EXPOSED: Why the Auburn Tigers SHOULD NOT Be in the NCAA Tourney — Lunardi STILL Thinks They're In!

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Water usually wins.

It warps in Rott's wood.

It pulls it apart bored by bored.

Unless you build with treks.

Treks marine grade decking is 100% submersible for docks.

Built to last, it resists rod warping and decay in salt and fresh water.

For homeowners, that means care free days on the water, not constant maintenance.

For builders, it means trusted performance that minimizes callbacks.

Water has met its match, treks decking, performance engineered for your life outdoors.

Visit treks.com slash docs.

Get in the game with the college branded Venmo debit card.

Record your team with every tap and earn up to 5% cash back with Venmo stash, a new rewards

program from Venmo.

No monthly fee, no minimum balance, just school pride and spending power.

Get in the game and sign up for the Venmo debit card at Venmo.com slash college card.

The Venmo master card is issued by the bank court bank NA, select schools available.

Venmo stash terms and exclusions apply at Venmo.me slash stash terms.

Max $100 cash back per month.

When you want spring break to feel like...

And a moment away from the kids to feel like...

And your reward status to feel like...

Thank you for being a Hilton Honors Gold member.

Enjoy your daily food and beverage credit.

Now that nightcap in the lounge can feel like...

It matters where you stay.

With Hilton Honors earn the most valuable gold status faster, and unlock benefits at

over 9,000 locations worldwide.

Hilton, for this day.

Auburn should not be in the NCAA tournament, so why does Joe Lanardi keep insisting on wanting

to put them in?

Locked on SEC starts right now.

You are locked on SEC, your daily podcast on the southeastern conference.

Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team, every day.

Hey, what's up everybody?

Welcome in to Locked on SEC.

It's great to have you guys along.

I'm Chris Gordy.

Thanks for making Locked on SEC your first listen every day.

Shout out to our every dayers.

We are part of the Locked on Podcast Network.

Now the number one sports podcast networking today's episode is brought to you by Mazda.

We put that same drive into every detail, wins, define the moment, putting in the work.

That defines you.

Stay tuned for highlights in this week's Mazda's moving the game forward.

There's more to a Mazda because there's more to you.

I really finished off the regular season of SEC men's basketball.

Obviously we'll get the SEC tournament set this week.

And of course some teams still vying or jockeying for seating for the NCAA tournament, but there

is a team very much on the bubble watch.

That is the Auburn Tigers as Alabama took care of Auburn on Saturday night 96 to 84 from

the tie.

They are doing their thing.

They've won nine of their last 10.

They're red hot locked up the number two spot in the SEC 30 Auburn.

However, they have left a lot of doubt Auburn.

They had a chance to remove some of that doubt in that game against Bama.

They did not do it instead.

The Tigers hit the Nashville with everything still hanging in the balance.

That 96 84 lost to Bama, dropped Auburn to 16 and 15 overall, 7 and 11 in SEC play.

And that puts them squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble entering the SEC tournament.

A win would have likely locked Auburn into the field, but the loss only increases the

pressure this week because no 16 loss team has ever earned an at large bid to the NCAA

tournament.

There have been three 15 loss teams have made it all from the SEC, but Auburn is 16 and

15.

So if they take a loss in the SEC tournament, which they will, unless they make a miraculous

run, they'll have 16 losses.

And again, no 16 loss team has ever earned an at large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Steven Pearl, he has been talking very glowingly about his team and their chances.

Look, obviously he wants to get into this thing, but Steven Pearl talking to the media

after the game, he said, we have to make a run.

It's win or go home.

And then the quote that kind of grabbed a lot of people's attention saying, I think our

resume stands up against anybody's.

We have enough quality wins to be in this tournament.

We play in the best league in college basketball.

I think that's the painable this year, last year I would have agreed this year not so much.

He said, we have five of the best wins of the country.

We have the best win in college basketball at Florida.

If you look at the other teams of the bubble, I don't think those teams get those wins.

Look, it was a great win over Florida, but that game was back in January.

It is March now.

And I get it.

We got to look at resumes, but it is also as much tournament or the selection committee.

A lot of times looks on what have you done lately?

They like to see teams peaking at the right time.

