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The 2006 Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament will be hosted by the city of Nashville for the first time since 2001. This year's tourney will be held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, home of the NHL's Nashville Predators and the Nashville Katz of the Arena Football League.
The Gaylord Entertainment Center is one of the finest facilities of its kind in America. The arena site is conveniently located in the heart of Music City, directly across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame and a few blocks away from the city's historic Second Avenue District. The 2006 event marks the fourth time Nashville has hosted the tournament (1984, 1991, 2001). The 2001 tournament, held at the Gaylord Center, amassed impressive crowds with the seventh highest total attendance (203,489) and the 11th highest championship game attendance (20,225) in tourney history.
Atlanta served as host of the inaugural SEC Tournament played following the 1932-33 season and did so again after the 1933-34 season. The event was held every year through 1952, with the exception of 1935. After a 26-year layoff (1953-78), the tournament was renewed in 1979. The 2006 tournament will be the 47th in league history and the 28th since the renewal.
The SEC has shown extraordinary balance in the tournament, evidenced by the fact that a different school won the first seven titles after the renewal. The event has helped set the stage for SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament, as 20 of the last 26 tournament champions have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 with three of the last 10 going on to win the national championship. Since the renewal in 1979, the SEC Tournament Champion has failed to win at least one NCAA Tournament game only three times.
Kentucky leads the league with 25 SEC Tournament titles. Alabama is second with six, while Tennessee ranks third with four, and Mississippi State has two championship trophies. Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and former league member Georgia Tech have each won one SEC Tournament championship.
2006 SEC TOURNAMENT March 9-12 * Gaylord Ent. Center * Nashville, Tenn.
All Times CENTRAL
Future SEC Tournament Dates & Sites 2007 - March 8-11 Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia Dome) 2008 - March 13-16 Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia Dome) 2009 - March 12-15 Tampa, Fla. (St. Petersburg Times Forum) 2010 - March 11-14 Nashville, Tenn. (Gaylord Entertainment Center) 2011 - March 10-13 Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia Dome) 2012 - March 11-14 New Orleans, La. (New Orleans Arena)