Sankey: Record 14 NCAA bids ‘justified’ for SEC

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– The SEC is on the cusp of college basketball history, as the league is poised to climax for a lot of NCAA tournament bids by a conference.The concern sticking around over Selection Sunday: The number of more bids will the SEC get than the existing record of 11, set by the Big East in 2011? The SEC projects to have as numerous as 14 groups, and commissioner Greg Sankey told ESPN on Friday night that number would be “justified, “considering how the league has actually performed this season.” It’s a unicorn league right now,”Sankey said.

“We’re not going to alter our name, however we stand alone traditionally. And I believe that’ll be rewarded.” Editor’s Picks 1 Related Texas, which projects as the last team in the males’s NCAA competition in Joe Lundardi’s most current Bracketology, would

be the SEC’s 14th team. The Longhorns might have provided their opportunities a substantial increase versus No. 8 Tennessee on Friday, but fell 83-72. Vols coach Rick Barnes said afterward that there’s “no doubt”that Texas (19-15) is an NCAA competition team.”I believe we must have 14

groups in the NCAA competition, “Barnes said.Strengthening the SEC’s case for 14 bids is a nonconference schedule that is statistically amongst the very best in the history of the sport. That includes a 30-4 record against the ACC, a 14-2 record against the Big 12 and a 10-9 record versus the Big Ten.The SEC’s general winning portion in nonconference play was.889, which caused a bubble team, Texas, having 7 Quad 1 wins.Sankey didn’t discuss North Carolina by name, but he appeared to reference the Tar Heels’1-12 record in Quad 1 games. Greg Sankey said the SEC has actually been” incomparable “this season, including a 30-4 record

versus the ACC and an.889 non-conference winning percentage. Tim Warner/Getty Images”You got somebody that’s got a good web [ ranking], however one Quad 1 win. LSU has 2 Quad 1 wins, for goodness’sake,”Sankey stated, referring to the SEC’s Tigers, who ended up 15th in the conference and had simply three league wins.He included:” We went 30-4 against the ACC. Put their high-end teams in our league, and they remain in an extremely different place. You do that with the Huge 12, they remain in an extremely different location. “Sankey referenced the SEC slate on March 1, that included No. 1 Auburn at No. 17 Kentucky

, No. 12 Texas A&M at No. 3 Florida and No. 6 Alabama at No. 5 Tennessee. It marked the first time in college basketball history that any conference had three top-20 games in one day. “That’s the unicorn we have actually created this year,”Sankey said.”And I hope our coaches are happy. I hope our athletics directors are happy. We had a terrific check out with our presidents and chancellors, where I went through some graphics of where we were from 2006 to 2015 and then 2016 and beyond. And it’s been constructing, and it ‘d be good to kick the door down, as they say. “From 2012-13 through 2015-16, the SEC had 3 NCAA quotes in 3 of those seasons. The league totaled 14 bids in that four-year

span, the same number it desires this year. The SEC has actually grown ever since, from 14 to 16 schools, but the basketball turnaround in less than a years has actually been remarkable.” We went 30-4 against the ACC. Put their high-end teams in our league, and they’re in an extremely different place. You do that with the Huge 12, they remain in a really different location.”SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stated he informed his personnel in January that any conversations about the variety of league schools in the competition must be centered around a minimum of 14 groups.”We need to never ever speak about

less than 14, “Sankey said.”Literally, we stated every expectation we interact has at least 14, and maybe more, depending on how the season plays out. And I believe that was completely warranted then. And I believe it continues to be justified now.” And I feel good about climaxing. We have to rely on the committee with decisions. However when you take a look at wins in the conference against excellent groups, the variety of Quad 1 experiences, Quad 2 experience, and the number of wins with our 14 teams

, it’s matchless.”In the mid-1980s, Sankey coached high school basketball at Auburn High School in upstate New york city, where he functioned as an university assistant. He remembered visiting then-Providence coach Rick Pitino and others speak at a center in Rochester at St. John Fisher and road-tripping around the East Coast to similar events.He remembered discussions about coaches bunking four to a space at the Last Four and getting tickets from the National Association of Basketball Coaches as something aspirational.”How cool would that be,”Sankey recalled thinking then. He said he constantly takes a minute when attending the NCAA competition to appreciate the minute, and that viewpoint brings a strong gratitude of this run.” So I’m truly happy for everybody here and what they have actually accomplished, “he said,”however there’s that personal awe in what it is you

‘re included with.”