If Auburn played Florida right now for just being frank, they would get destroyed.

They just would.

Gators of 111 in a row, including wins of Obama and M Arkansas, Kentucky twice.

And frankly, when you look at Auburn, they have lost eight of their last 10 right now.

Three of Auburn's last four losses, argued to teams like Ole Miss Oklahoma and Mississippi

State.

None of those teams postseason bound.

Maybe surprisingly, Joe Lennarty saying late Saturday night that he still would have Auburn

in the field, even after the loss in Tuscaloosa, but Lennarty did add that once the dust settles,

he did not believe Auburn would make the tournament without making a significant run in Nashville.

So here is how the SEC standings kind of looked as we recap the season Florida sits at 16

two right at the top of the SEC.

They win the title, Alabama and Arkansas right behind them at 13 and five, Vandy, Tennessee

and A&M all at 11 and seven, they have Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky all at 10 and eight, Texas

at nine and nine.

Give Oklahoma some credit.

And they are 7-11 right there with Auburn.

Oklahoma really got hot in the last month of the season.

Unfortunately, they dug themselves such a big hole early in the year that they won't be

postseason bound.

But I think Lennarty had them in like the next four out.

So, you know, look, maybe Oklahoma could make go run in Nashville and surprise them folks.

And then of course, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Ole Miss and LSU all that down there

at the bottom.

So the latest Jill Lennarty Bracketology, he upped Florida 2A1 seat over the weekend.

It was about time I kept saying, you know, when are they going to make the move, Yukon

lost.

And so, Florida jumps into a one-spot Alabama, a three-seat Bama, about a week ago was

considered a four-seat.

So they moved up.

Then you got Arkansas, Vandy and Tennessee all hanging tough as five-seeds, Kentucky

and as a six-seed still giving them some credit despite their losses as of late.

Georgia and as a seven.

And then he's got Texas, Texas A&M and Mizzou all in his ten-seeds.

And then he's got Auburn in as an 11-seed in his group of last four in.

So that is the latest Bracketology from Jill Lennarty.

Of course, you know, we'll see if Auburn can make a run in Nashville.

And so other than Auburn who needs a win in Nashville, well, to me, I got the Texas

Longhorns.

They blew a half-time lead over the Oklahoma Sooners in Austin on Saturday night, falling

to OU88 to 85.

Texas has lost four of their last five games to finish season as the ten-seed in the SEC

tournament.

And Sean Miller's bunch, they were on a five-game win streak just a few weeks ago, but

they have faltered since.

And with many other bubble teams taking losses this weekend, Texas still likely in, but

man, a win in Nashville would certainly solidify it, right?

They play in the first round of the SEC tournament against a familiar foe in Ole Miss and former

head coach Chris Beard, a win over Ole Miss should absolutely secure Texas in.

Another team that needs a win, the Kentucky Wildcats, again, they don't, it's out of

their out if they don't win in the SEC tournament, but man, they could use a few bad win, a few

wins in a bad way.

Mark Pope's bunch finished the regular season, fall to Florida at Roperina Saturday, 84-77.

Every Gator starter scored in double digits.

That's got 28 from Otago away, but not much help elsewhere in the Cats.

I've lost five of their last seven, and that came after they had one eight of nine.

So it's so funny how college basketball sometimes, you're cruising, you're looking hot, and

then all of a sudden you falter, Florida on the other side is on an 11-game win streak.

Florida scored the first 11 points in this game, never trailed.

Wildcats missed their first seven shots.

Florida won the SEC regular season title by three games over Arkansas.

They get the double buy at Kentucky.

They will get LSU in their first round game before potentially getting Mizzou in the

second round.

So a chance here for Kentucky to beat LSU beat Mizzou and really get some of their confidence

back.

They would have to see Florida again in the quarterfinals, but two wins in Asheville would

be nice.

And then, well, who knows if they face Florida again, right?

They actually of this streak that Florida has been on.

I believe the two single digit games they've played were against Kentucky.

So, you know, so Kentucky kept it within 10 in both losses to Florida.

While Florida has been basically blowing a hell out of everybody else, who's another

team that really could use a win this week in Nashville?

How about Tennessee?

