SEC Basketball Eliminates East & West Divisions, One 12-Team League Next Year

• Azubuike24

  

  http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6616480
  
  Definitely long overdue given the imbalance of the league the last 5 years or longer. Like last year, Alabama won the West going 12-4 in the League, yet failed to make the NCAA Tournament, while Georgia finished 5th in the SEC East an got an at-large bid.
  
  They will seed the SEC Tournament 1-12, with the top 4 teams receiving byes, just like the current format. The only question will be with 12 teams and either a 16 or 18-game schedule, how they will determine who plays who. I'm hoping they set some sort of structure, unlike the Big 12, Big 10, ACC and Big East where you play everyone once either home or away and the remaining games are usually random.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Bout damn time
  
  Also heard those SEC Presidents were walking out of those meetings shaking hands, hugging, having a dandy ol' time....yes, the SEC is doing very, very well financially.
• jordo212000

  

  Bout damn time
  
  Also heard those SEC Presidents were walking out of those meetings shaking hands, hugging, having a dandy ol' time....yes, the SEC is doing very, very well financially.

  Most big time conferences are doing well financially. The BCS and media contracts help ensure that. Isn't the Big 10 the leading cash grabber among major conferences?
• Azubuike24

  

  The Big Ten makes the most with their TV network but I'd imagine their operating expenses are quite higher given that they basically run the thing. The Big Ten, SEC and soon to be Pac 12 won't be hurting financially anytime soon.
• Writerbuckeye

  

  So the SEC is finally catching up to the Big Ten.
  
  Good to hear.
• Azubuike24

  

  Net profit it's probably higher in the SEC. Pure revenue, the Big Ten tops them all.
• Mulva

  

  Definitely a good move. I hate the divisional format, especially when seeding teams for conference tournaments.
• bigkahuna

  I'd like to see them keep the divisional allignments soley for scheduling. Once the tournament comes, 1-12 is A.O.K with me.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  bigkahuna;791150 wrote:I'd like to see them keep the divisional allignments soley for scheduling. Once the tournament comes, 1-12 is A.O.K with me.

  
  Agreed, to me they threw out the baby with the bathwater. A 16 game schedule is plenty (especially for teams like Florida and UK that go after challenging OOC schedules). And geographically and rivalry speaking it worked out very well. I can't think of any team in either division that would demand to play a team in the other twice. So there may have been issues with the tourney, then fix the tourney, don't screw up the rivalries, now there will be fewer, if any at all. It would really suck if UK doesn't get Tennessee, Vandy and FL home and home.
• Azubuike24

  

  I'm guessing that's how they may schedule to start. Who knows. I'd like to see Kentucky play Arkansas more than once a year, but you're right, outside of that, I'd rather play Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Florida twice a year.