By Aidan Joly
This year’s edition of the SEC will be an intriguing one with plenty of teams able to compete. The league saw eight teams make the NCAA tournament last March with three of them reaching the second weekend. It has an argument to be the deepest and best conference in the country this season.
Meanwhile, some “eras” got off to good starts for first-year head coaches in 2022-23 and the league also has what might be one of the most interesting coaching hires of this carousel.
Let’s get into it.
Alabama Crimson Tide
2022-23: 31-5 (16-2 SEC), lost in Sweet 16
Alabama has just three players coming back from a 2022-23 squad that won 31 games, won the SEC tournament and advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament: Mark Sears, Rylen Griffen and Nick Pringle.
Sears is the best of that group, having averaged 12.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season. Griffen put up 6.0 points per game in 2022-23.
A group of new transfers highlighted by North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson will have to pick up the slack. Nelson was an All-Summit League talent last year. He averaged 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game and is a defensive menace. Aaron Estrada (Hofstra), Latrell Wrightesell Jr. (CSU Fullerton) and Mohamed Wague (West Virginia) are all new as well.
Jarin Stevenson is the top freshman on the team, he will need to step up quickly.
This year’s Alabama team likely won’t be at the top of the SEC, but it should still be a good year in Tuscaloosa.
Texas A&M Aggies
2022-23: 25-10 (15-3 SEC), lost in round of 64
Coming off of a very good season that ended slightly prematurely, the Aggies return eight players from last year’s edition.
They bring back leading scorer Wade Taylor IV, who averaged 16.2 points and 3.8 assists per game from the point as a sophomore. He will be one of the best players in the league, most likely. Tyrece Radford and Julius Radford will also have large roles for the Aggies. Henry Coleman III and Manny Obaseki also are back after solid seasons.
As for newcomers, coach Buzz Williams brings in Jace Carter (UIC), Eli Lawrence (Middle Tennessee) and Wildens Leveque (Massachusetts), who should all have varying roles.
With a group of great returners and solid additions, Texas A&M likely projects as the second-best team in the SEC.
Kentucky Wildcats
2022-23: 22-12 (12-6 SEC), lost in round of 32
A lot of the roster in Lexington feels unproven. They bring back just three players: Antonio Reeves, Adou Theiro and Ugonna Oneynso. Reeves is the best of the group, coming off a season where he averaged 14.4 points per game and won the SEC Sixth Man of the Year.
The Wildcats bring in one of the better recruiting classes in the country, including Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard. The best transfer add is Tre Mitchell, who comes to Lexington from West Virginia.
Again, a lot of this roster is unproven and there are some question marks, but Calipari usually figures it out. They’ve got a great chance to be a very talented group.
Missouri Tigers
2022-23: 25-10 (11-7 SEC), lost in round of 32
The first season of the Dennis Gates era at Missouri was a huge success, resulting in the program’s first NCAA tournament win since 2010.
Gates already has a top recruiting class for 2024, headlined by Trent Burns, but he won’t come to Missouri until the 2024-25 season.
Still, for this year, Noah Carter, Nick Honor, Sean East II and Aidan Shaw are good building block pieces as returners. Carter averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 2022-23. As for additions, it’ll be John Tonja (Colorado State), Tamar Bates (Indiana), Caleb Grill (Iowa State), Jesus Carralero (Campbell) and Connor Vanover (Oral Roberts) making up an interesting blend of high-major and mid-major talent.
Vanover is 7-foot-5, and blocked 3.2 shots per game for Oral Roberts last season. He’ll look to emerge as a big frontcourt presence.
There’s lots of guard depth here, but questions in the frontcourt remain. We will see how the Tigers look. The program has not made back-to-back NCAA tournaments since a five-year stretch from 2009 to 2013.
Tennessee Volunteers
2022-23: 25-10 (11-7 SEC), lost in Sweet 16
After a good season last year that resulted in the program’s first appearance in the second weekend since 2019, this year’s Vols might be the team to beat in the SEC.
