Georgia, SEC make NCAA Tournament history
The SEC has been the standard for elite conference basketball this year. The conference is usually known as the best football conference, but this season has been a basketball season to remember for the SEC.
The SEC has set a new record by placing 14 of its 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament bracket, besting the previous mark of 11 set by the Big East back in 2011 when it also had 16 members. By percentage (87.5%), the SEC's NCAA Tournament haul is also the best ever, topping the 77.7% mark posted when the nine-team Big East put seven schools in the 1991 bracket.
The SEC teams to make March Madness are No. 1 overall seed Auburn, No. 1 seed Florida, No. 2 seed Alabama, No. 2 seed Tennessee, No. 3 seed Kentucky, No. 4 seed Texas A&M, No. 6 seed Ole Miss, No. 6 seed Missouri, No. 8 seed Mississippi State, No. 9 seed Oklahoma, No. 9 seed Georgia, No. 10 seed Vanderbilt, No. 10 seed Arkansas, and No. 11 seed Texas. The only SEC teams to miss the NCAA Tournament are LSU and South Carolina.
"Best league in the history of college basketball," Georgia basketball coach Mike White said about hard the SEC schedule was for his team. Georgia basketball made March Madness despite having a 8-10 record in conference play. Teams under .500 in conference play usually miss the NCAA Tournament, but the SEC was so dominant this year in nonconference play that it had six teams make March Madness that won under half their conference games including Texas (6-12) and Oklahoma (6-12).
The Bulldogs played on the road for four games against top 10 opponents and faced 12 top 25 teams throughout conference play.
As the NCAA Tournament begins Tuesday with the First Four, the SEC will be closely watched as it tries to confirm its remarkable regular season, considered one of the most dominant in recent history.
The No. 9-seed Georgia will play the No. 8-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-8, 14-4 West Coast) on Thursday in Wichita, Kansas. Georgia plays in the Midwest Region of the bracket.
This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Georgia basketball, SEC make March Madness history
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