How many SEC Basketball teams made the 2023 NCAA Tournament?

Alabama swept SEC Basketball by winning the conference tournament earlier today and seven other teams will be joining the Crimson Tide in a quest for a national championship. Each year the SEC is becoming more and more of a basketball conference. Now, not only is the Alabama Crimson Tide the overall No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament, but they also have a conference mate as a No. 4 seed in Tennessee and a total of eight of their 14 conference members in the field. Here’s a look at where all the SEC teams landed in the bracket.

Alabama Crimson Tide – No. 1 seed South Region

Alabama finished the year with a convincing win in the SEC tournament and as the No. 1 seed in the South region will have to wait to find out who their first-round opponent is. They will face the winner of the first four game between Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeast Missouri State in Dayton. Alabama is a high-octane offense that averages 82 points per game and freshman Brandon Miller is the guy that leads the Tide in both scoring and rebounding. They also have a veteran presence in guard Mark Sears for Nate Oats who has his team ranked in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

Tennessee Volunteers – No. 4 seed East Region

The Tennessee Volunteers find themselves as the No. 4 seed in the East region and will face the Sun Belt champs, Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in the first round. Started off hot at 19-4 and had perhaps the nation’s top defense, but they limped towards the finish line going just 4-6 in their last 10 with offensive struggles popping up at bad times. They also got bad news on the injury front when Zakai Ziegler tore his ACL less than two weeks ago. Their defense will have to lead the way, but if they get caught by a team that can put the ball in the basket, their offensive deficiencies could lead to yet another early exit.

Kentucky Wildcats – No. 6 seed East Region

Also in the East with Tennessee is the No. 6 seed Kentucky Wildcats. John Calipari’s team has had a roller-coaster season, to say the least. The good occurred before 2023 when they finished 9-5, but once the calendar turned they finished just 12-6 with losses to South Carolina, Georgia, and Vanderbilt twice. It wasn’t all bad, in that time they had wins over tournament teams Tennessee, Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Auburn. Even with a guy in the middle like Oscar Tshiebwe, the Wildcats’ struggles have arisen in part due to Antonio Reeves, Sahvir Wheeler, and CJ Fredrick all shooting less than 43% from the field. A first-round matchup with Providence could cause major problems for the Wildcats.

Missouri Tigers – No. 7 South Region

Dennis Gates’ Missouri Tigers were one of the surprises of the SEC finishing 24-9 and landing the No. 7 seed in the South region where their first game will be with No. 10 Utah State out of the Mountain West. If you like offense, you’ll enjoy watching Missouri who average just under 80 points per game and is led by the guard duo of Kobe Brown and D’Moi Hodge who net 30 points per game and scorch the nets at a 42% clip from three-point land. The Tigers are also efficient inside the arc shooting 55.9% which is the 13th-best number in the country.

Texas A&M Aggies – No. 7 Midwest Region

Another No. 7 seed in the bracket is in the Midwest and lost the SEC title game to Alabama, the Texas A&M Aggies. Some think the Aggies were a little under-seeded at No. 7 but despite seven quad 1 wins and metrics all in the top 20, they also had two quad four losses which could explain things. The Aggies’ go-to guy is sophomore Wade Taylor IV who averages 16.6 points per game, but over his final four games of the season which included two against Alabama, that number has climbed to 21. A big key to their first game against Penn State will be their ability to defend the three-point shot because Penn State ranks 9th in the country in that category.

Arkansas Razorbacks – No. 8 seed West Region

In the West, the No. 8 seed is Eric Musselman’s Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs had a lot of preseason hype, but injuries to Trevon Brazile and Nick Smith, Jr. early in the year derailed them. Smith returned in February but they still haven’t regained the form that had them on the brink of the top 10 early in the year. Six of their nine losses have come since Smith, Jr’s return but they have all come against teams that have made the field. They begin with a matchup with Illinois, with the defending champs Kansas lurking in the second round. There’s plenty of talent on the roster that makes Arkansas a dangerous opponent. Ricky Council IV and Anthony Black do a little bit of everything for the Hogs averaging 30 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Auburn Tigers – No. 9 seed Midwest Region

The Auburn Tigers are another team from the SEC that has struggled down the stretch, going just 4-9 to end the season. But, they ultimately won enough games going 10-8 in league play to end up as the No. 9 seed in the Midwest region where they get to face No. 8 Iowa. On the offensive side of the ball, forward Johni Broome and guard Wendell Green, Jr. lead four Tigers in double figures. But this game against the Hawkeyes is going to come down to one thing, how well Auburn can defend Iowa’s offense which is 3rd in the country in offensive efficiency. The Tigers however are no slouch on the defensive end as the 12th-best team when it comes to effective field goal percentage defense.

Mississippi State Bulldogs – No. 11 seed Midwest Region

The eighth and final team to make the field is the Mississippi State Bulldogs who will take part in the First Four in Dayton. They are a No. 11 seed in the Midwest region and they will do battle with Pittsburgh for the right to face No. 6 Iowa State. The Bulldogs finished just 8-10 in the SEC and their neutral-site win over Marquette before Thanksgiving ended up holding a lot of weight for their resume.

In Chris Jans’ first season in Starkville, the Bulldogs are an apt name because that’s what they are on the defensive end. They are 6th in defensive efficiency and turn opponents over at a 22% clip. Tolu Smith leads them on offense and leads the team in both scoring and rebounding. If a team wants to be successful at shutting down the Bulldogs they can pack the paint because Mississippi State is dead last in three-point shooting at 26%.