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· A record-tying 10 SEC teams received postseason bids. The SEC’s eight NCAA Tournament selections tied its previous bests set in 2018 and 2023. Additionally, two SEC teams will be competing in the National Invitation Tournament.
· It is the third straight season and sixth overall that the SEC has received 10 postseason bids.
· The SEC’s eight NCAA Tournament selections tied for the most in the nation (Big 12).
· The SEC’s four top four seeds are the most since 2002.
· The SEC has had 43 NCAA Tournament selections over the last six tournaments (7.2 selections per tournament).
· The SEC is 92-61 (60.1 percent) in the NCAA Tournament since 2012.
· All 14 SEC teams have made at least one NCAA Tournament appearance in the last nine tournaments.
· The SEC has had at least one team advance to the Sweet 16 in 33 of the last 34 tournaments.
· Nine different SEC teams have advanced to the Sweet 16 since the 2018 NCAA Tournament. All 14 SEC members have advanced to the Sweet 16 since 1996.
· The SEC has advanced at least one team to the Elite Eight in nine of the last 13 tournaments.
· Eight different SEC teams (Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina) have appeared in the Final Four.
· No. 4 seed Alabama is making its 10th overall Sweet 16 appearance and third time in four years under Nate Oats. The Tide are 25-21 all-time in the tournament.
· Georgia is making its third appearance in the NIT quarterfinals and their first since 1998. The bid is the Bulldogs’ 15th to the NIT.
· No. 2 seed Tennessee appearing in the Sweet 16 for the 10th time in school history and has reached the Regional Semifinal round in back-to-back years for the second time in school history. Rick Barnes is leading a team to the NCAA Tournament for the 28th time, tying Bob Knight for fourth-most all-time.
· Auburn earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the SEC Tournament championship. The Tigers made their 13th NCAA appearance and fifth in the last six tournaments. The Tigers are 19-13 (.594) all-time in NCAA Tournament games and 7-5 under Bruce Pearl.
· Seventh-seeded Florida made its 22nd NCAA appearance and first under second-year head coach Todd Golden. UF holds an all-time 45-20 record in the NCAA Tournament.
· No. 3 seed Kentucky extended its national record for most NCAA Tournament appearances to 61, earning a No. 3 seed. UK holds the NCAA Tournament record for most games played (185) and ranks second all-time in NCAA Tournament wins with 130.
· LSU returned to postseason play 24 months after the team had no coaching staff and no players on its roster by participating in the NIT. The Tigers made their ninth NIT appearance overall.
· Mississippi St. secured its second NCAA Tournament bid in as many years under Chris Jans as the Bulldogs earned a No. 8 seed. MSU made its 13th NCAA appearance.
· South Carolina made its first NCAA appearance since its 2017 run to the Final Four. It is the 10th appearance in program history for the sixth-seeded Gamecocks.
· Texas A&M made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010-11. It was the school’s 16th NCAA Tournament appearance.
· Five SEC teams are ranked in the March 18 Associated Press poll: 6th Tennessee, 7th Auburn, 12th Kentucky, 16th South Carolina, and 19th Alabama. Florida is among the teams receiving votes.
· Ten of the SEC’s 14 teams have been ranked in the Associated Press poll at one point this season.
· The SEC’s three Top 10 NET teams are the most in the nation, four Top 20 are the second-most, and seven Top 50 teams are second-most in the nation.
· Six SEC teams (4. Alabama, 8. Kentucky, 10. Auburn, 12. Florida, 26 Texas A&M, 30. Tennessee) rank in the Top 30 of KenPom’s offensive efficiency rankings.
· Three SEC teams (3. Tennessee, 5. Auburn, 22. Mississippi State) rank in the Top 25 of KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings.
· Three SEC teams rank in the Top 5 nationally in attendance: 1. Kentucky (358,702/19,928 avg), 2. Arkansas (343,905/19,106 avg), 4. Tennessee (314,617/19,664 avg).
· Tennessee won its 11th SEC championship with a 14-4 conference record. It is its fourth conference title since 2000 and second under head coach Rick Barnes (2018).
· Auburn won its third SEC Tournament title with an 86-67 win over Florida in the finals. Two of those titles have come under the direction of Bruce Pearl (2019).
