NCAA Tournament: SEC schools all-time by the numbers

[Titans Fan]

Tennessee
NCAA Tournament record 20-21
NCAA Tournament appearances 22
Sweet 16 appearances 7
Elite Eight appearances 1
Final Four appearances 0
NCAA Titles 0

NCAA Tournament: SEC schools all-time by the numbers

 

[YankeeVol]

Rick Barnes has been in the tourney more as a coach than Tennessee has been in as a program. Interesting

 

[esarmstrong]

Been there 22 times. That is a number exceeded in the SEC only by Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas, all time. Tied with LSU.

 

[Stoked]

Been there 22 times. That is a number exceeded in the SEC only by Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas, all time. Tied with LSU.

I figured Florida would have more? I know they have at least like 5 Final 4’s and 2 Nattys.

 

[macrovol]

Been there 22 times. That is a number exceeded in the SEC only by Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas, all time. Tied with LSU.

Some of those appearances by Mizzou and Arkansas were in other conferences.

 

[LivinginthePast]

Why do we suck in tourneys?

 

[esarmstrong]

I figured Florida would have more? I know they have at least like 5 Final 4’s and 2 Nattys.

National titles and final fours are but one measure of a program's overall success. Utilizing every other metric of success (all-time records, head to head records, conference titles, conference tournament titles), Tennessee is the more successful program all time. Tennessee fans are the worst at underestimating their team's history of "success" relative to the other schools in this league. Florida's history of "success" only really starts to begin in the 1980's when Norm Sloan arrived. Tennessee has a more lengthy history of basketball success than Florida and just about every one else in the SEC, not named Kentucky.

 

[FGT]

I figured Florida would have more? I know they have at least like 5 Final 4’s and 2 Nattys.

Florida’s NCAA tournament winning percentage is incredible. They have won more tournament games than Tennnessee has even played in over the history of the program.

 

[chattaboogie]

National titles and final fours are but one measure of a program's overall success. Utilizing every other metric of success (all-time records, head to head records, conference titles, conference tournament titles), Tennessee is the more successful program all time. Tennessee fans are the worst at underestimating their team's history of "success" relative to the other schools in this league. Florida's history of "success" only really starts to begin in the 1980's when Norm Sloan arrived. Tennessee has a more lengthy history of basketball success than Florida and just about every one else in the SEC, not named Kentucky.

And have never been to a final four and only one elite eight. The numbers show we suck in the tourney man.

 

[Stoked]

National titles and final fours are but one measure of a program's overall success. Utilizing every other metric of success (all-time records, head to head records, conference titles, conference tournament titles), Tennessee is the more successful program all time. Tennessee fans are the worst at underestimating their team's history of "success" relative to the other schools in this league. Florida's history of "success" only really starts to begin in the 1980's when Norm Sloan arrived. Tennessee has a more lengthy history of basketball success than Florida and just about every one else in the SEC, not named Kentucky.

I would trade their history with ours in a heart beat! Give me the 5 Final 4's and 2 national championships over having more tournament appearances.

 

[Boca Vol]

I would trade their history with ours in a heart beat! Give me the 5 Final 4's and 2 national championships over having more tournament appearances.

Agree!

 

[RollerVol]

Why do we suck in tourneys?

some might say two things...talent and coaching...hopefully now, we'll have both....we'll see...

GO VOLS!

 

[YankeeVol]

National titles and final fours are but one measure of a program's overall success. Utilizing every other metric of success (all-time records, head to head records, conference titles, conference tournament titles), Tennessee is the more successful program all time. Tennessee fans are the worst at underestimating their team's history of "success" relative to the other schools in this league. Florida's history of "success" only really starts to begin in the 1980's when Norm Sloan arrived. Tennessee has a more lengthy history of basketball success than Florida and just about every one else in the SEC, not named Kentucky.

Yea but NCs and Final Fours matter.

 

[Alex10]

I would trade their history with ours in a heart beat! Give me the 5 Final 4's and 2 national championships over having more tournament appearances.

Absolutely!! I mean is there really any question?

 

[esarmstrong]

I would trade their history with ours in a heart beat! Give me the 5 Final 4's and 2 national championships over having more tournament appearances.

Using this line of thinking (going deep in the NCAA tournament as your sole measure of program success), one could argue that Georgia has a more successful basketball program because they went to the final four in 1984, which is further than Tennessee has been. That is asinine.

 

[FGT]

Using this line of thinking (going deep in the NCAA tournament as your sole measure of program success), one could argue that Georgia has a more successful basketball program because they went to the final four in 1984, which is further than Tennessee has been. That is asinine.

I don’t think anyone would equate one final four appearance by Georgia in 1984 to Tennessee’s broader portfolio of regular season basketball success. When looking at overall level of accomplishment historically among SEC schools in basketball it’s Kentucky then Florida. Doesn’t matter if nearly all of Florida’s accomplishment have occurred in the last 25-30 seasons, the volume of their accomplishments is greater than most programs have achieved in 100+ seasons.

 

[esarmstrong]

I don’t think anyone would equate one final four appearance by Georgia in 1984 to Tennessee’s broader portfolio of regular season basketball success. When looking at overall level of accomplishment historically among SEC schools in basketball it’s Kentucky then Florida. Doesn’t matter if nearly all of Florida’s accomplishment have occurred in the last 25-30 seasons, the volume of their accomplishments is greater than most programs have achieved in 100+ seasons.

If your sole metric for success is how one does in the NCAA's then okay. But that is not the sole way to look at overall program success in basketball, IMHO. Personally, I will take Tennessee's history of success as a program over their entire history over Florida's. We have a decided edge over them in the head-to-head history, conference record, conference championships, we are even with them in SEC tournament championships. They best Tennessee in NCAA tournament success only, which is an important area for measuring success. But many think of this as the only measure of success.

Many forget that prior to the mid 1970's, when the NCAA tournament started expansion, each conference only sent one school. Anyone care to take a wild guess who was coming in second for a good many of all of those years in the SEC when Kentucky was the dominant force in the league? Most of the time it was Tennessee. LSU, Vanderbilt and Alabama were also "bridesmaids" often in these times as well. Florida was not even on the map.