SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Preseason

Basketball season is here, folks. Each Sunday from now until March we will take a look around the conference with our SEC Basketball Power Rankings. With games tipping off on Tuesday it is time to set the preseason standings. And here. We. Go.

Tier 1-Conference Title Contenders

1. Kentucky Wildcats

Despite coming off of a historically bad 9-16 season, the Kentucky Wildcats were picked by the media as the favorite to win the SEC. They also have earned the #1 spot in KSR’s weekly SEC Basketball Power Rankings. Sahvir Wheeler led the conference in assists last season. Kellan Grady has scored 2000 career points. C.J. Fredrick was one of the nation’s best three-point shooters. Oscar Tshiebwe is a former All-Big 12 performer. Add in a 5-star freshman guard in TyTy Washington and you have the makings of a real contender. We will learn a lot right away when Kentucky plays Duke on November 9th, but, on paper, the Wildcats have the best roster in the SEC.

2. Tennessee Volunteers

We are taking a swing here and calling the Volunteers the second-best team in the SEC. 5-star freshman point guard Kennedy Chandler unlocks a new dimension for the Vols offensively. They will play much faster and really open things up off the ball for their shooters. Coach Rick Barnes’ group may be the best shooting team in the conference this season. A lot of the buzz is on the perimeter, but the Volunteers will be very good inside as well. Sixth-year senior John Fulkerson is back alongside 5-star freshman forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. Tennessee has a great mixture of young talent and veteran leadership.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide may have the best backcourt in the conference with Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford. Then you add in 5-star freshman guard JD Davison and you have the makings one of the best backcourts in the country. Coach Nate Oats will once again play fast and score a lot of points. However, the loss of Herb Jones and John Petty Jr. will not be easy to overcome. Texas Tech transfer Nimari Brunett is out for the season as well leaving some questions about the Tide’s depth. Alabama won’t be as good defensively and won’t shoot it as well from three as they did last season. Therefore, it stands to reason they will take a step back in the SEC as well. The backcourt talent alone though, along with the development of Keon Ellis on the wing, will still allow them to compete towards the top.

Tier 2-Legit NCAA Tournament Teams

4. Arkansas Razorbacks

Fresh off a trip to the Elite Eight, expectations are high in Fayetteville. Everyone is all aboard the Muss Buss. However, this Razorbacks squad will rely heavily on three transfers to keep the offensive firepower alive and that unknown keeps them from the top tier for now. Miami (FL) transfer Chris Lykes has been excellent in the preseason and could be the spark they need alongside Stanley Umude (South Dakota) and Au’Diese Toney (Pittsburgh). All three are true bucket getters. They will get beat around the basket and on the boards, but they will be as good on the perimeter and in transition as anyone.

5. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Coming into this season there may not be a more underrated team than the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Ben Howland is a very good coach and will have the most talent he has ever had in Starkville. The Bulldogs quietly cleaned up in the transfer portal landing guys like Rocket Watts (Michigan State), Garrison Brooks (North Carolina), and D.J. Jeffries (Memphis) who will make significant instant impacts. MSU should be much improved on the offensive end while maintaining their strong presence on the glass.

6. Auburn Tigers

When in doubt, trust in Bruce Pearl. That is a mantra that all basketball fans should live by. Things didn’t go as planned for Auburn last season as they stumbled to a 13-14 record. However, Coach Pearl has reloaded the roster through recruiting and the portal to ensure a return to success. Freshman forward Jabari Smith will be one of the best in the league right away and gives the Tigers a dynamic inside threat next to 7’1″ UNC transfer Walker Kessler. Despite the size, still expect Auburn to play fast. Georgia transfer K.D. Johnson will have the keys in the backcourt and is a perfect Bruce Pearl player. Allen Flanigan, when he returns from injury, will be an All-SEC candidate on the perimeter as well.

Tier 3- Fighting for the Bubble

7. Florida Gators

Like a lot of the SEC, Coach Mike White and the Gators will be relying heavily on some transfers this season. Brandon McKissic (UMKC), Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (Charleston Southern), CJ Felder (Boston College) and Myreon Jones (Penn State) will all be major contributors for Florida. Returning starters Anthony Duruji and Colin Castleton provide some size for the Gators inside while Tyree Appleby is back to run the show on the perimeter. However, the biggest question remains if Keyontae Johnson can ever suit up again. Without Johnson, there just may not be the top-end talent in Gainesville to compete beyond the middle of the pack in the SEC.

