John Calipari puts SEC Basketball into historical context

As the league’s longest-tenured head coach, Arkansas’ John Calipari again put the level of the Southeastern Conference this year into perspective.

Calipari did so following a 78-70 win over Texas on Wednesday, representing the Razorbacks’ best stretch in conference play (3-1) to improve to 3-6. As for the SEC, Calipari says it’s an all-time conference from one through sixteen this year considering no one on the schedule is a guaranteed win.

“This is maybe one of the best leagues in the history because of the top to bottom. There’s no, you – there’s no W,” Calipari said. “Like, there’s no, like – normally you say, okay, these four teams at the bottom, we can get these games. You think I’m looking forward to playing South Carolina or LSU? LSU already beat us.

“There is no team that you think you can beat. So, top to bottom, it’s as good as it gets.”

Of the 16 teams in the SEC, 14 have been ranked at some point or another in the AP Top-25, including nine who currently are ranked. With that, On3’s James Fletcher and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi each have 13 from the league projected to be in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. They’ll also have a chance to have two to three of the No. 1 seeds in the field while only a few are then even on the bubble with the ‘Hogs now being so took after this stretch.

Again, Calipari has seen a lot since coming to the league in 2009 at Kentucky. He knows how far the conference has come in deserving that many teams to be in the bracket.

“I remember being in when there were three teams getting in. I was going nuts trying to get five and I was basically b.s.’ing because we didn’t deserve five. But then it was, lets try to get seven, eight. Well, shoot. Now you’re talking nine or ten. And, guys, if you’re doing it by the numbers, it should be – maybe ten, eleven, twelve,” Calipari said. “What’s the problem? ‘Well, that’s too many’. Well, we’re all in one league beating each other up. People are 4-5, 4-6, 5-5. You know what, if you’re .500 in this league? Sheesh. You’re going to be a top-six seed – seven seed, six seed.”

Arkansas still has some work to do to get fully back into the field over this next month. Still, if or when they do, they’ll be seeing several teams they’re familiar with in there too considering how many from the SEC will be in the NCAA Tournament.