Arkansas’s Fayetteville โ Although not in the SEC, college basketball’s heyday might be regarded as the early 2000s to late mid-to-late 2010s.
There weren’t many other people at Kentucky when John Calipari got there in 2009. The SEC was one of the weakest conferences in America, but the Blue Bloods were and still are.
Florida only won a championship once, during its back-to-back run in 2006โ2007.
SEC amateur athletics has never been the same because of Calipari’s fantastic recruitment and the conference realignment led by the powerful dollar, er, Texas A&M.
Thirteen years later, the league has grown deeper than it ever will be because of its revenue-sharing model and dedication to being a one-stop shop.
Following the 2012 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four matchup versus the Kansas Jayhawks at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari (middle) is given the NCAA national championship trophy. The score was 67-59 for Kentucky. Photographs by Bob Donnan-Imagn
In the history of their respective programs, members including Georgia, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Auburn had less than 15 appearances on the NCAA Tournament field.
Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, and Vanderbilt were the only four SEC teams to qualify for the tournament, even in Calipari’s debut season.
According to Calipari, “when I first got in the league, there were three teams getting in the tournament,” following Arkansas’ defeat against Auburn on Wednesday night. “In those first four or five years, I was begging for seven, eight teams and I was full of crap.”
The NCAA Tournament
SEC Team Bids
Most Bids by Conference
Champion
2010
- (Power Six No. 5). The Big East (8) Duke (ACC) 2011 5 (shared third place among the Power Six) The Big East (11) UConn (Big East) 2012 4 (the fourth of the Power SIx) The Big East (9) The SEC’s Kentucky 2013
- (Among the Power Six, number six) The Big East (8) Big East city of Louisville 2014
- (Among the Power Six, number six) The Big 12 (7) UConn (Big East) 2015
- (Power Six, No. 3) Big 10, Big 12 (7) Duke (ACC) 2016
- (Among the Power Six, number six) Big 10, Big 12, ACC, PAC 12 (7) Big East Villanova 2017
- (Power Six No. 4). ACC (9) ACC’s North Carolina 2018 8 (the Power Six’s number two) ACC (9) Big East Villanova 2019 7 (tied for second place in the Power Six) The Big Ten (8) Virginia (ACC) 2021 6 (the third-ranking Power Six) The Big Ten (9) Baylor (Big 12) 2022 6 (tied for second place in the Power Six) The Big Ten (9) The Big 12 state of Kansas 2023 Eight (the most among the Power Six) SEC, Big Ten (9) UConn (Big East) 2024 Eight (the most among the Power Six) SEC (8), Big 12 UConn (Big East) *The 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. In Calipari’s third year as head coach, Kentucky won their first championship since 1998 and continued to be the SEC’s top coach until the year changed to 2020. With 425 victories between Kentucky and Arkansas, he is still the league’s most successful coach, but Auburn’s Bruce Pearl is gaining up fast with 383 victories. Before the game on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, the head coaches of the Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats, Bruce Pearl and John Calipari, shake hands. United States Today Network/Jake Crandall
Calipari will be among the first to praise the conference’s endeavors to become a basketball powerhouse as well as a football powerhouse, as the ACC and Big East were in the past. A new generation of SEC schools has started the process of hardwood enshrinement since so many great coaches have left the sport. In addition to Pearl at historic doormat Auburn, the conferences that have instilled confidence as the strongest in college basketball history are Nate Oats (Alabama), Buzz Williams (Texas A&M), Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Chris Beard (Ole Miss), Chris Jans (Mississippi State), and even Todd Golden (Florida). Arkansas Razorbacks forward Karter Knox against the Oklahoma Sooners at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images
According to Joe Lunardi’s ESPN bracketology, if Arkansas and Oklahoma fulfill their obligations, the SEC will have a record 13 teams in the NCAA Tournament field. With 23 days until the field is revealed on March 16, leagues like the Big East and ACC are expected to receive four invitations apiece. However, I was saying, ‘[SEC] really deserves this.’ They (say), ‘Well you can’t do that,’ when you mention that this league deserves 12 [bids].’ Then, don’t construct all these major leagues just for financial gain. You have a group of us in one league now, so don’t do it.” Even Georgia, one of the first four teams out and outside of Lunardi’s predicted field, might be selected at number 14. If the Bulldogs take care of business and defeat either No. 1 Auburn or No. 2 Florida over the course of the upcoming week, that number is probably never going to be reached again. LSU has been on a mini-heater for the last four games and has been a tough out for most opponents in conference play. Following close victories against Ole Miss and Arkansas, the Tigers have swept Oklahoma and South Carolina in their last two games. During a pause in play against the LSU Tigers at Bud Walton Arena, Arkansas Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) speaks with head coach John Calipari. The score was 70-58 for Arkansas. Photographs by Brett Rojo-Imagn
“Back then, the ACC or Big East had fewer teams, but I can still recall them. The worst two teams, a Seton Hall, or perhaps a Wake (Forest) in the past. Do you guys play LSU in this [league]? I’m grateful. since they are now playing well against us. With three minutes remaining, they defeated Mississippi by 11 points thanks to their strong performance. That’s LSU. With six losses by four points or less, poor South Carolina, the only team without a win in the SEC, has at least been competitive and a threat. The Gamecocks finished the previous season with 26 victories, including a 13-5 conference record, but in the modern collegiate athletic environment, things can alter significantly from year to year. Calipari asked simply, “Have you played South Carolina?” “We had the opportunity to play them at South Carolina, along with Mississippi State, who recently defeated A&M, Texas, Missouri, and Vanderbilt. At Vandy, who’s playing well? It’s simple. We’ll enter (laughs sarcastically). Calipari is aware that his team has a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in a conference he created to be the best. With five games left, everything is still up in the air for the Razorbacks. If they win three of those games plus two in Nashville for the SEC Tournament, they should have a shot to advance to the field of 68. “But what do you know? All other people must deal with the same kind of schedule,” Calipari stated. Because we’re all [excellent clubs], we’re saying that this league shouldn’t say, ‘Well, we can’t.’ No, you perform your duties and let’s move on to the top teams with the most quad one victories and the teams with the NET [rating] that you put up. Additionally, it’s okay if [Arkansas in the tournament] is involved. I don’t mind if there are twelve of our teams. I hope we are one.
