The Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference have agreed to play in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, a men’s basketball inter-conference event that will begin during the 2013-14 season.

The ballroom at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency was transformed last Thursday into a Who’s Who gathering of 32 SEC coaches in eight sports that had combined for a vault full of national championships. The occasion was the joint announcement by ESPN and the SEC that August 2014 is the launch date for the new ESPN-operated SEC Network.

The Southeastern Conference and ESPN have signed a 20-year agreement through 2034 to create and operate a multiplatform network, which will launch in August 2014, it was announced today by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and ESPN President John Skipper.

Murphy Holloway was feeling good a few weeks ago. The Ole Miss senior basketball star had just played in the Portsmouth Invitational, a college career showcase for NBA scouts.

SEC basketball fans have felt empty the last few days. It’s Final Four weekend, and the league is experiencing rarity of not having at least one men’s or woman’s team in their respective Final Fours. How rare? It’s just the fifth time in the last 33 seasons. The SEC had a streak at one point of having at least one team in the men’s or women’s Final Fours 26-of-28 years. Here’s a look at the SEC’s most dominating Final Four teams over the last 50 years.