Especially fans and bettors in the three most populous states that still do not offer wagering options with U.S. sportsbooks - California, Texas and Florida. Neither does Georgia, Alabama or South Carolina for SEC faithful fans, or Minnesota and Missouri, with the Show Me State pushing hard to change that yet this year. 

All odds provided by BetOnline, a top online sportsbook and the largest gaming company in Panama. 

SEC

Odds to win the Big Ten Conference tournament from BetOnline and leading online sportsbooks refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting. Each teams offensive and defensive efficiency ratings from KenPom.

The SEC could send a record 11-12 teams to the NCAA Tournament, and potentially break the record of 11 teams the Big East sent to the Big Dance in 2011. 

Two SEC teams will be No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Auburn and it's nation-best 16 Quad 1 wins will be a No. 1 seed, despite two losses to close the regular season. The Tigers (27-4) four losses are to Quad 1 opponents, including Duke in the ACC, who will also be a No. 1 seed. So will Houston in the Big 12. The final No. 1 seed in upcoming March Madness will go to one of three SEC teams - Florida, Alabama or Tennessee, with the two others securing a No. 2 seed along with Michigan State in the Big Ten. 

The SEC joined the Big 12 in implementing a five-round bracket with the top four teams earning a double-bye to the quarterfinals. The top-4 teams are Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. 

SEC Stats, Trends and Notes 

The value of having a bye in conference tournaments is typically significant, especially when they are believed to be the better team. In fact, heading into the 2025 action, VSiN research notes that conference tournament favorites off a bye are 312-106 SU and 219-191 ATS (53.4%) over the last five seasons against teams that played earlier in that tournament. 

- Favorites of 7 points or more are on a 32-8 SU and 23-15-2 ATS run since 2014. Those games have gone Under the total at a 28-11-1 rate. 
- The BYE has proven important in the SEC tournament of late, as rested teams are on a 31-13 SU and 26-18 ATS run versus teams that have already played.
- Totals of 145 or higher have gone 24-12-1 Under the total in the SEC tournament since 2009. However, they were 5-3 Over in 2024.
- SEC title game favorites are on a 7-2 SU and 6-3 ATS run since 2015. 

SEC Tournament Schedule 

The SEC basketball tournament is held at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. Games are televised on the SEC Network with the quarterfinals (SEC/ESPN), semi's and finals on ESPN. 

First Round: March 12
Second Round: March 13
Quarterfinals: March 14
Semifinals: March 15
Championship: 1 p.m. March 16 on ESPN 

Matchups and Odds 

Wed., March 12 

- No. 16 South Carolina vs. No. 9 Arkansas (-4.5), 139
- No. 13 Texas vs .No. 12 Vanderbilt (-2), 148.5
- No. 15 LSU vs. No. 10 Mississippi State (-8.5), 147.5 
- No. 14 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Georgia (-3), 148.5 

South Carolina beat Arkansas 72-53 in Columbia on 3/1.
Vanderbilt beat Texas 86-78 in Nashville on 2/8.
Mississippi State beat LSU 81-69 in Starkville on 3/1.
Georgia beat Oklahoma 72-62 in Athens on 1/11. 

Thurs., March 13 

- No. 9 Arkansas vs. No. 8 Mississippi (-3.5), 145 
- No. 13 Texas vs. No. 5 Texas A&M (-6), 139
- No. 10 Mississippi State vs. No. 7 Missouri (-3.5), 156
- No. 14 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Kentucky (-6.5), 165

Fri., March 14 

- No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 1 Auburn (-11.5), 154 
- No. 13 Texas vs. No. 4 Tennessee (-10), 135
- No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 2 Florida (-8.5), 161.5
- No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Alabama (-6), 18.5

Sat., March 15

- No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Auburn (-4.5), 139
- No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 2 Florida (-3.5), 174

Sun., March 16

No. 4 Tennessee vs No. 2 Florida (-5), 144 

Florida beats Tennessee 86-77 to win the SEC tournament and secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators have scored at least 86 points in 6-straight games, 79 or more in 13 straight games which includes a 12-1 SU and 12-1 ATS run. 

Select matchups and game odds with any additional stats and information you can bet on provided as able as the conference tournaments progress.

Follow along and check out more college basketball conference tournament betting odds and futures at BetOnline.ag.

You can bet on it. 

FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and insightful analyst. He chips college basketball and additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on  X: @FairwayJay