Karl Ravech steps on a rake attempting to dispel the SEC’s dominance over college basketball

Karl Ravech is a beloved figure at ESPN from his many years on Baseball Tonight and more recently for his extensive work calling college basketball games for the network. Still, even a consummate professional like Ravech can make a big mistake on a broadcast and find himself in the social media crosshairs for a night. 

In the final minutes of No. 2 Alabama’s 103-80 win over Texas in Austin on Tuesday night’s loaded slate of college hoops, Ravech attempted to add some perspective to the SEC’s dominance over the sport and maybe even dispel the notion of a superconference down south. Instead, he stepped on a rake Sideshow Bob style and now college basketball fans won’t let him hear the end of it. 

Yes, Ravech is technically correct, the SEC is 82-82 since January 4, notably the start of conference play. So, during that stretch, SEC teams have only played other SEC teams, and in a sport where one team must win and the other therefore must add a number to the loss column, the explanation for that record is not a conference of mediocrity, it’s simple math. 

Fans on social media had a field day with Ravech’s comment, a massive oversight from the longtime broadcaster. For some, the mistake was disqualifying, but for as bad as that moment was, Ravech would have to do something much worse to lose the privilege of calling games for the worldwide leader. 

The good news for “Ravi” is that he’s not the first step on this particular rake when discussing the SEC this season. Rhode Island head coach Archie Miller beat him to it. 

With four of the top five teams in the country in this week’s AP Poll, it’s safe to say that, despite its .500 record in conference play, the SEC is still the best conference in college basketball.