The Committee Basically Admitted...

[KA4Prez]

Conference Tournaments ONLY matter for bid stealers. Even Mississippi State and Texas A&M, who both got big wins over UT and UK on Friday, didn't need them to get a bid, based on their seed.

Kentucky finished 2nd in the SEC...they got the 2nd best seed from the SEC.

We WAY overvalued the SEC Tournament. It literally doesn't matter.

Florida made the finals, beating Alabama and A&M, and still got a 7-seed.

 

[TheDude73]

Maybe this is why Cal says the SECT isn't that important to him?

But then again, think back to the years when the committee has used the conference tournament outcomes as rationale (more like excuses) for their seeding decisions. I'd be fine if they just said it's not part of their thinking - only the bid stealers.

 

[ukcatz12]

Everyone always overrates the affect of the conference tournaments. There's only so much a few games at the end of the year can do to change a team's entire season. It is why Cal has his view of the SEC tournament.

 

[dynastydreamuk]

been this way for many years for the SEC T , at least for Kentucky anyway. Many years we won it and got a seed lower than we should have, so it didn't matter.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

People buy every year that this committee, that has been working on this for months, throws everything away to make revisions with every result in conference tournaments. Just doesn’t happen. Most things are decided by Wednesday/Thursday of this week.

 

[SemperFiCat]

Maybe this is why Cal says the SECT isn't that important to him?

Maybe he says that just to let BBN know, 'look, if it was me, I wouldn't waste me time and money coming to the SECT'. Maybe it's as close to a warning as he can say to BBN without getting into trouble. Who knows?

 

[bthaunert]

And they also threw the top 4 conference tournament winners in the same region with UConn, Auburn, Illinois and Iowa State.

 

[Rockfly78]

The sec tournament will always matter as long as our fans travel and spend their hard earned on it. I was gutted for those fans Friday night. I actually talked to a buddy of mine right before he hit the road. They had an itenerary for the whole weekend and had rented a house. Spent a lot of money and took off work. Brutal.

 

[Smashcat]

UK's early exit works in our favor if we have to face NCSU, which had to play five games in a row over a short period of time.

 

[know1]

Committee must be related to Cal.... they mailed it in, clearly.

 

[The_Answer1313]

Because they are basing things on the entire body of work

Why should 1-3 games take more weight than others.

 

[gharding07]

Because it's a very small sample size of EVERY teams resume as a whole. Why is this so hard for people to understand. They aren't going to value end of the year games MORE than beginning of the year. Smh...

 

[CatPhight]

$EC is foolish for not moving the tourney up, to where the championship game is Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday...

 

[CrimsonCats]

Conference tournaments matter for bubble teams. Going on a run vs dropping an early game to a bad opponent can sometimes be the difference between getting a bid and being a first four out type of team. For teams who already have an at-large bid locked up, it makes sense that it doesn’t matter much. At the end of the day, it’s still just somewhere between 1-4 more conference games at the end of the year. Nobody is going to completely change their tournament resume with that.

 

[The_Answer1313]

This is why when people mention about them "not counting" the SEC finals with it being on Sunday I tend to think did not just decide to ignore it or did they factor it in but it just mattered so little it made no difference most years.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

It's not new news...this has literally been the case forever and they have said this.

 

[ruppcat]

Conference Tournaments ONLY matter for bid stealers. Even Mississippi State and Texas A&M, who both got big wins over UT and UK on Friday, didn't need them to get a bid, based on their seed.

Kentucky finished 2nd in the SEC...they got the 2nd best seed from the SEC.

We WAY overvalued the SEC Tournament. It literally doesn't matter.

Florida made the finals, beating Alabama and A&M, and still got a 7-seed.

Winning matters.

It's why you play the game.

The goal to be the best.

If that's not important then hang it up.

 

[The_Answer1313]

The thing is even tho they have a computer program that spits out the bracket based on the rules and geography when these games happen you can't just move one team up and one team down. That moving of teams could have a dramatic effect on other teams in the bracket.

They are only going to do that when they absolutely have to.

 

[The_Answer1313]

The guy on ESPN Charles McClelland is explaining this really well. Moreso that any other person they've had on there before from the NCAA

 

[catben]

So why do UK fans CONTINUE to go down there and spend a BOATLOAD FULL of money when it really "Doesn't matter" and our coach would prefer to LOSE the first game?????

