Game notes: 1 interesting fact about every SEC team in the NCAA Tournament

The SEC has 6 teams in the NCAA Tournament. It’s the 4th consecutive time the league has sent at least that many representatives to the dance.

All 6 have the same aspirations but clearly different ceilings.

Here’s 1 interesting NCAA Tournament tidbit you didn’t know about each of the 6.

Alabama

Nate Oats is keeping heady company.

Wimp Sanderson made a habit of winning 20 games and reaching the NCAA Tournament in the same season. But those accomplishments have been much rarer for other Tide coaches.

In fact, if Alabama wins its opening game to get to 20 victories, Oats will join Sanderson, CM Newton, Mark Gottfried and David Hobbs as the only Tide coaches to win 20 games and reach the NCAA Tournament in the same season 2 years in a row.

Sanderson is the only Tide coach to accomplish that back-to-back streak multiple times.

If Oats leads Alabama to the Sweet 16, he’ll:

Join Sanderson as the only Tide coaches to reach the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons
Join Sanderson as the only Tide coaches to reach the Sweet 16 more than once.

Arkansas

Eric Musselman already has won more NCAA Tournament games (2) in his first 3 years than any coach in program history. Obviously he hopes to add to that total, beginning Thursday night against Vermont.

Only 2 other Arkansas coaches even compiled 1 NCAA Tournament win in their first 3 seasons at Arkansas: Eugene Lambert (1 win in Year 3) and John Pelphrey (1 win in Year 1).

Program legend Nolan Richardson didn’t win his first NCAA Tournament game until Year 4. Eddie Sutton needed the same amount of time to pick up his first win, too.

Auburn

Bruce Pearl has won 5 NCAA Tournament games at Auburn.

That might not sound like much — after all, it takes 6 wins to capture the national title — but perspective is everything. If Pearl leads the Tigers to the Sweet 16, he’ll tie Sonny Smith’s program record for most NCAA Tournament wins.

Sonny Smith (11 seasons): 7 NCAA Tournament wins
Bruce Pearl (8th season): 5 NCAA Tournament wins
Cliff Ellis (10 seasons): 5 NCAA Tournament wins

Smith, Pearl and Ellis are the only coaches in program history who have won an NCAA Tournament game. No other Auburn coach even reached the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky

This is somewhat difficult to believe given how John Calipari has gone all-in on “one-and-done” roster building, but Jack Givens still holds the program (and SEC) record for most points by a freshman in a Final Four game.

Now, in fairness, not all of Calipari’s star freshmen reached the Final Four, obviously, but quite a few did.

Givens scored 24 in Kentucky’s semifinal victory over Syracuse in the 1975 Final Four. TyTy Washington would love the opportunity to break that mark this season.

Of course, Givens was even better as a senior — leading Kentucky to the 1978 national championship by scoring 41 in the title game against Duke. That, too, is a Kentucky and SEC record.

LSU

This has to a be a record, right? LSU’s interim coaches have won more NCAA Tournament than the coach who led them to said NCAA Tournament appearances.

Will Wade led LSU to the NCAA 3 times — but he only coached the Tigers once. He won 1 game in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Wade was suspended before the 2019 NCAA Tournament and fired with cause before this NCAA Tournament.

In 2019, interim coach Tony Benford won 2 NCAA Tournament games and led the Tigers to the Sweet 16.

Kevin Nickelberry has replaced Wade this time. The Tigers play their opener Friday night against Iowa State.

Tennessee

This is Rick Barnes’ 26th trip to the NCAA Tournament. That is 6th all-time and the most by any coach with SEC ties. (Barnes’ breakdown: 4 appearances with Tennessee, 16 with Texas, 3 with Clemson, 3 with Providence.)

Here’s how that compares with the 2021-22 SEC head coaches. (* means the coach no longer is at that school. ** Ben Howland’s status has not been determined.)

Tennessee — Rick Barnes: 26 NCAA Tournament appearances
Kentucky — John Calipari: 21
Auburn — Bruce Pearl: 11
Mississippi State — Ben Howland**: 11
Georgia — Tom Crean*: 9
Texas A&M — Buzz Williams: 8
Ole Miss — Kermit Davis: 6
Alabama — Nate Oats: 5
Arkansas — Eric Musselman: 5
LSU — Will Wade*: 5
South Carolina — Frank Martin*: 5
Florida — Mike White*: 4
Missouri — Cuonzo Martin*: 4
Vanderbilt — Jerry Stackhouse: 0