When did the SEC begin to weaken in basketball?

[Arazorbackguy1]

Maybe I thought the league was fairly strong in 93-94, but was it really?  How many SEC teams made the tourney in those early '90 years?  Why is the SEC so bad now?

I'm guessing it's about money, and the southeast region of the US cares less about BBall than Fball.

I'm ready to get back to being a contender.

[Danny J]

Very slowly.....

[PonderinHog]

Unfortunately, about the time Arkansas started its downhill slide.

[jbcarol]

Number of Teams the SEC placed in the NCAA-T from 1992 Tourney to present with seeds in parentheses:

2014 [3]: Florida (1-overall), Kentucky (Eight), Tennessee (11)

2013 [3]: Florida (3), Mizzou (9), Ole Miss (12)

2012 [4]: UK (1-overall), VU (5), UF (7), Bama (9)

2011 [5]: UF (2), UK (4), VU (5), UT (9), UG (10)

2010 [4]: UK (1), Vandy (4), UT (6), UF (10)

2009 [3]: LSU (Eight), UT (9), MSSt (13)

2008 [6]: UT(2), VU(4), Hogs(Eight), MSt(Eight), UK(11), UGa(14)

2007 [5]: UF(1), UT(5), VU(6), UK (Eight), Hogs (12)

2006 [6]: UT(2), UF(3), LSU(4), Hogs(Eight) ,UK(Eight), Bama(10)

2005 [5]: UK(2), UF(4), Bama (5), LSU (6), MSt (9)

2004 [6]: UK(1), MSt(2), UF(5), VU(6), Bama(Eight), SC(10)

2003 [6]: UK(1-overall), UF(2), MSt(5), LSU(Eight), Bama(10), AU(10)

2002 [6]: Bama(2), UG(3), MSt(3), UK(4), UF(5), OM(9)

2001 [6]: UK(2), OM(3), UF(3), Hogs(7), UG(Eight), UT(Eight)

2000 [6]: LSU(4), UT(4), UF(5), UK(5), AU(7), Hogs(11)

1999 [6]: AU(1), UK(3), Hogs(4), UT(4), UF(6), OM(9)

1998 [5]: UK (2), SC (3), OM (4), Hogs (6), Vols (Eight)

1997 [5]: UK (1), SC (2), UGa (3), OM (Eight), VU (10)

1996 [4]: UK (1), State (5), UGa (Eight), Hogs (12)

1995 [5]: UK (1), Hogs (2), State (5), Bama (5), UF (10)

1994 [4]: Hogs (1), UK (3), UF (3), Bama (9)

1993 [4]: UK (1), Vandy (3), Hogs (4), LSU (11)

1992 [4]: UK (2), Hogs (3), Bama (5), LSU (7)

[ErieHog]

Maybe I thought the league was fairly strong in 93-94, but was it really?  How many SEC teams made the tourney in those early '90 years?  Why is the SEC so bad now?

I'm guessing it's about money, and the southeast region of the US cares less about BBall than Fball.

I'm ready to get back to being a contender.

From when we joined, in in 91-92, the tournament fields looked like this:

92:  4 Teams-  LSU was the lowest seeded, at #7
93:  4 Teams- LSU was the lowest seeded, at #11
94:  4 Teams-  Alabama was the lowest seeded, at #9
95:  5 Teams - Florida was the lowest seeded, at #10
96:  4 Teams- Arkansas was the lowest seeded, at #12.

[TNhawgfan]

Might only get two this year

[forrest city joe]

Might only get two this year

Sec will get 3 or 4 teams in this year. KY, ARK,FL and maybe another team like Lsu or UGA.

[nextlevel]

Ask yourself when did the big10 begin to strengthen in basketball?

Obvious answer is its cyclical.

Reasons for this is the SEC focused on the football cash cow, while the big10 noticed their was a good chunk of the pie to be had in basketball.

SEC schools are mistaken there is anything to be had in Baseball, but tend to focus on that secondary sport as far as coaching talent, facilities, recruiting budgets etc when comparing ROI compared with the same spent on basketball.

[ErieHog]

Might only get two this year

Leagues with similar season-long RPI profiles as the SEC has this moment, have regularly been 4 bid leagues.

[alaback]

Link with good historical RPI info.  The page has a table with conference RPI and number of bids for each conference in that year.  Looks like Jerry Palm stopped updating the site when he moved over to CBS so it's just through 2012.

http://www.collegerpi.com/subs/rpitrivia.html

[TNhawgfan]

Leagues with similar season-long RPI profiles as the SEC has this moment, have regularly been 4 bid leagues.

Yeah well the eyeball test tells me after kentucky the rest of the conference is average to garbage. Only the kats are a given

[ErieHog]

Yeah well the eyeball test tells me after kentucky the rest of the conference is average to garbage. Only the kats are a given

Then your eyeballs are failing.   This is what modern college basketball is.

