Nashville, Tennessee:
Life in the SEC is rough. Each game is something new full of surprises that even the experts can't seem to figure out.
This year, in particular, has been extra weird for no apparent reason other than the talent gap between the top of the conference and the lower tier has grown closer than ever before.
Four short years ago, the SEC saw a league-worst three bids to the NCAA Tournament. That dreaded season was 2016, a season that forever changed the landscape of college basketball in the conference.
Since the formation of the conference back in 1933, the SEC has always been a football first conference, with basketball serving as the little brother. That all changed with the hiring of Greg Sankey. Sankey brought the SEC up to date with the rest of the country as far as college basketball goes.
Which, it might be hard to watch at times, but the SEC is in the best shape it's ever been. On Saturday alone, Auburn hosted College Gameday as the Tigers welcomed Kentucky to the plains.
Since commissioner Sankey took over the SEC, the conference has become one of the most elite basketball destinations in the country, with that being evident week in and week out with the level of competition from top to bottom.
This year, every team has the chance to win the SEC Tournament in March from Vanderbilt to Kentucky everybody is on the same playing field as this season goes on. The 2019-2020 season could go down as the best the Southeastern Conference has ever seen.
Sure, it's not fun to lose any game, but one thing to remember as this season goes on. Every team will lose it's just the way of life within the new SEC. As each team prepares for this final month before the SEC tournament, expect the unexpected throughout this great conference.