Last season will be hard to top for the SEC, which placed 14 of its 16 teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That was a record, both in terms of total number of teams and percentage of teams. Once the tournament began, the league delivered again.
Half of the conference’s 14 Big Dance representatives reached the Sweet 16, which set another record. Four reached the Elite Eight, and in the end, an SEC team (Florida) cut down the nets for the first time since Kentucky in 2012.
But after 13 SEC players were taken in the 2025 NBA Draft and three coaching jobs changed hands, the conference has a new feel entering the 2025-26 campaign. A whopping 26 of last season’s top 30 scorers from the SEC are gone, which opens the door for a new wave of stars to take over the conference.
Maintaining its stranglehold on conference supremacy will be a challenge for the SEC, but the early indications are that it will have a chance. One KenPom’s preseason ratings, 11 of the top 35 are from the league.
Against that backdrop, it’s time to dive in and take stock of the league, including a rundown of the star players and our expert predictions for how the SEC will shake out.
SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Otega Oweh | Kentucky | G
Amid a season of seismic transition at Kentucky, Oweh was a model of stability in 2024-25, as he reached double figures in 34 of 36 games. Now, after flirting with the NBA Draft, the bruising shooting guard is back for a final spin through the college game. Oweh is built like a running back, and that physicality makes him an elite perimeter defender and unstoppable driver of the basketball.
SEC Preseason Freshman of the Year
Nate Ament | Tennessee | F
There is no doubt over Ament’s long-term potential as a 6-10 wing. He is expected to be a 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick and has the long-term upside to develop into an All-Star. The question is: how much can Tennessee coax from Ament right away? If he’s ready to be a star, the rest of the pieces are in place around him to make Tennessee a national championship contender.
Four more players to watch
Boogie Fland | Arkansas | G: Florida is replacing its top four guards from a national-title team, which makes Fland an incredibly important piece of the puzzle if the Gators want to have any chance of repeating. When healthy for Arkansas last season, Fland looked like one of the best players in the SEC. Given how much talent is departing from the league, his sophomore year leap could be seismic.
Labaron Philon | Alabama | G: With Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood gone, the door is open for Philon to take on an even greater role. If the 2025 SEC all-Freshman performer can improve upon his 31.5% 3-point percentage, the sky is the limit for him in Nate Oats’ offensive system. He’s a great ball-handler and skilled attacker who is still adding to his game.
Josh Hubbard | Mississippi State | G: Hubbard reached 20 points 27 times during his first two seasons and has gone off for 30+ on four occasions. The undersized offensive dynamo can be absolutely electric. With basically unlimited range and an ever-present green light from coach Chris Jans, Hubbard is set for another huge season.
Tahaad Pettiford | Auburn | G: Pettiford flirted with the NBA Draft before returning to Auburn to build on an impressive freshman season. Last year, post player Johni Broome was the Tigers’ engine. This year, Pettiford could be that guy. He is a fearless playmaker who produced consecutive 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Predicted order of finish
1. Florida
Breakdown: The nation’s fiercest front court returns fully intact as Florida begins its national title defense. Expect to see Thomas Haugh playing more at small forward after the Gators deployed him at the four last season. If Florida can maintain its floor spacing with Haugh on the wing, they will bludgeon opponents with their size and rebounding. Replacing the team’s top four guards is the obvious challenge for fourth-year coach Todd Golden. Much of that responsibility will fall on Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee and Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland. Both are strong off the dribble.
2. Kentucky
Breakdown: The 2025-26 Kentucky Wildcats lack nothing on paper. High-level distributor? Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe checks that box. A downhill driver who can attack close outs? Otega Oweh has you covered. A spot-up shooter with the length to rip it overtop the defense? Tulane transfer Kam Williams fits the bill. An elite rim protector? Once Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance is back from a knee injury, that’s what he’ll be. There is depth, too. Returners Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah earned valuable experience off the bench during coach Mark Pope’s first season. Ex-Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen just played a big role for a national championship team. Oh, and the Wildcats haven’t abandoned traditional recruiting. Pope is welcoming the nation’s No. 6 freshman class to campus.
