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The SEC Tournament gets underway tonight at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and while in past years it's been Kentucky and everyone else, a couple of teams, like Texas A&M and South Carolina, are hoping to get a piece of that pie this time around. Or, there's always a possibility that a dark horse runs through and surprises everyone on their way to the league's auto bid. (Our co-managers, along with our hoops writer, Davis Williams, had a chat with Team Speed Kills' David Wunderlich about the tournament, which you can find right here.)
The tournament begins with a single game this evening - and really gets going with the second round tomorrow when four games will be played. The Gamecocks don't play until Friday and will need just three wins to win their first conference tournament since winning the ACC crown in 1971. They'll be playing the winner of Thursday's Georgia/Mississippi State tilt.
Bracket
Check out the bracket right here.
First Round Preview
(12) Tennessee Volunteers vs. (13) Auburn Tigers
8pm ET | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com
Commentators: John Saunders (pxp), Jon Sundvold (analyst), Kaylee Hartung (sideline)
Who To Watch: The Vols suffered a big loss after Kevin Punter saw his college career end with surgery to relieve a stress fracture in his foot, so it's up to players like Armani Moore and Robert Hubbs III to carry the scoring load. Auburn will have the services of leading scorer Tyler Harris, who suffered concussion symptoms a few weeks back but is fine now, while Cinmeon Bowers, tied for second in the league in rebounds, will be key to a Tigers victory.
Regular season matchup: Teams split the series, each winning on their home court (the Tigers by an 83-77 count on January 2 and the Vols in a 71-45 laugher on February 9.)
Winner plays: Fifth-seeded Vanderbilt tomorrow.