Tennessee basketball is going through some ebbs and flows this season as it navigates an absolute gauntlet in the SEC, and it had another down moment on Tuesday night. Despite fighting hard deep into the second half, the 5th-ranked Volunteers lost to No. 15 Kentucky 75-64 at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

Tennessee nearly was able to pull off a comeback against the shorthanded Wildcats, who were playing without Jaxson Robinson and lost Lamont Butler during the second half, but a late run by Mark Pope's club helped them get over the hump in the end. Kentucky also shot 12-for-24 from 3-point range while Tennessee made just three 3s on the night, which ended up being a huge difference.

After the game, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes dropped a flaming hot take on the state of SEC basketball this season, via Jacob Polacheck of On3 Sports.

“We know it's the best league in the country, maybe ever,” Barnes said, per Polacheck. “It's ridiculous, to be honest with you.”

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Barnes has a case for the SEC being the best league of all-time. There is a decent chance that the league gets 13 teams into the NCAA Tournament when the bracket comes out in March, which would set a new record. In this week's AP poll, the SEC has nine teams ranked in the top 25, six teams in the top 15 and four teams in the top five.

There are national title contenders littered throughout the SEC, including Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. With the expanded conferences and conference schedules, these teams are constantly challenging themselves against the best of the best each night and that should benefit them when March rolls around.

That regular season success across the conference doesn't always translate to the NCAA Tournament (just ask the Big Ten). However, whatever happens in the postseason shouldn't erase what has been a historic season for the conference. What Barnes said was what a lot of people were already thinking, and the SEC should continue to prove that throughout the rest of the season.