8. LSU Tigers

The Tigers received crushing news recently that Illinois transfer Adam Miller would miss the entire season with a knee injury. However, Will Wade still has the addition of Xavier Pinson (Missouri) that will provide some firepower in the backcourt that lost some serious production. LSU does return preseason All-SEC second-team selection Darius Days, but otherwise there will be a lot of new faces in Baton Rouge. It is unlikely that the remaining pieces are good enough to get the Tigers above the midpoint of the conference this season.

9. Ole Miss Rebels

Kermit Davis is a good basketball coach and has enough talent to keep himself out of the bottom of the conference. The Rebels return guards Jarkel Joiner and Matthew Murrell along with wing Luis Rodriguez from last season’s 16-12 team. All three were starters at the end of the season. The addition of McDonald’s All-American point guard Daeshun Ruffin, former 5-star recruit Jaemyn Brakefield, a Duke transfer, and 7’0″ center Nysier Brooks from Miami (Fl) gives Ole Miss a pretty solid starting five. We know they will be good defensively, but the Rebels must improve offensively if they want a chance to go dancing. It wouldn’t be shocking at all if they ended up the best of this third tier.

Tier 4-Knocking on the Door

10. Texas A&M Aggies

If you are looking for a sleeper that could crack into the next tier look now further than the Aggies. Coach Buzz Williams’ group will be much improved this season. Marcus Williams was probably one of the best under-the-radar transfers of the offseason coming to College Station from Wyoming. Virginia Tech transfer Tyrece Radford will team up with Williams to create what should be a much improved backcourt. The top-end talent still isn’t there to compete with the best in the SEC, but Williams gives the Aggies a legitimate NBA prospect. This should be a fun team to follow.

11. Missouri Tigers

The transfer portal is a give-and-take beast. Coach Cuonzo Martin lost starting guards Xavier Pinson and Mark Smith through the portal. However, he received a trio of quality backcourt pieces in Amari Davis (Green Bay), DaJuan Gordon (Kansas State), and Jarron Coleman (Ball State). It may be a net loss, but there is still a glimmer of hope in Columbia. Javon Pickett and Kobe Brown are both back to provide some continuity for the Tigers. Massachusetts transfer Ronnie Degray III will help in the front court as well. Finding depth will be a concern, but Cuonzo Martin generally finds a way to get his teams to come together defensively at the very least.

12. Vanderbilt Commodores

Don’t be fooled by the return of Scotty Pippen Jr. Vanderbilt still isn’t going to be very good. While Pippen Jr. is a very good player, the other returning pieces aren’t really good enough to improve on the 3-13 conference mark. If sophomores Myles Stute and Trey Thomas make big leaps, then getting to 10th could be in the cards. However, that is the best case. Rodney Chatman (Dayton) and Liam Robbins (Minnesota) were nice transfer portal additions, but they don’t make up for losing Dylan Disu to Texas. Vandy might be better this season, but don’t expect them to move up the SEC standings very far in Jerry Stackhouse’s third season.

13. South Carolina Gamecocks

Since the trip to the Final Four in 2017, things have not been going so well for Coach Frank Martin. After an ugly 6-15 season in 2020-2021 the seat could be getting hot in Columbia. The transfer portal wasn’t kind to the Gamecocks and A.J. Lawson is off to the professional ranks. There just simply isn’t a whole lot of talent on this roster. Jermaine Cousinard is back for what should be a bounce-back junior year while senior forward Keyshawn Bryant returns as well. Elsewhere, there are a bunch of unknowns and not much reason for optimism.

14. Georgia Bulldogs

The Bulldogs lost six of their seven leading scorers to the transfer portal and the one returner, P.J. Horne, is now out for the season. Needless to say, it is not going well in Athens for Coach Tom Crean. The roster has completely turned over and there hasn’t been much of an influx through recruiting or the portal. It is hard to see a path out of the Southeastern Conference cellar for the Bulldogs.