SEC vs. ACC: 5 Reasons the SEC was the better basketball conference in 2016-17
The Strength of Conference Play
According to CBS Sports, Vanderbilt played the most grueling schedule in the nation, and still made the tourney. Florida conquered an uphill battle, with the seventh toughest schedule. Kentucky came in at fourteenth, and Georgia posted at fifteenth.
It’s a proven fact that the most difficult part of these four teams’ schedules was conference play. One might be baffled by this if they disregarded the SEC as a legitimate basketball power, but the data supports it. After all, these teams managed a combined 35-16 non-conference record. The Commodores had the worst non-conference record out of the four, finishing 7-6.
"“I want to credit the teams in our league in the SEC for preparing us for the kind of games that you have to play at this time of year,” Martin said. “Those coaches, those players that we fought against every single day got these guys prepared to harden, to understand how hard and how disciplined you have to play to have a chance to win at this time of year.”"
Martin seems to have a valid point. While most of the conference was busy eating itself alive, the Gamecocks managed to survive with an average margin of victory of 7.9 points. By the time the postseason rolled around, they had already been tested, and refined from it. The ACC boasted three teams with a margin of victory in double-digits. North Carolina led with an average of 13.8 points.