Karl Ravech was caught off guard by a satirical narrative about SEC basketball during a game on Tuesday night. Instead of acknowledging the mistake, he appears to be reaffirming it. Initially, the SEC ruled college basketball during the first two months of the season. However, a trolling narrative began to circulate in recent weeks after the social media account @pickelo7 sarcastically pointed out the SEC’s .500 winning percentage since conference play commenced. The irony is that a conference inevitably has a .500 record when teams within it compete against one another.
During the SEC game between Alabama and Texas on ESPN, Ravech appeared to fall for the troll narrative by stating the conference’s 82-82 record since January 4th. He remarked, “We know how dominant they were in the non-conference season, the SEC was 185-23. Since January 4, into Tuesday, the SEC teams are 82-82. It’s not as if one team or two teams or three — they’re 82-82. There’s been no ability to pull away; there’s no dominant group of teams.”
Karl Ravech…oh no
“Since January 4, into Tuesday, the SEC teams are 82-82…there’s no dominant group of teams” pic.twitter.com/TEn1QzPs1A
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 12, 2025
After his comments about the 82-82 record gained traction online the following morning, Ravech defended himself, stating, “Just landed and see X is on fire. Simple explanation. Tongue in cheek 82-82 record was to illustrate any night either team can win and one will. Clearly very poor execution on my part. It is amazing that Alabama/Auburn have only lost once in such a great conference. That’s all.”
Just landed and see X is on fire. Simple explanation. Tongue in cheek 82-82 record was to illustrate any night either team can win and one will. Clearly very poor execution on my part. It is amazing that Alabama/Auburn have only lost once in such a great conference. That’s all.
— Karl Ravech (@karlravechespn) February 12, 2025
The issue with Ravech’s defense is that he continues to cite the 82-82 record as evidence of parity. In reality, it’s irrelevant whether the top teams or the bottom teams are winning; any conference or division in any sport will manifest a .500 record during league play. Thus, the SEC’s 82-82 record on Tuesday, the 87-87 record on Wednesday, and the projected 90-90 record on Thursday reveal nothing substantial.
Most viewers likely gave Ravech the benefit of the doubt, believing he was being facetious when he mentioned the SEC’s 82-82 record on Tuesday. However, as the audience anticipated him to reveal his awareness of the joke, this moment never materialized. Perhaps his comments were genuinely tongue-in-cheek, but his initial live broadcast remarks and subsequent social media defense do little to suggest he was in on the joke.
