SEC Basketball: 10 potential additions for the league if they ever expanded
By Joey Loose
Virginia
Though these moves are insanely bizarre in theory, the Pac-12 schools heading to the East Coast leagues does achieve something important. It’s given the Big Ten the markets in Los Angeles and Seattle, gives San Francisco to the ACC, and puts a few major markets into the Big 12. The SEC already added Oklahoma and Texas, giving them new footholds, but the addition of Virginia could be just as impactful.
The footprint of the SEC stops well south of Virginia and a brand new market is certainly a win for the league. Clearly the money would be the biggest factor, but the Cavaliers expanding the SEC’s hold further north would be a major occurrence. From an athletics standpoint, the football program has had its issues but there’s no question that basketball in Charlottesville is an art form.
Tony Bennett has done masterful things with basketball at Virginia, winning several conference championships in the ACC. If the Cavaliers are winning a league with Duke and North Carolina, among others, then they can certainly carve out success against the likes of Alabama, Kentucky, and the other great programs in the SEC. Again, Virginia basketball alone is not going to get this program into a new league, but it’s interesting to think about.