March 18, 2005 | ESPN.com's NCAA Tournament coverage

Early in the NCAA Tournament, we're seeing why experts are saying this has not been a vintage SEC this season.

Think about some of the early results: On Thursday, No. 2-seed Kentucky ended up having a battle against No. 15-seed Eastern Kentucky before pulling out a 72-64 victory in the Austin Regional.

	Tubby Smith

Kentucky coach Tubby Smith had to be concerned that his Wildcats were outrebounded (33-31) and struggled shooting the trifecta (2-of-11).

Eastern Kentucky is coached by former Kentucky guard Travis Ford, who was the starting point guard on Rick Pitino's 1993 Final Four team.

The Wildcats will need a better performance against defensive-minded Cincinnati on Saturday. Guard Patrick Sparks did not score Thursday, and the 'Cats need him to have a productive outside shooting performance against the Bearcats.

Also Thursday, the SEC West co-champions, Alabama and LSU, went down. The Crimson Tide were knocked out in a 5 vs. 12 game, losing 83-73 to coach Bruce Pearl's hungry Wisconsin-Milwaukee team in the Chicago Regional. It was a disappointing end to a fine season for coach Mark Gottfried's Tide.

Meanwhile, LSU was down by 26 points against UAB before making the final score (82-68) a bit more respectable. But coach John Brady's Tigers were still sent to the sidelines. Sophomore Brandon Bass had an outstanding season, but it ended too soon for his liking.

Then, on Friday in the Syracuse Regional, Florida built up a 20-point lead, only to see a hungry Ohio University team bounce back and tie the score. It took a rebound basket off a questionable shot that gave the Gators the lead for good. Junior forward Matt Walsh, who was brilliant in the SEC tournament, earning MVP honors, struggled to hit 3 of his 13 shots from the field in the Gators' 67-62 victory.

We will have to see if the SEC bounces back as we move forward. Remember, the SEC has gone four straight years without placing a team in the Final Four. Can the conference make a run? Right now, it doesn't look like it, but there is time left to perform at a higher level.

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question to Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.