The SEC is coming off a record season in men’s basketball, sending eight teams (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas A&M) to the NCAA Tournament last year.
Upstarts such as Auburn and Tennessee look to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke, while Kentucky looks to defend their SEC championship title as the best team in the conference. There should be plenty of exciting action, as all 14 teams are striving to be at the top once the season ends.
Here’s my SEC preview and how I think each team is going to fare this upcoming season (records are from 2017-2018):
1. Kentucky Wildcats (26-11, 10-8 in SEC)
Despite only returning five players from their SEC championship roster, Kentucky has reloaded as usual, adding five 5-star recruits such as the third ranked point guard Ashton Hagans.
Coach John Calipari will once again have his hands full with guiding a young Wildcats team to the tournament. He will rely on Stanford transfer Reid Travis (19.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg) to provide a veteran presence for this team.
With this combination of young talent and veteran leadership from players such as Travis, Kentucky should be able to finish first in the conference.
2. Tennessee Volunteers (26-9, 13-5 in SEC)
One of the surprise teams in the conference, Tennessee returns all of their roster from last year and looks to build off of their success that led them to a share of the SEC Regular Season Championship. SEC Coach of the Year Rick Barnes will have another year of SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams (15.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Admiral Schofield (13.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) to provide the offense for the Volunteers.
They aren’t afraid to share the ball and spread the floor, as evident by their conference leading 15.8 assists per game last season. The whole roster should improve, and they will be the challenger to contend with Kentucky.
3. Auburn Tigers (26-8, 13-5 in SEC)
Picked by many to finish in the bottom half of the SEC, Auburn came out of nowhere to win a share of the SEC regular season title and make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003.
Coach Bruce Pearl returns his All-SEC backcourt of Jared Harper (13.2 ppg, 5.4 apg) and Bryce Brown (15.9 ppg, 38% from 3-point range) and gets a welcome boost from Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley, who sat out last season.
Transfers Samir Doughty (9.0 ppg) and J’Von McCormick (18.5 ppg, 6.4 apg) look to add more depth to the Tigers squad. The losses of leading scorer Mustapha Heron and Desean Murray will hurt, but Auburn should have no problem being one of the top SEC teams and qualifying for the NCAA tournament.
4. Florida Gators (21-13, 11-7 in SEC)
The Gators returned to the NCAA tournament in 2018 under the guidance of Mike White, but took a step back by losing in the second round to Texas Tech. However, they return seniors Kevaughn Allen (11.0 ppg) and Jalen Hudson (15.5 ppg, 40% from 3-point range).
A fresh face will take over at point guard, as 5-star Andrew Nembhard looks to fill the shoes of SEC assists leader Chris Chiozza. The uncertainty of guard play will be interesting to watch throughout the season, but Florida should not have a problem competing in the conference and earning another NCAA tournament appearance.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks (23-12, 10-8 in SEC)
Mike Anderson’s team reached the tournament last year behind stellar play from Jaylen Bradford (17.9 ppg) and Daryl Macon (16.8 ppg). Both players have departed, and now it’s up to Daniel Gafford (11.8 ppg, 6.2 reb) to carry the load.
Arkansas will look to recreate their magic offense of last season, in which they led the conference in 3-point shooting (40.1 percent). If the Hogs want to return to the tournament, they need to rely on Gafford and the coaching of Anderson.
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs (25-12, 9-9 in SEC)
Falling just short of making the NCAA tournament last year should motivate Ben Howland’s team all season. The Bulldogs return both Nick (10.8 ppg) and Quinndary (14.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg) Weatherspoon for some leadership.
The Weatherspoon brothers will be glad to know that the rest of the roster has returned as well, and that should bode well for the team’s chances of getting over the hump and making the tournament.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (20-16, 8-10 in SEC)
The Crimson Tide made a trip to the NCAA tournament last year behind stellar freshman Collin Sexton. He turned pro after last year, so now it’s time for Avery Johnson to find someone else to be the go-to scorer for the team.
