SEC basketball has a chance this winter to cement itself as the best conference in America.
Another college basketball season gets started Monday, and expectations have never been higher inside the league. Nine teams are ranked inside the USA TODAY Coaches Poll in the preseason after leading the nation with eight teams selected to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. To top it off, two quality programs in Texas and Oklahoma are joining the conference
Here is our first batch of SEC power rankings with the season just around the corner.
1. Alabama
Mark Sears and Nate Oats make the Crimson tide a consensus favorite. All that’s left is to win the program’s first national title and turn Nick Saban-less Alabama into a basketball school.
More:Who are the newcomers for Alabama basketball? Portal pickups and star-studded freshmen
More:The message Rick Barnes sent to Chaz Lanier in Tennessee basketball’s loss to Indiana
2. Auburn
“The Jungle” will feel like a block party as Johni Broome and a deep frontcourt return to lead one of the best defenses in the SEC.
3. Tennessee
Will Rick Barnes’ squad foul me for snubbing the defending conference champions out of the top two spots? Maybe, but that physical nature is what makes the Volunteers so fearsome.
4. Arkansas
John Calipari is at a new school, but he again oversees a loaded roster with elite guard play that feels primed for a deep run in March. What could possibly go wrong?
5. Texas A&M
Wade Taylor IV will challenge for conference player of the year. The question is, do Buzz Williams and the Aggies have a consistent second option? Do they need one?
6. Texas
It just means more in the SEC, but the Longhorns might be happy saying goodbye to the grueling Big 12. No conference rival reeled in a better high school recruit than 5-star Tre Johnson this offseason.
7. Florida
The Todd Golden era took off last year, and the Gators bring back an elite one-two punch with Walter Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon.
8. Kentucky
The Wildcats will be a true test of “the grass isn’t always greener” mantra in their first year without Calipari, but Mark Pope acquired experienced talent to build quality depth.
9. Ole Miss
Have expectations ever been higher in Oxford? That’s the Chris Beard effect, but it’s also the product of a quality roster with an elite scorer in Matthew Murrell.
10. South Carolina
The Gamecocks might not have a roster on paper that ranks inside the top 10 of the SEC, but Lamont Paris should overachieve again.
11. Mississippi State
Chris Jans added plenty of scoring to his backcourt this offseason, but can the Bulldogs replicate their physical style of play without Tolu Smith and limited frontcourt depth?
12. Oklahoma
While expectations are down in Norman, Porter Moser’s defensive philosophy to make each game as ugly as possible will fit in just fine in the SEC.
13. Georgia
The development of sophomore guards Silas Demary and Blue Cain will go a long way in determining the Bulldogs’ season, but a 2-8 finish to last year’s season leaves an ominous stench.
14. Missouri
The Tigers went 0-18 in the SEC last year, so Dennis Gates blew up his roster and brought in a top-five recruiting class. There’s nowhere to go but up.
15. LSU
Another 9-9 SEC campaign would feel like winning the lottery for Matt McMahon. LSU doesn’t return a single player who averaged double figures in scoring.
16. Vanderbilt
Can Diego Pavia suit up and play basketball? The football revelation in Nashville this fall won’t carry over into Mark Byington’s first season with the Commodores.
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