How good will the SEC be this season?

[Friedas_Boss]

Last year proved to be one of the best conferences of all time, if not the best conference of all time, what about this upcoming season?

I've been reading about UK's portal haul and I have to say that the team Pope has put together looks very impressive.

Lowe
Oweh
Aberdeen
Dioubate
Quaintance

Johnson
Williams
Garrison
Noah

Looks like y'all have lots of depth, quality depth. Pope is clearly trying to get the Wildcats back to the top of the game.

I haven't really kept up with anybody else other than Vandy, too much to follow unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

Byington has done a good job with Vandy. When the dust settled, we only have 3 guys returning, but we like all three (Devin McGlockton (10 ppg and 8 rbs), Tyler Nickel (10 ppg), and Tyler Tanner (local boy, solid PG)). So we lost Jason Edwards because he wanted 2 million but Byington said that was too much for a 17 ppg scorer who couldn't play defense and he went to Providence.

So far, this is what we've picked up:

Frankie Collins PG - 11.2 ppg 4.4 rpg 4.4 apg
Tyler Harris SG/SF - 11.8 ppg 5 rpb 49.5% from 3
Jalen Washington C - 5.7 ppg 4.2 rpg
Mike James SG/SF - 12.6 ppg 5 rpg 1.5 apg (former UofL player)
AK Okerek PF - 13.9 ppg 4.6 rpg 4.1 apg
Mason Nicholson C - 7.5 ppg 7.4 rpg 1.7 bpg

We are probably going to get another scoring guard and shooter and that'll be an 11 man rotation.

I think when the dust settles we should have a preseason top 25 or top 20 team but there is still some dust to settle....

Is the rest of the league cleaning up too? Anybody keeping up?

 

[bluesundown]

I don’t know if the sec will. Be as good as last year but we will still be a very good league

 

[LineSkiCat14]

It would be almost impossible for the SEC to be as good as it was, and there's no shame in that. Its natural. If a conference has a historic year, that likely means there's a lot of NBA talent on these rosters, which will inevitably exit after the season (along with that I imagine is a lot of experience rosters with players graduating).

But further, it's a lot of those top programs that seem to be falling back to earth a bit. Auburn, Alabama, Florida. I don't expect them to be AS good as they were last year.

 

[Fox2monk]

Last year proved to be one of the best conferences of all time, if not the best conference of all time, what about this upcoming season?

I've been reading about UK's portal haul and I have to say that the team Pope has put together looks very impressive.

Lowe
Oweh
Aberdeen
Dioubate
Quaintance

Johnson
Williams
Garrison
Noah

Looks like y'all have lots of depth, quality depth. Pope is clearly trying to get the Wildcats back to the top of the game.

I haven't really kept up with anybody else other than Vandy, too much to follow unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

Byington has done a good job with Vandy. When the dust settled, we only have 3 guys returning, but we like all three (Devin McGlockton (10 ppg and 8 rbs), Tyler Nickel (10 ppg), and Tyler Tanner (local boy, solid PG)). So we lost Jason Edwards because he wanted 2 million but Byington said that was too much for a 17 ppg scorer who couldn't play defense and he went to Providence.

So far, this is what we've picked up:

Frankie Collins PG - 11.2 ppg 4.4 rpg 4.4 apg
Tyler Harris SG/SF - 11.8 ppg 5 rpb 49.5% from 3
Jalen Washington C - 5.7 ppg 4.2 rpg
Mike James SG/SF - 12.6 ppg 5 rpg 1.5 apg (former UofL player)
AK Okerek PF - 13.9 ppg 4.6 rpg 4.1 apg
Mason Nicholson C - 7.5 ppg 7.4 rpg 1.7 bpg

We are probably going to get another scoring guard and shooter and that'll be an 11 man rotation.

I think when the dust settles we should have a preseason top 25 or top 20 team but there is still some dust to settle....

Is the rest of the league cleaning up too? Anybody keeping up?

Collins will definitely be an upgrade on defense. Would have been nice to see you keep Edwards because he was a good scorer for sure. I think the SEC takes a step back obviously from the juggernaut it was. The conference loses a lot of big time players and team mainstays over the past 3-4 years. That said, the teams will be good and filled with talent. The coaches are the same so it will be a war.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Looking at it another way: based on the rosters.. who do we think gets better next year? I can't see Florida, Auburn or Alabama being better. Likely not Tennesse (Ament seems like a year away). Texas has a new coach, is losing nba talent. Someone else here could comment on other teams better than I can.

I think Kentucky should at least be as good as last year, but I think thats a very conservative take. I believe they will be improved. And I don't think theres a lot of SEC teams that will do the same.

 

[bucsrule8872]

On paper, right now, UK and Arky look like the cream of the crop.

