One of those losses came in the SEC Tournament against Vanderbilt , but it did not affect the team 's prospects for an NCAA Tournament berth .
The SEC had decided to send its regular season champion to the newly expanded 16 - team tournament .
One of those losses came in the SEC Tournament against Vanderbilt , but it did not affect the team 's prospects for an NCAA Tournament berth because the SEC had decided to send its regular season champion to the newly expanded 16 - team tournament .