There are some options in returning players John Petty (10.2 ppg, 37% from 3-point range) and Donta Hall (10.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) for Johnson to rely on. Alabama should be a competitive team under Johnson, but with the absence of a true star, they will be on the bubble of the tournament all season.
8. Missouri Tigers (20-13, 10-8 in SEC)
Cuonzo Martin’s team made the NCAA tournament last year despite the nearly season long absence of star player Michael Porter Jr. Now that Porter Jr. is in the NBA, it’ll be up to his brother Jontay Porter (9.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg) to step up his play for the Tigers.
Another player who needs to step up is Jeremiah Tilmon (8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg), who was inconsistent last season. If those players are able to elevate their games to the next level, the Tigers will be in contention for a tournament spot again.
9. LSU Tigers (18-15, 8-10 in SEC)
Will Wade has the Tigers primed to make the next step of relevancy in the conference after reaching the NIT last season. Wade gets another year of guards Tremont Waters (16.0 ppg, 5.9 apg) and Skylar Mays (11.2 ppg, 4.1 apg) to command the backcourt.
Nazreon Reid and Emmitt Williams, two 5-star recruits, will look to contribute early and often for the Tigers throughout the season. If everything goes according to plan, then LSU will be a fringe bubble team for the NCAA tournament.
10. Vanderbilt Commodores (12-20, 6-12 in SEC)
The Commodores are looking to rebound from their worst season since 2002-2003, and they should be able to due to a highly regarded recruiting class.
Bryce Drew brought in 5-star prospects Darius Garland (top ranked point guard) and Simi Shittu to bring some excitement to the fanbase in Nashville. Add in returning player Saben Lee (10.6 ppg), and the Commodores should be an exciting young team to watch in the SEC. They will be back to relevance and compete for a NIT spot.
11. Texas A&M Aggies (22-13, 9-9 in SEC)
The Aggies were able to make a NCAA tournament appearance last season and ended up going to the Sweet Sixteen, but this year will feature a less experienced team. Coach Billy Kennedy lost three of his four top scorers from a year ago and will look to rely on returning players to fill the voids.
They won’t have to worry about the backcourt, as Admon Gilder (12.3 ppg) and TJ Starks (9.9 ppg) will have another year under their belts to try to lead the team. Wendell Mitchell, the top junior college player in the nation last year, will look to make his mark and add experience to the backcourt as well.
Texas A&M will go through growing pains this year with inexperience and adding new players to the roster, and that will make them a projected NIT team.
12. South Carolina Gamecocks (17-16, 7-11 in SEC)
The Gamecocks had lofty expectations last year after making a surprise run to the Final Four in 2017, and they fell well short by finishing barely above .500 in 2018. Frank Martin will have another year of star forward Chris Silva (14.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), who will anchor the post for the team.
Three other starters from last year’s team return in Maik Kotsar (8.0 ppg), Justin Minaya (7.9 ppg) and Hassani Gravett (7.4 ppg). Together those four players will look to provide steady leadership for South Carolina. Unfortunately, that leadership will not be enough for the Gamecocks to be a real threat to anyone in the SEC.
13. Georgia Bulldogs (18-15, 7-11 in SEC)
A new era of Georgia basketball begins under the regime of Tom Crean, who looks to put his imprint on SEC basketball.
The Bulldogs will have to replace Yante Maten (19.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg) on offense with a variety of returning players. Guard William Jackson (8.4 ppg, 3.5 apg) is the top returning player, and the frontcourt features Derek Ogbeide (6.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Rayshaun Hammonds (6.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg). This will be a rebuilding year for Crean and the Bulldogs, but the sky is the limit for this team.
14. Ole Miss Rebels (12-20, 5-13 in SEC)
Kermit Davis will look to inject his brand of basketball into an Ole Miss team that finished at the bottom in the SEC last year. He will rely on veterans Terence Davis (13.8 ppg, 6.2 reb) and Bruce Stevens (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) to guide the Rebels to compete in the SEC.
Blake Hinson, a 4-star recruit, will add some young talent to the roster. Ole Miss will be more exciting than last year due to a new coach, but that won’t be enough to escape the basement of the SEC.
