March 1, 2012
Since Vanderbilt has only one game left on its Southeastern Conference regular season schedule, I thought it would be fun (and exhausting) to figure out every possible seeding scenario for the Commodores next weekend at the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in New Orleans. So here we go…
What We Know: Vanderbilt has already clinched a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament and won’t play until Friday, March 9. The Commodores can finish as high as a No. 2 seed and no lower than No. 4. VU will close its SEC slate against Tennessee Saturday in Knoxville.
What We Don’t Know: Pretty much everything else. That’s why I’m here to break down every possibility for the Commodores. If Vanderbilt defeats Tennessee, the scenarios become less complicated and the Commodores would earn a No. 2 or 3 seed. If Vanderbilt loses to Tennessee, there would be four scenarios that would give the Commodores either a No. 3 or 4 seed.
SEC Men’s Basketball Weekend Schedule
Saturday, March 3
Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 3 p.m. CT, ESPN
Alabama at Ole Miss, 3 p.m. CT, SEC Network
Sunday, March 4
Kentucky at Florida, 11 a.m. CT, CBS
Current SEC Men’s Basketball Standings
1. Kentucky 14-0 (hosts Georgia Thursday)
2. Vanderbilt 10-5
3. Florida 10-5
4. Alabama 9-6
5. Tennessee 9-6
Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament Seeding Scenarios
Note: Tiebreaker procedures are posted at the bottom of the page
If Vanderbilt wins and Florida loses…
Seeds: No. 2 Vanderbilt
Explanation: Vanderbilt finishes at 11-5, ahead of Florida’s 10-6
If Vanderbilt and Florida win…
Seeds: No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Vanderbilt
Explanation: Both teams are tied at 11-5 in the SEC. Tie-breaker: Florida would have the edge by defeating league champion Kentucky.
If Vanderbilt, Florida and Alabama lose…
Seeds: No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Alabama
Explanation: There’s a 3-way tie for second at 10-6 between Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Florida. Tie-breaker: Tennessee’s record against the group is 3-1, Vanderbilt 2-2 and Florida 1-3.
If Vanderbilt and Florida lose, and Alabama wins…
Seeds: No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Alabama
Explanation: There’s a 4-way tie for second at 10-6 between Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida and Alabama. Tie-breaker: Tennessee’s record against the group is 3-2, Vanderbilt 3-2, Florida 2-3 and Alabama 1-2. Tennessee gets the tie-breaker over Vanderbilt for second with its 2-0 record vs. Florida.
If Vanderbilt loses, and Florida and Alabama win…
Seeds: No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Tennessee
Explanation: Florida clinches the No. 2 seed. There’s a 3-way tie for third at 10-6 between Vanderbilt, Alabama and Tennessee. Tie-breaker: Vanderbilt’s record against the group is 2-1, Alabama 1-1 and Tennessee 1-2.
If Vanderbilt and Alabama lose, and Florida wins…
Seeds: No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Alabama
Explanation: Florida clinches the No. 2 seed. Vanderbilt and Tennessee are tied for third at 10-6. Tie-breaker: Tennessee has the edge over Vanderbilt for third with a 2-0 record vs. Florida.
SEC Tournament Tie-Breaker Procedures
Teams should be seeded No. 1 through No. 12 in the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket based upon the final regular season SEC standings. Teams that finished No. 1 through No. 4 in the final regular season standings shall receive a “bye” on the first day of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament.
1. Two-Team Tie. The following procedure will be used in the following order until the tie is broken:
A. Won-lost results of head-to-head competition between the two teams.
B. Won-lost record of the two teams versus the No. 1 seed (and proceeding through the No. 12 seed, if necessary).
C. Coin flip by the Commissioner.
2. Three-Team Tie (or more). When three or more teams are tied, the following procedure will be used in the following order until the tie is broken. If two teams remain tied after a tiebreaker provision, the two-team tiebreaker formula will be used.
A. Best winning percentage of games played among the tied teams (Example: Team A is 3-1, Team B is 2-2 and Team C is 1-3 – – Team A would be seeded highest, Team B second-highest and Team C lowest of the three).
B. Best winning percentage of the tied teams versus the No. 1 seed (and proceeding through the No. 12 seed, if necessary).
C. If two teams remain, coin flip by the Commissioner.
D. If three or more teams remain, draw by the Commissioner.
