O'Gara: Somehow, the SEC moved past early embarrassment by showing NCAA Tournament progress
Once the confetti settled on Alabama punching its first Final Four ticket in program history, I realized on Sunday morning how much changed for the SEC in 8 days.
When Auburn inexplicably fell to Yale in the Round of 64, it marked the 5th SEC team to lose to a lower-seeded team that dropped the conference to a 1-5 start to the NCAA Tournament. It was ironic considering that the previous weekend, during Auburn’s SEC Tournament run, Bruce Pearl claimed that the SEC was “prepared to make a deep run in March.”
Yikes. At the time, it got the full Old Takes Exposed treatment:
Welp @OldTakesExposed pic.twitter.com/ekaW3BnDCh
— Connor O’Gara (@cjogara) March 22, 2024
“A deep run in March” seemed like an impossibility for the SEC with 3 teams left before the Round of 64 concluded. Alabama and Tennessee had never been to a Final Four, and Texas A&M hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2018.
But fast forward to Sunday morning ahead of the Tennessee-Purdue Elite Eight matchup. To that point, the SEC’s disastrous 1-5 start was followed by a 7-1 run with the lone defeat coming from an A&M team that pushed top-seed Houston to overtime in the Round of 32.
By the time Tennessee and Purdue tipped off on Easter Sunday, the SEC was the lone conference remaining that still had the possibility of an intra-conference showdown in the national championship.
Fast forward a couple of hours later and we know that ultimately got wiped off the table when Zach Edey shot 7,698 free throws and Tennessee’s non-Dalton Knecht options turtled. We know that the SEC came up short of having 2 Final Four teams, which would’ve marked the 5th such occasion.
But think about it: Somehow, this NCAA Tournament ended up being a positive for the SEC.
To Pearl’s point, “a deep run in March” is the Final Four. Elite Eights are great, but they don’t change perceptions. Getting a team on that football stadium court does that.
Alabama became the SEC’s first team of the 2020s to do that. It did that at arguably the most football-centric school in America. If Kentucky had been the SEC’s first Final Four team since 2019 Auburn, what would that have really said about the conference as a whole? Like, other than John Calipari might actually still have a chance to get back to 2010s levels?
Instead, Jack Gohlke happened while Alabama and Tennessee joined Arkansas among the SEC teams that made the Elite Eight in the 2020s.
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If Alabama doesn’t shock the world by beating defending champ/all-world juggernaut UConn, the 3 SEC teams that remained after that 1-5 start will have all been eliminated by 1-seeds. Does that type of stuff get remembered? No, but it beats the heck out of going home at the hands of Yale and Oakland and getting dragged for that 1-5 start.
Of course, partially why the SEC was “getting dragged” was because of the comments that Greg Sankey made to ESPN ahead of the NCAA Tournament. He spoke about the desire to get more representation from power conferences and that the current construction includes “giving away highly competitive opportunities for automatic qualifiers (from smaller leagues).” Sankey might not have intended to become a target of ridicule, but he was seen as the guy trying to mess with the NCAA Tournament. Naturally, the SEC’s early struggles were an easy thing for others to take satisfaction in.
But as crazy as it sounds, Sankey and the SEC should’ve moved past that public dragging for this year. That’ll be true even if UConn continues its warpath by beating Alabama by 20. That would keep the SEC out of the national championship for the 9th consecutive tournament, and it would mean the SEC doesn’t have the last team standing for the 11th consecutive national championship.
That still beats the alternative.
The alternative was that the 1-5 NCAA Tournament start for the SEC would be the preamble to the conference’s record-tying 8 teams in the field all falling short of the Elite Eight. You know, like last year. It would’ve been difficult to find the positive in consecutive years with that type of ending. That didn’t happen, though. Some credibility was restored.
Go figure that the team that did the heaviest lifting this year was the Alabama squad who was arguably the biggest disappointment last year. Even crazier was that it was a team with 9 new players, 3 new assistants and 4 new members of the support staff. A lot changed in a year. A lot changed for the SEC in a week.
The hay is just about in the barn on the SEC’s 2024 NCAA Tournament showing. As 11.5-point underdogs, it feels like the Tide will be playing with house money in Phoenix. Maybe that’ll matter. Maybe it won’t.
