NCAA Tournament
Alabama forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots a reverse layup around Maryland forward Julian Reese (10) and forward Patrick Emilien (15) in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, March 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

SEC Dominant in the NCAA Tournament

The SEC has been making history in the NCAA Tournament and remains on top after an impressive weekend.

Alabama

As expected, one-seed Alabama came out with no hesitation racking up 96 points against Texas A&M-CC. Alabama held the No. 1 spot in the NCAA heading into the tournament and has not shown any signs of stopping.

The only spot of concern in this first-round contest is the 75-point performance by Texas A&M-CC.

Moving on to the second round, Bama took another massive triumph over the No. 8 Maryland. The Crimson tide destroyed the Terps, 73-51. Alabama’s defense took a step up in the game holding an explosive Maryland offense to just 51 points.

Alabama will face San Diego State on Friday. SDSU has been making a statement in the NCAA Tournament after their 75-52 win over Furman in the second round.

Arkansas

After a 73-63 win over Illinois in the first round, the Razorbacks were heavily unfavored heading into their contest against the reigning national champions.

No. 1 Kansas threw 96 points on the board in round one. Kansas and Arkansas kept things close throughout the game, but Arkansas took the late lead for a 72-71 win. Davonte Davis racked up 25 points and eight rebounds for the Razorbacks and Ricky Council IV was right behind him with 21 points and six rebounds.

Arkansas moves on to meet Connecticut in the Sweet 16.

Tennessee

Tennessee has been driving through the first two rounds of the tournament. The Volunteers slid past Louisiana in the first round 58-55. The questionable performance brought some questions heading into the second round against Duke.

Despite Tyrese Proctor’s 14-point second-half performance for Duke, Tennessee’s offense could not be shuttered.  The volunteers ran away with the game bringing the final score to 65-52 in Tennessee’s favor.

The Volunteers play Florida Atlantic on Thursday.

Eliminated

The SEC leads the NCAA with three teams in the sweet 16.

Texas A&M took an early first-round elimination after a 76-59 loss to Penn State.

Auburn, Kentucky, and Missouri all found their way to the second round yet fell short of the Sweet 16. The toughest break of all would go to the Missouri Tigers. Seven-seed Missouri met 15-seed Princeton in the second round and took a 78-63 loss to the underdogs.

Overall, the SEC has been strong in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and has the potential to keep rolling.

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