Does the SEC take a slight or big step back next year?

[USARMYWILDCAT]

I think the SEC is going to take a step back next season. Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida…. got lucky on mid major hits in the portal, that will not always happen. I expect them all to take steps back next year. What’s the chances of Alabama and Auburn getting a Booth or Sears again from a mid major? Seriously doubt they will find All Americans like they did the last two years. Tennessee doesn’t look like they have a Knecth or Lanier coming in and they are loosing a lot. Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida had no idea that Sears, Broom, Kencth… we’re going to turnout to be the players they were. There luck will run out on mid major hits eventually. They will be good but there luck of hitting on All Americans through the portal won’t last forever. If Kentucky plays is cards right in the portal we might be the best team in the SEC next year. Oweh, might be the best returning player in the SEC. He will most certainly be preseason first team all SEC. He will also be on the Wooden Award watch and probably be on one of the 1-3 All American preseason teams. There will be good teams in the SEC next year. The likelihood of hitting on an all American through the portal multiple years in a row is highly unlikely. This might be KY year with a portal All American. I expect big things from Oweh this up coming season.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

They will come back to the norm.

It’s always been that way.

Pretenders come and go.

UK is the SEC basketball king. Always have been. Always will be.

 

[KAB Cats]

Hope so

 

[UKWildcats1987]

People on here hope it will. I don't see the old cupcake sec ever returning though.

 

[jbne222]

I think there’s a big step back from the teams at the top (especially Tennessee, to a lesser extent Auburn). Bama should be good with Wrightsell and a bunch of good young bigs coming back but Sears, likely Philon, and Nelson are tough to replace. Florida will have a great frontcourt and Aberdeen should be ready for a bigger role, but Clayton is irreplaceable.

I expect some teams like LSU, South Carolina, and Arkansas (if they actually do return a lot of these guys which who knows) should take steps forward.

I think UK will be right there at the top though.

 

[frazor]

Big step but so will everybody else. Last of the Covid exceptions. There is a lot of 22-24 year old talent walking out the door.

 

[runt#69]

Big step back

Vols got a ton to replace
No Buzz at A&M
Same for Auburn gotta wonder how much Florida will lose

I would say we're in the CATBIRD's seat for the conference next year.

 

[BleedBlue13]

Some of the others may but I feel like those 4 will be fine. Tn has been good for a while now, Pearl will get the players he needs. Bama runs an exciting offense for 3-4 guards so they will get good ones. Florida idk but Golden has proven himself I think. Idk if it’s fair to say they all lucked out with lesser players. Including our own coach identifying players and then having said player do exactly what you envisioned is more than luck.

 

[shaudyshaud]

It could take a stepback and still be very good . I’m going to guess that is the most likely scenario .

 

[jbne222]

I still think it’s probably up there with the Big 12 in terms of the best league but wouldn’t expect a repeat from this year. If you asked me to predict who’s ranked in the preseason poll I’d say Bama, Auburn, UK, Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee

 

[bowfreak]

The short answer is the SEC will take a big step back.

 

[USARMYWILDCAT]

People on here hope it will. I don't see the old cupcake sec ever returning though.

I’m not saying it will be a bunch of cupcakes. Just saying the chances of finding All Americans multiple years in a row from the portal is unlikely. I certainly doubt Alabama is going to find another Mark Sears this year in the portal. You’re not gonna get that lucky every year. Or a Broom with Auburn….

 

[KentuckyMildCats]

The OOC win - loss record total isn't going to be what it was this year that's for sure. I think sec isn't as good next year mainly because these teams will lose a lot of their core guys. But everyone is landing a lot of top talent, hell South Carolina should be pretty damn good next year. It's all about how well teams gel really so we'll have to wait and see.

 

[NociHTTP]

People on here hope it will. I don't see the old cupcake sec ever returning though.

That's exactly what this is. "Hey, commissioner, we're behind a little on the roster building, can you give us a mulligan this upcoming season?"

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I’m not saying it will be a bunch of cupcakes. Just saying the chances of finding All Americans multiple years in a row from the portal is unlikely. I certainly doubt Alabama is going to find another Mark Sears this year in the portal. You’re not gonna get that lucky every year. Or a Broom with Auburn….

As long as pearl is at auburn, Oats at bama, Barnes or a good replacement at UT, golden at FL, etc, going to have good teams there.

 

[Dead Cat Bounce]

It could take a stepback and still be very good . I’m going to guess that is the most likely scenario .

I agree. The SEC has several high caliber coaches. Pearl, Oats, Barnes, and Golden have all elevated the play at their respective institutions. Pope, Miller, and Beard will soon be barking at their heels. Calipari might yet decide he has something to prove. And the SEC has NIL money. The conference has momentum.

