re: Is the SEC an extremely tough basketball conference this year?

I think you could make that case, but it's similar to previous years where it's still pretty top-heavy.

Tennessee is obviously really, really good, and has one of the top defenses in the country, along with Auburn.

Alabama is better than expected and has perhaps the best offense nationally, which makes them uniquely dangerous (but frustrating on the defensive side). Kentucky isn't too far behind, and could be one of the more scary teams in the league on any given night.

Florida, much like Alabama is dangerous offensively, especially if they can matchup well and manage to defend. Mississippi State is similar but opposite, with a stout and physical defense.

South Carolina has a great record and has really done well (with a weaker schedule and some luck), but is realistically more of an overachieving middle-of-the-pack team — regardless, they're having a fantastic season. Texas A&M is probably at a similar level, probably having played better competition.

Ole Miss is competitive but abysmal defensively. LSU just doesn't seem to be a consistent team, but has some nice wins and could make a late-season run. Conversely, Georgia started hot and faded. Arkansas vastly underachieved, probably because they've got elite talent that can't figure out how to play as a team.

And Missouri and Vanderbilt are some of the worst teams in the country.

So you've essentially got 4 elite teams, 4 teams that can hang with or beat just about anybody, maybe 4 teams that you can't really seem to figure out, and 2 that just never found any rhythm all season.

Hopefully the elite teams keep their legs and the next-tier guys make the tournament, get hot at the right time, and we can all show how tough our conference is in a few weeks.

Just my two cents.