Like I said, not in jeopardy of making the tournament, but man, they finished the season

losing three of their last four losses to Mizzou, Alabama and Vandy.

They fell to Vandy on Saturday, 86, 82.

Now, look, Nate, I met, you know, he missed the last two games that ankle slash knee injury

that happened in the lost Alabama, sideline him against South Carolina and Vandy.

Rick Barnes saying it is more of a high ankle sprain and the time off gives him some time

to heal his body that took some physical abuse this season to get him ready for the post

season.

He had 13 points and nine rebounds in the Vols first meeting with Vandy, which was a

Tennessee win.

Vandy, they have won three of their last four and Mark Bington really doing an outstanding

job with that team in year two in Nashville.

A few other games just to highlight, Arkansas finished their season, strong beating Mizzou

on the road, 88, 84 and over time.

And that was despite not having Terrius Acuff, who missed the game due to injury.

The hope here is it's nothing to worry about, but yeah, Terrius Acuff has been one of

the best players, best scores in all of college basketball this season.

Malik Thomas, he had dropped 28.

Toronto, Brazil had 19 and the hogs have won nine of their last seven of their last nine.

Mizzou has lost two in a row heading to the SEC tournament.

And then Georgia, they beat Mississippi State on the road, 102, 96 cannon catchings with

23 points.

But from Mississippi State, Josh Hubbard, man, he has been incredible.

He dropped 42 on Saturday and a losing effort just been a big time score for state this

season despite not being able to win games.

And then Texas A&M, they beat LSU 94 91 triple OT, Ryland Griffin had 24 points.

And so let's take a look at the bracket for the SEC tournament.

Like I said, things get started on Wednesday, Wednesday morning.

It'll be LSU versus Kentucky, that it'll be Mississippi State versus Auburn in the

afternoon into the evening, Ole Miss, Texas, and then South Carolina, Oklahoma in that

late one.

And then LSU Kentucky, when we'll get Mizzou, Mississippi State Auburn winner, we'll get

Tennessee, Ole Miss, Texas winner, Georgia, and South Carolina, Oklahoma will get Texas

A&M.

And then all sit in there in the quarter finals on Friday.

It's Florida.

Florida, the one seed, BAM of the two seed, Arkansas of three seed, Vandy, the four seed.

So we'll have our semis on Saturday and we'll crown an SEC tournament champion on Sunday.

One thing to just point out here, Matt Nordlander saying the season is as good as the reminders

any that there was zero justification for expanding the NCAA tournament.

We keep hearing that from a lot of the decision-makers and folks involved saying, gosh, we've

got to expand the tournament.

68.

It's not enough.

I mean, it was 64 wasn't enough.

Not 68.

It's not enough.

Matt Nordlander says 68 is more than enough.

The evidence.

Over the weekend, we saw 13 teams in the bubble conversation lose games up hauling.

You point out, Seton Hall and UCF lost on Friday on Saturday.

So Virginia Tech, Mizzou, SMU, Cincinnati, NC State, New Mexico, Cal, Indiana, Auburn,

Texas, and USC all lost.

So I tend to agree you were watered down the product big time.

If we keep adding teams, you know, the fact that we're debating over Auburn.

And again, I think I don't think Auburn should be in.

I don't think they have the resume that deserves to get in.

Although Stephen Pearl disagrees with me on that one.

Keep it at 68.

There's no reason to go more.

More games would be exciting, yes, but it's the same thing with football.

House football playoff would be exciting if we had 40 teams in, right?

But it doesn't make sense.

It's stupid.

So that, that is the basketball conversation coming up later.

We will touch on the women's side of Texas being South Carolina in the SEC term a championship

there.

But when I turn out to touch us some college football, there was a big time meeting in Washington

on Friday.

We need to discuss.

Thank you guys for making a lot on SEC your first listen every day.

We've welcomed into the five hour energy flavor draft with 18 different flavors to choose

from, including some new options like confetti craze, fruity rainbow or cotton candy.

There is something for everyone.

The board is set.

The flavors are ready and I'll give you your number one pick for the five hour energy

flavor draft.

How about the new and the Hawaiian breeze as they say you could fill the breeze, taste

the caffeine.

