2025-26 SEC basketball schedule: Kentucky-Arkansas, Alabama-Florida among five conference games to watch

The SEC released its full conference schedule Wednesday, giving college basketball fans a clearer view of the top matchups for the 2025–26 season.

The SEC made history last season by sending a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament. Auburn advanced to the Final Four for just the second time in program history, and Florida captured the national championship with a thrilling win over Houston in San Antonio.

The Gators open SEC play Jan. 3 against Missouri in one of several marquee matchups set for that weekend. Tennessee will travel to Arkansas, while Kentucky takes on Alabama the same day.

Headlining the slate for the second straight year is a showdown between Arkansas and Kentucky. The Wildcats will be seeking revenge after John Calipari, who spent 15 seasons as Kentucky’s head coach, returned to Kentucky’s Rupp Arena last year and led Arkansas to a major upset. The two teams meet Jan. 31 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in a game that’s expected to impact the SEC title race.

With the full schedule out, here are five SEC games to watch this season.

1. Kentucky at Arkansas

When: Jan. 31 | Where: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

This game stands out as the best on the SEC calendar for one simple reason: anytime John Calipari faces his old team, it’s must-watch television.

Last season, the main storyline leading up to the matchup was Arkansas’ early struggles under Calipari. The Razorbacks entered 1–6 in SEC play but used a win over Kentucky to launch a run to the Sweet 16.

Kentucky also had a strong season under Mark Pope. The Wildcats advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 before falling to Tennessee in the Sweet 16. With a year under Pope’s system and a revamped roster, Kentucky should be even better in 2025–26.

The Wildcats were aggressive in the transfer portal, landing several key additions: Pitt’s Jaland Lowe, Alabama’s Mouhamed Dioubate and Arizona State’s Jayden Quaintance — a potential lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

It’s a shame Kentucky and Arkansas don’t play a home-and-home. Outside of this game, their only other potential meeting would be in the postseason.

2. Alabama at Florida

When: Jan. 31 | Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center (Gainesville, Florida)

On the same day Arkansas hosts Kentucky, Alabama travels to Gainesville to face the reigning national champion.

Alabama guard Labaron Philon sent shockwaves through the sport when pulled out of the NBA Draft process at the last minute to return for his sophomore season. His return, along with the addition of former five-star prospect Jalil Bethea, gives the Crimson Tide a strong one-two punch in the backcourt.

Meanwhile, Florida should again boast one of the nation’s best frontcourts thanks to key draft decisions from Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. Haugh never formally entered the draft but significantly boosted his stock during the Gators’ title run.

Florida swept Alabama last season, and this is the only scheduled meeting between the SEC rivals. Could this be the game Alabama bounces back? It won’t be easy to do in a hostile road environment. 

3. Alabama at Auburn 

When: Feb. 7 | Where: Neville Arena (Auburn, Alabama)

The rise of these two in-state rivals has has turned this matchup into one of the premier games on the college basketball calendar. This upcoming season will be no different. Auburn (Tahaad Pettiford) and Alabama (Philon) have two of the best young guards in the country. Both players are SEC Player of the Year candidates this season.

The rivalry will look different this season because of who isn’t in it. Auburn’s Johni Broome and Alabama’s Mark Sears — two of the best players in their respective teams’ history — are off to the NBA. The Tigers reloaded their roster through the transfer portal by landing Texas Tech’s Kevin Overton, Mississippi State’s KeShawn Murphy and UCF’s Keyshawn Hall. All three of those players are expected to take on a significant role for coach Bruce Pearl.

4. Kentucky at Florida

When: Feb. 14 | Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center (Gainesville, Florida)

Kentucky defeated Florida at home 106-100 in its SEC opener last season. Luckily for college basketball fans, the two rivals will play twice during the regular season this year. 

Kentucky and Florida (17-1 on FanDuel) are tied for the fourth-best odds behind Purdue, Houston and Duke to win the 2026 national title. Florida has three of the top returners in the sport. Kentucky reloaded with the additions of Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno and Braydon Hawthorne. This home-and-home series could decide the SEC regular season title.

5. Tennessee at Arkansas

When: Jan. 3 | Where: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

The opening weekend of conference play kicks off with a bang when Arkansas hosts Tennessee. The Volunteers are coming off their second consecutive appearance in the Elite Eight and are currently tied with North Carolina and Michigan State (40-1) for the 20th-best odds to win the 2026 title. according to FanDuel.

Tennessee has taken full advantage of the transfer portal over the last two years. The Volunteers landed Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht two years ago, and he went from mid-major star to All-American. Last season, Tennessee brought in North Florida guard Chaz Lanier, and he ended the season as one of the leading scorers in the SEC. Ja’Kobi Gillespie highlights this year’s transfer clasee after playing a major role in Maryland’s in Sweet 16 run last year. Tennessee welcomes five-star freshman Nate Ament — a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. 

This game will set the tone for conference play for both programs, and it’s a great way to begin what should be another big year for the SEC.

