Auburn’s Desean Murray and Alabama’s Donte Hall battle for control of the basketball in the first half of their the SEC Tourament game at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on March 9, 2018. Photo by BIll Greenblatt/UPI
So far, so good. The reviews on the city of St. Louis and Scottrade Center, as hosts of the 2018 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, have been stellar. The conference’s Commissioner Greg Sankey believes the recent improvements and upgrades to the arena have made the venue appealing to traveling fans from all over the SEC region.
After being in Nashville for the last three years, the SEC men’s tournament will return there for six of the next seven season. St. Louis won’t get another opportunity to host until as early as 2026 when current agreements expire. In four years the tournament will be held in Tampa, FL, but Nashville will be the home base with the exception of 2022.
“We want to make sure that fans have access to the tournament,” said Sankey. Nashville provides a central location for all SEC schools.
“St. Louis has made tremendous progress,” Sankey said in terms of upgrades and fan appeal, from when Mizzou first entered the conference. “It was really important for us to be in St. Louis.”
Listen to Sankey’s comments on St. Louis (2:00)
