When was the last time...

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... that there was not a single SEC basketball team with a losing record this late in the season?

There are a couple of scenarios that would get all 12 SEC schools into either the NCAA or NIT tournaments.

 

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There was an interesting Commentary on this very point in this morning's TFP. Darren Epps draws a different conclusion than you though on the postseason worthiness of the SEC West...

Article

An excerpt..

Which brings us to the SEC West. I will disagree with SEC coaches who believe the teams in the muddled Western Division — four teams are tied for first with 7-8 league records — deserve a spot in the NCAA tournament. The RPI numbers — Alabama is 38th, Ole Miss is 63rd, Mississippi State is 70th and Auburn is 101st — are not Final Four-inspiring.

“It’s the best we’ve seen the league, the most balanced we’ve seen the league from top to bottom,” Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said. “Because of that balance, you have what you have: a lot of teams with very similar conference records. Hopefully the league won’t get penalized on Selection Sunday with records that aren’t as glamorous as they have been in previous years.”

I’m sorry, but continual abuse from the Eastern Division and very few marquee nonconference wins among the four 7-8 teams shouldn’t warrant a spot in the Big Dance. If Auburn wins at Ole Miss on Saturday and Alabama beats Mississippi State the following day, then Auburn could be selling SEC West championship T-shirts and not still be assured of an NIT berth. Of course, the Tigers could also fall to fifth in the West with a loss.

 

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Unless the NIT changes its selection process, teams with .500 records from big conferences have always been welcome. The team with the most difficult road to the NIT is South Carolina (14-14) and they are in the SEC East.