Alabama Basketball: ‘Down’ SEC could get seven NCAA Tournament bids

Alabama Basketball: Kentucky has dragged the SEC’s reputation down this season but the conference has a chance to get seven NCAA Tournament bids.

Led by Alabama Basketball, the SEC has seven teams in the latest NCAA NET ranking, top 56 teams. Six of the seven SEC teams will make the NCAA Tournament field. The one current bubble team, Ole Miss is one of the two hottest teams in the conference.

Ole Miss has won four straight games and sits at No. 56 in the NCAA NET. The hottest team in the SEC is Arkansas, winners of seven straight SEC games and seven of their last eight.

The SEC record for NCAA Tournament teams is eight, set in the 2018 season. Alabama Basketball was a No. 9 seed that year, in its last ‘Big Dance’ appearance. The SEC will not get eight this season when the First Four tips off on Mar. 18, but Ole Miss has a chance to make it seven for the SEC.

The Kentucky Wildcats having just seven wins in mid-February has shocked the college basketball world. The Cats have won their last two and will go into the SEC Tournament as the leagues’ spoiler team gunning for upsets. The Cats’ struggles have resulted in national perception of the SEC being down this season. That opinion is not accurate.

There is no question the two strongest conferences in college basketball are the Big Ten and the Big 12. Most college basketball experts put the Big Ten on top. The B1G has a good chance to get nine teams in the NCAA Tournament. Some experts and Warren Nolan is one, place the Big 12 on top, using the old RPI formula to rate the conferences.

The out-of-conference record for the Big 12 is 59-16. The Big Ten is better at 67-14. The SEC is not far behind at 72-27. By the measurement posted by Nolan, the SEC is the No. 3 strongest conference.

Most Recent Bracketology for Alabama Basketball and other SEC teams

• Alabama Crimson Tide: 2-seed by Jerry Palm and Joe Lunardi
• Tennessee Vols: 3-seed by Palm and 4-seed by Lunardi
• Arkansas Razorbacks: 6-seed by Palm and Lunardi
• Missouri Tigers: 6-seed by Palm and Lunardi
• Florida Gators: 7-seed by Palm and Lunardi
• LSU Bengal Tigers: 8-seed by Palm and Lunardi

Palm only lists four bubble teams, not in the field. Ole Miss is not one of them. Lunardi lists eight teams and the ‘RebelBearSharks’ are his sixth team out as a bubble team.

A point to remember is the SEC’s four best teams this season have each been adversely impacted by injuries to key players. Without those injuries, the Crimson Tide, Vols, Razorbacks and the Missouri Tigers would have higher projected seeds.

Next up for the Crimson Tide is Vanderbilt at noon CST on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The biggest game of the SEC season follows the Dores, as the Tide goes on the road to take on Arkansas.