CHASING BLUEThe number of career NCAA tournament victories by each current SEC member:Kentucky* – 101Arkansas – 40Florida* – 26LSU – 24Alabama* – 18Tennessee – 16Auburn – 12Mississippi St. – 11Vanderbilt – 9Georgia* – 5South Carolina – 4Ole Miss – 3* — Totals after vacating wins due to NCAA sanctions
Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl doesn’t mind admitting the Southeastern Conference tends to be viewed as a stronger league when Kentucky is doing well.
Pearl also believes the SEC’s perception can benefit when the Wildcats get beat from time to time, especially after they’ve hung double-digit defeats on the likes of Louisville and Notre Dame.
“Kentucky doesn’t have to win this league for the SEC to be strong,” he said. “People recognize how good Kentucky is, but they also recognize that Kentucky has been challenged in the SEC. I think that makes a very, very strong statement about the depth and the balance of our league.”
Two years after sending just three teams to the NCAA tournament, which coincided with Kentucky’s consecutive streak in the event ending at 17, the SEC appears to have reclaimed its status as one of the sport’s premier conferences. Six of the league’s 12 members are projected to make next month’s field of 68 teams, with only the Big East expected to have more, albeit a lot more.