Is SEC Hype a Double-Edged Sword?
If you're not a fan of the Southeastern Conference, than chances are you've become nauseated by all the love it gets in college football. Everyone knows about their streak of national championships (never mind that a few of those belong to coaches that are now out of the league). As selections were made last night for NCAA men's basketball tournament though, the fourteen-team conference saw just three teams selected. If not for a run by Ole Miss in the SEC tournament, that list might have been trimmed to two. One of those two is newcomer (and relative football lightweight) Missouri. So does its football prowess spell doom in hoops for the SEC?
The RPI Doesn't Lie
It's no secret that the NCAA selection committee relies on the RPI to choose at-large teams for the tournament. The RPI looks at your win-loss record, your opponents' win-loss records, and your opponents' opponents' records. Florida ranked 8th, Missouri was 35th, and Ole Miss 48th. Usually, at-large teams need a top fifty RPI ranking. So Kentucky at 57th, Tennessee at 59th, and Alabama at 60th all missed the cut. That trio of outsiders all had winning records in the SEC and at least 20 wins overall. But the weakness of their schedule (which is a reflection of their conference), sank these teams. By contrast, the Big Ten sent schools like Minnesota and Illinois to the tournament despite losing conference records for both schools. Both teams had RPI rankings in the top 40.
Perception Matters
No doubt, the football reputation of the SEC has benefitted member schools in terms of their recruiting and postseason opportunities. But might that also cause top basketball prospects to reject what are essentially "football schools"? Or top coaches? Might the selection committee have given at least one of the bubble teams a longer look if the conference had a better basketball brand? Villanova snuck into the tournament with just 19 wins overall from the hoops-crazy Big East. That pushed them ahead of a team with a much higher RPI in Southern Miss that plays in Conference USA. With football driving so much in college athletics, it might also be driving the SEC out of the conversation in basketball.
Not Their Year
Maybe 2013 is just a blip on the radar. After all, Kentucky won the whole thing a year ago when four SEC teams made it (and the league still had just twelve teams). Missouri also got in last year. Still, it will be something to watch in the years to come. SEC's success in football just might undermine their prospects in March.
3/19/2013
Its because the SEC policy of playing no one in non conference ( Other then BAMA or LSU) works against you in Basketball.. It gives you a significantly smaller margin for error.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/19/2013
Check this out about the Big 10:
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/d9Zns?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=college-football
3/19/2013
I’m Husker fan that lives in the SEC. The heart of Big Blue Nation at that. I don’t think your logic about the SEC being a football conference therefore their basketball will be hurt holds any water. Look at the recruiting classes and where top recruits go for basketball. Plus the conversely could be said for the Big Ten and Nebraska fans would not agree with that idea either. So as both a Husker football fan and a UK basketball fan this argument does not make a lot of sense.
Berlin, Ohio
3/19/2013
Amy and I have something in common. I grew up in NE KY. Everyone I knew was an OSU football fan and a UK basketball fan. OSU basketball used to not amount to too much and the UK football team, well, I didn’t know they had one.
I think the author is onto something, but not sure if this is an abberation or a trend. Regardless, basketball will always be huge in KY and UK will always be a top program. They were a little down this year, but I think they won the whole thing last year! Next year’s set of one and dones include the #1 players at 3 positions and the other guys are in the top 10. I think they will be OK. Not sure about the rest of the conference though, but also not sure it has to do with football.
But I used to hear people say that OSU BB would never be that successful because they had to compete with FB. They have been very, very good over the past decade or so with several final four appearances.
So, maybe there is something here but I can’t tell if it is an abberation or trend.
Columbus, Ohio
3/20/2013
This is my first post to BIG RED. As a Buckeye Alum….a belated, but sincere “WELCOME” to the Big Ten!!! Really proud to have you as an EQUAL (check it out Texass) partner in our tradition rich conference!!! How is that network workin’ out for ya Texas?
Anyway, I think there is something to the football/basketball argument. What helps our conference overcome that is the powerful history of basketball in the north vs the south. Call it a cold climate sport, but having grown up in Indiana….BASKETBALL is huge. This is also true in other gyms around the Midwest, like Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland etc. It is also a sport that thrives in “big” cities. Street ball, alley ball etc. I will say, we are doing better in the Big Ten at combining quality in both sports consistently. MSU, OSU,UofM, UW.
Hopefully, your new facilities will help in your efforts to raise basketball expectations…look at PSU in women’s b’ball.
Anyway….Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and Les Miles are all from Big Ten Country (that accounts for their national championships) Come to the Big Ten for “SMARTS!” to coach your teams!!!
GO BIG TEN!!!
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/20/2013
Kerry,
Does that also mean that Bo Pelini has to leave the Big 10 Conference to win a national championship?
Sorry, guy, I couldn’t resist.
I do believe Urban Meyer is a freak when it comes to coaching. This guy is a tremendous motivator of young men. I am POSITIVE that within 2 years of being done with probation, this guy will have his next NC team. He has something like an .824 winning pct.
He might end up having more national championships than most coaches have fingers.
Having said all of that, he also has a very annoying ego that doesn’t allow him to be honest.
Berlin, Ohio
3/21/2013
I think this fall OSU will have a shot to earn the right to go to the big game. Our “probation” is over in terms of post season bans, and the remaining hurdle involves 3 schollies for each the next 2 years. Something tells me 6 players are not going to be the difference between being elite and not.
Most disappointing is the awful schedule Ohio State plays. The non-conference is a joke, and some potential SOS boosters like Nebraska are off. They will have to go undefeated and hope teams with better schedules lose. We Buckeye fans are in the unique position of praying that Michigan is a really good football team and that we can beat them in AA. But as long as Urban is there, OSU will have something approaching SEC talent - and that will make them contenders.
Wakita, Oklahoma
3/21/2013
WinOSU,
You will not have to wait long for your next NC. If Coach Meyer thinks he can make any of the middle aged crowd forget Woody Hayes even for a minute, he will end his career at OSU. I mean where do you go from there. It’s obviously a destination job. Florida…not so much, in my opinion.
I would love it if Oklahoma were to renew the series with tOSU someday soon. I have not looked into the future schedule to see if they already have plans to. We have had some great games against each other.
Berlin, Ohio
3/22/2013
Ohio State is in the process of upgrading their schedule with home and homes against some SEC and PAC 12 teams in response to the playoff that is coming. They play Texas 2 games starting in 2020.
The last game with OU I remember was a loss at Ohio Stadium on a long OU FG late. Ticked me off! I’m going back into the early or mid 70’s?
But yeah, I would like to see a series between those two teams. The key though for any BIG team aspiring to be one of the 4 playoff teams is for the BIG to be one of the best conferences top to bottom. We have work to do, but I think the foundation is laid. MSU has elevated their program. NW is looking good. Indiana is making a move. PSU will look good when their death penalty is over as long as O’Brien is there. We need OSU, Wisc, TSUN, and Neb to be premier programs perennially. Now it is up to the BIG recruiters to get into the south and pull some of those players to the north.