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While ESPN’s higher-ups have been doing anything and everything to bolster the SEC’s status and supposed dominance this season, the reality of the situation unfolded in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
14 SEC teams were placed in the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee, and after the opening round, the league has one of the worst records of any eligible conference.
Through the opening round, the SEC’s 14 teams hold an overall record of 8-6, while the Big Ten is undefeated at 8-0, followed closely behind by the Big 12, which sports a 6-1 record. Elsewhere, the WCC is 2-0, the Big East is 4-2, the Mountain West is 2-2, and the ACC is 2-3.
First Round 2025 NCAA Tournament Record By Conference
Big Ten: 8-0
Big 12: 6-1
Big East: 4-2
SEC: 8-6
ACC: 2-3
WCC: 2-0
Mountain West: 2-2
The Big 12’s lone loss, Kansas, came against John Calipari and Arkansas, a game that cemented the Jayhawks’ struggles to adapt to the new era of collegiate basketball. The Big 12 did receive a win over the SEC thanks to Baylor, who clashed with Mississippi State in an exciting game.
The SEC will have a chance to improve its stock in the Round of 32, while the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East have a chance to stick the final nail in the coffin of their rival’s overblown hype.
Of the SEC’s three games on Saturday, two are against Big East teams, with two against the Big Ten. Arkansas plays St. John’s and Auburn takes on Creighton, while Tennessee faces UCLA and Texas A&M tips off vs. Michigan.
On Sunday, it will be the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and WCC each with their own opportunities to spoil the SEC’s season. Florida plays UConn, Kentucky faces Illinois, Ole Miss tips off vs. Iowa State and Alabama takes on Saint Mary’s.
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Report: Michigan Native, Four-Star PG, a 'Priority Recruit' for MSU
Things are ramping up in college basketball when it comes to recruiting the class of 2026. And Michigan State is part of the action. The Spartans have been targeting some high-quality recruits, including some who have shot up the rankings since Michigan State offered them. One of those is four-star point guard Carlos Medlock Jr., who plays for Link Academy High School in Missouri but was originally from the state of Michigan. The Spartans offered Medlock over a month ago, and rival Michigan followed suit right after. It's sounding like the battle could very well come down to the in-state rivals. "In June, Michigan-native CJ Medlock saw his stock rise to a bona fide high-major recruit," wrote Jamie Shaw of On3/Rivals. "At that point, both in-state schools, Michigan and Michigan State, offered. Since then, programs like Creighton and Oklahoma State stepped up with tenders. "Medlock, whose dad (Carlos Medlock) scored over 1,500 career points at Eastern Michigan, has not announced any visit dates, and in speaking with Medlock, he is still open to newcomers. Speaking with one source around the recruitment, I am told they feel Medlock will be tough to pull out of the state of Michigan. "Speaking with another source, I am told that Tom Izzo has made Medlock a priority recruit. With the late nature of his rise, he could still see more offers come into play. Continue to pay attention to which visits he sets and if a commitment timeline starts to take shape." It's rather interesting if this is actually true. Izzo has a through-and-through floor general in Jeremy Fears Jr., who will likely still be here a year from now, barring a massive leap next season or a transfer. And you've got a young talent behind him in transfer sophomore Divine Ugochukwu, though, despite starting experience at Miami (FL), still has to prove himself. Of course, a lot of prospects who run the point in high school are moved to shooting guard in college, so the Spartans don't have to be set on putting Medlock at the 1 if he were to choose the Spartans. Medlock showed out in Adidas 3SSB Session 3 earlier this month. These stats, courtesy of SpartanMag's Paul Konynyk, tell the story: So regardless of needs, this is a talent any team should love to have. Keep up with all our coverage of Michigan State basketball when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and make sure to share your thoughts on Medlock when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
Caitlin Clark drops mic on Kelsey Plum's Instagram post
Caitlin Clark might be the most popular figure in women's basketball right now, but she continues to draw shots left and right, both on and off the court. The Iowa product has stayed even keeled and mostly unrattled, but that doesn't mean she won't fight back. That's why, in the light of Kelsey Plum's recent comments, she decided to take matters into her own hands and clapped back at her with a simple, six-word message. Plum shared a picture of her during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, which showed half of a Nike logo in the background. Clark was quick to spot it and just wrote "Thank u for the Nike ad." This happened just hours after Plum seemingly took a shot at Clark and her Team Clark teammates for reportedly not getting involved in their pre-game protest. “The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum revealed. “That really needed to be mentioned,” Sabrina Ionescu added while both laughed. WNBA All-Stars warmed up with a T-Shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us,' ahead of their new CBA agreement, which is expected to be signed in the offseason. WNBA players get around 9 percent of the league's revenue, and they're asking for a bigger share since most of them also have to play overseas during the offseason because of the salary disparity. Plum is the vice president of the WNBPA, so it's not surprising to see her so involved in the protest and the demands. Then again, it's hard to understand the reasoning behind the tattle telling, as not only does it show that there might not be a united front ahead of these negotiations, but it also drives attention away from where it should be.
