The SEC is a Basketball Conference! The NCAA Block Squares Pool

Last year, I wrote a post titled "The SEC is the New Big Ten" where I talked about the bizarro world of the Big Ten performing well in the first days of the tournament and the SEC being dogs. You may remember that the highlights last year included Kentucky losing Oakland in the first round, Auburn being bested by an Ivy League school, and Florida giving up 102 points to Colorado. I didn't draw the conclusion at the time, but it was clear that the SEC was a football only conference. 

How the times have changed, right? This year, the SEC received 14 tournament bids and advance seven teams to the Sweet 16! The Big Ten? Still a pretty good basketball conference. Their entries shot out to a 10-0 start and have 4 teams remaining. The biggest takeaway this year is that the power conferences are stronger than ever, and there are no Cinderella's to be found. Just a few additional thoughts before we get to the pool results:

• Despite an exceptional effort from the two-time defending champions, the Big East has no teams
  
  remaining in the tournament. This is noteworthy since the Big East has won 7 of the last 13 National Championships. As a Syracuse alum, I can't stress enough how much I miss the conference. Oh, and Hoya Suxa!
• The ACC has only one team remaining and they are a wagon! Duke is clearly the most talented team in the field, and they are dog walking teams in the early rounds. It is kind of amazing that in his third season at the helm, Jon Scheyer is making people forget that other guy who used to coach at Duke. 
• The Big 12's four remaining teams in the tournament include BYU, Arizona and Houston. None of these schools were in the conference as recently as the 2022-23 season. Conference realignment is weird. I mean, who caught that late night Big Ten - Big 12 clash between Oregon and Arizona? Riveting. 
• One buzzer beater all weekend and it came from Cooper Flagg's high school teammate and confident because he is from Baltimore baller Derik Queen. It is here that I always like to point out that Maryland is the last Big Ten team to win a National Championship in basketball. 
• How about the Pitino family. St. John's shot 21 for 75 (28%) from the field and 2 for 22 (9%) on 3-pointers in a loss to Arkansas on Saturday afternoon. That is atrocious! Star guard RJ Luis Jr. was benched in this game after going 3 for 17 and 0 for 3 from the 3-point line. Again, atrocious. After that debacle was over, Rick Pitino got on a plane and went to Cleveland to watch his sone Richard's New Mexico team fall to Michigan St. Tough weekend weekend all around.
• Oh, and then there is John Calipari. In his last four years at Kentucky, he missed the tournament once, got knocked out in the first round twice, and got knocked out in the round of 32 in the other appearance. He quits Kentucky for the traditionally better program at Arkansas this year and they are rolling into the Sweet Sixteen. No need to weep for Kentucky though as they are also there with a roster that does not contain a single player from last years team under Calipari. Just, wow!

On to the block squares pool where your commissioner is off the schneid! I have a long way to go to catch Johnny Aranza, who won a 3rd square in the second round yesterday, but I have arrived. Look out, I intend to win more!

We are on to the Sweet Sixteen Thursday, and the value of squares doubles. the next 8 games are worth 100 each! Good luck everyone.

--Your Commissioner