From powerhouses like Tennessee to multiple-team bids to the NCAA tournament, the Southeastern Conference has a history of women’s basketball success. But in the football-dominate shuffle of conference realignment and television contracts, that seemed to be forgotten — until now.
“I feel like the SEC [women’s basketball], in a lot of ways, was disrespected all year,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey told reporters on Tuesday. She added how impressive the tournament showing was, noting the SEC should promote it:
- She said she thought Ole Miss and Tennessee should have been ranked in the top 25 from the start.
- Then, the SEC had seven teams qualify for the tournament — only the ACC topped it with eight.
- Four survived to the Sweet 16, and now, two of four Final Four teams come from the SEC: the LSU Tigers and the reigning champion South Carolina Gamecocks. (The last time the SEC sent multiple teams to the Final Four was in 2017, when the Gamecocks took down Mississippi State in Dallas.)
When the conference adds Texas in 2024, it will gain yet another women’s basketball powerhouse that could add to its March Madness tally.
It makes sense that the SEC would dominate women’s basketball given that its routinely one of the richest conferences in college sports — and has plenty of money to go around.
The conference sent $698.5 million to schools in 2021-22, for example. It’s slated to send even more when its new contract with Disney, worth $3 billion over 10 years, kicks into effect in 2024.
“The reason why I came to the SEC 15 years ago was because I wanted to win a national championship,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told reporters Tuesday. “I just thought that the league itself, how competitive it is, the coaches that are in the league, how much you’re going to be forced to get better.”
“We are hiring the right people to ensure that these types of things can happen,” Staley said.
Guess what helps with that? Money.
The SEC has three coaches in the top 10 for annual compensation: Staley ($2.7 million) Mulkey ($2.6 million) and Texas A&M’s Gary Blair ($1.25 million). When Texas joins the conference, it will add a fourth.
“Obviously,” Staley said, “we’re recruiting the right [players] as well.”