· Kentucky’s John Calipari (813) and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes (805) are the only two active coaches in Division I with 800 or more wins.
· Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard was named the USBWA Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year. He is the third-straight SEC freshman to win the award, joining Alabama’s Brandon Miller (2023) and Auburn’s Jabari Smith (2022).
· SEC teams reached the 100-point mark 15 times in league play this season. That is more than any season in the last 25 years. The previous high was in 2020-21 when it was done five times. Fifteen of the last 25 seasons saw one or fewer teams reach the century mark in SEC games.
· ESPN’s College Gameday visited SEC arenas three times this season. The first stop was Bud Walton Arena (Kentucky at Arkansas on Jan. 17), followed by Neville Arena (Kentucky at Auburn on Feb. 17) and then Coleman Coliseum (Tennessee at Alabama on March 2).
· The SEC won the final three games of the first ACC/SEC Challenge to take a 7-7 tie with the ACC. The ACC/SEC Challenge marks the third interconference challenge the SEC has been a part of. The SEC also had events against the Big East (2007-08 to 2012-13) and Big 12 (2013-14 to 2022-23).
· Eight former SEC players were named to the 2024 NBA All-Star roster: Bam Adebayo (MIA/UK), Devin Booker (PHX/UK), Anthony Davis (LAL/UK) Anthony Edwards (MIN/UG), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC/UK), Tyrese Maxey (PHI/UK), Julius Randle (NYK/UK), and Karl-Athony Towns (MIN/UK).
· 60 SEC players have been selected in the last six NBA Drafts. That leads all conferences: 50 ACC, 41 Big Ten, 37 Pac-12, 29 Big 12 and 19 Big East.
· 92 players from SEC schools were on 2023-24 NBA Opening Day rosters. Twelve of 14 SEC schools are represented and at least one SEC player is on 29 of the 30 NBA rosters.
· Former Missouri forward Kobe Brown has been honored as a recipient of the NCAA Today’s Top 10 award and was honored at the NCAA Convention in January. The award recognizes former student-athletes for their exceptional athletic and academic achievements, as well as their contributions to their campuses and communities. The SEC led the nation with four honorees, also including Callie Dickinson of Georgia swimming & diving, Ashley Rogers of Tennessee softball and Trinity Thomas of Florida gymnastics.
NCAA Tournament Schedule (All Times Eastern):
Thursday, March 21
West Region First Round – Charlotte, N.C.
9 Michigan St. 69, 8 Mississippi St. 51
Midwest Region First Round – Pittsburgh, Pa.
11 Oregon 87, 6 South Carolina 73
South Region First Round – Pittsburgh, Pa.
14 Oakland 80, 3 Kentucky 76
Midwest Region First Round – Charlotte, N.C.
2 Tennessee 83, 15 Saint Peter’s 49
Friday, March 22
East Region First Round – Spokane, Wash.
13 Yale 78, 4 Auburn 76
South Region First Round – Indianapolis Ind.
10 Colorado 102, 7 Florida 100
South Region First Round – Memphis, Tenn.
9 Texas A&M 98, 8 Nebraska 83
West Region First Round – Spokane, Wash.
4 Alabama 109, 13 Charleston 96
Saturday, March 23
Midwest Region Second Round – Charlotte, N.C.
2 Tennessee 62, 7 Texas 58
Sunday, March 24
West Region Second Round – Spokane, Wash.
4 Alabama 72, 12 Grand Canyon 61
South Region Second Round – Memphis, Tenn.
1 Houston 100, 9 Texas A&M 95 ot
Thursday, March 28
West Region Semifinal – Los Angeles, Calif.
4 Alabama vs. 1 North Carolina CBS 9:39p
Friday, March 29
Midwest Region Regional Semifinal – Detroit, Mich.
2 Tennessee vs. 3 Creighton TBS/truTV 10:09p
National Invitation Tournament
Tuesday, March 19
North Texas 84, at 4 LSU 77
at 4 Georgia 78, Xavier 76
Sunday, March 24
4 Georgia 72, at 1 Wake Forest 66
Tuesday, March 26
NIT Quarterfinals
4 Georgia, at 2 Ohio St. ESPN+ 7:00p