[nextlevel]

Yeah well the eyeball test tells me after kentucky the rest of the conference is average to garbage. Only the kats are a given

You eyeballs must not fall on other leagues that often...

[TNhawgfan]

You eyeballs must not fall on other leagues that often...

My eyeballs have watched some big 10, ACC, and big east this year, and they look much better than the SEC minus uk

[nextlevel]

My eyeballs have watched some big 10, ACC, and big east this year, and they look much better than the SEC minus uk

K.

Did you know the NFC North, AFC West, and NFC South looked much better than the SEC this year?

Wait, no one was trying to make this argument?

[TNhawgfan]

K.

Did you know the NFC North, AFC West, and NFC South looked much better than the SEC this year?


Wait, no one was trying to make this argument?

You had me until you said NFC south

[MikePiazza]

Number of Teams the SEC placed in the NCAA-T from 1992 Tourney to present with seeds in parentheses:

2014 [3]: Florida (1-overall), Kentucky (Eight), Tennessee (11)

2013 [3]: Florida (3), Mizzou (9), Ole Miss (12)

2012 [4]: UK (1-overall), VU (5), UF (7), Bama (9)

2011 [5]: UF (2), UK (4), VU (5), UT (9), UG (10)

2010 [4]: UK (1), Vandy (4), UT (6), UF (10)

2009 [3]: LSU (Eight), UT (9), MSSt (13)

2008 [6]: UT(2), VU(4), Hogs(Eight), MSt(Eight), UK(11), UGa(14)

2007 [5]: UF(1), UT(5), VU(6), UK (Eight), Hogs (12)

2006 [6]: UT(2), UF(3), LSU(4), Hogs(Eight) ,UK(Eight), Bama(10)

2005 [5]: UK(2), UF(4), Bama (5), LSU (6), MSt (9)

2004 [6]: UK(1), MSt(2), UF(5), VU(6), Bama(Eight), SC(10)

2003 [6]: UK(1-overall), UF(2), MSt(5), LSU(Eight), Bama(10), AU(10)

2002 [6]: Bama(2), UG(3), MSt(3), UK(4), UF(5), OM(9)

2001 [6]: UK(2), OM(3), UF(3), Hogs(7), UG(Eight), UT(Eight)

2000 [6]: LSU(4), UT(4), UF(5), UK(5), AU(7), Hogs(11)

1999 [6]: AU(1), UK(3), Hogs(4), UT(4), UF(6), OM(9)

1998 [5]: UK (2), SC (3), OM (4), Hogs (6), Vols (Eight)

1997 [5]: UK (1), SC (2), UGa (3), OM (Eight), VU (10)

1996 [4]: UK (1), State (5), UGa (Eight), Hogs (12)

1995 [5]: UK (1), Hogs (2), State (5), Bama (5), UF (10)

1994 [4]: Hogs (1), UK (3), UF (3), Bama (9)

1993 [4]: UK (1), Vandy (3), Hogs (4), LSU (11)

1992 [4]: UK (2), Hogs (3), Bama (5), LSU (7)

So really after about 2008, which coincidentally was the last time the Hogs made it. The league has been a six-bid league eight times since the '92 expansion, and the Hogs were a part of that five times.

Obviously the SEC needs the Hogs to be tournament worthy!

[Biggus Piggus]

[WarPig88]

So really after about 2008, which coincidentally was the last time the Hogs made it. The league has been a six-bid league eight times since the '92 expansion, and the Hogs were a part of that five times.

Obviously the SEC needs the Hogs to be tournament worthy!

I think jealousy over the performance of the league has also contributed to the perception of the league being weaker than it actually is.

The Big XII has been dominated by one team for a freaking decade but is considered a great league. That doesn't happen in great leagues.

[MikePiazza]

That's what I do when I see GuvHog has posted in a Jump Ball thread.

[Atlhogfan1]

1996-98.  College basketball was about to begin heading down from its peak. 

We had to deal with the NCAA and the Kim Woods thing, had what some considered a #1 class fall apart and missed the NCAAT.  Then Pitino left for the Celtics and Dale Brown retired.  Bama had not found someone to replace Wimp sufficiently yet.  Gottfried did okay.  But these were some HOF to good college coaches that had left the league.  The new generation were coaches like Rod Barnes whose style of play I considered to be a disgrace. 

Donovan did come in and have great success.  But the rest of the league wasn't the same.  Tubby dominated some regular seasons but flamed out in the NCAAT.  His defensive style was impressive in the regular season but wasn't attractive.  Fly By Night at LSU had a very good team once.  Stansbury having one of the most consistently competitive programs in the SEC should tell you the status of the conference.  Bruce Pearl is no Nolan or Slick Rick either. 

SEC football has always been king but became The King during this stretch.  Meanwhile SEC basketball has at times resembled an effort to play football on the basketball court.  Or play something other than how we remembered the game was played before our decline, Pitino's exit, Dale's retirement and Wimp's firing.