 

[BleedBlue13]

I’d say most sec teams at least the top 6 will be happy with who they end up with. Biggest difference to me is the strength of the SEC coaches almost top to bottom. Texas gonna factor in before long with their new coach and $

 

[clevenger32]

People on here hope it will. I don't see the old cupcake sec ever returning though.

SEC hasn't always been cupcake...there have have been some great years...not as good as this year but many very good. A lot of you were not around in the mid-60s through the 70s as well as other eras when the SEC was very good...it is not reflective in the mid 60s to early 70s especially because only the conference champion played in the NCAA tournament and a few with to the NIT went it still meant something.

 

[UKfan215]

I don't expect the SEC to be as top heavy as this year. This season has been insane with just how much of the top 10 has been made up of SEC teams. That said, the SEC will never go back to being the cupcake conference it once was. With all of the TV and NIL money out there, the SEC is going to have multiple ranked teams every year going forward. The days of the SEC having UK and Florida or UK and Arkansas being the only decent teams are over. I suspect the SEC will never have less than 5 teams in the top 25 going forward. And some years the conference will be insanely good, like it was this season.

 

[BlueInBrooklyn]

As long as pearl is at auburn, Oats at bama, Barnes or a good replacement at UT, golden at FL, etc, going to have good teams there.

This was my answer too. Despite his slumping cal will have Arkansas in the SEC mix. The coaching in the league is the real reason why the league is so good. Hell, Beard made the sweet 16. Miller arrives, Porter isn’t bad. Just a lot of legit coaches.

 

[bucsrule8872]

The SEC was historically good this past season.

It will be back to normal this coming season.

But the SEC has been tough for a while, so even though it will be down compared to this past season, it will still be very good.

 

[KY Long Rifle]

With the portal, there’s no way to know. In the old days you could kind of tell what a team was going to look like from one year to the next. But now a team’s complexion can change in a matter of weeks.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Some of the others may but I feel like those 4 will be fine. Tn has been good for a while now, Pearl will get the players he needs. Bama runs an exciting offense for 3-4 guards so they will get good ones. Florida idk but Golden has proven himself I think. Idk if it’s fair to say they all lucked out with lesser players. Including our own coach identifying players and then having said player do exactly what you envisioned is more than luck.

I could see Golden leaving for an NBA job.

He's incredible, and he's young. Someone will make a mammoth offer somewhere, college or pros.

 

[The_Answer1313]

There is zero doubt the non conference overall record of the SEC will be way worse than it was this year.

This was a historical year.

So of course we are due for a major regression.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

As long as pearl is at auburn, Oats at bama, Barnes or a good replacement at UT, golden at FL, etc, going to have good teams there.

I hope a few of those guys leave for the NBA or another conference teams throw huge money at them.

Get the league back to 3 or 4 elite teams, 2 or 3 very good teams, and then a bunch of bottom feeders.

 

[pauled]

It will still be pretty good, but I don’t think it can be anything like this season. To many top teams losing basically everything.

 

[billoliver40]

It'd gonna be tough to match this. Hard to replace the guards Florida loses, both Bama and Auburn have significant losses. For that matter as it stands Kentucky loses at least 80% of its starting lineup.

This could be the new normal. I think we see more teams with a mix: transfers plus frosh plus a few returnees. What it will do is show how coaches can blend those teams. The SEC has two real solid coaches in Oats and Pearl....although Pope had an amazing year we have to wait for the long haul. I think he has it, but it's a long road ahead. Barnes at UT is certainly a coach...but he seems to have a certified ceiling.

But no...I don't think the SEC will have an out of conference run like this again.

 

[Bluesnky]

To my eye, the quality of players available in the transfer portal this year is way down compared to last year. I think that is telling of what the quality of college basketball will be next year. I will be interested to see if freshmen are at less of a disadvantage than they have been the last several years.

 

[crawfords corner]

Is 14 out of 16 teams going to the NCAA tournament sustainable?
Can the conference win 88.9% of their non-conference games again?
Every team was over 75%
21 wins against ranked non-conference opponents.
Consistent 5-6 teams ranked in the top 10


If the conference takes a step back are they really behind? This season was like 5 steps forward. So even if they slide back a little this conference is gonna be tough af

 

[crawfords corner]

Texas and Tennessee just got Matas Vokietaitis and Carey respectively this evening. Brings the SEC total to 10 of the 34 top 50 portal players that have committed.

 

[Mike-D]

The short answer is the SEC will take a big step back.

I'd throw down a lot of money on this right now. We have way too many good coaches. Will we replicate what we did this year? No, but I'd bet a large sum of money that the SEC will be the best conference again next season. This ain't rocket science. The best coaches and the most money.

