The SEC is going to be well represented in this year's NCAA Tournament, given how many good-to-great teams there are. The Alabama Crimson Tide can be considered one of those teams, but they have ridden a rollercoaster in the past week-plus. Alabama lost back-to-back games against the No. 1 Auburn Tigers and No. 15 Missouri Tigers.
The good thing for Alabama is that those losses were against some of the best teams in the country. All they could do was win their next couple of games to rebound. This past Saturday, Alabama defeated No. 17 Kentucky 96-83. Then, on Tuesday night, the Crimson Tide cruised to a dominating 111-73 win over the No. 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs.
There was a shocking result on Tuesday night, as Georgia upset Florida. This is now Florida's fourth loss in conference play, and it comes against a Georgia team likely not making the tournament.
So, what do the SEC standings look like after these results? And how does these results affect bracketology?
SEC standings after Alabama win over Texas A&M, Florida loss to Georgia
Place | Team | Overall Record (Conference Record) |
|---|---|---|
1. | Auburn | 25-2 (13-1) |
2. | Alabama | 23-5 (12-3) |
3. | Florida | 24-4 (11-4) |
4. | Tennessee | 23-5 (10-5) |
5. | Missouri | 21-7 (10-5) |
6. | Texas A&M | 20-7 (9-5) |
7. | Ole Miss | 19-8 (8-6) |
8. | Kentucky | 18-9 (7-7) |
9. | Mississippi State | 19-9 (7-8) |
10. | Vanderbilt | 18-9 (6-8) |
11. | Arkansas | 16-11 (5-9) |
12. | Texas | 16-11 (5-9) |
13. | Georgia | 17-11 (5-10) |
14. | Oklahoma | 17-10 (4-10) |
15. | LSU | 14-14 (3-12) |
16. | South Carolina | 11-17 (1-14) |
Alabama can still catch up with Auburn, but it won't be easy
The Crimson Tide are just a game and a half behind the Auburn Tigers for first place in the SEC. That's good with three games left on their schedule. The bad news is, their remaining schedule is brutal. To close out the regular season before the conference tournament, the Crimson Tide face No. 5 Tennessee, No. 3 Florida, and No. 1 Auburn.
Florida takes step back after shocking loss to Georgia
Florida had very much been in the running alongside Auburn and Alabama for first place in the conference. But on Tuesday night, the Gators lost 88-83 to the Georgia Bulldogs. Even though Florida battled its way back from a 26-point deficit at halftime, it wasn't enough, as Georgia picked up its fifth conference win of the season.
SEC bracketology after Alabama dominates Mississippi State, Georgia upsets Florida
Alabama still in good shape
While Alabama isn't in first place in the SEC, they are still in good shape heading into the NCAA Tournament.
On ESPN's Joe Lunardi's latest edition of Bracketology early Tuesday morning, Alabama was listed as a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. That comes before their dominant win over Mississippi State. As for the landscape of the Midwest Region, it looks pretty favorable, with notable opponents being St. John's, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Given the talent on Alabama, they could make a run to the Final Four, on paper.
Arkansas, Oklahoma alive in March Madness chase
The first year with John Calipari as head coach hasn't led to immediate success, as they are 5-10 in conference play. Yet, the team is still 16-11 on the year, which is impressive considering how stacked the conference is. With that, their hpes ares till alive.
Lunardi listed Arkansas as a "last four in" team in his latest edition of bracketology. This comes before their game against Texas, who is also a "last four in " squad, on Wednesday night. A win would certainly increase the Razorbacks' odds of making the tourney.
The Oklahoma Sooners are currently a No. 11 seed in Lunardi's bracketology update. They play on Wednesday night against No. 17 Kentucky.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 26, 2025
Florida loses No. 1 seed in Joe Lunardi bracketology update
Florida has quality wins on its resume, particularly against Tennessee and Auburn. As of now, Florida is the only SEC team to beat Auburn. But that loss to Georgia on Tuesday night really hit them hard in terms of the bracket.
Lunardi posted an update to his bracketology article on Tuesday, and had Florida falling to a No. 2 seed. As for who took their spot, that would be the Houston Cougars.
Hope is not lost for Florida, but their remaining schedule isn't easy, as they take on No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 6 Alabama, and Ole Miss. Plus, there's always the SEC Tournament for the Gators to help their seeding in the NCAA Tournament.