3. Alabama
Breakdown: Two-time All-American Mark Sears is gone, but Alabama still has plenty of firepower at guard. Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway are each potential all-SEC performers capable of filling the offensive void left by Sears. The Crimson Tide also get 3-point marksman Latrell Wrightsell Jr. back following a medical redshirt season. The bigger question is how Bama will replace most of its front court from last year’s Elite Eight squad. While the specifics of that quest remains to be seen, 6-10 Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen, 6-10 sophomore returner Aiden Sherrell and 7-foot Bucknell transfer Noah Williamson are each capable outside shooters, which should help ensure that Bama’s offense remains a smooth operation.
4. Arkansas
Breakdown: A team coached by John Calipari will be relying heavily on a five-star freshman guard. What else is new? Darius Acuff Jr. will play a featured role, teaming up with junior D.J. Wagner to give the Razorbacks a formidable bit of perimeter playmaking. As per usual, Calipari has assembled a talented core nucleus. However, the Razorbacks will have to prove they have enough outside shooting and rim protection to keep up in the SEC. Florida State transfer Malique Ewin and South Carolina transfer Nick Pringle are proven interior players, but neither fits the profile of a defensive enforcer. No one is mistaking this for one of Calipari’s great Kentucky teams, but the Hogs have enough to be dangerous.
5. Tennessee
Breakdown: Tennessee lost part of its soul when Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack exhausted their eligibility in an Elite Eight loss to Houston. But with a lifetime contract now in hand, 71-year old Rick Barnes reloaded impressively well. Maryland transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is a perfect fit with Barnes and brings All-American potential. On the wing, five-star freshman Nate Ament is poised to become Barnes’ latest one-and-done prospect. Dealing with Tennessee’s physicality will be a chore once again, as premier rim protector Felix Okpara returns. All the pieces of another fierce defensive unit are here. If complimentary scorers step up around Gillespie and Ament, the Vols will be right back in the league title hunt.
6. Auburn
Breakdown: Replacing a legend is never easy. When that legend is your father? It’s even more complicated. But after playing an active role in bringing about the greatest era in Auburn basketball history, Steven Pearl is now in charge of the program. He’s never been a head coach before, but his first rodeo will be aided by a talented core. The headliner is electric sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford, who spurned the NBA Draft to return for what should be a huge sophomore season. UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall may be just as important after leading the Big 12 in scoring last season. He will team with Division II transfer Elyjah Freeman to give the Tigers some pop on the wing. The Tigers’ depth will come from a mixture of freshmen, junior college transfers and Serbian addition Filip Jovic.
7. Missouri
Breakdown: Missouri completed a remarkable turnaround last season by going from 0-18 in the SEC to 10-8 on the way to earning a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers’ top two 3-point shooters — Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates — are gone, but fourth-year coach Dennis Gates returns four rotation players. The most important one is Mark Mitchell, a former Duke forward who shined in his first season with Mizzou. Now a senior, Mitchell is poised to be one of the conference’s top players. Junior guard Anthony Robinson II is already an elite defender, and his promising offensive trajectory portends a big season.
8. Ole Miss
Breakdown: To the surprise of no one who has followed his career, Chris Beard needed just two seasons to take Ole Miss to its first Sweet 16 since 2001. The Rebels lost a whopping five double-figure scorers from that team, but a potential all-SEC performer is back in Malik Dia. He’s big, athletic and a matchup problem for opponents. The most fascinating newcomer is former Kansas, Wisconsin and St. John’s wing AJ Storr. An all-Big Ten performer in 2024 for the Badgers, Storr flopped with Kansas last season. If he plays up to his potential, the Rebels can build on the momentum established last season.
9. Mississippi State
Breakdown: Josh Hubbard is back for more. The undersized flamethrower is already a two-time all-SEC performer who has twice gotten Mississippi State to the NCAA Tournament. Now, as a junior, he’ll be surrounded by a mostly new supporting cast as Chris Jans looks to reach the Big Dance for the fourth time in four years on the job. Georgetown transfer guard Jayden Epps is a critical piece to the puzzle who could alleviate some of the pressure on Hubbard. The Bulldogs should also have one of the league’s best rim protectors with Wichita State transfer Quincy Ballard patrolling the paint after leading the American with 1.9 blocks per game last season.
