SEC's NCAA Tournament record shows how far the conference has come

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) officially runs the show in men’s NCAA basketball. On Selection Sunday, the conference earned a record 14 bids to the tournament. That’s right, a whopping 14 teams will be dancing this March Madness, and if you do the math, that translates into $26 million in revenue. 

The SEC wasn’t always the top dog in college basketball. Heck, a decade ago, it wasn’t even close. Back in the 2010s, the SEC was barely scraping by usually getting three or four bids to the big dance. Fast forward to today, and the SEC has become a force to be reckoned with. They’ve gone from being an afterthought to the powerhouse of men’s college hoops. This year they are representing at the very top. Both Auburn and Florida earned No. 1 seeds, while Tennessee and Alabama are No. 2 seeds. Overall, six of the 14 teams earned top four seeds.

The SEC has invested heavily in its basketball programs over the years. We're talking millions of dollars going into coaching staff, facilities and everything in between. They weren’t satisfied with just being good — they wanted to be elite. Take a look at the salaries of SEC coaches. Eight of them are in the top 20 highest-paid men's college basketball coaches in the country, and with elite coaching comes elite recruiting.

On top of that, schools have gone all-in on new, cutting-edge basketball facilities. We're talking state-of-the-art arenas, top-tier training centers and resources that make players feel like pros. The SEC realized that if they were going to compete with the big boys — think Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas — they needed to level up. 

As much as money and facilities are important, they’re not the entire picture. The SEC has built a culture of winning that’s attracting top talent. Kids want to play in a competitive, high-energy environment where they know they’ll be challenged. The SEC’s brand has gone from football dominance to basketball supremacy. When these athletes look at the SEC now, they see a conference that produces winners, not just a football powerhouse. Schools like Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee have risen to the occasion and consistently turned out some of the best teams in the country.

And let’s not forget, the SEC’s success isn’t just about the 14 teams making it to the tournament. It’s about what comes next. Can they win it all? Kentucky is the last SEC team to bring home a national championship, taking the trophy in 2012. But with the way things are looking, the SEC is primed to take the crown again soon. 

So, here’s the bottom line: The SEC is no longer just the king of college football, it’s the king of college basketball, too.