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Texas A&M pulled off one of the all-time greatest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history last weekend. Or maybe it was more of a collapse by Northern Iowa.
Either way you frame it, the Aggies trailed by 12 points with 35 seconds to play, and then won in double overtime to advance to the Sweet 16. Analytics site FiveThirtyEight.com called it a “1-in-3,000 comeback.”
The win assured that the SEC claims at least one basketball team still alive as it steams toward the second weekend. Kentucky flamed out in the second round against Indiana. Vanderbilt, whose inclusion angered many fans and analysts, lost a play-in game to Wichita State by 20 points.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has made a deliberate push for conference members to improve in basketball. Several teams have used the influx of SEC Network cash to hire high-profile coaches, but to this point the league remains mediocre, even borderline pitiful compared to conferences like the ACC (6 Sweet 16 members) and the Big Ten (3).
At any rate, Texas A&M — the No. 3 seed in the West Region — faces No. 2 seed Oklahoma for the right to advance to the Elite Eight. Tipoff is tonight at 7:37 p.m. ET.
If the Aggies win, it will give them one dozen NCAA Tournament victories all-time. Combine that with the football team’s 17 bowl victories, and the program would move into a tie with Ole Miss for 10th in the SEC — as judged by postseason victories in the two money-making sports.
To no one’s surprise, UK hoops is No. 1 overall in this ranking. Teams can win six games in a single NCAA Tournament even without participating in the First Four. The Wildcats now claim 121 victories in college basketball’s penultimate tournament. As such, the program boasts more than double the combined win total of the next-best SEC program.
With the College Football Playoff going to two games, and Avery Johnson pointing the Crimson Tide basketball program in a good direction, Alabama (58) may make a run at Florida (63) in the No. 2 spot. Gators basketball coach Mike White is developing a young team, and it may be possible that both programs secure NCAA Tournament bids next season.
Though Ole Miss and South Carolina, with a combined nine NCAA Tournament wins in history, would disagree, it’s easier to rack up postseason hoops wins considering it’s now possible to win six or even seven games in one tournament. Football teams must wait an entire year for another bowl game, win or lose — unless an SEC team wins a College Football Playoff semifinal.
So, combining NCAA Tournament and bowl game wins, which programs are the most successful in the SEC?
These “rankings” mean very little, other than to generate thought and discussion about the two most impactful NCAA sports. Oh yeah — and it’s March Madness time, at least for Texas A&M.
| Team | Postseason Wins | NCAA Tournament Record | Record In Bowl Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kentucky | 129 | 121-49 | 8-7 |
| 2. Florida | 63 | 42-17 | 21-21 |
| 3. Alabama | 58 | 21-20 | 37-24-3* |
| 4. Arkansas | 56 | 41-30 | 15-23-3 |
| 5. LSU | 49 | 24-24 | 25-22-1 |
| 6. Tennessee | 46 | 19-21 | 27-24 |
| 7. Missouri | 37 | 22-26 | 15-16 |
| 8. Georgia | 36 | 7-12 | 29-19-3 |
| 9. Auburn | 35 | 12-8 | 23-15-2 |
| 10. Ole Miss | 29 | 5-8 | 24-13 |
| 11. Texas A&M | 28 | 11-13 | 17-20 |
| 12. Mississippi State | 22 | 11-10 | 11-8 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | 14 | 10-15 | 4-2-1 |
| 14. South Carolina | 12 | 4-9 | 8-12 |
*Including the College Football Playoff Championship Game last season.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
