The SEC had to settle a tiebreaker between South Carolina and Texas regarding who would be the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. That in itself is not terribly unusual, but the way the league did it certainly was.
South Carolina and Texas both went 15-1 in SEC play this season, and each team’s only loss came against the other. That meant the tiebreaker for the top seed in the women’s SEC Tournament would come down to a coin flip.
The SEC did not make it just any coin flip, however. Commissioner Greg Sankey actually flipped the coin live at halftime of Sunday’s Ole Miss-LSU game, and the whole thing was televised on SEC Network. There was even a special coin with the Gamecocks logo on one side and the Longhorns logo on the other.
The coin came up in South Carolina’s favor, giving them the top seed.
Gamecocks win the coin toss!@GamecockWBB will be the No. 1 seed in the SEC women's tournament 🤙 pic.twitter.com/ouJD6hkmVP
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 2, 2025
It was not just the method of tiebreaker that people loved. The SEC went all out to hype up the moment, complete with a countdown clock on SEC Network and close-ups of the coin.
🚨WE HAVE A COUNTDOWN TO COIN FLIP🚨 pic.twitter.com/kgz57WaNgS
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) March 2, 2025
Two years ago, the site of an NFL playoff game could have come down to a coin flip. One can only wonder if Roger Goodell would have done something this elaborate in that scenario.
The Gamecocks did not really need the help, but got it anyway. The reigning national champions beat Kentucky 78-66 on Sunday to move to 27-3 on the season overall. They will be among the favorites to win the title again this season.
