[TidesHoss32]

For as great as it is a football conference, it is equally awful as a basketball conference. Missouri and Texas A&M are both solid additions, but still, it is just a terrible basketball conference lol..

[RunItUpTheGut]

Overall it is.
I think we forget when we look at the SEC football teams, youve got 8 or 9 REALLY good teams every year and top 25 teams. The SEC in basketball is usually limited to 4 or 5 decent teams. Most years its the same schools as well. Overall, its the SEC West thats horrible at basketball. UK, Florida, Tennesee, Missouri, and Vandy usually have decent teams.

[toussaints]

The 4 things that make the SEC a great football conference (championships, recruiting, TV, and campus interest) are also the things that make it a weak basketball conference. If you take Alabama out of the SEC, it's still the an elite football conference. Remove UK and it's a weak basketball conference.

Who would've thought the Atlantic 10, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, and half of the Big East would be considered better basketball conferences than the SEC?

[Curveball 24]

I heard the other day that the Mountain West Conference make get 6 teams into the dance!
CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Observing]

For as great as it is a football conference, it is equally awful as a basketball conference. Missouri and Texas A&M are both solid additions, but still, it is just a terrible basketball conference lol..

Here's the sobering truth: college basketball is just down overall right now.
The SEC has been in a rut for a while, and it's last 3-4 seasons have been
really down, and well documented. But somehow no one seems to
have noticed how badly the ACC fell off the last couple of years,
or how absolutley wretched the Big 10 was until last year when
they got back to just mediocre. No doubt all the early departures
are hurting the game, but that's not all of it.

[toussaints]

^ it's not that college basketball is down, but the mid-majors are now on a level field. mid-major teams have much more experience and have deeper benches because coaches aren't going after guys who will bolt after one season. so when young teams win a title and have a third of their roster jump to the NBA, you in turn get a down season. Kentucky & UNC

[Norm Stewert]

For as great as it is a football conference, it is equally awful as a basketball conference. Missouri and Texas A&M are both solid additions, but still, it is just a terrible basketball conference lol..

Since the year 2000
ACC- 5 National Champions
SEC-3 National Champions
Big East-3 National Champions
Big 10-1 National Champion
Big 12 -1 National Champion

I dont get your point Tide Hoss....looks like they are doing ok to me and have a legit chance with florida to win the national championship this year. You need to do a little more research and back up your comments.

[Observing]

^ it's not that college basketball is down, but the mid-majors are now on a level field. mid-major teams have much more experience and have deeper benches because coaches aren't going after guys who will bolt after one season. so when young teams win a title and have a third of their roster jump to the NBA, you in turn get a down season. Kentucky & UNC

I certainly agree that the mid majors are closing the gap between
the haves of the power conferences, and the early departures
probably have a lot to do with that. But that isn't the whoel story.
The overall quality of basketball is just down period. This year
especially, though if the trend continues this year may not
look so bad a decade hence. And the departure of the cream
of the crop early to the NBA is not the only factor. The continuing
degenration of fundamentals from the grades school years on
must be playing as big or bigger role. Kids are not learning to
play the whole game. Whatever their most natural ability
presents itself early on is where their focus goes basically to
the exclusion of all else.

[McCameraMan]

^ To add to what you just said, and I think you and most everyone will agree with me when I say this... Its all about being flashy instead of playing fundamental now. The flashy plays are very useful if you use them at the right times. But now kids just try to force plays to make it look good instead just getting the job done the easy way.

[toussaints]

^ and i do agree with both of you on those points. heck the end of the michigan/ohio state game lacked basic fundamentals. a tied game and you try a fade away 3 pointer to win?

[Observing]

^ and i do agree with both of you on those points. heck the end of the michigan/ohio state game lacked basic fundamentals. a tied game and you try a fade away 3 pointer to win?

Doesn't that drive you nuts? You KNOW Beilein didn't call time out,
grab the chalkboard and say "here Burke, hold it til 6 then step back
and take a fadeaway".

And across college basketball most of the coaches must be failing
to get the kids to understand when to start the play for a last
shot. They all seem to run it down under 10 before they start
to move, and that's too late. You want to take the shot at
3-4 to give time for a put back if you miss, but they usually
are just trying to get to a shot at that point and end up forcing
something.

[TidesHoss32]

Since the year 2000
ACC- 5 National Champions
SEC-3 National Champions
Big East-3 National Champions
Big 10-1 National Champion
Big 12 -1 National Champion

I dont get your point Tide Hoss....looks like they are doing ok to me and have a legit chance with florida to win the national championship this year. You need to do a little more research and back up your comments.

I should have worded it differently. The SEC is the most top heavy conference in the entire country. Year in and year out there are two really good teams in the conference, a solid team and eight or nine scrub teams. I mean heck, for two years in a row the SEC West champion didnt even get an NCAA bid (nor did any other team in the division, which is the real reason why I think they did away with the divisions)..Save for Kentucky and usually Florida and Vandy, everybody else is a crap shoot. Tennessee was building a good program until the scandal. However, Kentucky is getting better and better (lets face it, they were painful to watch before this past month), and Florida is loaded with studs and could very well win it all. So let me rephrase that. The SEC is top heavy, but I still dont think they are on the level of the other power conferences.