April ended with orange and blue confetti in San Antonio and a country-wide eye roll that sounded a lot like, “Of course it was the SEC.” Florida didn’t just win the league tournament in Nashville, they finished the job on April 7 by outlasting Houston 65–63 for the national title, while regular season champ Auburn crashed the Final Four and pushed Florida in an all SEC semifinal. The league sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament and seven of them made their way into the Sweet 16, turning March into an SEC remix. That’s the runway we’re taking off from today, one champion and a conference that continues to set the standard for what dominance looks like.
If you’re a player in the SEC, you don’t need to go far this season to be tested, and at least twelve different fanbases will swear this is their year. The SEC added football swagger years ago; men’s hoops has joined the party and looks like they’re here to stay. With Texas and Oklahoma fully in the fold and Florida still celebrating, the league looks like a 16 team mosh pit. Here’s how we stack it right now before exhibition season tips.
1) Florida Gators
The champs return as the hunted, and they’ve earned it. Yes, they lost Walter Clayton Jr. to the NBA and Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky but Todd Golden’s roster is designed for switchability, wings and guards who can flex on both sides of the court and between multiple spots.
The core front line of Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh is back to clean the glass and run, and did someone say portal savvy? The staff reloaded the backcourt with Xaivian Lee (Princeton’s two time unanimous First Team All Ivy playmaker) and added Boogie Fland after a short flirtation with the draft.
Health wise, the frontline duo ramped clean through September workouts, and Florida’s depth at center (Micah Handlogten/Rueben Chinyelu) keeps the rim secure.
2) Kentucky Wildcats
Year 2 of Mark Pope, 1996 UK national champ turned head coach, has vibes and numbers. Advanced models (EvanMiya) slot UK as a preseason top 10 with top 20 efficiency at both ends. Length on the wings, spacing in the halfcourt, and a deeper frontcourt than last November move the Cats from exciting to scary.
Malachi Moreno brings vertical spacing, Brandon Garrison adds post defense, and 7 footer Andrija Jelavic has been cleared to play. In addition, Jayden Quaintance is reportedly ahead of schedule in his ACL rehab with a winter return targeted.
Kentucky’s brand plus Pope’s portal cadence means blue chip depth is a constant, and roster churn skews positive in Lexington.
3) Alabama Crimson Tide
Nate Oats keeps the Crimson Tide identity clear: pace, threes, and rim pressure as a result of shifting roster pieces. The Tide picked up Aden Holloway from Auburn and have Labaron Philon Jr. back for lead creation.
Overall, a retooled front line and young size in Aiden Sherrell and Noah Williamson plus a veteran guard room should carry well while the younger kids find their rhythm. The shooting volume will win them road games, and the rebounding has to be merely solid, not elite, for Bama to finish top three.
4) Tennessee Volunteers
Rick Barnes brings his usual style with a defense that travels, a rotation with real size, and enough shot creation by January to survive late clocks.
Yes, the turnover is heavy with nine newcomers but Barnes’ defensive floor is real and the portal plus freshman class checks the boxes they targeted, blending blue chippers and grown men. With the perimeter rebuilt after losing veteran guard/wing core, senior guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Maryland/Belmont) and Amaree Abram (Louisiana Tech) will need to slot into leadership roles quickly. Look at five star, blue chip frosh Nate Ament to make a splash his rookie season too.
Expect the Vols to sit in the top 15 nationally once the metrics stabilize and new blood begins to gel.
5) Auburn Tigers
With Bruce Pearl passing the coaching duties to his son Steven, the Tigers start a new era, and the junior Pearl sure has a nice roster to work with.
However, they did lose several from last year’s Final Four core including Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, and more. The roster remains fast, physical, and deep built on interchangeable wings, but we’re baking in a small October continuity tax as the staff shifts chairs.
Marquee players include Tahaad Pettiford at guard, Keyshawn Hall, a power creator on the wing, plus new size and shooting on the perimeter with Kevin Overton’s arrival from Texas Tech.
If Steven Pearl’s group keeps the turnover margin to a minimum and find a go-to-closer, the Tigers stay top five.
6) Arkansas Razorbacks
John Calipari’s second Arkansas group looks like a classic Cal blend: blue chip guards with length, veteran size from the portal, and at least one pogo stick forward to tilt the rim game.
The familiar faces include DJ Wagner, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond, and a healthy Trevon Brazile. Around them, Calipari added Florida State’s Malique Ewin and South Carolina’s Nick Pringle to bang on the glass, then layered in elite freshmen Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas to juice creation with Isaiah Sealy on the wing and Paulo Semedo/Elmir Džafić for front court depth.
They did bleed talent, as Boogie Fland moved to Florida, Zvonimir Ivišić landed at Illinois, and Adou Thiero jumped to the pros, but the shot diet should be cleaner with two on-ball creators and a vertical finisher in Brazile. If the freshmen value possessions on the road, Arkansas will crack the top four.
7) Vanderbilt Commodores
Mark Byington arrived from James Madison preaching pace and relentless spacing, and Year 2 finally gives him personnel to match the sermon.
Tyler Nickel returns as a big wing who shoots over closeouts, Devin McGlockton supplies grown man minutes up front, and Tyler Tanner stabilizes the point of attack. The portal answered the rest as Frankie Collins brings dribble pressure and late clock calm, Duke Miles is a tough on ball guard who lives in the paint, and Mike James adds a downhill scoring wing to punish switches.
Vandy did suffer losses from last year’s rotation, so November will be about building defensive rebounding habits and back line communication.
8) Texas A&M Aggies
Bucky McMillan, the former Samford coach, installs his “Bucky Ball” blueprint with pace, extended pressure, and threes on rhythm. After years of ranking among the nation’s quickest teams with sky high three point volume, this Aggie team will be fun to watch.
