Less than three weeks into the 2025-26 college basketball season, it's getting dark early on the SEC's hopes of matching last year's record tally of 14 NCAA Tournament teams. Tuesday night's 83-66 loss for No. 12 Kentucky against No. 17 Michigan State in the Champions Classic was only the latest bit of evidence to suggest the balance of power is shifting to the Big Ten.

The SEC is just 6-11 against other high-major conferences, while the Big Ten is 12-4 entering Wednesday's action. In head-to-head action, the Big Ten is 4-1 against the SEC.

Last season, the SEC used a 59-19 mark against the other power conferences to create an unprecedented level of dominance over the national landscape. While it's still early, it would take a recovery of epic proportions for the conference to recreate t

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