Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl celebrates with his team and fans after cutting down the net after beating Florida in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 17, 2024 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 17, 2024.

NCAA Tournament Features Eight SEC Teams

As the NCAA Tournament bracket was unveiled Sunday evening, SEC officials undoubtedly looked on with joy. The SEC saw eight teams from its conference make the Big Dance, with four earning top-four seeds.

Historic Conference Performance

The SEC tied the Big 12 for the most bids in the NCAA Tournament, each boasting eight teams in the field of 68. This is tied for the third-most bids from a conference of all-time. A conference has only sent more than eight teams to the tournament four times.

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Having more teams in the tournament doesn’t necessarily ensure postseason success, though. The SEC didn’t see any of its seven bids advance beyond the Sweet 16 last year, with Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas all losing by 7+ in the round of 16.

Top-Heavy Seeding

Within the SEC’s eight bids this year, four teams were ranked among the top 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s eyes. Tennessee led the way, earning a two-seed, while Kentucky got a three, and Auburn and Alabama got fours.

The SEC has had 17 teams receive top-four seeds in the NCAA tournament since 2016. None have made it to the Final Four. The last SEC team to make the National Championship was eight-seed Kentucky in 2014. The four top-four seeds from the conference this year hope to break this streak, with each having compelling reasons as to why they can.

Tennessee and Auburn each are in the top four in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom and feature strong scorers in Dalton Knecht and Johni Broome, respectively. Alabama and Kentucky are nearly the exact opposite. Both teams have offenses that rate in the top five in adjusted efficiency; however, their defenses aren’t within the top 100. Moreover, each team will need to lean into its strength to make a deep run.

The SEC hopes that some combination of these four, each in different regions of the bracket, can help it break through with a deep NCAA tournament run.

Surprising Lower Seeds

Prior to conference championship week, the SEC only had six teams that were in most bracket predictions. After unexpected upsets during the conference tournament, that quickly changed.

Both Texas A&M and Mississippi State were considered bubble teams entering their first conference tournament games. Each pulled off impressive upsets to advance to the conference semifinals.

After beating LSU in the second round, Mississippi State throttled fifth-ranked Tennessee 73-56. Although the Bulldogs lost to Auburn in the semifinals, their win against the Vols solidified their spot as an eight-seed in the tournament.

Texas A&M experienced similar success in the SEC tournament, defeating #9 Kentucky 97-87. The Aggies are a nine-seed and will face Nebraska in the first round.

Looking Forward

The first round of the NCAA Tournament will tip off on Thursday. The SEC will be represented by eight teams in the tournament and hopes to advance beyond its recent blockage in the Sweet 16. Mississippi State, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee will play on Thursday. Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, and Florida will follow suit on Friday.

About Noah White

I'm a sophomore at the University of Florida, majoring in journalism and public relations. I enjoy playing soccer and volleyball with friends, watching movies with my girlfriend and, of course, writing. I also know more about Liberty League women's soccer than you do.

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