SEC emerges with bragging rights after opening round of NCAA Tournament

The SEC's status as the preeminent college football conference is unquestioned, but its rank among the Power Five conferences in basketball is more up in the air. Maybe it's time that changed. 

Kentucky's first-round win over Providence gave the SEC its sixth win in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 64, more than any other conference.

Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe was dominant on the boards for the Wildcats, nearly outrebounding Providence by himself. He finished with 25 rebounds to Providence's 31.

The Wildcats' 61-53 win over the Friars came after the conference went 5-1 on the Opening Day of the first round.

The tournament's No. 1 overall team, Alabama, handily defeated No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 96-75. No. 7 Missouri and No. 8 Arkansas both won by double digits while No. 4 Tennessee and No. 9 Auburn held off tough challengers in their wins.

Texas A&M was the only SEC team to lose in the Round of 64, falling to No. 10 Penn State, 76-59.

Among the other Power Five conferences, the Big Ten can still get five teams to the next round should Indiana defeat Kent State on Friday. Either the Pac-12 or the Big 12 will add another team depending on who wins between TCU (Big 12) and Arizona State (Pac-12). 

The Big 12 has a chance to get five teams to the second round should TCU and Kansas State win on Friday evening while the Pac-12 will have two teams in the next round if the Sun Devils beat the Horned Frogs.

The ACC has three teams advancing to the Round of 32, headlined by No. 5 Duke.

As ESPN noted after Fairleigh Dickinson upset No. 1 Purdue, this tournament has already gone in a direction no one saw coming.