SEC Breaks Records with 14 Teams Selected for NCAA Tournament

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference has made history by placing 14 teams into the NCAA Tournament, solidifying its status as the dominant conference in college basketball. This unprecedented achievement was announced during Selection Sunday on March 18, 2025.

Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser, who previously coached in the Big 12, reflected on the remarkable athleticism present in the SEC this season. “There is no bottom,” Moser stated. “The athleticism, in my opinion, I’ve never seen in any league in any era.” The SEC boasts the overall No. 1 seed, Auburn, alongside another No. 1 seed, Florida, and four more teams ranked within the top four seeds of their respective regions.

The 14 selections surpass the previous record of 11 teams, held by the Big East during its peak. Buzz Williams, the Texas A&M coach and a longtime participant in both the Big East and ACC, noted the significance of the current season. “I do think what’s transpiring is historic,” said Williams. “Every possession can move the needle.”

The transformation of the SEC began in 2016 when Greg Sankey took over as commissioner. Under Sankey’s leadership, the conference has seen improvements in several areas, starting with its basketball culture. Initially, only three SEC teams qualified for the tournament in Sankey’s first year, prompting him to focus on building a stronger basketball infrastructure.

Key hires included Mike Tranghese, the former Big East commissioner, and Dan Leibovitz, who has NBA ties and added basketball expertise to the league’s administration. These changes were pivotal in promoting the idea that success in both football and basketball could be achieved simultaneously.

Investment in facilities has surged, with over half of the current teams upgrading or building new arenas since Sankey took charge. “When the whole world is watching Vanderbilt, the return on investment is exponential,” expressed Mark H. Carter, a businessman supporting NIL initiatives with a $1.5 million matching gift to the school.

This season, Vanderbilt received its first NCAA Tournament bid in eight years, bolstered by victories over several NCAA-caliber teams, including Seton Hall and Virginia Tech. The SEC teams collectively boasted a strong record against major conferences, highlighting their depth and strength.

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard remarked on the league’s competitiveness, saying, “I thought it was a record non-conference success rate for all the teams in our league.” Beard emphasized the need for a resilient mindset among players when facing tough competition.

The only SEC teams to miss out on the NCAA Tournament were LSU and South Carolina, despite both recording wins against competitors that qualified. Even with their absence from the brackets, the SEC’s overall performance left little doubt that it deserved its record number of bids.

Kobe Brea, a guard from Kentucky, highlighted the pressure and quality of play in SEC games. “Every single game that you play in this conference is an elite-level game,” he stated. “It’s been a historic year for any conference.” This year’s performance may set a new standard not just for the SEC but for college basketball as a whole.