Rick Barnes returns a quartet of Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler and big man Jonas Aidoo. Zeigler will have a bigger role at the point guard spot and is a great passer. Vescovi is a very real perimeter threat and will probably take more shots from behind the arc. James is as versatile as they come with the ability to play multiple positions. Aidoo will have a shot to have the starting center job.
As for newcomers, Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado) was quietly one of the best gets of the off-season. He averaged 20.2 points per game for the Bears last season. Top prospects Freddie Dilione and J.P. Estrella should contribute quickly.
With a cast of experience players and probably a chip on their shoulder, look for the Vols all season long.
Vanderbilt Commodores
2022-23: 22-15 (11-7 SEC), lost in NIT quarterfinals
The 2022-23 edition of Vanderbilt was an interesting one. After an embarrassing 101-44 loss against Alabama that dropped the Commodores to 3-6 in the SEC, they rattled off eight wins in the final nine regular season games to finish 11-7 in league play, and then made it to the SEC semifinals, good enough to make the NIT. In total, it won 12 of its final 15 games after that loss.
Seemingly finding their stride midway through the season, the Commodores bring back five players, headlined by Tyrin Lawrence, who averaged 13.2 points per game last season. Ezra Manjon averaged 10.3 points per game last season.
As for newcomers, three transfers that make sense to have big roles off the bat are Evan Taylor (Lehigh), Ven-Allen Lubin (Notre Dame) and Tasos Kamateros (South Dakota).
With a nice mix of old and new, Vanderbilt has a good shot at making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017.
Auburn Tigers
2022-23: 21-13 (10-8 SEC), lost in round of 32
After a slight dip last season, Bruce Pearl and the Tigers should be a nationally relevant team again this season.
The Tigers return two key members of the frontcourt in Jaylin Williams (11.2 PPG) and Johni Broome (14.2 PPG), along with K.D. Johnson in the backcourt (8.9 PPG), all of them should see expanded roles in 2023-24. Broome finished 11th in the country last year in total blocks, with 78.
A key transfer add is Denver Jones from Florida International, who put up 20.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on 37.1% shooting from three. He should be a secondary ball-handler. Freshman Aden Holloway is a decent prospect but maybe a bit of a project.
Coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, look for Auburn to keep it rolling as a top 5 team in the SEC.
Florida Gators
2022-23: 16-17 (9-9 SEC), lost in NIT first round
Head coach Todd Golden had some growing pains in his first season at the helm, but returns a decent crop of players and made some good adds in the portal.
Will Richard is the biggest returner on the team after averaging 10.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this past season. Aleks Szymczyk and Denzel Aberdeen both are back after having some small roles last year, which likely will expand somewhat. Riley Kugel showed some serious flashes as a freshman averaging 9.9 points per game and is one of the best sophomore breakout candidates in the country.
The additions are where it is interesting. The Gators bring in Walter Clayton Jr. from Iona, the 2022-23 MAAC Player of the Year after averaging 16.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and shot 43.1% from three. Marshall transfer Micah Handlogten is a 7-foot-1 force in the middle, a great rebounder and defensive presence. UC Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin put up 18.3 points per game for the Highlanders last season and shot nearly 40% from three.
The potential is certainly there. If the transfers can have impacts and gel, look for the Gators to compete for a tournament bid.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
2022-23: 21-13 (8-10 SEC), lost in First Four
The first year of the Chris Jans era in Starkville went fairly well, resulting in the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019. With seven players back and a solid transfer portal addition, the Bulldogs look to turn a corner this year.
That starts with Tolu Smith, albeit that he is out until mid-January with an injury suffered over the summer. In the meantime, look for Shakeel Moore to have an expanded role after averaging 9.8 points per game last season. Dashawn Davis is there too after averaging 8.7 points per game in 2022-23. D.J. Jeffries and Cameron Matthews are set to man the frontcourt.
Marshall transfer Andrew Taylor arrives in Starkville after putting up 20.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game last season. He should have a sizable role in the post, especially so early in the season in Smith’s absence.
Again, Mississippi State is looking to turn the corner this year. After squeaking into the tournament last year, they hope to be a contending force in the SEC.
