Part of the push for Kentucky to get its stuff together during non-conference play after starting 0-4 against name-brand competition was the fact that the SEC is not the record-shattering juggernaut it was a year ago when it sent 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament out of 16 total. The league followed that up by breaking the Sweet 16 record with seven representatives — including Kentucky — and two Final Four participants before ultimately bringing the national championship trophy back to the conference which just means more, Florida winning the whole thing.
Only six teams are ranked at this point, led by Vanderbilt, of all schools, at No.