Made with passion fruit, orange and guava flavors.

It is sweet yet smooth, tangy yet tart and another new flavor you need to check out as

well the peach mango, a ripe peach flavor on the first sip mango adds a tropical depth

and sweetness smooth rounded profile slightly rich richer mouth feel than the citrus flavors

and a balanced tropical blend five hour energy shots.

They are going to give you that boost you need with zero sugar.

Find your favorite flavor of five hour energy shots available online at five hour energy

dot com.

That is the number five hour energy dot com or an Amazon and we'll keep watching see

what other new exciting flavors are coming your way from five hour energy.

Hey, also workplace chaos deadline stacking up in box overflowing in the one position

you have to fill is still sitting open when the pressure is on and you need to make the

right higher.

This is a job for sponsor jobs indeed sponsor jobs helps you reach the people who actually

fit what you're looking for skills to experience the location.

So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post and here's a stat

that says it all in the minute we've been talking to you companies like yours made 27

hires on indeed according to indeed data worldwide.

So if you're hiring spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who

check all the boxes with indeed sponsor jobs again spend less time searching more time

actually interviewing the candidates who check all your boxes when you need the right

person to cut through the chaos.

That's a job for indeed sponsor jobs and listeners of our show we get a $75 sponsor job

credit to help you get the job the job your job the premium status it deserves at indeed

dot com slash podcast go to indeed dot com slash podcast right now support our show saying

you heard about it right here indeed dot com slash podcast terms and conditions apply if

you need to hire this is a job for indeed sponsor jobs.

Hey thank you guys for making a locked on SEC your first to listen every day thank you

for making locked on the number one sports podcast network of course you already live your

team every day now you can take it up a level go ad free join the everyday club and get locked

on SEC no interruptions members only discord access and more over just five bucks a month

or fifty bucks a year going to lock down SEC that supercast dot com or check the link

in the show notes to learn more I do want to transition to talk some college football

if you guys miss this on Friday it was a meeting of the minds at the White House president

Donald Trump meeting with a bunch of different folks from around the world of all different

very backgrounds with links to sports 50 people joining him from different backgrounds

hosting the first quote saving college sports round table with vice chair secretary of state

Marco Rubio Florida governor Ron DeSantis like Johnson and New York Yankees president Randy

Levine all at the head of the table and the group included some other politicians sports

celebrities media execs coffers commissioners university presidents and those who spoke

delivered the same message college sports needs federal legislation to restore order

in the current NIL space and it's overall economics and president Donald Trump saying at

the end he will write an executive order within a week that will quote solve all of the problems

brought forth in the unprecedented meeting Donald Trump saying we're going to put it forward

we're going to get sued we're going to see how it plays okay but I'll have an executive order

which will solve every problem in this room every considerable problem within a week

NCAA president Charlie Baker was in attendance along with fellow commissioners including SEC

commissioner Greg Sankey who by the way frankly made the most sense of anybody who actually

spoke at this thing but it was scheduled for an hour lasted almost two hours the reporters in

attendance were allowed to stand in the back of the room and observe former Alabama head coach Nick

Sabin sat to see it's the left of the president and he was one of the first people to speak saying

his goal was to help prepare players for success in life and create an environment that would

help them through personal development and academic support but said that became impossible to do

in this current system he said I think we need to come up with a system we have to do with the

president's leadership and Congress whether it's anti-trust legislation or whatever it is to

allow student athletes in all sports including women's and Olympic sports to enhance their quality

of life outgoing to college but still provide opportunity to advance themselves beyond their athletic

career how much does anybody even talk about getting an education anymore well again that sounds

great Nick but that's also something from the 1990s this is a different time the different

error where college sports is a billion dollar business frankly urban Meyer jumped in the former

