Maybe Southeastern Conference basketball isn’t so bad, after all.
The SEC tied its own record with eight teams advancing out of the first round of March Madness, as Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Texas all are in this weekend’s 2026 NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Only Missouri and Georgia failed to advance from this year’s SEC’s 10-team contingent. The SEC also had eight teams advance from the record 14 that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The top-seeded Gators trounced 16th-seeded Prairie View 114-55 on Friday and will play ninth-seeded Iowa in a South Region second round game Sunday (7:10 pm ET, TBS). The fourth-seeded Razorbacks handled 13th-seeded Hawaii 97-78 in a West Region game Thursday and play 12th-seeded High Point today (9:45 pm ET, TruTV/TBS).
The fourth-seeded Crimson Tide pulled away from 13th-seeded Hofstra to win 90-70 in a West Region game Friday and play fifth-seeded Texas Tech on Sunday (9:45 pm ET, TBS). The fifth-seeded Commodores took down 12th-seeded McNeese 78-68 in a South Region game Thursday and face fourth-seeded Nebraska today (8:45 pm ET, TNT).
The sixth-seeded Volunteers eliminated 11th-seeded Miami (Ohio) 78-56 in a Midwest Region game Friday and play third-seeded Virginia on Sunday (6:10 pm ET, TNT). The seventh-seeded Wildcats escaped 10th-seeded Santa Clara 89-84 in overtime of a Midwest Region game on Friday and play second-seeded Iowa State on Sunday (2:45 pm ET, CBS).
The 10th-seeded Aggies eliminated seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s 63-50 in a South Region game Thursday and play second-seeded Houston today (6:10 pm ET, TNT). And the 11th-seeded Longhorns upset sixth-seeded BYU 79-71 in a West Region game Thursday and will take on third-seeded Gonzaga today (7:10 pm ET, TruTV/TBS).
How many SEC teams will make the Sweet 16? Kalshi is taking action on predictions!
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
