By Chris Marler
It’s no surprise when outside conferences and fans hate on the SEC in football.
The slander may not be accurate, but it’s absolutely understandable. If you had been under the heel of oppression from one conference for nearly two decades, it makes sense to celebrate any victory over said oppressor.
The SEC has been a thorn in the side of the rest of the college football world since the George W. Bush administration. The conference has won 13 of the last 19 national titles, played in 16 of the last 19 finals and has boasted five different national champions during that stretch.
But, basketball? That’s never been the calling card of the conference.
That is until this year. This year the SEC is not only deep, but it’s arguably the deepest conference in the history of the sport.
Auburn has been No. 1 for eight straight weeks. The league has had at least four teams in the top ten for most of the season. On Selection Sunday, as many as 14 teams could realistically earn a spot in The Big Dance.
Naturally, it was only a matter of time before “the haters” would see that resumé and somehow call it overrated. To no one’s surprise, the biggest anti-SEC troll on the internet was the first to do it.
Early Wednesday, Danny Kanell took time out of his busy day of picking out turtlenecks and liking Nicole Auerbach Playoff tweets to weigh in on college basketball.
The smartest man in basketball is saying out loud what I have been thinking for the past 3 months…thank you @kenpomeroy pic.twitter.com/mNQ9QrKPKm
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) March 5, 2025
Now to be clear, I love Danny Kanell – in real life. He’s a great person, great dad, and hilarious – in real life. On Twitter, he drives me and a lot of other SEC fans crazy because of his expert level trolling. He’s been up to it for a decade.
That’s why it was a shock to see him get dunked on by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
Just helping explain why the @SEC is “overrated:”
—30 Ws/4 Ls vs ACC (wow)
—14 Ws/2 Ls vs Big 12 (oh my)
—10 W/9 Ls vs Big Ten (👍)
—185 Ws/23 Ls in non-conf games (😎)I confess @SEC teams have a .500 record in games after 1/4/25 (😂). Sure, let’s go with “overrated” (🏀)! https://t.co/LcxdSwbLMG
— Greg Sankey (@GregSankey) March 5, 2025
Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they wear thousand-dollar suits and shiny lapels with the SEC logo on the collar.