Arkansas Razorbacks
2022-23: 22-14 (8-10 SEC), lost in Sweet 16
Expectations remain high for Arkansas and Eric Musselman.
This year’s edition of the Razorbacks includes a slew of transfer portal adds, including El Ellis (Louisville), Khalif Battle (Temple) as the highlights. They also bring in Tramon Mark (Houston), Keyon Menifield (Washington) and Danijay Harris (Southern Miss).
Ricky Council IV, Nick Smith, Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh were all off to the NBA but the Razorbacks bring back Devo Davis, Travon Brazile, Mekhi Mitchell, Jalen Graham and Joseph Pinion.
Arkansas has not missed the NCAA tournament since Musselman came aboard in 2019 and have won at least 20 games each of his four seasons. The Razorbacks will once again be a very good team in 2023-24.
Georgia Bulldogs
2022-23: 16-16 (6-12 SEC), no postseason
Mike White managed a .500 record in his first season at the helm in Athens after defecting from Florida after the 2021-22 season.
It’s a program that hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2015 and White’s attempt at reviving the program will continue another season. However, the Bulldogs don’t bring back anyone that averaged more than 8.6 points per game last season – that would be Justin Hill. Jabri Abdur-Rahim averaged 7.1 points per game last season and will likely have an expanded role.
Noah Thomasson (Niagara), Jalen DeLoach (VCU) and Russel Tchewa (South Florida) are interesting adds out of the portal, but the impact of them remains to be seen. Georgia brings in some underrated freshman guards in Silas Demary Jr. and Blue Cain who could contribute right away.
It’s unlikely that Georgia will compete with the top of the league, but there’s some room for improvement.
South Carolina Gamecocks
2022-23: 11-21 (4-14 SEC), no postseason
It was a major struggle in Lamont Paris’ first year at the helm, winning just four games in the SEC.
Meechie Johnson is the main returner after he averaged 12.7 points per game last season. He will be the leader in the backcourt. Jacobi Wright should have a decent-sized role too.
B.J. Mack (Wofford) and Stephen Clark (The Citadel) are expected to be the names trusted to fill voids in the frontcourt. Ta’Lon Cooper (Minnesota) and Myles Stute (Vanderbilt) should have roles as well.
They’ll need frontcourt help, or it could be another losing season.
Ole Miss Rebels
2022-23: 12-21 (3-15 SEC), no postseason
The Rebels made the semi-rare move of firing a coach midseason when it fired now-former coach Kermit Davis on Feb. 24 while the team was 2-13 in SEC play.
Replacing him is one of the most interesting names in the carousel this past season in Chris Beard, who was fired midseason by Texas last year amid domestic violence allegations; the charges were later dropped.
Beard will look to right the ship in Oxford this season. The top two scorers from last season in Matthew Murell (14.4 PPG) and Jaemyn Brakefield (11.1 PPG) both return along with T.J. Caldwell (4.7 PPG), but those are the only returners from last year.
The three biggest additions are Auburn transfer Allen Flanigan, who averaged 10.1 PPG last year, Jaylen Murray from St. Peter’s, who put up 12.5 PPG last year, and Moussa Cisse from Oklahoma State, who is somewhat of a limited scorer but a talented rebounder and defender.
It will be a rebuild job for Beard, and that starts now. The Rebels will try to be relevant in a talent-deep SEC.
LSU Tigers
2022-23: 14-19 (2-16 SEC), no postseason
It was a rough season for LSU’s first season with Matt McMahon at the helm, a season that included a 14-game losing streak that lasted the better part of two months.
LSU does return five players, but only two of note, that being Derek Fountain, who averaged 8.0 PPG, and Trae Hannibal, who scored 6.8 PPG last season.
There are eight new faces on the team, including Jalen Cook, who averaged 19.9 points per game for Tulane last season and Jordan Wright (Vanderbilt) who averaged 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Commodores. Carlos Stewart was a very good WCC player, averaging 15.2 PPG for Santa Clara last year. Will Baker averaged 13.6 PPG for Nevada.
McMahon and LSU will need those portal adds to contribute in a big way if they want to compete. It’s fairly likely that LSU will find itself in the basement once again.
AJ Hoops 