2017 March Madness: Why has the SEC been so successful?

In the Sweet 16, South Carolina destroyed Baylor, Florida handled Wisconsin, and Kentucky outscored UCLA. So what has happened to make the ‘weak’ SEC suddenly good enough to send three teams to the Elite Eight?

After a shocking upset over the Baylor Bears, the South Carolina Gamecocks merely began what ended up being a fantastic Friday night for the SEC. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the UCLA Bruins and the Florida Gators defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, sending three SEC teams to the Elite Eight.

While many who believe the SEC to be a “weak” basketball conference consisting of just Kentucky and followed by everybody else will be shocked, those of us who have paid close attention to the SEC over the past few seasons have seen this coming.

The conference’s success can always be attributed to coaching, players, matchups, and the fact that the SEC consistently has one of the highest numbers of teams with a top 100 RPI in college basketball, but the answer is much simpler than this and far more obvious.

The SEC has made a concerted effort to play strong opponents in non-conference play, and it is finally beginning to pay off.

The five SEC teams that made it into the 2017 NCAA Tournament are prime examples of this. Here are the non-conference teams that made it into March Madness that each SEC team played this season so you can see for yourself:

Arkansas: Minnesota and Oklahoma State

Vanderbilt: Marquette, Butler, Minnesota, MTSU, Dayton and Iowa State

Kentucky: Michigan State, UCLA, UNC, Louisville, and Kansas

Florida: FGCU, Seton Hall, Gonzaga, Miami, Duke, and Florida State

South Carolina: Michigan, Seton Hall, and an honorable mention to then-No. 18 Syracuse

Sure, the argument can be made that Vanderbilt would have advanced if not for a massive mental error by Matthew Fisher-Davis and the refereeing in the Arkansas-North Carolina game was terrible throughout, but three teams in the Elite Eight and one guaranteed in the Final Four is huge for the conference.

Kentucky and Florida both have a really great shot at making it to the Final Four, but it is hard to count out South Carolina and Sindarius Thornwell against anyone — even the Gators.

Next: Cuonzo Martin is back in the SEC

However, there is a much more difficult question hanging over college basketball right now that can only be answered with time. The SEC is back, but are they here to stay?