Surprise! The SEC isn’t great!
No, it is not a great basketball conference. Yet when Selection Sunday rolls around in less than a week, it’s possible the Southeastern Conference has more teams in the NCAA Tournament than any but the Big Ten.
How does that happen? Because as much as the league isn’t great, it also isn’t bad. In fact, it’s closer to the former than the latter.
It’s just that considering where things appeared to be headed for the SEC in early January, the disappointment is palpable. Alabama appears to be the only national championship threat in a year some thought the league could have as many as four contenders.
Less impressive, even, is that upper-mid section. After Alabama, which SEC team is scary in the postseason? Tennessee, maybe. Seven-loss-in-the-SEC Tennessee.
And the bottom of the conference barrel? Yikes.
Of course, this is a glass-half-empty point of view. Maybe we can do the glass-half-full one if the eight projected NCAA Tournament bids come to fruition.