SEC 2025-26 conference schedule

DateMatchupJan. 3Tennessee at ArkansasJan. 3Auburn at GeorgiaJan. 3Florida at MissouriJan. 3Vanderbilt at South CarolinaJan. 3LSU at Texas A&MJan. 3Mississippi State at TexasJan. 3Ole Miss at OklahomaJan. 3Kentucky at AlabamaJan. 6/7Georgia at FloridaJan. 6/7Oklahoma at Mississippi StateJan. 6/7Alabama at VanderbiltJan. 6/7Texas A&M at AuburnJan. 6/7Missouri at KentuckyJan. 6/7South Carolina at LSUJan. 6/7Arkansas at Ole MissJan. 6/7Texas at TennesseeJan. 10Arkansas at AuburnJan. 10Tennessee at FloridaJan. 10Mississippi State at KentuckyJan. 10Missouri at Ole MissJan. 10Georgia at South CarolinaJan. 10Oklahoma at Texas A&MJan. 10LSU at VanderbiltJan. 10Texas at AlabamaJan. 13/14Kentucky at LSUJan. 13/14Alabama at Mississippi StateJan. 13/14Auburn at MissouriJan. 13/14Florida at OklahomaJan. 13/14South Carolina at ArkansasJan. 13/14Ole Miss at GeorgiaJan. 13/14Texas A&M at TennesseeJan. 13/14Vanderbilt at TexasJan. 17South Carolina at AuburnJan. 17Arkansas at GeorgiaJan. 17Missouri at LSUJan. 17Ole Miss at Mississippi StateJan. 17Kentucky at TennesseeJan. 17Florida at VanderbiltJan. 17Texas A&M at TexasJan. 17Alabama at OklahomaJan. 20/21Texas at KentuckyJan. 20/21Auburn at Ole MissJan. 20/21Mississippi State at Texas A&MJan. 20/21Vanderbilt at ArkansasJan. 20/21LSU at FloridaJan. 20/21Georgia at MissouriJan. 20/21Oklahoma at South CarolinaJan. 24LSU at ArkansasJan. 24Auburn at FloridaJan. 24Ole Miss at KentuckyJan. 24Vanderbilt at Mississippi StateJan. 24Oklahoma at MissouriJan. 24South Carolina at Texas A&MJan. 24Georgia at TexasJan. 24Tennessee at AlabamaJan. 27/28Texas at AuburnJan. 27/28Tennessee at GeorgiaJan. 27/28Mississippi State at LSUJan. 27/28Florida at South CarolinaJan. 27/28Missouri at AlabamaJan. 27/28Kentucky at VanderbiltJan. 27/28Arkansas at OklahomaJan. 31Kentucky at ArkansasJan. 31Alabama at FloridaJan. 31Texas A&M at GeorgiaJan. 31Vanderbilt at Ole MissJan. 31Mississippi State at MissouriJan. 31LSU at South CarolinaJan. 31Auburn at TennesseeJan. 31Texas at OklahomaFeb. 3Texas A&M at AlabamaFeb. 3/4Oklahoma at KentuckyFeb. 3/4South Carolina at TexasFeb. 3/4Ole Miss at TennesseeFeb. 7Alabama at AuburnFeb. 7Tennessee at KentuckyFeb. 7Georgia at LSUFeb. 7Arkansas at Mississippi StateFeb. 7Missouri at South CarolinaFeb. 7Florida at Texas A&MFeb. 7Oklahoma at VanderbiltFeb. 7Ole Miss at TexasFeb. 10/11Alabama at Ole MissFeb. 10/11Missouri at Texas A&MFeb. 10/11Vanderbilt at AuburnFeb. 10/11Florida at GeorgiaFeb. 10/11Arkansas at LSUFeb. 11Tennessee at Mississippi StateFeb. 14Auburn at ArkansasFeb. 14Kentucky at FloridaFeb. 14Mississippi State at Ole MissFeb. 14Texas at MissouriFeb. 14LSU at TennesseeFeb. 14Texas A&M at VanderbiltFeb. 14Georgia at OklahomaFeb. 14South Carolina at AlabamaFeb. 17/18South Carolina at FloridaFeb. 17/18Auburn at Mississippi StateFeb. 17/18LSU at TexasFeb. 17/18Arkansas at AlabamaFeb. 17/18Georgia at KentuckyFeb. 17/18Vanderbilt at MissouriFeb. 17/18Oklahoma at TennesseeFeb. 17/18Ole Miss at Texas A&MFeb. 21Missouri at ArkansasFeb. 21Kentucky at AuburnFeb. 21Texas at GeorgiaFeb. 21Alabama at LSUFeb. 21Florida at Ole MissFeb. 21Mississippi State at South CarolinaFeb. 21Tennessee at VanderbiltFeb. 21Texas A&M at OklahomaFeb. 24Tennessee at MissouriFeb. 24/25LSU at Ole MissFeb. 24/25Texas A&M at ArkansasFeb. 24/25Kentucky at South CarolinaFeb. 24/25Georgia at VanderbiltFeb. 24/25Auburn at OklahomaFeb. 24/25Mississippi State at AlabamaFeb. 25Florida at TexasFeb. 28Ole Miss at AuburnFeb. 28Arkansas at FloridaFeb. 28South Carolina at GeorgiaFeb. 28Vanderbilt at KentuckyFeb. 28Oklahoma at LSUFeb. 28Missouri at Mississippi StateFeb. 28Alabama at TennesseeFeb. 28Texas at Texas A&MMarch 3/4Texas at ArkansasMarch 3/4Mississippi State at FloridaMarch 3/4Kentucky at Texas A&MMarch 3/4LSU at AuburnMarch 3/4Alabama at GeorgiaMarch 3/4Tennessee at South CarolinaMarch 3/4Ole Miss at VanderbiltMarch 3/4Missouri at OklahomaMarch 7Florida at KentuckyMarch 7Texas A&M at LSUMarch 7South Carolina at Ole MissMarch 7Georgia at Mississippi StateMarch 7Arkansas at MissouriMarch 7Vanderbilt at TennesseeMarch 7Oklahoma at TexasMarch 7Auburn at Alabama