The Southeastern Conference
POLL WORTHY
The SEC is one of just two conferences in the country to have all of its members ranked at least one week in the Associated Press top 25 (excluding pre-season polls) since 1999-2000. Simply stated, every SEC team has been a top 25 team nationally at one point in the last nine seasons.
Commissioner Mike Slive
EVERYBODY DANCE Director of Media Relations Craig Pinkerton (basketball contact)
Every team in the SEC has made at least one NCAA Tournament appearance in the last decade. Arkansas has earned an NCAA Tournament bid in three of the last five seasons.
RECORD ATTENDANCE
More than 2.5 million fans have witnessed SEC basketball in each of the last four seasons.The SEC posted the fourth-largest attendance season attendance in league history, totaling 2,518,749 fans for games featuring SEC teams in 2009-10. A record 2,638,852 fans saw SEC basketball in 2008-09 while 2,562,073 were in attendance in 2006-07 and 2,561,545 for the 2007-08 season. Arkansas was No. 25 in national attendance average, the 17th straight season the Razorbacks have ranked among the top 25.
SEC Members
University of Alabama University of Arkansas Auburn University University of Florida University of Georgia University of Kentucky Louisiana State University University of Mississippi Mississippi State University University of South Carolina University of Tennessee Vanderbilt University
SEC AMONG FINAL FOUR LEADERS
In the last 19 NCAA tournaments (19932011), the SEC’s 13 Final Four appearances are the third-most of any conference. The SEC has had a total of five different teams make the Final Four to trail only the Big Ten and Big East with seven appearances each. Arkansas is one of the five SEC programs to reach the national semifinals over that span.
NATIONAL TITLES
Throughout its history, the Southeastern Conference has captured 10 NCAA championships and four NIT titles.
SEC Office 2201 Richard Arrington Blvd. North Birmingham, AL 35203
2012 NCAA Tournament
Switchboard: 205-458-3000 Media Relations: 205-458-3010 Men’s Basketball Contact: Craig Pinkerton Fax: 205-458-3030 Web site: www.secsports.com
First Round: March 13-14 Univ. of Dayton Arena - Dayton, Ohio
2012 SEC Tournament March 8-11 New Orleans Arena – New Orleans, La. Future SEC Tournament Sites 2013 – March 14-17, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn. 2014 – March 13-16, The Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. 2015 – March 12-15, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
196 | 2011-12 Media Guide
Selection Show: March 11
Second & Third Rounds: March 15 & 17 The Pit – Albuquerque, N.M. KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, Ky. Consol Energy Center – Pittsburgh, Pa. Rose Garden Arena – Portland, Ore. March 16 & 18 Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Ohio Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, N.C. Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, Tenn. CenturyLink Center – Omaha, Neb.
ARKANSAS SEC ACADEMIC CONSORTIUM
The SEC’s Academic Consortium is housed on Arkansas’ campus. It was established in April 2008 to share resources and coordinate efforts by the 12 league universities to bolster teaching, research, public service and other educational activities.
HISTORY OF THE SEC
SEC schools began athletic competition with one another more than 100 years ago as members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Seven institutions (Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Sewanee and Vanderbilt) attended the SIAA organizational meeting of faculty representatives in Atlanta on Dec. 22, 1894. The SIAA expanded to 19 institutions in 1895 with Central, Clemson, Cumberland, Kentucky, LSU, Mercer Mississippi State, Nashville, Southwestern Presbyterian, Tennessee, Texas and Tulane joining the fold, and by 1920 there were 30 members. The larger schools reorganized as the Southern Conference at a meeting in Gainesville Dec. 12-13, 1920, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, MSU, UNC, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee. In 1922, Florida, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia and VMI joined while Sewanee and Duke became members in 1923 and 1928, respectively. The 13 members west and south of the Appalachian Mountains reorganized (UA, AU, UF, UG, GTU, UK, LSU, UM, MSU, Sewanee, UT, Tulane and VU) as the SEC at the Southern Conference meetings of Dec. 8-9, 1932, in Knoxville while the 10 coast members remained in the SC. Sewanee withdrew on Dec. 13, 1940, Georgia Tech on June 1, 1964, and Tulane on June 1, 1966. The league maintained that membership until Arkansas joined on Aug. 1, 1990, and South Carolina on Sept. 25, 1990.
Regionals: March 22 & 24 TD Garden – Boston, Mass. US Airways Center – Phoenix, Ariz. March 23 & 25 Georgia Dome – Atlanta, Ga. Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis, Mo. Final Four: March 31 & April 2 Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans, La.
Future NCAA Final Four Dates & Sites 2013 April 6 & 8 Georgia Dome – Atlanta, Ga. 2014 April 5 & 7 Cowboys Stadium – Dallas, Texas 2015 April 4 & 6 Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.