The SEC did all it could to damage its own national perception during he regular season, as no team could establish dominance.

In the end, however, it was clear that only the Big Ten stood above the SEC. The conference compiled an 11-6 record in the NCAA Tournament, had just one team (Cinderella Arkansas) ousted in the first round, sent three into the Sweet 16 and was represented by Florida in the national final.

At times, the line between the expected and the unexpected was blurred in a wild conference regular-season race where four teams tied for the overall championship, and one of those, Louisiana State, pulled off a worst-to-first finish.

In between, upsets became the norm, and the road was a scary place. Just ask Auburn and Tennessee, which both suffered late-season defeats at Alabama, a team that struggled with injuries all season and didn't even receive a postseason tournament bid.

The league's parity was clearly displayed in its postseason tournament, when three of the teams that tied for the regular-season championship -- and thus received first-round byes -- were bounced March 10.

In one 10-hour span, Tennessee, the No. 1 seed from the Eastern Division, was upset by No. 5 seed South Carolina, Florida, the East's No. 3 seed, lost to Auburn and Kentucky was beaten by Arkansas. The next day, pesky Arkansas beat LSU to make it a clean sweep of the tournament's top four seeds.

Conference Champion

Four teams tied for the regular-season championship. Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida finished even in the Eastern Division and LSU won the West after finishing last the year before.

When March 12 -- the day for the league's tournament championship -- rolled around, none of those teams were to be found. Upstart Arkansas, which had to win four games in four days, finally came together after a regular season beset with academic problems, personal crises and loss of personnel, and won its first SEC Tournament.

Biggest Disappointment

Auburn, which some observers thought was good enough to win the national championship, struggled with its shooting all season and couldn't even win the Western Division. It didn't help that All-American forward Chris Porter was suspended for the last three games of the regular season and postseason play after it was revealed he accepted money from an agent.

Biggest Surprise

LSU, a team that sunk to the bottom of the league under former coach Dale Brown, was revived by replacement John Brady. It took Brady just three seasons to get the Tigers on top of the Western Division and earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1992-93.

Player of the Year

Vanderbilt's Dan Langhi and LSU's Stromile Swift were the two players most relied upon by their respective teams.

Langhi at times carried the Commodores, who nearly earned an NCAA Tournament bid before settling for the NIT, where they went out in the first round in a home loss to eventual-champion Wake Forest.

Swift was the key cog in LSU's run to the Western Division title. Swift is a gifted 6-9 power forward who has a chance to make a lot of money in the pros. Luckily for LSU fans, the sophomore insists he'll stay in school at least one more season.

Langhi will play for pay next season if he wants to. If his destination is the NBA, he'll have to get stronger. At 6-11, he's too thin to absorb the pounding he'll take at the game's highest level.

Newcomer of the Year

Again, two players stood out above all the league's rookies. They were a pair of freshmen, LSU point guard Torris Bright and Arkansas forward Joe Johnson. Bright excelled at point guard and had to -- LSU had no other candidate to play the position. And Johnson, who didn't become eligible until around Christmas, had better statistics than any SEC freshman. Had the gifted 6-8 forward been ineligible this season, Arkansas wouldn't have advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Coach of the Year

LSU's John Brady is clearly the coach who's team most exceeded expectations this season. Most penciled in the Tigers to finish last in the West. Brady thought his team would be good, and it was. That was no accident.

The Future

The SEC was a young conference this season, with freshmen far outnumbering seniors. Several SEC teams had five or more freshmen on their rosters, which bodes well for the future. Florida and Tennessee, two teams that tied for the SEC East title, relied heavily on freshmen, as did Arkansas, which won the SEC Tournament. After a brief season mired in mediocrity, the Razorbacks should come back next year as one of the teams to beat in the SEC.