It used to be great when our former coaches VALUED winning EVERY title possible and we dominated it, but now it is beyond crazy to go and just get frustrated.

 

[rick64]

Remember when UK beat FL in the SECT final in Catlanta in 2011. FL got the higher seed in the NCAAT. We had the flight home as the draw was coming out waiting for takeoff. No one could believe FL got seeded higher.

 

[maysvilleky]

UK's early exit works in our favor if we have to face NCSU, which had to play five games in a row over a short period of time.

They don’t play until Thursday. So I don’t think that’s a factor?

 

[the nail at the foul line]

This year they gave you points for road wins. That might help explain our high seed.

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

Guarantee the Florida coach won't care if we ever play it again after losing a player to a nasty injury.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Remember when UK beat FL in the SECT final in Catlanta in 2011. FL got the higher seed in the NCAAT. We had the flight home as the draw was coming out waiting for takeoff. No one could believe FL got seeded higher.

It was a&m in 16 that was worse though.

 

[BlueWhite21]

$EC is foolish for not moving the tourney up, to where the championship game is Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday...

It's actually foolish to play it at all if ppl don't wanna play in it. It's all about the money now. Years ago that's how you got in the NCAA tournament and about the only way you got in was to win your conference tournament. Its kind of ashamed the way ppl have become to view things. It's like everyone wants to play the least amount of basketball now that they can get by with so why even play a conference tourney? Give these players and coaches 15 sick days (or games) a year now so they dont have to play in the reg season lol. Hell, they don't many of them truly wanna play no basketball anymore for real.

 

[catben]

It was a&m in 16 that was worse though.

It was BOTH years.

UF got a higher seed than UK in 2011 even though we beat them the last game of the season AND in the SEC Tournament Final!!

BEYOND RIDICULOUS!!!!

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Conference Tournaments ONLY matter for bid stealers. Even Mississippi State and Texas A&M, who both got big wins over UT and UK on Friday, didn't need them to get a bid, based on their seed.

Kentucky finished 2nd in the SEC...they got the 2nd best seed from the SEC.

We WAY overvalued the SEC Tournament. It literally doesn't matter.

Florida made the finals, beating Alabama and A&M, and still got a 7-seed.

The SEC tournament doesn’t matter. That’s the big picture. And that’s what Cal has always said.

Not just Cal. Pitino, Sutton, Nolan Richardson, Donovan, etc all said they didn’t like it.

It’s just a money grab by the SEC.

They play the games with junior high level officials with a crazy schedule.

Fl had a serious injury today in this meaningless tournament.

 

[ORCAT10]

Winning matters.

It's why you play the game.

The goal to be the best.

If that's not important then hang it up.

Agree.
Never take any game lightly.
Be grateful that you have been blessed with the mind and body to play the game.

Don’t waste an opportunity.

 

[CatPhight]

The SEC tournament doesn’t matter. That’s the big picture. And that’s what Cal has always said.

Not just Cal. Pitino, Sutton, Nolan Richardson, Donovan, etc all said they didn’t like it.

It’s just a money grab by the SEC.

They play the games with junior high level officials with a crazy schedule.

Fl had a serious injury today in this meaningless tournament.

If it doesn't matter, why were you there with your mom?

 

[Bmber225]

Remember when UK beat FL in the SECT final in Catlanta in 2011. FL got the higher seed in the NCAAT. We had the flight home as the draw was coming out waiting for takeoff. No one could believe FL got seeded higher.

Same thing happened in 2016 with A&M

 

[CatsFan4Evr.]

$EC is foolish for not moving the tourney up, to where the championship game is Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday...

It does not matter. The NCAA isn’t taking any of the conference tournaments into consideration, and it’s a bid stealer.

 

[bthaunert]

 

[UKAlum84]

I dunno man, its gonna be rough if we don't bring "A" game every night.

We fold if any decent defense plays us.

For example, multiple times we drove to the basket and threw a layup that has no chance against texas a&m....

I think texas a&m had a lot of points off of 2nd chances. We can't let teams beat us that way and we got to force the opponent into making turnovers.

