2025 NCAA Tournament: SEC makes history for most teams from a conference to make Sweet 16

The SEC has had a historic year on the college basketball court, putting together one of the best seasons in college basketball history. The teams across the league have proven that time and time again during the regular season. And they’ve followed through in March Madness. On Sunday night, the SEC saw Ole Miss punch their tickets to the Sweet 16, giving the SEC seven teams in the Sweet Sixteen. That shatters a record set by the ACC back in 2016, when they got six teams in the Sweet 16.

According to OptaSTATS, this year marks the first NCAA Tournament without a team seeded 11th or worse in the Sweet 16 since 2007. The 16 straight tournaments with at least one team seeded 11th or worse in the Sweet 16 was the longest streak since seeding began in 1979.

College basketball analyst Seth Davis chimed in on the achievement on Sunday evening. “I’ve always said NCAA Tournaments don’t validate or invalidate conferences. What happened during the regular season happened no matter what results come in during March Madness. But I sense disappointment from those who thought the SEC would pitfall. Seven Sweet 16 teams,” Davis mentioned.

More on a few SEC teams that advanced

The No. 2 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC) handled No. 7 seed St. Mary’s Gaels 80-66 on Sunday evening in the NCAA Tournament, punching their tickets to the Sweet 16 in the process. The Crimson Tide scored the most points that St. Mary’s has allowed all season long. Alabama also held the Gaels to their lowest field goal percentage all year, and the Tide also outrebounded St. Mary’s.

It was a thorough, complete performance from a team that many brackets across the country had advancing deep in the tourney. The Tide got a balanced scoring effort, with six players pouring in double digits. Clifford Omoruyi was dominant on the inside, stuffing the stat sheet with 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while swatting two blocks.

The No. 1 seed Florida Gators (SEC) were pushed to the wire on Sunday by the No. 8 seed UConn Huskies, in one of the better games of the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Walter Clayton, Jr. answered the bell time and time again in the final minutes, delivering several clutch plays for the Gators to lift them to a 77-75 victory.

And another SEC team that advanced on Sunday were the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats, who handled No. 6 seed Illinois 84-75. They advanced to face off against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee is one of the better basketball rivalries, especially recently, in the SEC. Now, the two cross-state programs will meet for a third time this season, and for the first time ever this deep into the year, in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this article.