Bracket fever is suddenly sweeping the nation -- the NBA Cup is down to its final four teams and college football's expanded playoff is also getting in on what had previously been the domain of its college basketball cousins.
But that doesn't mean the Bracketology has stopped on the collegiate hardwood, either. During the past week or so, No. 1 Kansas was toppled by Creighton and Mizzou, dropping its ranking in the latest AP poll by nine spots, to go with additional losses for Gonzaga, Michigan and other ranked teams. All of these shake-ups help the season come into greater focus, setting the stage for a sprint to March, when it's time to fill out the real brackets we all know and love.
In this week's edition of our men's college basketball column, we'll dig into the early, historic dominance of a conference traditionally known for football, plus a look at the bubble team nobody can agree on, and the games to watch this weekend.
Jump to a section:
The Big Dance: Best SEC season ever?
Bubble Watch: Mixed feelings on Arizona
Future Focus: Best weekend games
The Big Dance: SEC looks historically strong
This column will always tip off with one wide look at a key team, player or trend from men's college hoops action. What does it mean for the rest of the season?
Lost amid all the hand-wringing over Alabama being excluded from the College Football Playoff -- giving the SEC only three entries in the field -- was on the basketball court the conference has never been better.
Literally so: The SEC is currently on pace for the best winning percentage (.872) and schedule-adjusted scoring margin per game (+19.1, per Sports-Reference's Simple Rating System) in its men's basketball history, as of Thursday morning.