 

[The_Answer1313]

Sometimes it matters. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Ask Texas AM who many thought was on the bubble if it mattered

Or UT who was lining up for a 1 seed.

 

[catfan220]

Conference Tournaments ONLY matter for bid stealers. Even Mississippi State and Texas A&M, who both got big wins over UT and UK on Friday, didn't need them to get a bid, based on their seed.

Kentucky finished 2nd in the SEC...they got the 2nd best seed from the SEC.

We WAY overvalued the SEC Tournament. It literally doesn't matter.

Florida made the finals, beating Alabama and A&M, and still got a 7-seed.

I think if I got the sense Cal was withholding something so it wouldn’t be on tape before the NCAA tourney, I wouldn’t care as much about the SEC flameouts. But I don’t think that’s the case, and moreover the years we did well in the NCAA tournament we also did well in the SEC tournament.

 

[BIG BLUE GURU]

Problem isn't with the SEC Tourney. It is with the SEC Tourney and NCAA Tourney. We haven't won either in years. Beaten by lesser teams each year. This isn't and hasn't been your dad's Kentucky team in awhile. Downplay the SEC Tourney all you want but there was a time we were spotted 10 points just due to our prestige and talent gap. Under Cal that has changed. Nobody fears us. Nobody

 

[RD_Gator]

Remember when UK beat FL in the SECT final in Catlanta in 2011. FL got the higher seed in the NCAAT. We had the flight home as the draw was coming out waiting for takeoff. No one could believe FL got seeded higher.

Based on how Florida (2011) & Tennessee (2024) were seeded in their respective tournaments,
winning the regular season SEC Title seems to matter more to your NCAA resume
than winning the SEC Conference Tournament!

That's why Tennessee is the highest seeded SEC Team this year.
Every year, the NCAA "committee" seems to have mailed it in well before the SEC Finals were decided on a Sunday.

I still believe that there is value, prestige & tradition when you can win your conference tournament.


As for my team Florida which made it to the SEC Finals after getting a couple of Quad1 wins (over Alabama & TexasAM), it sucks to have a #7 seed rather than 6 or 5 seed - at least that was what that ESPN Bracketology prognisticator said during the SEC Finals. Lol! Won't listen to him again!

Golden did a great job with this year's Florida team.

The loss to Vandy (last game of the year 73-74) really seem to have hurt Florida's perception - no matter what the Gators had done in the SEC Tournament.


Incidentally, both Kentucky & Florida have the exact same record in Q1-wins: 6-7.
Both of these two teams have more Q1 wins than either Auburn (2-7 in Q1) or Alabama (4-10).
Only the vols (8-7) have more Q1 wins than anyone in the SEC.
South Caroilna (6-5 in Q1 wins), Texas AM (7-7), and Miss St (4-9) round out the rest.


Also, based on the South bracket, the Gators & Wildcats could potentially meet up in a Sweet16 game if both teams get that far. I would rather that two conference opponents meet later(i.e, in the Elite8 game or later).

The NCAA committee could have placed Florida either in the East (UConn's bracket) or West (North Carolina's bracket). I would have loved to see UF face UConn this year but it looks like a very long shot, lol.

Anyways, good luck to both of our teams in the NCAA Tournament!
We had some very, good competition this year in the SEC; hopefully, that will be good preparation for these teams.

 

[Jmeeks54thebest]

Every game is a chance to improve. Failing to even try or prepare sets a tone for the rest of the team to do the same whenever they feel a game isn’t important. Sure, in regards to seeding, the conference tournaments don’t matter all that much.

But that doesn’t mean they’re meaningless or hold no value. I think I read in another thread where the SEC didn’t have a conference tourney for 25ish years and they introduced it/brought it back because the teams that were doing well in March were from conferences with tournaments and they were better prepared.

 

[michaeluk26]

Remember when UK beat FL in the SECT final in Catlanta in 2011. FL got the higher seed in the NCAAT. We had the flight home as the draw was coming out waiting for takeoff. No one could believe FL got seeded higher.

It was so egregious that Pat effin Forde wrote an article calling out the committee cause we'd beaten Florida twice in two weeks. That guy's tried to get dirt on UK for decades.