Razorbacks have SEC tourney bye

BJ Young reacts during the second half of Arkansas' win over Florida on Feb. 5.

— The opponent and tip off time still have to be determined, but Arkansas’ men’s basketball team will have a first-round bye at next week’s SEC Tournament and open Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

The Razorbacks (18-12, 9-7), who finish the regular-season against Texas A&M (17-13, 7-10) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Walton Arena, could be seeded anywhere from sixth to ninth in the SEC Tournament.

With the conference expanding to 14 teams, the SEC Tournament will begin on Wednesday with two games involving the bottom four seeds. The top four seeds have byes into Friday’s quarterfinals round.

Auburn, Mississippi State and South Carolina have clinched spots in the first round games, with Texas A&M or Vanderbilt being the fourth first-round participant.

“Obviously, there is a big picture and I make sure our guys understand that,” Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said Thursday. “As we finish the season … the seedings fall where they may. But now let’s worry about getting better today in practice and then with playing A&M.”

Sports, Pages 26 on 03/08/2013