Florida Ohio State coach saying that he wants to get rid of the collectives he said quote that's

cheating donors put money in a pot it's distributed to the players through coaches and managers

that's not allowed not supposed to do that that's pay for play lawmakers and others in the room

are rallying around the score act which was Congress Congress is leading Republican back effort to

create a national NIL and college athletic regulatory structure Ted Cruz at 60 Senate votes are

needed for that of course Texas Tech billionaire Cody Campbell is one of the few one of the guys who's

really pushing that saying certain dynamics are going to change he said quote many of the

agendas in this room and outside this room are going to become impossible the reality is nobody's

going to get everything if we're going to come to a solution on this we have to find a place where

we're all equally unhappy just like any other business deal now this is probably what perturbed

me most notably absent in the room with student athletes like I thought this would have been a great

opportunity maybe get some former athletes who actually benefited from an L how about a Katelyn Clark

or Jaden Daniels or Travis Hunter somebody who actually took part a plate in college ball and

recent years and got an L deals and could talk to this group about hey it's not we're not all making

you know yes some of the big names are making the millions but they're not all making millions

and that seems to be the narrative that's been created out there is that all these players are

just all getting money and all this no there's there's the third string tight end who may be getting

nothing he may just be getting the scholarship at enrollment board or it might be a backup alignment

who got a $50,000 deal great you know it's that's a lot of money there's a lot of money for

any of us in college but in the grand scheme of things it's not a ton of money

compared to what the revenue the the sport is is generating revenue wise

when Donald Trump was asked by one of the media members why there were no student athletes

president he said well they're very well represented because people like Nick Sabin or urban

Meyer they all care very much about the student athletes more so than they care about themselves

problem is neither those guys occur coaches they're both broadcasters who by the way work for the

companies ESPN and Fox who are largely blamed for this because they are the ones who keep signing

the billion dollar contracts for the TV rights thus making the sport a crap ton of money which is

great but then again don't come back and try to restrict the players from getting a cut of the pie

I did not like Trump saying he'd like to go back to what he what we had before meaning player no

players getting paid one Twitter responded yes let's get the money back where it belongs in the

dirty pockets pockets of billion dollar institutions whose brand is built on free labor

I saw a tweet from front office sports saying that one power force senior administrator told them

that reacting to the roundtable quote what a farce 80% of that room was filled with people have

little understanding of how college athletics actually works let me know when the White House is

ready to bring in student athletes coaches and administrators actually live it every day I thought

this was a great tweet from a guy named Jason Belzer he tweeted he said the mistake in the White

House college sports roundtables thinking the system gets him how return to what it was it cannot

college athletics didn't break because NIL happened it broke because media money conference

realignment and the professionalization of football and basketball fundamentally changed the

economics of the system what Charlie Baker said is the most honest line of the day the money part

has to be part of the conversation and it's got to involve the student athletes that's the reality

the old model work from college sportswear campus activity today it's a billion dollar

entertainment business you can't run a modern sports economy with 1980s government structures

the next phase of college athletics isn't about going back it's about building the operating system

for a new industry and I thought you know one guy Clay Travis who was in attendance he

floated out a question over the weekend he said what are your top suggestions to fix college sports

and some of the suggestions I saw you know made a lot of sense one you know said signing a high

school player recruit would bind them to that school for at least two years or three I like that

let's get back to recruiting actually mattering problem with this is you know the 18-year-old who you

put all the four years into recruiting him in high school he comes on campus stays for a year and then

leaves and he got a big payday to do it make it where you know if they choose that school are hey

two years you're gonna commit to the school and play for them that would solve some of the issues

that the coaches are having then there's a transfer portal some kind of saying maybe we should go

back to you get one transfer and that's it if you transfer a second time you got to go back to

that old rule if you got to sit out a year or maybe if if you do transfer to a different school

outside of your conference maybe you're immediately eligible supposed to if you transfer

in conference maybe you have to sit out that you know like that rule used to exist a lot of

folks suggesting five years to play for some suggested look I think there's some of the old school

folks who said like Trump do away with NIL I just think that's not going to happen one guy said

suggested how about a million dollar cap for NIL deals per year per player and somebody else

responded I'm not a lawyer but pretty sure that's number one against the law you can't restrict

what a player can make an actual NIL again this would be like me coming to you in your business

and you know your boss giving you a raise and me saying no no you can't make more than 80K I mean

who were you to say what what that what you can make in a free open market but the bottom line is

there's many issues here is wrangling in the insane NIL deals I think the clearinghouse can do a

good job of that and making sure their legit deals is a transfer portal to bring back transfer

restrictions and then there's eligibility rules there's juco fc s years count injury years all

that kind of stuff and then of course the issue of collectives if we're going to have the revenue

share from the TV deals like we have and we're still going to have NIL with legitimate businesses

maybe the collectives can go away maybe we don't need to have that anymore and last thing on this

