Eight SEC teams made the NCAA Tournament this year. Mississippi State, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M and Alabama all had a chance to write their name in the history books as the 2024 national champions.
It all starts with how you perform in Round 1. Although the conference entered the tournament with high expectations, things did not go as planned. The SEC started out 1-5 before Alabama and Texas A&M finished the first round off strong.
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Tom Izzo knows a thing or two about winning important games during March Madness. The Spartans played as if they had something to prove against Mississippi State in round one. Michigan State won the battle on the backboard and the scoreboard.
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Jermaine Couisnard scored 40 points against the Gamecocks to send a promising South Carolina team packing in the Round of 64. It was a great second season for head coach Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks have built some momentum for the 2024-25 season.
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The beauty of March Madness is that there will be a Cinderella story every year and you never know who the magical team will be. This year, it was Oakland. Led by Jack Gohlke’s 32 points on 10-20 shooting from 3PT, Kentucky was sent home during the round of 64. Wildcat fans are beginning to wonder if it is time to move on from Coach Calipari.
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Finally, a win for the SEC in the tournament. Tennessee cruised against Saint Peter’s as the Vols never had to break a sweat to move on to the Round of 32.
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John Poulakidas scored 28 points as he led Yale to an upset victory over the SEC Champion Auburn Tigers. Since Bruce Pearl led Auburn to the Final Four in 2019, the Tigers have failed to make it out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Defense was optional in this one as Florida and Colorado put on a show. After the Gators hit a three to tie the game with 6.2 seconds left, Colorado sank a shot with only one second left to send the Gators home with a heartbreaking loss.
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Texas A&M outscored Nebraska 58-44 in the first half. They used that 14-point gap to carry them to a huge…
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