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Paul Finebaum reacts to the SEC’s sub-par performance in the NCAA Tournament
By Keith Farner
Published:
Paul Finebaum joined in on the topic of the weekend, the SEC’s sub-par performance in the NCAA Tournament.
The ESPN commentator shared his thoughts during his regular Monday appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic In the morning” on WJOX out of Birmingham, Alabama. He dissected the early exits for SEC teams, most notably Kentucky, Tennessee and Auburn, the teams that either won the most this season, or had high expectations. Or both.
“Sadly, they peaked in late January, or early February,” Finebaum said. “And of all the SEC schools that bombed out, Auburn is the least surprising, Greg. You had to look at the way they sputtered down the stretch. I mean they’re still a really good team, but their big guys looked somewhat lost last night against a pickup team from Miami. I say that affectionately, but those guys just played old-school ball, and those Auburn lottery picks in the middle were somewhat clueless. People love to blame coaching this time of the year, and you praise and blame, but ultimately this was easy to see coming.”
Was it something that was foreshadowed?
“I think Bruce Pearl probably saw it coming as well,” Finebaum said. “The team you really didn’t see was Tennessee, because they had been so dominant down the stretch, and especially in Tampa. Kentucky speaks for itself, c’mon. I know Saint Peter’s won again, but that remains an absolute shock and Alabama wasn’t too surprising, LSU you expected and Arkansas just to finish the dance card, has been playing at such a high level. I don’t think their stay on the West Coast is going to be long, but the fact that Arkansas is the last remaining team, I don’t think you could have gotten that at your corner bookie.”
The @SECNetwork‘s Paul @Finebaum joined the Monday edition of @MacandCube to share his thoughts on the disappointing NCAA Tournament performances from a number of SEC teams. pic.twitter.com/RmBTwx5lth
— WJOX 94.5 FM (@WJOX945) March 21, 2022
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
