The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 307 is SEMO basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of SEMO basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 0
- Bids: 2
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 12.8
- Bids per season: 0.06
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 0
- Conference Players of the Year: 1
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 2
- Conference tournament titles: 2
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on SEMO basketball
Southeast Missouri State joined DI in 1991, playing in the OVC ever since. They found some early success, winning the conference outright in 1999-00, the second straight 20-win season for the program. The year prior, big man Bud Eley was named OVC Player of the Year. But the 1999-00 season saw SEMO win the conference tournament, earning a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but falling in the round of 64.
However, the next two decades would make for some tough years made up of mostly losing seasons.
That’s when Brad Korn got to town and turned things around. Korn has had three winning seasons in six tries, leading SEMO basketball to the big dance in 2023, and a second OVC regular season title in 2024-25.
So in 35 seasons, SEMO has found a winning season 11 times and four 20-win seasons. It’s made for 2 NCAA Tournaments, but a program that seems to be in a great place under Korn’s leadership.