(0:57)Open Extended ReactionsI am old enough to remember when the SEC managed only three NCAA bids three times in a four-year span (2013-2016). Even old enough to remember when Missouri and Texas A&M, not to mention Texas and Oklahoma, were in the Big 12. The hoops have gotten so good in the SEC that its gridiron performance is an afterthought (wink, wink ...). Alabama is one of the two strongest Final Four contenders for the SEC this season. Maybe next yearMississippi State BulldogsSouth Carolina GamecocksThe 6-seed Gamecocks of 2024 (26-8, 13-5 SEC) are looking like an outlier.