SEC Down But Still Worth Watching

I would have to agree that the SEC is down this year when you consider at this point of the season, there are no teams ranked in the top 25.  

LSU is currently listed 26^th and Florida is 29^th. A surprising entry to the top 50 has been South Carolina who is 35^th in this week’s poll according to the voters. The ACC has five teams ranked in the top 25.  

A lack of national powers does not necessarily mean that the basketball is not worth watching however. In my opinion, this season has been as enjoyable as any in recent memory. The balance of the league is obvious. Currently four teams are tied for first place in the SEC East and in the west all six teams sport winning records.  

If you listen to Dick Vitale and Mike Patrick they will tell you that if it isn’t the ACC and especially Duke versus North Carolina it’s probably not worth watching. Their love fest with the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils is borderline nauseating. I would suggest that though the ACC does produce outstanding basketball, that doesn’t mean that they are the only conference worth watching. The Florida-Kentucky game in Lexington this year was every bit as good as the North Carolina-Duke contest from Wednesday night.  

Jay Bilas, and the ESPN game day crew have been singing the praises of the Big East all year long and with good reason. The Big East boasts several teams ranked in this week’s top 25.  Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Villanova, Syracuse, and West Virginia are all ranked in this week’s poll. 

I do enjoy watching the powerhouse teams slug it out on national TV and the big match-ups are what the advertisers are looking for. However, if what you’re looking for is parity then you should take a look at this year’s SEC and especially the SEC East. Any one of four teams could walk away with this year’s SEC East Crown.  

I know that the national pundits will tell us that the most exciting games are those with national championship implications, but I disagree. Conference championships are very important to the SEC members, and further solidifies the longstanding tradition of each school.

Kentucky has been a powerhouse for many decades and don’t tell me that a conference championship isn’t important to the Big Blue Nation.  

This year may not be a year in which multiple SEC teams will make a run for a national title, but it will be fun to see who walks away with the SEC crown. Last year Tennessee earned their first outright SEC basketball championship in 41 years, this year who knows. This year in could be anyone and isn't that what makes it fun?