Sports Illustrated,
State of the Conference
The 2024–25 campaign was a historic season for the SEC. The league sent 14 of its 16 teams to the NCAA tournament, sent four to the Elite Eight, two to the Final Four and eventually saw its conference tournament champion Florida cut down the nets in San Antonio. Years of increased basketball investment and shrewd coaching hires all came together for a magical season, one that seems unlikely to be topped anytime soon.
But even if last season’s SEC is the high-water mark for the conference (and maybe for any conference, quite frankly), that doesn’t mean it was a fluke. With the resources being committed to hoops and elite coaches up and down the conference, the SEC should remain in contention for “best conference in college basketball” honors.
All-Conference First Team Labaron Philon, AlabamaTahaad Pettiford, AuburnJa’Kobi Gillespie, TennesseeOtega Oweh, KentuckyThomas Haugh, FloridaAll-Conference Second Team Jaland Lowe, KentuckyDarius Acuff, ArkansasNate Ament, TennesseeAlex Condon, FloridaDevin McGlockton, Vanderbilt
Player of the Year: Labaron Philon, Alabama
Freshman of the Year: Darius Acuff, Arkansas
Transfer of the Year: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee
Projected NCAA tournament teams: 10 (Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt)
Projected Order of Finish1. Florida
The defending national champs get the nod for the top spot after a masterful job by Todd Golden of reloading this spring. The Gators got two of the best guards in the transfer portal in Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton), all while keeping together the dominant frontcourt that helped lead the Gators to the title a season ago. Thomas Haugh should take a jump sliding to the wing and into the starting lineup, while Alex Condon continues to be on a rapid upward trajectory after picking up the game full-time later than most prospects. Depth is a concern, but there may not be a better starting five in the sport than what Florida will trot out.
2. Kentucky
After seeing what Mark Pope did with a roster cobbled together in the span of a few weeks last April, it’s hard to fault Kentucky fans for their optimism about what could come this season and beyond. This is a deeper, more talented and far more athletic Wildcats group than the one that made the Sweet 16 in Pope’s first season, led by high-level guards Otega Oweh and Jaland Lowe who should create one of the top backcourts in the country. If former five-star Jayden Quaintance comes back healthy from an ACL tear suffered late last season, this group gets another dimension.
3. Arkansas
A sentence you might not have expected to read 24 months ago: A John Calipari team has the most continuity in the SEC. Yes, the head coach known for the one-and-done has a surprisingly old roster in 2025–26, with three starters returning and two key transfers up front to add to this group’s experienced slant. Two freshmen (guards Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas) could be among the Razorbacks’ leading scorers, but Karter Knox seems poised for a breakout and Trevon Brazile seemed to turn a corner late last season.
4. Tennessee
After back-to-back Elite Eights, Rick Barnes and the Vols keep knocking on the door of their first-ever Final Four appearance. Is this year the year? Tennessee has the point guard play with transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie joining the fray from Maryland, and it has a projected top-five NBA draft pick in Nate Ament on the wing. Is there enough around that duo for a March breakthrough?
5. Auburn
Bruce Pearl’s sudden retirement just weeks before the season throws a wrench in things, but Auburn has the talent for another great season after going to the Final Four a season ago. It’s a younger group with plenty on the plate of sophomore point guard Tahaad Pettiford, but he’s one of the most dynamic players in the country when at his best. Mississippi State transfer KeShawn Murphy should help up front, while UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall is a proven scorer on the wing.
6. Alabama
Alabama’s last five years under Nate Oats have been astonishingly good. Four trips to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, three top-10 KenPom finishes, two SEC titles and a Final Four. That résumé provides plenty of benefit of the doubt for a roster that outside of star guard Labaron Philon is somewhat unproven. Philon has sharpshooters next to him in Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightsell, but the frontcourt heavily relies on a breakout year from sophomore Aiden Sherrell for this to be the championship-caliber group we’ve come to expect from Oats’s teams.
