It’s official: the Southeastern Conference (SEC) isn’t just a powerhouse—it’s a postseason juggernaut. Whether you’re watching from the hardwood, the diamond, or the gridiron, one thing is clear in 2025:
It. Just. Means. More.
This spring, the SEC has gone on a record-setting tear, placing 14 of 68 teams in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, 14 of 64 in NCAA Softball, and is projected by On3 to send 13 of 64 teams to the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Add in 3 of 12 programs selected for the expanded College Football Playoff, and 10 in the women's NCAA tournament; the SEC is doing more than flexing—it’s rewriting history.
Let’s break it down.
Men’s basketball: 14 of 68 Teams (20.6%)
Back in March, college basketball fans watched as 14 SEC teams punched tickets to the NCAA Tournament—a record for any conference in men’s basketball history.
That accounted for 20.6% of the field. No other league in NCAA history has ever reached that threshold.
It wasn’t just about quantity either—teams advanced deep into the tournament; 4 of the Elite 8, 2 of the Final Four, and the National Champion.
Softball: 14 of 64 Teams (21.9%)
In May, history repeated itself on the softball diamond. Fourteen SEC teams again earned NCAA bids—this time matching the all-time record set by SEC basketball just two months prior.
That’s 21.9% of the national field from a single conference.
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Florida
- Arkansas
- Texas
- Tennessee
- South Carolina
- LSU
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Kentucky
- Ole Miss
- Mississppie State
The result? A postseason that looks a lot like a conference tournament.
No other league has ever sent 14 softball teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Baseball: 13 of 64 teams projected (20.3%)
If On3’s projections hold—and they’re widely respected in collegiate baseball circles—the SEC is about to break its own record in baseball as well.
In 2024, the league sent 11 teams to the NCAA Baseball Tournament, the most ever. This year? Thirteen teams are expected to make the cut, which would equal 20.3% of the field and surpass last year’s mark.
It’s not just one or two elite teams—the SEC is deep and dangerous. Again.
Football: 3 of 12 College Football Playoff Teams (25%), womens' basketball: 10 of 68 (14.7%)
Even with the expanded 12-team format, only one conference had more then the three teams in the College Football Playoff from the SEC. (Big Ten had 4)
- Georgia
- Texas
- Tennesse
That’s 25% of the playoff field and no small feat in a newly competitive playoff structure. The Big Ten had the most with 4 teams, but the SEC’s depth and late-season dominance secured its place as a top conference yet again.
And in the women's basketball world sending 10 teams was not enough to break a national record but it broke the conference record.
Sport | SEC Teams | Total Teams | Percentage % |
|---|---|---|---|
Men's basketball | 14 | 68 | 20.6% |
Women's basketball | 10 | 68 | 20.6% |
Football | 3 | 12 | 25% |
Baseball (projected) | 13 | 64 | 20.3% |
Softball | 14 | 64 | 21.9% |
A little over 1/5th of all teams that made it to the post-season in these sports were from one conference.
Kentucky part of the pack
WIth the exception of football, Kentucky sent it's team to each of those tournaments. While no Cats team has walked away with a title yet, stranger things have happened and the Bat Cats were in Omaha last year. Kentucky sotball is also due for a win as they enter the tournament on a losing streak.
The takeaway: It’s an SEC world, and everyone else is playing catch-up
Across the four major college sports—basketball, softball, baseball, and football—the SEC is dominating the postseason landscape like no conference ever has. Everyone else is just playing second fiddle.
The numbers don’t lie. From Selection Sunday to Oklahoma City, Omaha, and the CFP, the SEC isn’t just showing up—it’s taking over.
And in case anyone forgot, the league’s tagline feels more fitting than ever:
“It just means more.”