How Much Auburn Winning the SEC Tournament Actually Matters

In 2024, the Auburn Tigers went into the SEC Tournament with one thing on their mind: win. That’s exactly what head coach Bruce Pearl and the Tigers did. The Tigers defeated the Florida Gators who had made a mini-Cinderella run to make the SEC championship game. Despite the win, the Tigers were disappointed to find that their projections in the NCAA Tournament had not changed. They were still a four-seed. So it begs the question, outside of automatically qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, what does winning a conference tournament do?

The Tigers had a valid argument as they lost in the very first round against the 13-seed Yale. Had they received a three-seed after winning the SEC Tournament, they might have had a better starting point. Say they were in the same region, they would have played the 14-seed Morehead State who lost to Illinois in the first round by a considerable amount. The Illini ended up making a run to the Elite Eight, losing only to the reigning and eventual champions, UConn. While the Tigers may not have made a run like that, they likely wouldn’t have lost in the first round. It would have also been a reunion for forward/center Johni Broome who started his career at Morehead State.

At this point, there is no scenario in which Auburn isn’t a one-seed. They dropped two sports in the AP Top 25 and the projections didn’t budge.

They might not end up being the top seed overall in the tournament, but bumping them down to even a two-seed at this point would be a stretch. Winning or losing might not even put a dent in those chances.

Another thing that affects the SEC Tournament, this year in particular, is the amount of eligible teams the SEC can put forward into the NCAA Tournament. While the ACC and Big Ten expanded to have more teams than the SEC, the SEC is finding ways to put more teams than any other conference. According to Joe Lunardi, the SEC could have up to 13 of their 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Currently, South Carolina, LSU and either Oklahoma and/or Texas will be missing out on the Big Dance.

This brings it back to the main point. Unless you are one of the fringe teams in the conference, you’re not fighting for much outside of seeding, if even that. It also might not help them even if they win, as they know from last year. This isn’t a call to go out there no try and win the tournament, but it won’t be the be-all and end-all should they not.