Mike Slive has announced St. Louis was awarded the men's basketball tournament in 2018. It seems to be a one off deal since Nashville then hosts it 9 times between now and 2025. Oh dear, did I just use the year "2025"? Are we living in the future? What year is it!
Future SEC men’s hoop tourneys: Nashville (2015-17, 2019-21 & 2023-25), St. Louis (2018), Tampa (2022)
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) May 27, 2014
Great to hear STL will hold the 2018 SEC Tournament. We were pretty successful the last time we had a conference tournament in Missouri. MIZ
— Jarrett Sutton (@JarrettTSutton) May 27, 2014
Kim Anderson, Mizzou Basketball Head Coach
"Congratulations to St. Louis, the St. Louis Sports Commission and the great basketball fans in the city and our state for earning the right to host the 2018 Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament," Anderson said. "It's an honor to have the SEC Tournament hosted in our state's footprint for the first time and I know fans from throughout our league will be treated to a first-class experience and a great week of college basketball."
Furthermore, some scheduling news has been released. The conference schedule will remain at 18 games but each team will apparently have 3 permanent opponents as opposed to 1.
SEC men’s basketball scheduling will remain 18 games, but will have 3 permanent opponents instead of 1
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) May 27, 2014
This leads to the obvious question, who should be Mizzou's 3 permanent basketball rivals? My vote would be obviously Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, with Florida being a formidable 4th.