The roster was rebuilt to match: Pop Isaacs can create and shoot in bunches, Marcus Hill gives another scoring guard, Duke Miles brings sturdy minutes at the point, and system savvy Josh Holloway arrives as a connective piece alongside Jacari Lane and Rylan Griffen on the wing.
Expect more possessions and green light spacing by design. With so many moving parts, the early question will be all about cohesion.
9) Texas Longhorns
Texas hit the reset button by hiring Sean Miller, the Elite Eight veteran from Arizona and Xavier, and the early roster work screams structure. He wants this team to play bigger at the rim, be switchable on the wings, and possess a backcourt that can guard its yard.
The handoff wasn’t painless, as spring churn under the change cost them experience, but Miller’s groups historically organize quickly and defend with purpose. The Longhorns start here because the talent is evident and the plan is coherent, chemistry will decide the final climb.
Marquee names include Dailyn Swain (Xavier), Simeon Wilcher (St. John’s), and front court size to toggle coverages. If the Longhorns connect the pieces put in place at home and on the road, 9 feels low by Valentine’s Day.
10) Ole Miss Rebels
Chris Beard flipped the room again, but this version has a clearer spine.
AJ Storr headlines as a volume scoring wing, Koren Johnson brings instant offense guard play, and Corey Chest gives rangy size next to five star freshman Niko Bundalo, whose length should raise the ceiling at both ends. Malik Dia’s return supplies interior points and fouls to burn, while freshman PG Travis Perry offers steady relief.
The Rebels sit tenth because the group is brand new and the defensive glass against the SEC power remains a trial by fire. Still, switchable wings plus multiple shot creators provide upside, and that profile screams upset equity.
11) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Chris Jans builds teams that make you uncomfortable, with body blows on the glass, smothering help at the elbows, and tempo that feels like walking into wet cement.
That identity returns with star guard Josh Hubbard hunting big shots and Cameron Matthews back to glue the whole thing together, while RJ Melendez adds wing length to contest threes. The Bulldogs’ fight is the familiar one: generating enough clean looks late in the clock against elite defenses and finding two reliable shooters to keep the floor spaced.
Even so, State’s defense ages opponents and keeps them on the right side of the bubble math. With SEC competition heavy in the latter half of the season, they need to use the first half to build not break down.
12) LSU Tigers
Matt McMahon leans into guard creation and real size at the five as he retools.
Freshman scorer Mazi Mosley arrives from Prolific Prep with reputation and polish, point guard Jalen Reece should steady the offense, and Mississippi State transfer Mike Nwoko brings a broad shouldered anchor to the paint. Add proven college scorers like PJ Carter and wings Rashad King/Max Mackinnon, and LSU suddenly has lineup flexibility it lacked a year ago.
It’s twelfth today because youth and fit need reps, but if Mosley and Reece scale quickly and Nwoko owns the rim, the Tigers jump tiers by February.
13) Missouri Tigers
Dennis Gates is building a winning program at Mizzou, even if the No. 13 ranking in a very competitive conference may not show it.
He enters his fourth year with the Tigers, coming off of a 22-12 season overall and a tournament bid to boot. This season’s roster is a mix-and-match after losing multiple players to the portal, graduation, and the NBA, among them Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill. Junior guard Anthony Robinson will have to step into a larger scoring role and resume his high level defensive play. UCLA transfer Sebastian Mack will likely join him in the backcourt and center Shawn Phillips Jr. comes over from Arizona State adding another new face to the lineup.
The Tigers feel right at No. 13 with all the change, and the pieces will have to fall into place for them to stay here.
14) Oklahoma Sooners
Chicago Loyola skipper turned Sooner head coach going into his fifth season, Porter Moser’s 2025 26 roster skews toward sturdy wings around a true lead guard in Xzayvier Brown, with 7 footer Andreas Holst offering size to absorb minutes against the league’s towers.
With six freshmen on the team, youth will have to develop quickly. If Brown’s ball security translates on the road, .500 is in play.
15) Georgia Bulldogs
Mike White has length again, and that alone gives Georgia a defensive baseline that didn’t always exist last winter.
Blue Cain returns to shoulder creation duties, and a bigger front line provides the rim protection and second chance prevention this scheme needs. The half court offense remains the swing variable, shot diet and turnover control will dictate whether the Bulldogs creep toward the middle or settle here for a long season.
16) South Carolina Gamecocks
For 2024 SEC Coach of the Year Lamont Paris, this is a true rebuilding year for the Gamecocks.
Paris remade the front line with real size, as Christ Essandoko’s 7 foot frame and Jordan Butler’s impressive reach change the geometry in the lane. The Gamecocks also get new freshman firepower with bucket getter Eli Ellis and multipurpose forward EJ Walker. South Carolina will be physical and annoying if nothing else. The limiter is proven shot creation against top quartile defenses.
Circle the winter home dates, because the Gamecocks will catch somebody napping in Columbia. Expectations for much upward shift are low, but this team will show up to play every night.
Why We Ordered It This Way
Tier 1 (Title threats): Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee.
They all project top 15 nationally by most preseason models, with Florida/Kentucky flashing balanced top 20 efficiency and Bama/Tennessee owning elite end game plans.
Tier 2 (Solid NCAA teams with top 4 SEC upside): Auburn, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Texas.
These five have the rotation depth and matchup flexibility to live on the top seed lines in Nashville.
Tier 3 (Bubble and bid steal candidates): Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma.
These are true variance teams. If an unexpected player pops, they jump.
Tier 4 (Dangerous but thin): Georgia, South Carolina.
Expect outright upsets at home, but depth may cap the climb.
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