SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has had a lot to crow about throughout his tenure main the convention. Soccer championships. Improved basketball packages. A complete lot extra money. Convention growth that has solely elevated the worth of his league and the ability he holds. Issues are excellent in Birmingham.
However he’s beginning to put an excessive amount of dip on his chip, getting out over his skis, getting a bit too grasping, and followers are beginning to get sick of it. So too, apparently, are the basketball gods.
One week after Sankey dismissed the small-conference champions, a few of his league’s greatest groups have proven precisely why the NCAA Match is ideal the way in which it’s and doesn’t want extra groups from leagues like his on the expense of these little guys.
Sankey advised ESPN not too long ago, “We’re giving freely extremely aggressive alternatives for computerized qualifiers (from smaller leagues), and I believe that strain goes to rise as now we have extra aggressive basketball leagues on the high finish due to (convention) growth.” He advised The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker days later that computerized qualifying spots for mid-majors are “a part of the evaluation.”
The subsequent week, 14-seed Oakland beat Kentucky and 13-seed Yale beat Auburn, victories for the precise sort of packages that Sankey mentioned aren’t as worthy because the these from the “high finish” leagues just like the SEC. His convention, which tied for essentially the most groups within the discipline of any league with eight, began 1-5 on the event, with all 5 losses coming to decrease seeds. Solely three league members reached the second spherical.
The extra Sankey has pushed on this and different aggressive steadiness points, the extra he’s develop into a villain to followers, the individual in opposition to whom persons are lashing out to precise their frustration concerning the altering panorama of faculty sports activities.
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It was the SEC that began an enormous spherical of convention realignment by including Texas and Oklahoma in 2021. It was Sankey who went on a media blitz forward of soccer’s convention championship video games in December, lobbying that the SEC ought to get within the School Soccer Playoff even when No. 1 Georgia misplaced later that day. Alabama was finally chosen over undefeated Florida State, an unprecedented and controversial determination. It’s Sankey’s convention, together with the Massive Ten, that compelled a transfer to vastly uneven convention payouts for the CFP starting in 2026 and are pushing for extra assured bids for his or her leagues.
Subsequent up: Tilt the preferred event in America of their favor much more to repair the so-called issues they created for themselves.
With all that energy and affect, the hubris has begun to point out. Sankey has talked about NCAA Match growth earlier than, together with in his function as co-chair of the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee, however his dismissive remark concerning the computerized qualifiers on the eve of the event was so insulting to so many individuals throughout faculty sports activities.
It was additionally extraordinarily incorrect. Main upsets of excessive seeds are taking place extra often and resulting in deeper Cinderella runs than ever, and the SEC on the entire has struggled on this event (together with an 0-2 report in opposition to the Ivy League within the final two years). Sankey ought to have recognized higher. He walked proper into this. He deserves to have it thrown again in his face. His argument was full nonsense.
Groups like Oakland, Yale and Duquesne (which knocked off 6-seed BYU) aren’t supposed to hold the burden of all mid-majors on their backs. They’ve bought sufficient to fret about. However they’ve been tasked with representing the legitimacy of all of the packages and conferences like them this yr, for concern that individuals like Sankey might level and say they don’t should be right here and we should always add extra energy convention at-large groups.
As a substitute, what occurred is what occurs each March. Greg Kampe, in his fortieth season as Oakland coach, bought a win that may go in his obituary. Oakland’s Division II switch 3-point specialist Jack Gohlke outplayed lottery decide Reed Sheppard from Kentucky. Duquesne, with a coach set to retire, gained its first event recreation in 47 years. Yale college students lastly had one thing go their manner (OK, possibly not that one).
Within the first spherical, that’s what folks talked about. That simply means extra. Not the bubble destiny of an Oklahoma staff that went 8-10 in convention play make the sphere.
Basketball isn’t soccer, the place historical past has proven that the best collections of expertise all the time win out, and the vast majority of these collections do come from the SEC. People love the NCAA Match as a result of each staff is handled equally. Whether or not you win the Horizon League, the Ivy League or the SEC, you get in and also you get an opportunity. 12 months after yr, the upsets are the reminiscences informal followers keep in mind.
I assume having better monetary and personnel discrepancies than ever earlier than isn’t sufficient. Leaders like Sankey are searching for each final greenback and benefit, no matter what that pursuit leaves in its wake. It’s not simply Sankey; Massive 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has additionally publicly supported event growth, admitting it will be higher for his league. However he doesn’t have energy like Sankey does. Massive Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti has been good sufficient to remain largely out of the general public eye regardless of holding most of the identical emotions, particularly for soccer. He needs to be pressed on this, too.
Sankey has pointed to UCLA’s 2021 Last 4 run from the First 4 as an information level in favor of energy conference-boosting growth, conveniently ignoring that VCU made the identical run in 2011. (First 4 participant Colorado did add heft to his argument by knocking out Florida on Friday, making certain the SEC would end Spherical 1 no higher than .500.) Fairleigh Dickinson, which was shipped to a 16-seed First 4 recreation final yr, circled and beat Purdue.
Minor event growth to 72 or 76 groups, which directors say are the most certainly choices at this level, would probably penalize the small conferences by creating extra play-in video games for the No. 16 seeds (although the precise format continues to be unclear). That would knock the Oaklands, the Yales and the Duquesnes down one other seed, all so we will get a number of extra energy convention groups who’re barely above .500. Really feel the joy?
The SEC did lots of chest-thumping this yr that it was probably the greatest basketball leagues within the nation. A single-elimination event isn’t the most effective choose of that, however when greater than half your groups lose to decrease seeds, that’s a troublesome look. That’s why we play these video games.
It’s not hyperbole to say these first-round upsets might play an vital function in the way forward for the event. Public backlash nonetheless issues. The leaking of the 3-3-2-2-1 auto-bid mannequin beneath dialogue amongst CFP leaders met swift public pushback, and growth to 14 groups has been postpone a minimum of for now. Maybe some underdog runs and the tough response to Sankey’s feedback might delay event growth, too. It actually doesn’t harm. The basketball gods did their half. How far Tennessee, Alabama and Texas A&M prolong their runs may even go down within the story the SEC tells about this month, however the different 5 colleges to make the sphere haven’t backed up Sankey’s daring stance.
All through this opening weekend, almost each coach, participant and fan has expressed how they love this event for what it’s and what it represents. The folks in cost have to be reminded of that.
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(Picture: Steph Chambers / Getty Pictures)