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SEC will push to improve Mens Basketball

Started by jbcarol, May 29, 2013, 06:55:49 am

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jbcarol

Bracketville
‏ @BracketguyDave
54m54 minutes ago

The SEC is much deeper this season, no question.  But that depth has also created a "bunching" effect - which can hurt more than help - i.e. a "bunch" of teams look alike. As a whole, for seeding, selection, etc. SEC could use a good weekend out of the Big 12/SEC challenge.

Based on Monday's Seed List, the SEC had five (5) teams located within the final 11 at-large spots, so in essence, bubble teams. Tuesday, three of those teams lost, two played each other into OT. When you factor in LSU, it's 6 teams on the bubble. Do they separate?



Shelby Mast
‏Verified account @BracketWAG
25m25 minutes ago

New day, new bracket, new 1 seed - it's posted - http://bracketwag.com
Multibid conferences  ACC, SEC (eight) ...
First 4 out - Westen Kentucky, Boise State, Georgia, Notre Dame




Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net


 

jbcarol


Greg Sankey
‏Verified account @GregSankey
12h12 hours ago

We appreciate the competition with our @Big12Conference colleagues. Tremendous day of college basketball. Great step forward today for @SEC men's basketball! #Big12SECChallenge
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

AL.com sports
‏Verified account @aldotcomSports

As a whole, the SEC is on pace for big NCAA Tournament turnout: https://trib.al/9XkU3ap


QuoteIt wasn't so long ago that the SEC was arguably the most disappointing conference in the sport, but that is clearly not the case in the 2017-18 season. With a month left until the NCAA releases its 68-team tournament field, the SEC might even be on the verge of making history.

"This is the best basketball league in the country and I don't know why people don't want to own up to that," Barnes said Tuesday after his 15th-ranked Tennessee team won 61-59 at No. 24 Kentucky. "In one week you can go from first to last, somewhere in between, from 10 to four probably, because everybody is so bunched up. If it keeps going like it is right now, this league should have nine teams in the NCAA tournament. It's going to shake out somewhere along the line. It's as competitive as any league I've ever coached in."

Barnes has coached in the mighty ACC, where he led three straight Clemson teams to the Big Dance. He reached the tournament 15 times in 16 seasons at Texas - including a Final Four and two more Elite Eights - and he's on the verge of leading the Volunteers to their first tournament bid in three seasons in Knoxville.

He might have plenty of company from his SEC compatriots.

Certainly some of Barnes' praise is run-of-the-mill coachspeak, praising the level of play in the conference in which his program competes. But there is also some weight behind the compliments.

With the NCAA selection committee set to release its first snapshot of the current top 16 seeds on Sunday, the SEC might have two teams make the list. Tennessee and Auburn, No. 8 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 could be strong contenders for top-16 spots, depending on what happens this weekend. Several other SEC teams will still be in position to make the field of 68.

In fact, the possibility exists that the SEC will get more teams into this year's tournament than it ever has before.

The SEC has never had more than six teams reach the Big Dance - a feat accomplished nine times, most recently in 2008. According to multiple national bracketologists, the conference is position to improve upon that record by at least one or two teams in 2018.

As of his most recent update on Thursday, ESPN's Joe Lunardi's would place eight SEC teams in the field if the tournament started today: Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Blake Lovell
‏ @theblakelovell

With Georgia's win over Tennessee: Depending on how the next two weeks unfold, it's entirely possible that we're talking about 11 SEC teams still being in the NCAAT picture entering St. Louis. Eight likely get in, but four or five could be battling for final few spots.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Is the SEC the best basketball conference?


QuoteIn a season where dominant teams are few, the SEC is the poster child for the parity that exists within college basketball.

With three games left in the regular season and the conference tournament in St. Louis less than two weeks away, there are numerous indications that the 2017-18 season features the most competitive, highest-quality collection of teams in the modern era of SEC basketball.

"What makes the league so good is, I've said this before, there's not a team in this league that won't go to St. Louis with the idea they can win that tournament," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said earlier this week. "There's not a lot of leagues that can say that."

While coaches in several conferences might attempt to make that assertion, there is some weight behind Barnes' words. For starters, look at what happened in league play within the last week. Of the six teams with losing SEC records, five of them notched wins against teams with winning conference marks.

South Carolina had lost six in a row before it defeated No. 12 Auburn last Saturday, leading by 26 points at one point before holding off a late Tigers rally. Missouri had won five straight and then fell 64-63 to LSU on Saturday. Georgia coach Mark Fox might sit on the hot seat, but his team had just knocked off Florida and No. 19 Tennessee before Wednesday's loss at South Carolina.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Craig Pinkerton
‏ @SEC_Craig
6h6 hours ago

The @SEC's 10 teams advancing to postseason play (8 NCAA, 2 NIT) ties for the most in league history. In 2001, six SEC teams received NCAA Tournament invites while four participated in the NIT.



Greg Sankey
‏Verified account @GregSankey
13h13 hours ago

We are proud to have an @SEC record 8 teams in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. This achievement is a reflection of the commitment our universities have made to support men's basketball. Good luck student-athletes, coaches & fans during #March Madness. #ItJustMeansMore

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol


ESPN Stats & Info
‏Verified account @ESPNStatsInfo
6m6 minutes ago

Following Auburn's win, the SEC will have at least 6 teams in the Round of 32, tied for its most in tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Ken Pomeroy and SI.com dubbed the Big 12 the best conference

Pomeroy ranked the SEC fourth after the Big 12, ACC and Big East.


QuoteSI.com noted that seven of the 10 Big 12 teams played in the NCAA Tournament. And two of the three Big 12 teams left out — Baylor and Oklahoma State — were considered "among the biggest snubs on Selection Sunday."

One other thing: Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech advanced to the Elite Eight.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

QuoteNew hires include new SEC associate commissioner for basketball Dan Leibovitz, new SEC head of basketball officials Mark Whitehead and new SEC basketball consultant Mike Tranghese. As former commissioner of the basketball mad Big East, Tranghese instituted a rule that SEC teams must schedule non-conference opponents with a minimum three-year RPI average of 175 or better.

The first and third names mentioned had been doing real work to get as many as eight SEC teams in the tourney with cooperation of the head coaches, ADs, and show runners of the participating members.

There was even that one season that SEC road winning % jumped up.

But someone or many took their eyes off the ball.

Exh. A: UK wanted to help ol' Walter McCarty and first scheduled and then took a home loss to Evansville.

SEC is looking at four teams in before Saturday's regular season finale.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

MikePiazza

Could the SEC ever return to divisions for basketball?

I think they should, and then the two last place finishers don't make the SEC Tournament.

So you have your old-school, 12-team tournament.

For instance, this year the tournament would have been:

W4 Texas A&M
E5 Missouri

E3 South Carolina
W6 Arkansas

E4 Tennessee
W5 Alabama

W3 Mississippi St.
E6 Georgia

A&M/Mizzou winner plays Kentucky
S.Carolina/Ark winner plays LSU
Tennessee/Bama winner plays Auburn
MSU/UGA winner plays Florida
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