10. Texas
Breakdown: There is a new face on the sideline in Sean Miller, who ditched his Xavier reunion tour after three seasons to try his hand in the SEC. Despite the coaching change, three guards who played 20+ minutes a game (when healthy) for the Longhorns last season are back. Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark each averaged double figures as starters, while Chendall Weaver is a gritty intangibles guy. The interior heft is new, as seven-footer Matas Vokietaitis arrives from FAU after winning AAC Rookie of the Year honors. On the wing, Purdue transfer Cam Heide is another face college hoops fans will recognize after his 75 appearance with the Boilermakers the past two seasons.
11. Vanderbilt
Breakdown: Mark Byington inherited a 9-win program and took it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 last season. The Commodores were old and deep but woefully undersized and too dependent on Jason Edwards for scoring. Vandy will be old and deep again, but it will be bigger and have more than one offensive engine. Stretch forwards Tyler Nickel and Devin McGlockton are back and ready to pop it from the outside, and sophomore guard Tyler Tanner is poised for a sophomore year jump after a strong freshman campaign. Five of the transfers bring significant high-major experience, which should help ensure a high floor for the ‘Dores.
12. Oklahoma
Breakdown: Oklahoma rode the electric playmaking of one-and-done star Jeremiah Fears to its first NCAA Tournament since 2021 last season. The Sooners will have to reinvent themselves in 2025-26, but point guard play should again be a strength. Philadelphia native and former Saint Joseph’s star Xzayvier Brown has arrived after ranking as the nation’s No. 30 transfer, per 247Sports. He’ll team with sixth-year senior sharpshooter Nijel Pack to give fourth-year coach Porter Moser an offensively potent backcourt. Transfer forwards Derrion Reid (Alabama) and Tae Davis (Notre Dame) bring a good combination of production and size at the forward spots, and Mohamed Wague returns to bruise on the block. It appears to be a formidable starting five. Beyond that is where the mystery lies.
13. Texas A&M
Breakdown: Bucky McMillan has already successfully made one seismic jump in his coaching career, as he turned Samford into a perennial SoCon power after being hired from a local high school. Now he is going from a small private school with an enrollment of under 10,000 to Texas A&M, which has over 70,000 students. He is bringing his patented “Buckyball” system with him, meaning the Aggies are going to play fast, press always and hoist 3-pointers. He’s assembled an impressive first roster headlined by big-name high-major transfers like Pop Isaacs (Creighton), Rylan Griffen (Kansas) and Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana).
14. Georgia
Breakdown: Georgia snapped a 9-year NCAA Tournament drought last season in coach Mike White’s third year. After a first-round exit, the Bulldogs are yearning for more with what White called “the most skilled passing team that I’ve had the opportunity to coach in years.” That upgrade in passing comes with the addition of four transfer guards. Though one-and-done star Asa Newell is gone after leading the team in scoring, the front court should nonetheless be strong. Towering sophomore Somto Cyril will be one of the league’s top rim protectors, and BYU transfer forward Kanon Catchings is of interest to NBA scouts at forward.
15. LSU
Breakdown: LSU’s quest to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 will be aided by one of the conference’s splashiest transfer additions, as the Tigers scooped up two-time all-Mountain West performer Dedan Thomas Jr. to run the point. Thomas was No. 15 transfer of the cycle, per 247Sports, and is one of four former all-conference players from the mid and low-major ranks entering the picture. The return of fourth-year big man Jalen Reed from a knee injury that ended his junior season also gives the Tigers a familiar face in the starting lineup. Fourth-year coach Matt McMahon’s squad will be bigger and more physical across the board after getting worn down a year ago.
16. South Carolina
Breakdown: South Carolina went from 11 wins in Lamont Paris’ first season to 26 in his second and then back to 12 last season. Another major upswing will be difficult to accomplish with a roster that appears ill-equipped to compete in the SEC’s upper tier. The return of double-boomerang transfer Meechie Johnson Jr. from Ohio State gives the Gamecocks some hope after he led the 2023-24 team in scoring at 14.1 points per game. But with star forward Collin Murray-Boyles gone to the NBA, Johnson is going to need some help. Without any top-100 transfers or five-star freshmen, the whole will have to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Add Comment