SEC officiating under scrutiny as concerns grow ahead of NCAA Tournament

By Chris Marler

Officiating has been a major source of frustration for SEC fans across multiple sports this season, with growing concerns over its influence in critical moments.

For over a year, complaints have mounted about officials playing too large a role when they should be less involved. Some argue that a missed call in the LSU-South Carolina game may have ultimately cost the SEC a fourth team in the College Football Playoff.

This extends into basketball, as well. Earlier this week, SEC Associate Commissioner Garth Glissman spoke about it on SEC This Morning on SiriusXM.

“It’s another example of the decentralized nature of college athletics. I think it’s fair to say that SEC fans have to be mindful of the calibration of officiating when they go to the NCAA tournament. There’s a lot of emotion and a lot of passion in the SEC. Our bar…may be a little bit higher than it is for officials who are accustomed to work in different leagues.”

Glissman isn’t wrong. A season ago the SEC had multiple teams struggle in the NCAA Tournament with fouls. Auburn, the team who had won the SEC tournament a week prior, lost one of their best players from an ejection less than five minutes into their first round loss to Yale.

This may sound odd to people or like it’s an excuse being made already. However, last year the amount of fouls called in the first round of games for Alabama an Auburn during the NCAA tournament were outrageous.

Here’s a look at a deep dive I did on it. https://t.co/5oX6nFln5g pic.twitter.com/RPXwZi2oTW

— Chris Marler (@VernDumbquist) February 23, 2025

The question will be whether or not SEC teams can make the correct calibrations come tournament time. Teams that play a more physical brand of defense like Tennessee and Texas A&M could easily struggle, if not. In a year where the SEC is the deepest it’s ever been in the history of the sport, it’s easy to see why the higher ups in the league want to get ahead of it.