On Tuesday night, the Tennessee Volunteers went into Lexington and took down the Kentucky Wildcats 61-59 in a thrilling game.

With the win, Tennessee maintained second place in the SEC, improving to 18-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play.

Auburn leads the SEC at 9-1, with a big home game against Texas A&M coming up on Wednesday night. However, six teams are in the running for second place in the conference, and eight SEC teams are currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi.

After the Vols’ big win, coach Rick Barnes said he thinks the SEC is the best basketball conference in the country:

Barnes may have a point. While the SEC only has one team (Auburn) projected to be a No. 3 seed or higher, having so many teams in the tourney is a sign of the conference’s strength.

The next month will be important, but for now, Barnes may have a point when he says the SEC is the best in the nation.