What many had projected came to fruition on Selection Sunday. The SEC is sending a record number of schools to March Madness, including two No.1 seeds. 

The SEC has 14 teams in the bracket, surpassing the previous record for one conference in a given year. In 2011, the Big East sent 11 members to the Big Dance. That year, UCONN won the national championship, capping off a dominant year for the conference.

Could the SEC be set up to be home to the next champion and multiple Final Four teams? 

The SEC has Nine Teams Ranked No. 8 or Higher in March Madness

The sheer quantity of teams that the SEC is sending through is impressive. Even more so is how many of those teams have legitimate shots at making a deep tourney run. 

• No. 1 Auburn (South)
• No. 1 Florida (West)
• No. 2 Alabama (East)
• No. 2 Tennessee (Midwest)
• No. 3 Kentucky (Midwest)
• No. 4 Texas A&M (South)
• No. 6 Ole Miss (South)
• No. 6 Missouri (West)
• No. 8 Mississippi State (East)
• No. 9 Oklahoma (West)
• No. 9 Georgia (Midwest)
• No. 10 Vanderbilt (East)
• No. 10 Arkansas (Midwest)
• No. 11 Texas (Midwest)

Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, and Florida, another No. 1 bid, are two heavy favorites to win the title. Florida is just one of six schools in the nation with 30 or more wins, and is fresh off winning the conference tournament. Auburn has the most Quad 1 wins, with 16.

They’re not the only ones out of the conference with a path to cutting the nets. Many sportsbooks have Nos. 2 Tennessee and Alabama having the best odds to win the title among the non-top seeds. For those counting, four of the six best odds as the betting favorite to win the championship belong to the SEC. 

Which Teams Can Advance From The SEC?

Considering the number of schools from the conference that could advance to the second week, there's reason to believe that at least six have a strong chance of doing so. That includes No. 3 Kentucky, who is one of eight teams in the country with 11 or more Quad 1 wins, and No. 4 Texas A&M, who has racked up 16 combined Quad 1 and 2 wins.

NCAA RECORD

The SEC sets the record for the most teams a single conference has sent to the NCAA Tournament, a record previously held by the Big East, sending 11 teams in 2011. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/km9THN41hX

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2025

With many teams moving on, these teams will inevitably intersect. For example, the South Regional is projected to see Auburn and Texas A&M line up in the Sweet 16. Tennessee could see two conference foes in the second week if Kentucky avoids an upset or if No. 11 Texas goes on a run after the First Four.

The East Regional is gearing up for an even earlier all-SEC bout between No. 2 ‘Bama and No. 10 Vanderbilt in the Round of 32. Florida and No. 9 Oklahoma may also face off in the first weekend. 

Can the SEC Comprise the Entire Final Four?

With 14 schools in the Field of 68, no conference has a better shot of seeing one team advance to the Final Four than the SEC. How about having an all-SEC Final Four, though? It's possible. 

If chalk wins out in the South and West Regionals, Nos. 1 Auburn and Florida will meet for the second time this season in San Antonio. 

The East and Midwest must see top seeds Duke and Houston trip up first. If that happens, those two brackets line up for the respective  Nos. 2, Tennessee and Alabama, to be next in line for a Final Four meeting. 

The Final Four may become an extension of the riveting SEC conference tournament that just wrapped up in Nashville. There are also 10 other schools that could slide into one of those spots if any of the conference’s top four programs get upset before San Antonio. Five of those teams reside in the Midwest, which is the most SEC-populated among the four Regionals.

If that were to happen, it would be the first time that one conference comprised all four spots in the final weekend. Conference expansion has undoubtedly made this a higher possibility than ever in the years and decades prior. In 1985, The Big East sent three teams to the Final Four.