SEC announces Men's Basketball schedule



Photo: Phil Ellsworth | ESPN Images

Birmingham, Ala. - The Southeastern Conference unveiled its 126-game men's basketball schedule for the 2018-19 season on Friday.

Conference play tips off Saturday, January 5, and runs through Saturday, March 9. Each SEC team plays the other 13 teams at least one time during league play. They will then play their three permanent opponents a second time with the remaining two games changing annually. The sixth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge will take place on Saturday, January 26.

Kentucky (2), LSU (5), Vanderbilt (9), Florida (18), Alabama (20), Mississippi State (22) and Arkansas (25) each have recruiting classes that rank among the top 25 of ESPN's RecruitingNation Class Rankings for 2018. Twenty-one of ESPN's 2018 Top 100 recruits signed with SEC schools, including 13 of the top 50 players.

The SEC is coming off another successful season as 10 teams advanced to postseason play in 2018, including a league-record eight teams that received NCAA Tournament bids. The league posted its best regular-season non-conference winning percentage (77.4 percent) in more than a decade, a number that includes a 6-4 win in the fifth annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.

The SEC Tournament returns to the Music City when Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., hosts the event from March 13-17, 2019.

Television information and start times will be announced at a later date.