ATLANTA, Georgia --Much like a political candidate Kentucky Coach John Calipari is on the stump touting the SEC as a basketball powerhouse. He talked about it during the SEC’s Monday media conference call and again Tuesday following his team’s win over Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum.
“My belief is that we have five Sweet 16 teams,” said Coach Cal outside the Cats locker room at UGA. “ I think Alabama and Vanderbilt are really good--Florida, obviously. I think we’re (Kentucky) pretty good and Mississippi State, who won at Vandy is really good and talented. I also think,” continued the coach, “you have teams like Mississippi and Arkansas, who are really good. What about Tennessee? Go win at Auburn, go win here (Georgia). All of a sudden there are no easy outs in this league. If you go on the road you probably have a chance of losing. So all I can tell you … I think we’ll have eight being talked about (for the NCAA tournament) and I don’t know how many will get in. But that’s good for us. That’s good for this league.”
Most will agree that the Southeastern Conference is the crème dela crème of college football, but basketball is another story. Five locks and eight possibles? That may be a stretch. But Calipari’s claims were bolstered last weekend by a pair of big upsets. Tennessee defeated UConn of the Big East, 60-57, and Arkansas dumped Michigan of the Big 10, 66-64.
Historically the SEC has had its share of hoops standouts. Think back to the Bernie (Bernard King) and Ernie (Grunfeld) show at Tennessee; Corliss Williamson and Ron Brewer among others on Nolan Richardson’s “40 Minutes of Hell” teams at Arkansas; Sam Bowie, Dan Issel, Rex Chapman and Jamal Mashburn at Kentucky; Robert Horry and Latrell Sprewell at Alabama; Shaquille O’Neal at LSU; and Litterial Green, Alec Kessler, and the inimitable Dominique at Georgia.
But, in the SEC, basketball talent has been spread out over the years and outside of Kentucky, very few teams are ever a threat for the national title. Kentucky has seven national championships, which is second to UCLA’s record 11. The only other teams to win it all were the one and done Razorbacks in 1994 and Billy Donovan’s Florida teams in 2006 and 2007.
But has a new era arrived in SEC basketball, where the league’s overall strength matches or exceeds that of the ACC and the Big East? Perhaps we’ll know more at season’s end when, if Calipari’s prediction comes true, the SEC will have several in the Big Dance and perhaps a national title to boot. But right now the evidence that that will happen is rather thin.
One measure, albeit easily challenged, is the league’s performance against out-of-conference foes. Through the games of January 24, the SEC has the second best percentage of wins in non-conference games at 67.4% (157-76). Only the Big 12 has a better percentage (68.9%). The Big East (66.9%), the ACC (64.3%), Conference USA (63.9%), the Atlantic 10 (59.1%) and the PAC 12 (57.0%) have not done as well as the SEC in 2012.
What about the RPI ranking, which factors in strength of schedule along with wins and losses. Again, the SEC falls short—but not by much. According to the web site Real Time RPI, the following are the top conferences and their RPI numbers as of this week: Big Ten (.5936), Big 12 (.5548), SEC (.5773); ACC (.5629); Atlantic Ten (.5485); PAC 12 (.5316) and Conference USA (.5283).
Much can be made of numbers, but in the end measuring the strength of a league is much like determining the best coach ever, the best running back ever, the best first baseman ever. Too many variables, too much subjectivity. There is one thing you can count on, however: if SEC teams continue performing as they have thus far in the 2011-2012 season, they will give fans of the league even greater bragging rights when March rolls around. Just ask Coach Cal.
Quick take…SEC basketball is on the brink of going to an 18-game conference schedule. The league feels it will help its RPI by having teams play tougher games with conference foes rather than having them go against so-called non-league “cupcakes.” The schedule, which may go to 19 before it is all over, will also help the league attract more CBS and ESPN games. Most coaches and A.D.s are in favor. One holdout is Calipari, who likes to mix it up with top teams from other leagues. He also has no problem filling Freedom Hall regardless who his team plays.
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