The heavy favorite to win this year’s NCAA Tournament, Kentucky’s defense stonewalled Cincinnati on Saturday to reach yet another Sweet 16. In the process, the Wildcats notched the program’s 120th all-time NCAA Tournament victory.

UK may have missed out on a bowl game in 2014 despite winning a fifth game before the middle of November. But that long since has ceased to matter to Wildcats fans, who right now care only about securing the team’s ninth national championship in men’s basketball.

Ole Miss (play-in game vs. BYU) and Arkansas (Round of 64 vs. Wofford) also recorded NCAA Tournament wins before losing. Georgia and LSU failed to win Round of 64 games, while in a stunner, Florida didn’t even get selected to the NIT.

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 seven games in one tournament (six if you avoid a play-in game).

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?

It’s no shock that the Wildcats, despite just eight bowl wins, have twice as many combined victories as second-place Florida.

But maybe you’re surprised to see Alabama, on the strength of a modest 21 NCAA Tournament wins, fending off Arkansas for third place. Or Ole Miss, with a strong 23 bowl victories, avoiding the bottom tier.

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 Big Blue Nation.

Team Postseason Wins NCAA Tournament Record Record In Bowl Games
1. Kentucky 128 120-48 8-7
2. Florida 64 42-17 22-20
3. Alabama 56 21-20 35-24-3
4. Arkansas 55 41-30 14-23-3
5. LSU 48 24-24 24-22-1
6. Tennessee 47 19-21 28-23
7. Missouri 37 22-26 15-16
8. Georgia 35 7-12 28-19-3
9. Auburn 34 12-8 22-15-2
10. Ole Miss 28 5-8 23-13
11. Texas A&M 26 9-13 17-19
12. Mississippi State 22 11-10 11-8
13. Vanderbilt 14 10-14 4-2-1
14. South Carolina 12 4-9 8-12