Of record seven SEC teams in Sweet 16, which have the best chance of advancing?

With a record seven teams in the Sweet 16 — breaking the previous record of six from the ACC in 2016 — the SEC is in an excellent position to win its first national championship since 2012 (Kentucky).

Here are three teams that have the best chance of advancing.

No. 1 seed Florida

Much like the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Gators appear to have the most straightforward path to the Final Four. After getting tested by the two-time defending-champion UConn in the Round of 32, Florida prevailed 77-75 and will now face a fourth-seeded Maryland team that is coming off the only buzzer-beater of the tournament so far when it defeated the 12-seed Colorado State on Sunday.

The Terrapins have the 10th-best NET ranking in the country, so they should pose a challenge to the Gators. However, Florida's ability to find a way to win against UConn shows it is ready for anything. 

If Florida gets to the Elite Eight, it will face the winner of the Texas Tech-Arkansas 3-10 matchup. The Red Raiders play at a pace similar to Florida, while the Gators already have a win over Arkansas in SEC play. The road is certainly not easy, but compared to the other six teams from the conference that are still dancing, Florida's upcoming slate in the West region looks a lot more manageable.

No. 2 seed Alabama

The Crimson Tide have put up 90 and 80 points in each of their two NCAA Tournament games so far and look capable of scoring with anyone. The only downside continues to be Alabama's defense, which allowed the 15-seed Robert Morris to put up 81 points in the first round.

A Sweet 16 meeting with the 6-seed BYU, whose NET ranking is 25th, should turn into a track meet, given the Cougars are 25th in the country in scoring (81.2 PPG), while Alabama leads the nation with 90.8 points per game. BYU is playing well, but Alabama's offense is plenty capable of outscoring the Cougars.

A potential Elite Eight meeting with the top-seed Duke could await, assuming the Blue Devils defeat the four-seed Arizona on Thursday. Although Duke has the best NET ranking and Arizona is 12th, the Crimson Tide have proved time and again they can score with anyone, as long as they can get enough stops defensively.

No. 3 seed Kentucky

Head coach Mark Pope has done a phenomenal job in his first season as the head coach of Kentucky. The Wildcats are in their first Sweet 16 since 2019 and head into a third meeting this season with the 2-seed Tennessee.

In each of those first two meetings, Kentucky forced Tennessee to shoot long-range shots, and the Volunteers only converted 14 of those 63 shots combined. The Wildcats have improved defensively since that last meeting with Tennessee, but keeping the game speed up and preventing Tennessee from having easy baskets from mid-range will be crucial toward Kentucky's success.

If Kentucky were to advance to the Elite Eight, a potential showdown with the top-seeded Houston Cougars could be waiting, unless fourth-seeded Purdue can pull the upset on Friday. If a Kentucky-Houston meeting comes to fruition, the Cougars' top-ranked defense (58.4 PPG) could pose some problems. However, Tennessee's defense (62.8 PPG) is eighth in the country, and Kentucky scored more than 70 in both games.

The way each of the seven teams are playing right now, you could make the case for any one of them to advance. As the field dwindles from 16 to eight, we will have a much clearer picture.