Maple Leafs are reportedly looking to make a splash trade
With the Toronto Maple Leafs losing star Mitch Marner this offseason, the team has had to fill a massive hole in the lineup. The Toronto front office has done a decent job so far, and the roster looks a little more well-rounded. But it seems that the Maple Leafs may not be done making moves this summer. According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos of SportsNet, Toronto could trade away defensemen Morgan Rielly or Brandon Carlo in an attempt to add more offense. "While we do also have Morgan Rielly on this list, if the Leafs move a defenseman it'll likely only be one of them. But while Rielly comes with the complication of a no-movement clause, Brandon Carlo has just an eight-team no-trade list and so is also worth putting on the trade board. "Making $3.485M against the cap for another two years, Carlo was a welcome addition to the Leafs' defense corps, averaging 19:13 of ice time per game and nearly two minutes on the PK. In the playoffs, he was among the team's shot-blocking leaders," Kypreos wrote. Marner accounted for 27 goals and 75 assists last season, which will be very tough for the Maple Leafs to replace. But the team does have a limited number of tradable assets to work with, which could potentially be why they are thinking of trading a defender. The Toronto front office remains very active on the trade front and it could lead to a deal taking place. There is still plenty of time left between now and the start of the regular season, giving the Maple Leafs some needed optionality before the new year.
Is Giants' Joe Schoen already having second thoughts about Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders decision?
The New York Giants were routinely linked with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Giants ultimately traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25. For a piece published on Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News revisited how Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ended up with Dart instead of Sanders earlier this year. "Members of the Giants’ staff had fawned over Shedeur Sanders," Leonard wrote. "Giants brass had spent a lot more time with Sanders during the fall. Then, Daboll’s increased participation after the NFL season steered the process in a different direction." Sanders allegedly had a rough visit with Daboll ahead of the draft, and a report from early May revealed that "Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn't hit it off with Giants coaches." A different story claimed that Schoen "shifted his preference to Dart this spring as head coach Brian Daboll warmed to Dart as a player and person and Schoen rounded out his own evaluation" before the draft got underway. That said, Schoen raised some eyebrows when he said during a May interview that he knew the club would select Dart over Sanders as of "the week of the draft." Schoen also said the decision was the result of a "collaborative process." According to Leonard, those comments were seen by some as "not exactly a firm endorsement of a player standing out above the rest" as it pertains to the quarterbacks. "...Schoen’s lukewarm rhetoric and reluctance to stick his neck out about Dart caught the attention of some people around the league," Leonard added. "And it has put the rookie in a strange position: trying to validate support that almost sounds conditional." Meanwhile, Sanders fell to the draft's fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at selection No. 144. As of Monday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders (+870 odds) and Dart (+1060 odds) as significant betting underdogs to serve as Week 1 starters in September. Cleveland is expected to go with Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett for its regular-season opener, while Russell Wilson is on track to start for the Giants against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. In short, fans may have to wait a long time to learn if Schoen has any buyer's remorse about possibly being talked into drafting Dart when Sanders was on the board.
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