NCAA Tournament Update

The Southeastern Conference placed 14 teams in the 68 team NCAA Basketball Tournament field. Half of them (7) (ode to Mickey–(Mantle), 2 days before baseball 2025 really starts) advanced to the round of 16.

Two of them, Midwest region 2 (Tennessee) and 3 (Kentucky) seeds, clash in one tilt while 5 of the other 7 games feature an S.E.C. team vs one of the remaining 9 non S.E.C. teams.

All four top, and 3 of the 4 seeds advanced, with top seeds Auburn (an S.E.C.’er), Houston, Duke and Florida (The S.E.C. Tournament winner, which survived 2 time defending champion Connecticut) facing Michigan (a 5 seed) and 4 seeds Purdue, Arizona, and Maryland (they needed a game winning shot from star freshman, Derik Queen to topple Colorado State) respectively.

Elsewhere 2 seed S.E.C. team, Alabama faces B.Y.U. (in its first round of 16 tilt since 2011), and Michigan State the other remaining “2,” (Ark. under Calipari took out “2” seed St. Johns), meets Ole Miss an S.E.C.’er, which upset “3” seed Iowa State.

The only game sans a 1 or 2 seed matches “3” seed, Texas Tech and aforementioned 10 seed “Ark,” (Arkansas also a Southeastern Conference team).