A Look Back at when New Orleans hosted the SEC Basketball Tournament.

(Above: Vanderbilt celebrates after winning the 2012 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. It was the last time Vanderbilt would win the SEC in Basketball and the last time the Tournament was held in New Orleans.)

SEC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament kicks off this week in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena. No other city and site have hosted the SEC Tournament more than Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. It’ll be the third straight year the Arena has hosted the tournament, and the venue’s 12th overall time hosting the prestigious tournament. Kentucky has won the most SEC Tournament at 32 with the most recent being in 2018. Auburn comes into Nashville in 2025 as the Number 1 seed after finishing the regular season with a 27-4 record.

The SEC Tournament has moved around many times since the first year of tournament in 1933 being hosted in many southern cities such as Louisville, Atlanta, Tampa, Birmingham, Knoxville and Lexington. It’s also no surprise that Tournament has been hosted by the ultimate events destination of the south: New Orleans. No city in the country knows how to throw a major event like New Orleans. From Super Bowls to the Final Fours, the Crescent City also makes for the ideal location to hosting the South’s Best Basketball Conference.

Today we are looking at the three times SEC Basketball Tournament has visited New Orleans. Also we’re going to make a brief mention about the two times Baton Rouge has hosted the Tournament in 1938 and 1988.

(Caesars Superdome on the left; Smoothie King Center on the right are no strangers to hosting big events. The SEC Basketball Tournament has visited these two venues three times (1996, 2003, 2012).

1996 SEC Tournament March 7-10 Caesars Superdome Mississippi State

This tournament was particularly significant as it marked the first time the Mississippi State Bulldogs won the SEC tournament title. The Bulldogs, led by coach Richard Williams, defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 84-73 in the championship game. Dontae’ Jones of Mississippi State was named the tournament MVP, and the victory secured the Bulldogs an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs would knock off the number 1 seed Kentucky in New Orleans. And then roll through the NCAA Tournament en route to their first and only Final Four appearance where they would lose to a Syracuse team that had a young Donovan McNabb on the team.

(Mississippi State PG Marcus Bullard makes a block on Kentucky’s Mark Pope. March 10, 1996. New Orleans, La)

2003 SEC Tournament March 13-16, 2003 Caesars Superdome Kentucky

The SEC Tournament returned to the Crescent City in 2003. This time Kentucky claimed their 25th SEC Title. Under the guidance of coach Tubby Smith, Kentucky defeated Mississippi State 64-57. Keith Bogans of Kentucky was named the tournament MVP. The Wildcats’ victory earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they continued to showcase their dominance. Kentucky would later advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. A few weeks after this occasion the Superdome would host the Men’s Final Four in which Syracuse would emerge victorious.

(Kentucky’s Keith Bogans was the star player of the 2003 Tournament. He averaged 15.8 points during the Wildcats’ 3 games in New Orleans.)

2012 SEC Tournament March 8-11, 2012 Smoothie King Center Vanderbilt

This tournament was notable for Vanderbilt’s unexpected triumph. The Commodores, coached by Kevin Stallings, defeated the heavily favored Kentucky Wildcats 71-64 in the championship game. John Jenkins of Vanderbilt was named the tournament MVP. This victory marked Vanderbilt’s second SEC tournament title and secured their spot in the NCAA tournament, where they would lose in the second round. This marks the last time Vanderbilt won an SEC Tournament, and the last time New Orleans hosted a tournament.

(Vanderbilt celebrating after defeating Kentucky in the title game. March 11, 2012. This would be the Commodores’ second ever SEC Title).

SEC Tournament Comes to Baton Rouge

(Huey P. Long Field House to the left on the LSU campus hosted the 1938 Tournament. While the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on campus hosted the 1988 Tournament 50 years later.

The State Capital of Louisiana and ‘Home of LSU’ has also hosted two SEC Tournaments over the years (1938 and 1988). The Huey P. Long Field House on LSU’s campus hosted the 1938 SEC Tournament won by Georgia Tech as they beat Ole Miss in the Championship Game. There were 10 teams in the Tournament in 1938. The Field House is named after Louisiana senator Huey P. Long, was actually home to LSU’s Swimming and Diving team, in addition to housing a gym in which the Tournament was played on. The Field House is still on campus and houses a large Olympic sized swimming pool.

(Above: Georgia Tech Yellowjackets won the 1938 SEC Tournament held at the Huey P. Long Field House on LSU’s campus.)

Kentucky emerged as the champions of the 1988, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 62-57 in the championship game. Rex Chapman of Kentucky was named the tournament MVP. However, Kentucky’s championship was later vacated due to NCAA violations. The Wildcats would advance to the Sweet 16 of that year’s NCAA Tournament.