SEC basketball coaches mentioned they had been constructed for March Insanity, then acquired embarrassed

SEC basketball is having a no good, very unhealthy, rotten begin to the 2024 males’s NCAA event. As upsets have began to inflict the bracket in March Insanity, a typical theme is showing: SEC groups are most of the time on the fallacious facet of a Cinderella story.

Eight SEC groups made the sphere of 68: No. 2 seed Tennessee, No. 3 seed Kentucky, No. 4 seeds Auburn and Alabama, No. 6 seed South Carolina, No. 7 seed Florida, No. 8 seed Mississippi State, and No. 9 seed Texas A&M. Earlier than the primary spherical ends, 5 of these groups have already been eradicated.

The SEC’s struggles in March have change into much more magnified as followers and media members began to dig up assured quotes from a few of the league’s high head coaches earlier than the event.

On Friday, Auburn grew to become the newest upset sufferer from the SEC by the hands of No. 13 seed Yale. The Tigers had been in management within the first half, however Yale placed on an unimaginable show of shot-making to get the sport shut, after which wrestled away the win within the closing seconds. Yale beat Auburn, 78-76, for one of many greatest upsets of the event to this point. Additionally on Friday, No. 10 seed Colorado knocked off No. 7 seed Florida on Okay.J. Simpson’s unimaginable game-winner.

It was even worse for the SEC on Thursday. No. 3 seed Kentucky suffered a surprising upset to No. 14 seed Oakland, 80-76, in essentially the most jarring results of March Insanity to this point. Oakland reserve Jack Gohlke grew to become an in a single day legend by hitting 10 three-pointers within the win. Additionally on Friday, No. 11 seed Oregon beat No. 6 seed South Carolina, and No. 9 seed Michigan State beat No. 8 seed Mississippi State, 69-51.

The receipts had been being pulled up as quickly because the losses piled up for the SEC. Take this quote from Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl lower than every week earlier than the event began:

“Our league is ready to make a run in March,” Pearl mentioned after an SEC event sport. Positive doesn’t seem to be it!

Kentucky head coach John Calipari talked lots about how his ‘Cats had been made for March. Now he would possibly simply be on the recent seat. It was all good only a month in the past:

“I’ve acquired all my teaching buddies name, they usually say, ‘I like your crew.’ And I like this crew too. We’re constructed for March,” Calipari mentioned. “Now, actual merely, we have now to get extra bodily. We’ve got to get 50-50 balls, and that features rebounds which can be free that we haven’t gotten. We’ve acquired to get, let’s say 10% higher defensively.”

Florida coach Todd Golden additionally acquired acquired:

“It’s certainly one of if not the most effective league in America,” Golden mentioned. “Each evening you’re going up in opposition to NBA gamers on the opposite facet. Should you don’t put your finest foot ahead, if you happen to’re not aggressive, bodily, able to go, you’re going to get popped.”

Okay, possibly that one is honest. The SEC was rated because the fourth finest league in DI males’s basketball this 12 months by KenPom’s fashions, behind the Massive 12, Massive Ten, and Massive East.

Both method, Kentucky and Auburn’s early exits are a black eye for the league. You might discover this put up doesn’t contact on the league winner within the common season: Tennessee. The No. 2 Volunteers earned a blow win, 83-49, over Saint Peter’s. Is that this the 12 months Rick Barnes lastly breaks by once more in March? It seems like now or by no means with Dalton Knecht within the fold.

Barnes was fairly assured, too.

The SEC’s story isn’t absolutely written but within the males’s NCAA event. It certain hasn’t been an excellent begin, although.