 

[JagCat93]

Will the SEC take a step back? Almost assuredly will. This season is the best a conference has been been and there’s a lot of talent going to the pros and graduating. The NIL money tho is there at these SEC programs and the portal makes it fairly easy to reload. I wish it was just a flash in the pan but I’d wager the SEC is now going to be a year in and year out best conference in America. Hope the Cats have the NIL in order cause we are gonna need it. It just means more in this conference

 

[BlueSince92]

SEC will still have roughly the same percentage of top quality coaches.

SEC has WAY more football money than anybody else, inasmuch as huge football money may turn out to be a boost to basketball at schools with enough athletics money. At worst we'll have more options than any other conference in that sense.

No way I'll believe ten/twelve SEC schools just lucked into having players that good while nobody else did on average. That's just bad math.

 

[trueblujr2]

People on here hope it will. I don't see the old cupcake sec ever returning though.

I think Florida, Auburn, UT and Bama will be OK, However at this point, I think our biggest challenger long term will be Florida. They seem to be hitting on all cylinders now and will bring in a good portal haul too. They will get to ride their championship game and possibly championship tonight into being an attractive option for recruits. Will help their NIL too. Auburn will still be strong as long as Pearl is there. UT and Bama as well. they will find guys to keep them competitive and have good coaches.

 

[bbnkat02]

People on here hope it will. I don't see the old cupcake sec ever returning though.

Yeah that’s never happening again. We have too damn good of coaches for that to happen.

Pope, Pearl, Oats, Beard, Golden, Barnes, etc.

Most of the nations hottest coaches are down here.

 

[catfan220]

I think the SEC is going to take a step back next season. Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida…. got lucky on mid major hits in the portal, that will not always happen. I expect them all to take steps back next year. What’s the chances of Alabama and Auburn getting a Booth or Sears again from a mid major? Seriously doubt they will find All Americans like they did the last two years. Tennessee doesn’t look like they have a Knecth or Lanier coming in and they are loosing a lot. Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida had no idea that Sears, Broom, Kencth… we’re going to turnout to be the players they were. There luck will run out on mid major hits eventually. They will be good but there luck of hitting on All Americans through the portal won’t last forever. If Kentucky plays is cards right in the portal we might be the best team in the SEC next year. Oweh, might be the best returning player in the SEC. He will most certainly be preseason first team all SEC. He will also be on the Wooden Award watch and probably be on one of the 1-3 All American preseason teams. There will be good teams in the SEC next year. The likelihood of hitting on an all American through the portal multiple years in a row is highly unlikely. This might be KY year with a portal All American. I expect big things from Oweh this up coming season.

The SEC had 4 AP All-Americans (3 first team, 1 third team) and all four are graduating (Broome, Sears, Clayton Jr, and Ziegler).

Among the All SEC teams, I'm estimating 11 of the 15 will be gone next year, either graduating, NBA, or transfer:

• All five on the first team are graduating. (Broome, Sears, Clayton Jr., Ziegler, Wade Taylor IV)
• On the second team, one is graduating (Lanier); two are almost certainly going to the draft (Tre Johnson and Murray-Boyles); and two are expected to test the waters but ultimately return (Oweh and Josh Hubbard).
• On the third team it's a little more messy. Baker-Mazara apparently could return? Alex Condon appears to be projected late 1st/early 2nd in the draft, and I will assume he's leaving for the NBA until he announces otherwise. Edwards (Vandy) transferred to Providence. I assume Mark Mitchell will test the waters but I expect he'll return. And Sean Padulla just played his fourth season so I assume he's graduating.

On the SEC all-freshman team, Johnson, Newell, Fears are going to the NBA, I bet Philon at Bama will declare. I assume Pettiford will return to Auburn.

 

[catfan220]

It's worth keeping in mind the SEC added two schools with plenty of money in Texas and Oklahoma. And the Pac-12 disbanded, so there are fewer "power conferences" in general meaning the remaining ones will average more tournament teams than before.

 

[sportspm]

The last time UK won the SEC regular season was 2019-20 season. Since then, strangely enough it’s been, Alabama, Auburn, Alabama, Auburn.
Time for UK to reclaim it, hopefully

 

[Tampa_cat54]

Think it will take a decent-sized step back.

I think teams like Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, etc. will ALL be worse next year than this year. They all lose a TON of talent collectively, and I mean REALLY GOOD talent.

Texas A&M won't be very good with the coaching change. Ole Miss will be solid again, etc.

 

[catsfanbgky]

I wish the OP would take a step back from his computer and learn spelling / sentence structure / paragraphs. I made it about 3 sentences and stopped.
But to answer the question, of course it will. This year was historical, NO conference had ever done it. But thinking Auburn, Alabama, and Tennessee will not be good, you haven't been paying attention. The difference will be the strength (or lack of) from the 7-14 spots. The SEC will still have 6/7 stout teams, a couple 8/9 type seed teams, but top to bottom will suffer.