Mizzou Earns No. 8 Seed in SEC Tournament

Tigers to face winner of LSU-Kentucky in opening round

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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After a 0-2 finish to the regular season, the Missouri Tigers have been seeded 8th in the upcoming SEC Tournament. They will face the winner of the 16th-seeded LSU Tigers and 9th-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the opening round on Thursday morning.

Why it matters

Mizzou had been in contention for a top-3 seed in the SEC Tournament, which would have been the highest seed in the Dennis Gates era. However, their late-season struggles dropped them down the standings, setting up a challenging opening-round matchup.

The details

The SEC Tournament seeding was not finalized until the final day of the regular season, with several teams finishing with 10 or 11 conference wins. Mizzou had been eyeing the No. 3 seed, which would have been their best placement in the tournament since joining the SEC, but their 0-2 finish in the final week dropped them to the 8th seed.

  • The SEC Tournament will begin on Thursday, March 13, 2026.
  • Mizzou's opening-round game is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.

The players

Dennis Gates

Head coach of the Missouri Tigers men's basketball team.

LSU Tigers

The 16th-seeded team in the SEC Tournament, who will face Kentucky in the opening round.

Kentucky Wildcats

The 9th-seeded team in the SEC Tournament, who will face LSU in the opening round.

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What they’re saying

“Coming into the final week of the regular season, Mizzou controlled its destiny to reach the No. 3 seed, which would have been the highest of the Dennis Gates era in Columbia and the highest seed in Mizzou's history in the SEC.”

— Kyle Mcareavy, Author (on3.com)

What’s next

The winner of Mizzou's opening-round game will advance to face the top-seeded team in the SEC Tournament on Friday.

The takeaway

Mizzou's late-season struggles have put them in a challenging position heading into the SEC Tournament, facing an uphill battle to make a deep run after falling short of their goal of a top-3 seed. The team will need to regroup and find their form to make a push in the postseason.