NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Kentucky men’s basketball team will play at Mississippi State on Thursday at the Southeast Conference Tournament after finishing season 8-9 in a league game.
Game time is set for ET noon (11am CT) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
The United Kingdom took eighth place on Saturday, with an impressive 92-64 victory against South Carolina and the loss of the state of Mississippi to Auburn. Bulldogs will be the ninth seed.
The winner of the UK-MSU clash will be the Alabama champion on Friday at noon ET. That game would air on ESPN.
The final SEC tournament key will be released on Sunday after the Florida-Tennessee game is completed.
Kentucky won a goodbye in the tournament, but will begin its SEC tournament run before the quarterfinals for the first time since the tournament’s expansion in 2013. Despite its dominance of the SEC tournament, Kentucky did not win four league tournament games to win the event since 1952.
Wildcats will need to do just that after finishing the 9-15 season overall. The United Kingdom ended strong by winning four of its last six games, including victories in the then No. 19/20 Tennessee and a 28 point victory on Saturday against South Carolina, Kentucky’s biggest league win in more than two seasons and his second -the biggest win of 2020-21.
Kentucky is pursuing its seventh SEC Tournament championship under John Calipari and 32nd overall. The UK will need three wins to advance to its ninth game for the SEC Tournament title in the past 12 seasons, which includes the cancellation of last season’s tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament can open after a highly competitive and tight regular season between teams in the league. After placing 15 teams in the NCAA Tournament in the previous two seasons, the second largest in the country, the league has a handful of teams competing for free spots towards the end of the conference. Eleven SEC schools ranked in the top 100 and six in the top 50 in the NCAA Assessment ratings on March 5.
The opening game of the UK SEC Tournament will be televised by the SEC Network with Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes on the conference call. If Kentucky wins on Thursday, all Wildcats games will be on ESPN. Both semifinals and the championship game will be broadcast on ESPN at 1 pm ET with Ravech, Dykes and Marty Smith.
Kentucky leads the league with 31 SEC tournament titles, more than the rest of the combined league (28). The Wildcats are at 134-26 all the time in the SEC tournament. The 2019 loss in the semifinals – the last time a tournament was played – ended a series of four consecutive SEC Tournament championships and 13 consecutive wins in the conference tournament.
Calipari’s teams at UMass, Memphis and Kentucky participated in 19 conference championship games in their 28-year career, winning 15 of them. Calipari has 57-12 (0.826) all the time in conference tournaments, including 23-4 (0.852) in the UK. Calipari is fourth in the SEC Tournament wins.
Wildcats are 8-2 at all times against Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament. Kentucky beat the State of Mississippi in Starkville, Mississippi, earlier this season in a two-time thriller to kick off the league game. The Wildcats won 78-73 ago By Dontaie Allen 23 points, career high point, and seven points of 3 points. The UK has won 15 consecutive games in the series and the State of Mississippi is the only team to win the Wildcats in the Calipari era. The last time Kentucky played with the State of Mississippi in the SEC Tournament was the thrilling 75-74 victory in overtime in the 2010 championship game, Calipari’s first season in the UK.
If Kentucky is lucky enough to play Alabama, it will be the fifth time in the past six seasons (the only absence being last year’s canceled tournament) the Wildcats face the Crimson Tide in the SEC tournament. The UK have won all four previous matches and are 17-2 against Alabama in the league tournament and 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Alabama, who finished the season 21-6 overall and 16-2 in the league, won the series of two regular season games this year.
The tournament returns to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for the sixth time in the past seven seasons (this includes last year with two games played in the opening rounds). The UK won the SEC tournament when played in Nashville four times under Calipari.
SEC TOURNAMENT FAN INFORMATION
Fans attending the 2021 SEC Tournament are encouraged to familiarize themselves with policies related to fan entry and security for the event, including facial coverage of the arena and baggage prohibition policies. Bridgestone Arena will have a capacity of 20% (3,400), due to the restrictions of COVID-19.
Due to the current circumstances related to COVID-19, which requires reduced capacity for sporting events, the SEC will not be able to make tickets available for public purchase. Consistent with audience limitations, teams competing in the 2021 Men’s Basketball Tournament will receive a very limited number of tickets for sale to their fan base.
MOBILE TICKET
The SEC 2021 Men’s Basketball Tournament is an event for mobile tickets only. All fans will need a mobile ticket to enter the stadium. Using the web browser on the phones, all mobile tickets issued by participating teams or the conference can be accessed through the SEC’s mobile login at www.secsports.com/tickets. All tickets purchased through Ticketmaster can be accessed through www.ticketmaster.com or the Ticketmaster app.
Fans are encouraged to store their tickets in their mobile wallets before they arrive to facilitate access to the venue. Screenshots or ticket recordings are not valid for entry. Fans who come to the game with friends or family, must transfer their tickets to them before the day of the game so that they can easily move around the arena.
FACE COVERAGE POLICY
While on the Bridgestone Arena property, guests over 2 years of age must wear a facial cloth or mask (covering their nose and mouth) at all times, including, but not limited to, when guests are inside the building or on the square. Gaiters, bandanas and covers with expiratory valves or vents are prohibited, and the use of face shield does not eliminate the need to use facial cover underneath. A facial cover or mask can be lowered when actively eating or drinking at a designated place to sit.
Any guest who is unable to use a facial cover due to a health problem must notify the Arena at least 24 hours in advance, using the method described below.
- Any guest wishing to obtain a medical exemption should contact the Arena by sending an email to [email protected] with the subject “Request for medical exemption for facial coverage”.
- Include the guest’s name, the game / event the person will be attending and the location of the seat in the email. A designated representative will respond upon receipt of such consultation with further instructions.
- Any guest who requires accommodation that does not notify the Arena using the method described above and attempts to enter the Arena without facial coverage will be denied entry to the Arena.
- Any guest who is unable to use a facial cover due to a medical condition will be required to wear facial protection at all times while on the Bridgestone Arena property, unless necessary when eating or actively drinking at the designated seating location.
The health of our student-athletes, campus communities, fans and the general public is an ongoing priority for the SEC and its member institutions. Fans who participate in the 2021 SEC Tournament must adhere to the following public health guidelines:
- Facial covers are mandatory for everyone in the arena (guests and staff) and must be worn at all times, except when eating and drinking actively in your seat.
- Wash your hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and water or use hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is available for use throughout Bridgestone Arena. Fans can bring a small, clear bottle of disinfectant to their hands.
- Guests are required to follow all social distance markers displayed throughout Bridgestone Arena. These markers will help everyone in the queue for security screening, restrooms and concessions.
Fans are invited to stay home if they experience any of the following symptoms:
- Fever (equal to or greater than 100.4)
- Cough
- Chills
- Muscle pain
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
BAGLESS POLICY
Bridgestone Arena does not have luggage for all events. Items that are normally carried in diapers or baby bags should be carried in a clear bag.
Fans can still bring items like binoculars and cameras (without detachable lenses), as long as they are not in the boxes, as well as smartphones to the arena.
Workers, including the media, will continue to enter the arena through designated gates, where they will be subject to screening and scholarship inspections already in place for the tournament.
To find out what’s new on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.