SEC Men’s Basketball Preview: Alabama Builds on Final Four Team, Prominent Coaching Changes

The talent level in this league from top to bottom is ridiculously high, and that should make for an incredible year of basketball down South.

Alabama guard Mark Sears and the Crimson Tide hope to build on a Final Four run last season. / Butch Dill-Imagn Images

As part of its 2024–25 men’s basketball preseason coverage, Sports Illustrated is rolling out previews for the five high-major conferences, plus the top mid-majors nationally. Previously: ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Big 12. Next up is the SEC.

There’s been a changing of the guard in the SEC coaching ranks, with John Calipari’s shocking departure from Kentucky to Arkansas in April. That gives the Razorbacks a title-winning coach to replace Eric Musselman and puts a new face in UK alum Mark Pope on the sidelines in Lexington. That was the biggest headline of the SEC offseason, but it was a very active spring and summer throughout the league in recruiting and retention with stars returning and being added through the portal. The talent level in this league from top to bottom is ridiculously high, and that should make for an incredible year of basketball down South. 

SI’s Picks For … 

Player of the Year: Mark Sears, Alabama

Breakout Player: Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina

Newcomer of the Year: Johnell Davis, Arkansas

Dark Horse Team: Texas A&M 

All-Conference First Team 

• Mark Sears, Alabama
• Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
• Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
• Johnell Davis, Arkansas
• Johni Broome, Auburn

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 

The Crimson Tide built on a run to the Final Four with an incredible offseason, retaining stars Mark Sears and Grant Nelson while addressing their biggest need (shot blocking) with the best at his position in the transfer portal in Clifford Omoruyi. The end product is a roster with shooting in droves, impressive size and athleticism as well as arguably the national player of the year frontrunner in Sears. The Tide will without a doubt miss Aaron Estrada, now in the NBA, and may have some adjustments to make when playing bigger, but this group has all the makings of a title contender. 

2. Auburn Tigers

Auburn was one of the hardest teams in the country to figure out last season, an analytics darling that seemed to fall short against top competition and then stumbled early in the NCAA tournament against Yale. Star Johni Broome is back and a top All-American contender, but the pieces around him (namely at point guard) will determine if this team is a true national title threat. Furman transfer JP Pegues seems to have the inside track to that spot, but freshman Tahaad Pettiford and returner Denver Jones could each get some ballhandling assignments. 

Broome returns and is a top All-American contender. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

3. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee has finished in the top 15 of KenPom’s final rankings in five of the last seven years, including three straight top-10 finishes capped by last season’s Elite Eight run. The losses are immense, but don’t expect much of a drop-off from the Vols. Point guard Zakai Zeigler is a star, and Tennessee has tons of shooting around him with the likes of Chaz Lanier, Darlinstone Dubar and Igor Milicic Jr. 

4. Florida Gators

This is a Florida program clearly on the rise under Todd Golden. After reaching the SEC tournament title game and getting back to the NCAA tournament a year ago, the time is now to take the next step into contender status. Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. gave the Gators as good a place to start as any, but this group’s growth rides on its defense taking steps forward. FAU transfer Alijah Martin should help there, as should more minutes for Alex Condon up front. 

5. Arkansas Razorbacks

John Calipari switching jobs was the biggest story of the offseason in college basketball and makes Arkansas a must-watch in 2024–25. Switching jobs did force Calipari to pivot his roster-building philosophy (at least for this year) to a bit more balance between freshmen and the transfer portal, adding stars Johnell Davis (FAU) and Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee) along with a handful of pieces that followed from Kentucky. The big key is whether former elite recruit D.J. Wagner can bounce back after an uneven freshman campaign at Kentucky. If he does, this group could elevate into SEC contention. 

Calipari moving to Arkansas was the biggest offseason news. / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

6. Kentucky Wildcats

The Mark Pope era begins with lots of anticipation in Lexington. Considering how little he inherited, it’s hard to argue with the job Pope did filling out this roster, especially given the cohesive theme across it of adding shooters. There may not be much top-end talent though, especially by Kentucky standards. The task for Pope: Make sure this group, like his BYU team a year ago, is greater as a whole than the sum of its parts.

7. Ole Miss Rebels

Chris Beard’s teams have traditionally made significant strides in his second season at a program, and Ole Miss seems positioned to continue that trend after a massive portal haul. The most exciting addition: Seton Hall transfer Dre Davis, who averaged 15 points per game a year ago in the Big East. Defense is a major question mark, but Beard seriously upgraded this group’s talent level this spring and should have the Rebels back in the NCAA tournament after missing out a year ago.