Either way, the SEC found a way to avoid that 1-5 start being the wildly disappointing story of its 2024 NCAA Tournament.
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great perspective with this article. as much mud that got slung at certain schools…and a good bit justified, just as much recognition needs tossed to bama, tn and even a&m for their tourn
So the SEC is represented in both the NCAA and NIT Final Four and yet there is absolute silence here on SDS about the amazing Georgia run to the NIT Final Four. Likewise silence from almost every Georgia fan. Disgusting.
LH has mentioned UGA in the NIT several times
i’ve commented on pretty much every uga men’s bb focused article over the last several years, as well as a number of generic sec men’s bb articles involving the league. i love college bb and follow the sport closely.
i hit a low point with uga’s program following mcgarity’s inexplicable approach in hiring fox’s replacement. i’ve commented on such on this site, as well as my fav former uga bb site, georgia bb blog before it was taken down. my interest renewed with the hiring of white and has continued.
your chastising to other uga fans in an article which has nothing to do with uga is misguided. next article you see involving uga bb or the sec in general, speak up. i’ll reply.
Bama and TN did the SEC proud the Elite 8 and hopefully the Tide continues with an upset of UConn.
Anyone proud of Georgia’s NIT run to that Final Four?
UGA should be proud of that. It doesn’t mean a lot to the rest of the conference. Playing for 69th doesn’t come with the same stature as playing for first.
Like the RealiQuest bowl lol
So now I’ve got Gabriella following me around trolling. That’s good stuff. Obviously I hurt her feelings at some point in the past. Not sorry.
What…it wasn’t really an important bowl and not worth talking about fnckhead
Yet, you’re talking about it, moron. If only you were smart enough to know how dumb you sound.
AL and TN made the SEC proud. IF AL were to beat UCONN they will win the tournament.
Thank you (and everyone else) for your comments and class. I have to disagree with your final sentence, though. Alabama would need 1.2-1.5 three pointers for every time Purdue passed the ball into the paint and Edey scored and/or was fouled. In other words, around 40.
Well, we played them this year once already and lost 92-86. We led at half. Edey and Sears both had 35. We can beat Purdue, UConn? Not as sure about that.
Well, we played them this year once already and at their place, lost 92-86. We led at half. Edey and Sears both had 35. We can beat Purdue, UConn? Not as sure about that.
Hi Tom. Yes, that was our best player’s high point total for the year. We still lost. This is my point. I would love to be wrong if it happens again.
Congrats to both the Vols and Bama. Nate Oats continues to figure out how to get wins after I think most people kind of counted them out. Tennessee under Barnes took a nice step forward in this tournament and proved they can win games in the post season. It takes a lot to make it to the Final Four. You need some degree of luck and toughness. After a rocky start for the SEC, it was nice to see a couple of teams playing through the Elite Eight. Good luck to Bama next weekend!
I’m very glad viles and all other sec teams were eliminated, but Purdue…ugh, that was just gross.
Barn “inexplicably fell to Yale.” LOL errybody knows Pearl doesn’t coach playoff basketball. You love to see it. RTR!!!
Pearl literally took AU to a Final Four, she/her.
Sad thing is, just about everyone on this site has been pulling for Bama and the other SEC teams that were in the tournament. Yet, some Bama fans still feel the need to come on here and act like pricks. There’s no explanation for that, other than they are just pricks.
Poor soul. He’s just too high strung.
BoneinBamer is an angry little fella
Notwithstanding what Greg has to say 8 teams for any conference is too many except for the B12. Oops!
Hats off to TN and Bama for making the Elite 8. First time in a tourney with an Elite 8 that no team west of the Missisippi made the Elite 8.
When you are inviting 8 teams from any conference how about cutting the field to 32 teams and tiping off before 10 PM. The NCAA really cares about the student-athletes more than the $, right?
I am pretty happy with the tourney this year. It is nice to see a new SEC face in the final four. I wished the Vols could have pulled it off, but Purdue is really good. Alabama could beat UConn, but probably not. That’s why they play the games. I look for a UConn and Purdue final, but that is ok.