SEC coaches believe the SEC is the best conference in college basketball

Is the SEC the best conference in college basketball this season?

Mar 4, 2023; Greenville, SC, USA; General view of the SEC logo at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-Imagn Images / David Yeazell-Imagn Images

One of the most common themes heard at SEC Media Days for basketball was almost all of the coaches talking about how the SEC is the best basketball conference this season. This included Coach Mark Pope, who believes the SEC will be a powerhouse for the 2024-25 season.

The college basketball landscape has changed over the past five years as the SEC is now incredibly strong. For a while, when it came to good basketball schools in the SEC, the list ended at Kentucky, but that is not the case anymore.

In the first AP Poll of this season, there were nine SEC schools ranked in the Top 25, including #2 Alabama, #11 Auburn, #12 Tennessee, #13 Texas A&M, #16 Arkansas, #19 Texas, #21 Florida, #23 Kentucky, and #24 Ole Miss.

There is a world where double-digit SEC teams could make the NCAA Tournament this season, and that would be historic. While this is great for the SEC, it also means that the conference will beat itself up all season long.

Even the schools like Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, who were picked to finish near the bottom of the conference, could beat a ranked team on any given night. There is no such thing as a surefire win in the SEC this season, which means everyone needs to be on their toes, especially on the road.

While this could lead to some extra losses for the SEC's best teams, it will also help the conference be ready for the Tournament. The Sweet 16 will be chopped full of SEC teams.