Admit it some of you clicked this thinking it was an NIT question.

Would you rather win 4 in 4 days and win the SEC tournament? And then lose in the 2nd round in a 3/6 game?

OR

Lose on Thursday to Texas but make the sweet 16 (and lose in the sweet 16)

Keep in mind - the teams that made the sec championship last year Florida and Auburn - both lost in the first round to Yale and Colorado last year.

Tennessee and Alabama lost their first SECT game but went to the E8 and Final 4 respectfully.

In 2023 A&M went to the championship but lost in the 1st round of the NCAAT

In 2022 Tennessee won the SEC then lost to an 11 seed in the first weekend.

I'm not saying it can't be done, it obviously can to have success in both tournaments but there is no doubt there is a tradeoff in how much you have left.

I would rather lose to Texas by 100 if it meant winning 1 more NCAAT game, after the last 3 years I couldn't care less about the SEC tournament including lifting that hardware, which to me would mean as much as the Players Era preseason tournament championship.

I don't like the idea of losing our first game in the SECT and idc who the loss is to. I'd prefer to go 1-1 in Nashville. An 0-1 appearance just doesn't feel like you're carrying your best momentum into the tourney despite getting good rest.

But given your choices, I'd take the 0-1 and Sweet 16 appearance over an SECT title and early exit.

Edit to add…not to mention even though winning that second game against UT would be one of our best wins of the season, it won't matter to the committee because IIRC, the top 4-5 seed lines are already set at the end of Thursday night.

I want to see the Ags make an E8 before I die and the only way that happens is by getting a Sweet 16 first. I'll never hope we lose to sip in anything, but if it happens and our guys go into the dance that much more rested then so be it.

I think best case scenario is win the first game and then lose to Tennessee. Playing 4 games and then likely a game 4 days later seems like a recipe for disaster even if we are a 2 seed.

If I already knew that it would be S16 then dip out I'd probably take the trophy. But in the moment further in big tourney is answer

The 'Rec league' team idea is actually interesting. If we play tu in that game they likely need to win to stay on the bubble…but if they win a game that Wade, Phelps, Payne, Solo, etc…basically any player on our team anyone recognizes doesn't play…is that the story and does it mean tu doesn't get the credit with the committee they might have by beating us full strength? Could we actually screw tu and get rest at the same time?

Neither.

I think for the psychology of the team, they need to win one at least to be confident heading into the NCAAT. Whether it be Vandy or tu, the team needs to avenge the loss and feel good about facing Tenn.

In those two runs at the SECT, we needed to perform well to ensure our appearance in the Big Dance. I can see how we ended up being the hungrier team in those matches. Now that we don't need the wins, the SECT is just a rite of passage on to bigger fish to fry.

JJxvi said:

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Id rather win a championship than make a sweet 16.

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For once I might agree.

The best basketball, by far, was played in the most dominant conference all time, the SEC. Winning the SECT doesn't get you any recognition, but the winner of that tourney will truly be able to say they beat the best of the best for a title.

JJxvi said:

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Id rather win a championship than make a sweet 16.

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Id rather win the regular season championship

Our program is starved for championships. I will take a SEC tourney championship (especially this year with how good the league is) over a S16.

I'm curious why anyone would think this is an NIT question?

Conference tournament championship is nice. Regular season championship is nice. This year is the most meaningful one to favor the SEC over the broader NCAA tournament field with two likely one line SEC teams. But I think most would celebrate an E8 or F4 appearance longer.

Sweet 16

TXAGBQ76 said:

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I'm curious why anyone would think this is an NIT question?

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Oh you know. Just a new twist on an old favorite around here….

I guess I just don't GAF about conference tournament trophies. Nobody remembers who won the big 12 tournament last year or the acc tournament 2 years ago. Making the 2nd weekend is such a program builder of the hype and attention you get in the lead up to it.

TxAg76 said:

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All your options suck.

Beat t.u.
Finish wherever in SEC tourney.
Make the Final F'n Four.

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In fairness, both options have us winning an NCAA tournament game and a week ago 90% of this board thought that was a pipe dream.

cutter said:

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Our program is starved for championships. I will take a SEC tourney championship (especially this year with how good the league is) over a S16.

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But some of us are talking about tanking in the SEC tourney. What would winning it accomplish if Auburn, Florida, Bama and UT tank it too????

PatAg said:

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JJxvi said:

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Id rather win a championship than make a sweet 16.

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Id rather win the regular season championship

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I agree with that. Regular season championship>Tournament championship>Sweet 16. Sweet 16 might be rare for us to where we have some that are still enamored with the both the idea of it and also the weird "only the tournament matters!" people, that I guess don't watch regular season basketball.

For the one bid league type teams, making the Sweet 16 might as well be the same as winning a national championship, but for a multi-bid major conference team like us, winning conference championships is rarer and harder than making the Sweet 16.

Thinking that everybody is "tanking" these tournaments is a fanciful made-up notion. I dont get why our fans love the idea of not trying or just not showing up, hoping we turn down bowl games and all that.

ColleyvilleAg06 said:

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TXAGBQ76 said:

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I'm curious why anyone would think this is an NIT question?

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Oh you know. Just a new twist on an old favorite around here….

I guess I just don't GAF about conference tournament trophies. Nobody remembers who won the big 12 tournament last year or the acc tournament 2 years ago. Making the 2nd weekend is such a program builder of the hype and attention you get in the lead up to it.

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Nobody remembers who just made the sweet 16 and lost either.

We would remember winning the conference tournament. I know that we won in 1987 and I wouldnt even be following basketball until like 10+ years later. We remember our sweet 16's too, but nobody remembers who Michigan or Oklahoma demolished in those games either. If anything, nationally people will remember the way we beat North Carolina and how we beat Northern Iowa way more than the fact that we participated in the sweet 16 round.

It's a ridiculous "big brain" fan mentality.

Winners want to win.

I think winning the conference tournament is a pretty equivalent achievement to making the elite 8. Youre beating elite teams at that level. If anything, I wonder if the conference tournment should be more highly thought of than an Elite 8 appearance.

Even elite programs make the Elite 8 way more than they win their conference tournaments.

Kentucky being the undisputed tiger of (what was) a weaker league is the only one that I know where its equivalent over the last 25 years.

Anyway, this year, we would have a claim to have won what will potentially be considered the "best conference ever"

I dont think we're gonna win it, but I want to badly.

Beat tu on Thursday.

Lose on Friday. Forfeit if we have to. Do not play more than two games this weekend.

Depends BK!s two sweet games we were beaten in the first 5 minutes absolutely slaughtered by OU and Michigan. Not sure which team did better in the conf tourney 07, and bk's teams.

The round of 32 games were two of the most memorable ever.

Options don't compute because I wa t to make st least an elite 8

Don't give a cede about sect championship, and getting to the sweet 216 while good, would still be no better than we've ever done before