Dennis Gates stands on table for SEC, calls for league to get 14 teams in NCAA Tournament

With Selection Sunday just a few days away, the SEC is poised to be well represented in the bracket. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects the conference to receive 13 bids in his latest Bracketology heading into Thursday night.

However, Missouri coach Dennis Gates doesn’t think that’s enough. He argued the SEC deserves 14 teams in the Field of 68.

Gates’ Mizzou team is well on its way to the NCAA tournament and will take on Florida in Friday’s quarterfinal. He said the Gators deserve to be a No. 1 seed, and he stood on a table for the SEC to get 14 bids on Sunday.

“It’s a great conference, man,” Gates said on the SEC Network postgame show. “I think, ultimately, we deserve 14 teams in the tournament. I’m gonna say that loud. I’m an advocate for the SEC. There should be 14 teams in the NCAA tournament.”

Missouri is currently projected to be a No. 7 seed in the field, according to Lunardi’s Bracketology. The Tigers were right in the thick of a loaded SEC this year as the conference cemented itself as the best in the country. The SEC is the most efficient league in the country, according to KenPom, and sits more than four full efficiency points ahead of the second-most efficient league.

In addition, Quadrant 1 games are all over the conference tournament this weekend in Nashville. The SEC has 14 teams in the Top 50 of the NET rankings and 11 in the Top 40.

SEC teams went 30-4 against the ACC, 14-2 vs. the Big 12 and 10-9 against the Big Ten. In non-conference play, the conference went 185-25, and commissioner Greg Sankey cited those numbers when defending the league against claims it’s “overrated.”

How Texas impacted March Madness chances

Texas is one of the most important teams to watch as the SEC searches for the 14 bids Dennis Gates wants. The Longhorns entered the conference tournament needing two wins to feel comfortable about their chances, Joe Lunardi said, and the first victory came Wednesday against Vanderbilt.

Thursday, Texas got the second win. The Longhorns took down rival Texas A&M in double overtime to not only advance to the conference quarterfinals, but also increase their chances of making the field for the NCAA Tournament.

Texas entered Thursday as one of the last four teams in, according to Lunardi, after bumping Indiana to the first team out. Between the Longhorns’ win over Texas A&M and the Hoosiers’ loss to Oregon, the path is clear to hearing their name called on Selection Sunday.