Let's be clear. Over the last near-20 years, the Southeastern Conference has been the dominating force in college football. Admittedly, this hasn't been my favorite trend of all-time, but facts are facts. Since 2006, five of the league's programs have combined to win 13 of the 18 available titles. For the first time in a decade, though, there's a guarantee that the SEC will be shut out of lifting the ultimate trophy in consecutive seasons. There may be a slight panic regarding the conference's gridiron superiority. But unexpected backup may be coming to save the winter season.
Unfortunately, I'm not talking about any of the women's sports (that already lift their share of the weight). You won't hear about the South Carolina women's hoops team here. I won't dig into the plethora of contenders for any of the Olympics championships (gymnastics, swimming & diving, indoor track & field). This space is dedicated to the train we've seen creep up without believing it would reach the station platform.
The first nine weeks of the college basketball season have been historic for the SEC. I'm not talking in terms of just them. The start is among the greatest in the history of the sport. The numbers this conglomerate of teams put up in non-conference play are staggering. And, by now, most fans of the sport know about the recent monetary investment the league office made in several sports, including teams that reside on the hardwood. But I don't think anyone saw this type of success coming.
For a few years after Kentucky won its last championship, the conference reached a pretty low point. Only three schools from the league earned bids three times in a four-year span (2013, 2014, 2016). The 2013 and 2016 editions featured a lot of quick-outs. The 2014 campaign might have saved the league from prolonged future embarrassment, as Kentucky's runner-up finish and Florida's Final Four appearance led the SEC to a 12-3 record with so few teams available. From 2017 on, the league has sent a more respectable number of squads to the Field of 68. This time around, they have a chance to send an historic package of talent to the tourney. From here on, though, comes the hard part.
Through the rest of the season, conference rivals will pick one another off. Since the turn of the calendar, Georgia has knocked off two ranked teams (Kentucky and Oklahoma) in Athens. On Tuesday night, Missouri upset Florida on the road. And this doesn't even factor in to the ranked-on-ranked crime we'll see throughout the next eight weeks. Of course, the NCAA lies in wait by mid-March.
Despite living in the era of expanded Power/Super conferences, getting 10 or more bids to the national tournament is the most difficult of feats. As a matter of fact, it's only happened in 2011, when the then-Big East earned 11 names on seed lines. Going into the week, projections show that this season's SEC could match or break the record. And, of course, there's the ultimate goal ... raising the trophy.
In the history of this league playing hoops, only three schools have won it all (Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas). For the SEC to start a wave of domination in the second most-important NCAA sport, more schools will have to chip in. Can the Alabamas, Auburns, Tennessees, Texas A&Ms, and more deliver? Can the league break through the tape of this unreal start? It will be intriguing to find out.
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