Kentucky still doesn’t control its own fate in the race for the Eastern Division’s second seed, but the Cats have at least put themselves in position to get a first-round bye. A Vanderbilt win Tuesday would have locked up the second seed for the Commodores.

UK has to win Sunday’s regular-season finale at Tennessee and hope for a little help to capture the second seed.

As it stands right now, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are tied for the second seed with a 9-6 league record and one game to go (Vandy host Florida). Georgia is 8-6 with two games left (home against LSU and at Alabama). 

If UK ends up tied with either Georgia or Vanderbilt, it wins the No. 2 seed by virtue of having clinched the best record of the three against the SEC East.

Should Kentucky, Vandy and Georgia end up in a three-way tie, Vanderbilt is the No. 2 seed. In a three-way tie, seeds are based on the tied teams’ record against each other. Vanderbilt split with Kentucky but swept Georgia. Kentucky split with both Georgia and Vanderbilt.

The top two seeds in each SEC division earn a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament.