Alabama Basketball: SEC Hoops Smash Hit In Big Dance

SEC basketball is the big story of the NCAA Tournament. Let’s look at what that means for the future of Alabama Basketball.

On Sunday, March 26, the SEC will have a team in the Final Four – maybe two teams. What does this say about the future of the league and the 2017-18 Alabama basketball team?

In case anyone has so suffered from March Sadness to not follow the Big Dance closely, let’s do a quick review. The SEC earned five NCAA tournament slots: Kentucky; Florida; South Carolina; Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

Going into the games of March 26, the SEC, 2017 Big Dance record is 10-2. One of the two losses should have been a win, with Vandy gifting winning free throws to Northwestern. In the other loss, Arkansas dropped a close game to North Carolina, surrendering a lead in the last three minutes.

Here are the 10 SEC wins:

• Kentucky – Northern Kentucky; Wichita State and UCLA
• Florida – East Tennessee State; Virginia and Wisconsin
• South Carolina – Marquette; Duke and Baylor
• Arkansas – Seton Hall

The highlights of the ten wins:

• UK beating a very good UCLA team by 11 points
• Florida destroying Virginia by 26 points
• South Carolina beating Duke and dominating Baylor in a 20 point win

What does this mean for the future of Alabama basketball? Let’s review some recent comments. The first comes from Frank Martin quote in a  @GregSankey  Tweet.

"“I want to credit the teams in our league, the @SEC, for preparing us for the kind of games you have to play this time of year”"

Before the Baylor game on Thursday, South Carolina Associate Head Coach, Matt Figger was interviewed on WJOX and commented on SEC basketball competition:

"“I would much rather play the two teams we just played (Marquette and Duke) than play Alabama again.”"

In the last few days, Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina have gained national attention for the tenacity of their defensive play A Football Conference Taking Over NCAA Tournament

"“To South Carolina, this is nothing new. It’s what Frank Martin’s team has been doing all season. Their defense entered the tournament rated one of the best in the sport. They win by pushing opponents around and dictating the style of the game. And that style is aggressive, built on sheer strength.”"

A couple of weeks ago Bama Hammer ranked the SEC basketball coaches from top to bottom SEC Coaches from Worst to Best. What we said about Frank Martin was: “Frank Martin may do more with less than any other coach in the SEC.”

Back to what all this means for Alabama basketball next season. Check out this tweet from Blake Lovell

SEC basketball is on an upswing, and it is no fluke. SEC wins, particularly road wins, will have greater weight in next year’s NCAA tournament selection. It will be no surprise if six SEC teams qualify for the 2018 Big Dance.

Alabama basketball follows South Carolina as the biggest mover when this season’s performance and next season recruiting are both considered. Florida, Arkansas and Vanderbilt are all good and likely to become even better.

The SEC’s two coaching weak links have been replaced. Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Tennessee each have proven winners as head coaches.

Alabama basketball fans – counter any March Sadness you may feel by taking a clue from Coach Avery. We can look forward to a future of Dancin.

Next: Help is on the Way for Next Season

Connect with us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us know your thoughts about Alabama basketball and who you are picking to advance to the Final Four: Kentucky, Florida or South Carolina.

One more fun perspective – the last team to beat South Carolina was Alabama.