Ross down what you're pointing out for the SEC in the big 10 potential pushback in the bill of

the score act I said it's important that the highest revenue generating conferences are fairly

represented the SEC in the big 10 are expected to have quote a strong voice in any new distribution

structure that's the bottom line with this bill is they want to put all 136 FBS teams under

one umbrella to negotiate TV rights and everything else scheduling everything else moving forward

Greg Sankey and Tony Petiti are not going to move forward with that unless the SEC in the big 10

are getting a huge chunk of the pie our own return we will get to the SEC women's tournament very

entertaining over the weekend we'll discuss that next and first this is Mazda's moving the game

forward for those who show this more to the score than what's on the screen and today we highlight

Alabama's LeBaron Philan who in the win over Auburn finish with 21 points on eight of 16 shooting

with four assists in a steel file on 15th in college basketball and points per game third in the SEC

and the Crimson tie rising sophomores really taking a step forward in his game this year proving

to be one of the best in the country and it's performances like these that remind us what it

really takes to raise the bar it's that extra work off the court dialing in every detail given it

that extra fire that grit that I never quit we put that same passion into every model at Mazda highlights

make the real what it takes to get there makes it count there's more to a Mazda because there's more

to you if you're thinking getting a new vehicle I recommend our friends over at Mazda move and be moved

all right we're going here locked on SEC on the way out did want to highlight the Texas long horns

getting the big win over Dawn Staley and South Carolina on Sunday Madison Booker scored 18 points

as number four Texas jumped out to a 14 nothing lead beating the three time defending champions

and third ranked South Carolina 78 to 61 Sunday for the long horns first SEC women's basketball

tournament title Madison Booker's average six 20 points on 61% shooting three games she was

named MVP of the tournament Justice Carlton at 15 points Jordan Lee had 12 and Asad Booker saying

after the game we belong in the SEC we're here to play and we're here to win Texas shot 57%

from the field at events last year's 19 point loss to the game cocks in the championship game

Dawn Staley saying when her shot is going in like that they are difficult to beat South Carolina had

their 12 game win streak snapped and both teams are expected to get in as one seeds into the NCA

tournament both splitting contested games earlier this season but Texas coach Vick Schaefer becomes

the first coach to win the women's SEC tournament title at multiple schools he also did it with

Mississippi State in 2019 and and large South Carolina crowd on hand did not seem to matter for

the long horns it was Texas's 17th game in this season in which they scored at least 40 points

in the paint Dawn Staley said if there's any silver lining to the loss it's the last time that

they fell in the SEC title game was in 2022 against Kentucky when they went on to win the national

championship so Staley saying it might be the very thing that this team needs thank you guys for

making a lot on SEC your first listen to the day thank you for tuning in make sure you subscribe

and follow locked on SEC so you get all the latest episodes and hey if you never miss an episode

the every day or club is built for you get locked on SEC ad free plus members only discord access

and more head to locked on SEC dot supercast dot com I'm Chris Courtney has been locked on SEC

talk to you guys tomorrow come on back and see us the winner games are officially here and if

you're anything like us you're locking in for events you only get to see on the biggest stage

every four years and that's why following the winner games on fandal just makes sense from middle

counts to individual events to finding your angle on the sports you care about most fandal gives

you more ways to say connected to the action the drama of curling matches at start slow and

somehow getting tense fast hockey games that feel different right from opening face off the winner

games are on and there's no better way to follow them than with fandal fandal play your game water

usually wins it rots wood and tears docs apart unless you build with trex trex marine grade decking

is 100% submersible built to resist rod and salt and fresh water water has met its match trex

decking visit trex dot com slash docs when you want spring break to feel like

in a moment away from the kids to feel like and your reward status to feel like thank you for

being a hilton honors gold member enjoy your daily food and beverage credit and now that night cap

in the lounge can feel like it matters where you stay with hilton honors earn the most valuable

gold status faster and unlock benefits at over 9,000 locations worldwide hilton for this day