The SEC Is Dominating College Basketball Right Now

Published|Updated

With the college football season quickly reaching its climax, it's easy to forget that college basketball is in full-swing. But there's one group that clearly hasn't forgotten about basketball: the Southeastern Conference. 

The AP released the latest edition of the Top 25 on Monday, and it's dominated by the SEC. Tennessee jumped from #3 to the top spot and Auburn remained at #2, giving the conference the top two teams in the country. 

Plus, Kentucky is fifth, Alabama is seventh and Florida is ninth. So, yes, half of the Top 10 is occupied by SEC teams. 

But they aren't done! Oklahoma (13), Texas A&M (17), Ole Miss (19), and Mississippi State (25) also cracked the Top 25. Of the 16 teams in the conference, more than half (9) are currently ranked. 

We're still not done! Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas all received Top 25 votes from the panel. The only SEC schools who aren't currently sniffing the Top 25 are LSU (who is 8-1), Vanderbilt (9-1) and South Carolina (6-3). 

More than half of the SEC's 16 teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 in college basketball, five of them are in the Top 10, and Tennessee (1) and Auburn (2) are the top teams in the country.

More than half of the SEC's 16 teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 in college basketball, five of them are in the Top 10, and Tennessee (1) and Auburn (2) are the top teams in the country. 

(Imagn Images)

The addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC has bolstered what is already a great conference. While the SEC is known as a football conference, it's time for people to understand how deep and strong the league is in basketball. 

But, as with all sports, dominance is expressed in the postseason. While the SEC has captured six of the past nine championships in football, they haven't hoisted the trophy on the hardwood since 2012 (Kentucky). 

And that's the conference's only basketball title since Florida went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. Since the start of 2008, the SEC has won 11 National Championships in football, compared to one in basketball. 

The key when it comes to winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is getting as many teams in "The Dance" as possible. 

In that vein, the SEC is putting itself in a great position. The biggest problem for the league is going to be beating itself. While the teams are pounding the non-conference schedule (126-19 combined record), once the calendar turns to 2025, conference play gets into full swing. 

It'll be interesting to see how the Selection Committee views teams in the SEC who sit on the bubble, especially considering how difficult the conference schedule is for each team. 

But that's a discussion for three months from now. For now, there's no debate: the SEC is the best conference in college basketball. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.