7. Texas A&M
The 42-year-old Bucky McMillan has his shot at big-time college hoops after an outstanding run as a high school coach in Alabama and later as the head coach at Samford. How his run-and-gun style fits in the SEC is unclear as of now, but he has built a talented roster with a high ceiling. Indiana transfer Mackenzie Mgbako is an elite talent if he puts it all together, while Spanish wing Ruben Dominguez comes with high-level pro experience in the top league in Spain.
8. Missouri
Missouri bounced back masterfully from a shocking 0–18 SEC mark in 2024, posting Dennis Gates’s second top-10 offense in three seasons on the job in Columbia, Mo. Star forward Mark Mitchell is back, as is intriguing NBA prospect Anthony Robinson II, a two-way impact guy at the point. Excitement’s high about Arizona State transfer big Shawn Phillips Jr., a freak athlete who has never quite put things together in three seasons of college.
9. Oklahoma
Porter Moser finally found himself on the right side of the bubble at Oklahoma after a couple of devastating misses, and even with star point guard Jeremiah Fears off to the NBA, there’s every reason to believe the Sooners could build on last year’s success. This is a more talented group from top to bottom, with a star transfer at the point in former St. Joe’s guard Xzayvier Brown and a pair of super talented big wings in Derrion Reid (Alabama) and Tae Davis (Notre Dame). Inconsistent center play is the only thing that could hold them back.
10. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt making the NCAA tournament in Mark Byington’s first season was quietly one of the most impressive coaching jobs anywhere last season, maximizing a transition roster in a historically good league. Devin McGlockton is a force around the rim and one of the most underrated players in the country and Cornell transfer AK Okereke is a highly versatile piece, though this group’s ceiling might get dictated by whether they can get steady point guard play from TCU transfer Frankie Collins.
11. Mississippi
Chris Beard took Ole Miss to the Sweet 16 in just his second year in Oxford, Miss., but with an old team, he experienced a pretty significant roster reset this spring. Talented forward Malik Dia returns and needs to take the next step, but around him are almost entirely new faces. French guard Ilias Kamardine has earned rave reviews early, and Beard might be the right coach to get through to well-traveled wing AJ Storr after a rough year at Kansas.
12. Texas
Sean Miller takes over in Austin for Rodney Terry and brings with him a potential breakout star in Dailyn Swain, who averaged 11 points per game as a sophomore at Xavier. Between Swain, St. John’s transfer Simeon Wilcher and returners Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark, the Longhorns have plenty of guys who can put the ball in the basket. Size could be a concern though, with lots riding on FAU transfer Matas Vokietaitis to be ready for the physicality of the SEC.
13. Mississippi State
Josh Hubbard has willed the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament in each of his first two seasons at Mississippi State. If he can do it again, it will be his most impressive achievement yet. This is a different-looking roster, with more rim protection and athleticism up front thanks to the addition of Quincy Ballard (Wichita State) but a lot less offensive firepower to take the pressure off Hubbard when teams send double teams.
14. Georgia
A late-season flourish got the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament, a key milestone for a program that had gone a decade in between trips to the Big Dance. A win in the event remains elusive though; Georgia hasn’t advanced in the Big Dance since 2002. It’s a new-look roster with a more guard-centric slant after last season’s jumbo lineups, but transfers Jeremiah Wilkinson (Cal) and Marcus Millender (UTSA) can get a bucket and Jordan Ross comes from a winning situation at Saint Mary’s.
15. LSU
Patience is wearing thin in Baton Rouge for the Matt McMahon era, with just a 14–40 mark in SEC play in his first three years. McMahon was given more resources this spring to attack the portal and landed some big-time talent, headlined by UNLV transfer PG Dedan Thomas Jr. I’m not sure there’s an NCAA tournament–level nucleus here, but there’s enough to be a lot more competitive than a year ago.
16. South Carolina
South Carolina was overwhelmed talent-wise in last season’s SEC, even with a NBA lottery pick leading the way in Collin Murray-Boyles. It’s hard to believe this season will look that much different. Getting Meechie Johnson (a key part of their NCAA tournament team in 2023–24) back after a stint at Ohio State should help, but this roster is swimming upstream compared to its SEC peers.