8. Texas A&M Aggies

Keeping point guard Wade Taylor IV was huge, but the Aggies have to replace the heart and soul of their program in Tyrece Radford, now playing professionally overseas. Beyond his 16 points and six rebounds per game, Radford was a tone-setter on the defensive end and an extension of coach Buzz Williams on the floor. Perhaps Manny Obaseki, who finished the 2023–24 season on a high note, could step into those shoes, and SMU transfer wing Zhuric Phelps should lighten the sometimes-overwhelming load on Taylor if nothing else. 

9. Texas Longhorns

There’s no question this Longhorns team has firepower. Transfers Jordan Pope, Tramon Mark and Arthur Kaluma combined to average more than 47 points per game in high-major leagues last season, and freshman Tre Johnson is considered one of the most gifted scorers in the 2025 NBA draft class. But there’s only one ball to go around, and figuring out how to mesh all this scoring talent into a cohesive offense is Rodney Terry’s biggest challenge entering his second full season on the job at Texas.

10. Mississippi State Bulldogs

It has been more than 15 years since an SEC freshman who averaged as many points per game as Josh Hubbard did a year ago didn’t turn pro immediately. Having Hubbard back for Year 2 gives the Bulldogs a chance for real upward mobility in the SEC, especially given the reinforcements added by coach Chris Jans in the transfer portal. One name to circle: Michael Nwoko, a Miami transfer big man with an impressive high school pedigree as a rebounder and finisher who could solidify the team's frontcourt. 

Hubbard returns after a standout freshman campaign. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

11. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina’s 15-win improvement in Lamont Paris’s second season was among the most dramatic jumps in the country a year ago. Continuing that momentum starts with sophomore sensation Collin Murray-Boyles, who exploded onto the scene last season to average nearly 12 points and seven rebounds per game in SEC play. The question is whether the Gamecocks have enough talent around him to get back to the NCAA tournament. Freshman wing Cam Scott making an instant impact would certainly help. 

12. Missouri Tigers

No one is happier to flip to a new year than Dennis Gates, whose 2023–24 Tigers cratered to an 0–18 league finish after a strong first season in Columbia. Reinforcements are here, namely Iowa transfer PG Tony Perkins and Duke transfer PF Mark Mitchell. That duo, combined with tremendous shooting and depth behind them, should have Mizzou back in the NCAA tournament conversation this season. That said, defense is a concern given the Tigers have been among the worst high-major teams on that end of the floor during Gates’s tenure. 

13. Georgia Bulldogs

The biggest reason for optimism in Athens is a beefed-up frontcourt, one that features a pair of elite recruits in Asa Newell and Somto Cyril as well as veteran transfers RJ Godfrey (Clemson) and Justin Abson (Appalachian State). That physicality boost should make life easier for the Bulldog guards, namely rising sophomore Silas Demary Jr. Demary averaged nearly 10 points per game as a freshman and has an All-SEC ceiling in Year 2.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores

New coach Mark Byington brought with him sweeping roster changes, and it’s hard not to be impressed with the talent level considering Vandy’s academic limitations in the portal. Enigmatic former Michigan State point guard AJ Hoggard is the highest-profile add, but North Texas transfer Jason Edwards may well be the Commodores’ best player after averaging over 19 points per game a season ago. This is a deep group, but meshing all the new faces may take time, especially in a league this loaded. 

15. LSU Tigers

The Tigers jumped from two SEC wins to nine in Matt McMahon’s second season on the job. Now it’s time for McMahon’s team to take the next step and compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Plenty rides on diminutive portal additions Jordan Sears (UT Martin) and Cam Carter (Kansas State) to improve the Tigers’ guard play, but this group’s ceiling is likely determined by the continued development of juniors Tyrell Ward and Jalen Reed. 

16. Oklahoma Sooners

After an NCAA tournament snub, the Sooners saw a mass exodus of talent to the transfer portal including the team’s entire starting backcourt. Porter Moser’s on-the-fly rebuild wasn’t complete until late July, when the Sooners added reclassifying top-50 recruit Jeremiah Fears, the program’s highest-rated recruit since Trae Young. But relying on an 18-year-old freshman to shoulder the load is dicey, and OU’s portal haul features more role players than stars.