SEC Basketball Loaded with Seven Teams in 2019 NCAA Tournament

Seven SEC Schools Made it to the Big Dance

The seven SEC teams that made the tournament fought tooth and nail all season long.

Two teams are in the Midwest region, two in the East region, two in the South region and one in the West Region.

West Region

Florida is the sole team in the West region and has a No. 10 seed. The Gators face off with Nevada in the opening round. However, a week ago Florida didn’t know if it would make the big dance or not.

After the Gators semi-final performance in the conference championship, they did enough to be one of the 64 teams.

Florida currently has a 19-15 overall record and went 9-9 in SEC play. The Gators finished 8th in the conference.

Midwest Region

Kentucky and Auburn are in the Midwest Region. The Wildcats are the No. 2 seed while the Tigers are the No. 5 seed.

Auburn is on a hot streak after overcoming tremendous odds in the conference tournament.

The Tigers defeated Missouri,  South Carolina, Florida, and then demolished Tennessee in the title game. Auburn won its second conference tournament and the first since 1985. The Tigers currently have a 26-9 overall record and an 11-7 SEC record.

Auburn may have won the SEC Tournament but finished the SEC rankings tied for fourth with South Carolina.

The Tigers face off against No. 12 seed New Mexico State in the opening round.

As for Kentucky, the Wildcats fell short one game to defend their SEC title. They currently have a 27-6 overall record and finished  15-3 in the SEC behind LSU.

The Wildcats, according to the SEC, extended its national record for most NCAA Tournament appearances to 58 this year. Kentucky holds a 126-51 record in NCAA action. That record gives them the fifth-best winning percentage (71.2%) in NCAA history.

Kentucky takes on No. 15 seed Abilene Christian in the first round.

Auburn and Kentucky could end up seeing each other if the two teams make it to the Elite Eight round.

East Region

In the East Region for the SEC is Mississippi State and LSU. The Tigers hold the No. 3 seed in the region while the Bulldogs hold a No. 5 seed.

LSU won the regular season SEC title after going 16-2 in conference play. The Tigers currently hold a 26-6 overall record as well.

They were a favorite for the SEC Tournament but fell to Flordia 76-73 in the quarterfinal round. After the loss, hopefully, the Tigers find a way to avoid complacency and stay tight because there is no room for mistakes in the big dance.

This bid is LSU’s 22nd in school history and the first time since 2015. Despite having drama with head coach Will Wade and a couple of its players, the Tigers found ways to win.

The Tigers face off against No. 14 seed Yale in the opening round.

Like the Tigers, Mississippi State fell in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs lost to Tennessee 83-76.

Mississippi State currently has a 23-10 overall record and a 10-8 SEC record.  This return to the big dance is the first time since 2009 for the Bulldogs and the 11th time in school history.

The Bulldogs face off against No. 12 seed Liberty in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

South Region

In the South Region, Tennessee and Ole Miss are the two SEC representatives.

Tennessee is the No. 2 seed while Ole Miss is the No. 8 seed. The No. 2 seed for the Vols is a program-best for the third time ever. They also earned this seed in 2006 and 2008. It’s also Tennessee’s 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Volunteers put together another impressive season with a 29-5 overall record and tied for second in the SEC rankings with a 15-3 record.

Tennessee made it to the SEC Tournament finals for the second year in a row but again fell short, this time to Auburn.

The Vols look to make a deep run in the big dance,  but first Tennessee must get through No. 15 seed Colgate in the first round.

Ole Miss came out of nowhere this season, and a big thanks should go to head coach Kermit Davis. His ability to turn Ole Miss around resulted in him winning SEC Coach of the Year.

After finishing dead last in SEC play last year, the Rebels tied with their in-state rivals Mississippi State for fourth in SEC rankings with a 10-8 record.

The Rebels currently have a 20-12 overall record. Ole Miss faces off with No. 9 seed Oklahoma in day two of the opening round.