The SEC has been the best athletic conference in college sports in football and baseball for years now, producing the highest number of professional athletes in each sport in comparison with other competing leagues like the ACC, Big 10, and Big 12. This past season, the storied league has flexed its muscles, taking a major step forward in basketball, with a National Champion in the Florida Gators and Final Four team in the Auburn Tigers.
The evidence for this dominance continues into the NBA Combine, which goes from May 11-18 in Chicago. Of all of the collegiate conferences, the one with the most invites is – you guessed it – the SEC, who has 19 prospects listed. 10 of the 16 teams in the conference had at least one player invited to work out in front of scouts as they attempt to either solidify their draft position or increase their odds of going in the first round.
Some of the most notable players invited are Texas’ Tre Johnson, South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., Auburn’s Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford, Alabama’s Mark Sears and Labaron Philon, Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier, and Arkansas’ Adou Thiero and Boogie Fland. The full list of players can be seen here.
Though the combine is typically not a make-or-break event in the NBA Draft, it is certainly an opportunity for some of the more borderline first-round picks to make an impression on scouts and executives. It could also play a major role in determining whether some of these players end up going pro or coming back to school – Boogie Fland is a primary example of a guy whose combine will heavily influence his decision about where to play his next season of basketball.
Clearly, the conference’s investment in basketball helped mark a historic rise for the SEC this past season, as the league got in an unprecedented 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament. The conference’s depth also made it an absolute war zone, with eight teams finishing in the final AP Top 25. Obviously, NIL played a role, but more importantly, the conference harbors college basketball’s best coaches – Todd Golden, Bruce Pearl, Chris Beard, Nate Oats, Rick Barnes, John Calipari, and Mark Pope helped elevate the SEC this year.
The scary thing is, the conference is looking just as strong next season.
