Tennessee’s emphatic road win over Texas A&M on Saturday might have just opened the door for the Volunteers to nab a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It also could anchor down an SEC sweep of the top four seeds in the Big Dance.
The SEC has been the most dominant conference in college basketball, bar none. And it pains me to say it because of how much the conference acted immature about feeling “snubbed” in the College Football Playoff just a month or two ago.
But you can’t ignore their dominance in basketball this season, and it’s clear the Volunteers have what it takes to be one of the top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament. And their latest Quad 1 win, their ninth of the season and second win over an AP top 10 team this season, is validation that they’re legit.
For as good as Duke has been this year, their conference schedule isn’t helping them when it comes to deciding which teams get a No. 1 or No. 2 seed when it comes between the Blue Devils and the rest of the SEC.
Florida, Auburn and Alabama have long been the most dominant teams in the conference and rightfully predicted to be No. 1 seeds in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology release. But with Tennessee’s win over Texas A&M, it should open the door for Tennessee to complete the conference sweep of the No. 1 seeds.
Tennessee’s resounding win over Texas A&M should be enough to reward Volunteers with No. 1 seed
This year feels much different when it comes to the landscape of the top teams in college basketball. The SEC is in a tier of its own this year. The Big 12, the Big Ten and the ACC just haven’t been close to this season.
There’s been some good teams, but none as strong as the SEC. Which is why — and again, I hate to defend this — but why the top four seeds should probably be SEC teams. I think it will come down to the SEC Tournament to determine which ones.
That said, I just don’t see how Duke can leapfrog one of those top seeds. I think Houston is good, but again, if they lose early in the Big 12 tournament or they don’t win out, I don’t see how they crack the No. 1 seed line. Iowa State is another team having a good season, but they're awfully banged-up right now, and the SEC's scheduling advantage could be tough to beat.
Texas A&M has been a top team all season, despite some questionable losses. And a road win for Tennessee, especially closing out the game the way they did at the end, the Volunteers look like a team that should be the No. 1 seed.
I wouldn’t be mad if a team like Duke, Houston, Texas Tech or even Iowa State get a No. 1 seed if one of them goes on a conference tournament run. That said, I think if Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn and Florida all make the conference tournament semifinals, they should be rewarded with the No. 1 seed.