The big four last year (UF, AU, Bama, and UT) all lost a slew of Seniors and Super Seniors, many of which were integral parts of their program for the past 3-5 years.

It won’t be easy to replace Clayton, Broome, Sears, and Zeigler. Those guys were the heart and souls of their teams. They were all big time leaders.

Secondary pieces like Richard and Martin for UF, Jones and Baker-Mazara for Auburn, Nelson for Bama, and Lanier, Gainey, and Mashack for UT will also be hard for them to replace. Most of those guys have also been in the program for multiple years.

If Pope can get similar results this next season as the last one, avoid serious injuries, combined with all the other programs ahead of them coming back down to earth, then UK should be at or near the top.

 

[78 96 98 2012]

I doubt the SEC will be as good as last year but still will be very good.
The Cats will definitely be more talented. Arkansas has talent but look who is coaching that talent.

 

[Smashcat]

On paper, right now, UK and Arky look like the cream of the crop.

The big four last year (UF, AU, Bama, and UT) all lost a slew of Seniors and Super Seniors, many of which were integral parts of their program for the past 3-5 years.

It won’t be easy to replace Clayton, Broome, Sears, and Zeigler. Those guys were the heart and souls of their teams. They were all big time leaders.

Secondary pieces like Richard and Martin for UF, Jones and Baker-Mazara for Auburn, Nelson for Bama, and Lanier, Gainey, and Mashack for UT will also be hard for them to replace. Most of those guys have also been in the program for multiple years.

If Pope can get similar results this next season as the last one, avoid serious injuries, combined with all the other programs ahead of them coming back down to earth, then UK should be at or near the top.

Fingers crossed re avoiding serious injuries.

 

[Blueisbest]

The SEC will likely be the premier conference again this year. But they won't be as deep as last season in my opinion. I would not be surprised to see us get 10-11 in the NCAA tournament though. More than any other conference.

 

[HamuelLJackson]

On paper, right now, UK and Arky look like the cream of the crop.

The big four last year (UF, AU, Bama, and UT) all lost a slew of Seniors and Super Seniors, many of which were integral parts of their program for the past 3-5 years.

It won’t be easy to replace Clayton, Broome, Sears, and Zeigler. Those guys were the heart and souls of their teams. They were all big time leaders.

Secondary pieces like Richard and Martin for UF, Jones and Baker-Mazara for Auburn, Nelson for Bama, and Lanier, Gainey, and Mashack for UT will also be hard for them to replace. Most of those guys have also been in the program for multiple years.

If Pope can get similar results this next season as the last one, avoid serious injuries, combined with all the other programs ahead of them coming back down to earth, then UK should be at or near the top.

Good post.

I'll add that LSU will finish much better. I see them in top half at very least.

 

[Lightbringer12]

UK has a much higher ceiling than last year. I keep saying it but last year that team was flawed the defense wasn’t good enough to lock down anyone, the rebounding was awful at times (why we got beat), and everything relied on making 3’s. I feel like next year we’ll live on defense, rebounding, and driving layups/dunks… which we missed a million bunnies last season as well. Hence why I’m super excited. Our only major question for next year is likely can we make enough 3’s if we do we have a chance to be special!!

As far as the rest of the league I think it’ll be down compared to last year although last year was historic… but all the SEC teams have reloaded so likely it’ll be a hard league to win again. Plus FL will finally use that 8’ player that’ll be interesting 🤣

 

[megablue]

Gooder 'n hail ... !!

 

[bbnkat02]

If last year's SEC was a once in a generation kind of good (a 10 per se) then this year will probably be around a 7 or an 8.

It won't be as deep, but it will still be very good.

 

[BlueSince92]

Lowe
Oweh
Aberdeen
Dioubate
Quaintance

Johnson
Williams
Garrison
Noah

Lowe
Oweh
Aberdeen
Dioubate
Quaintance

Johnson
Williams
Chandler
Jelavic
Garrison
Noah

 

[kywildcatsfannumber1]

Probably still going to end up the best conference in basketball again, even if it isn't as strong as last season. Also, Kentucky will take a step forward in year two of the Pope Era with the team he has assembled. Having the Blue Blood of the conference on top will be tough for everyone else.

 

[bucsrule8872]

If last year's SEC was a once in a generation kind of good (a 10 per se) then this year will probably be around a 7 or an 8.

It won't be as deep, but it will still be very good.

I feel like Florida, Auburn, Alabama, and Tennessee had built their roster to make their run this past season. All four had a bunch of Super (fifth year) Seniors and Seniors that had been with their programs for multiple years. They all had younger players, but the rosters were built around those older guys, with portal and HS recruits filling in the blanks as complimentary players. Those veterans won’t be easy to replace.

Meanwhile, Pope has his second year guys (Oweh, Garrison, Chandler, Noah) and adds the best recruiting class in the SEC.

Pope competed against programs led by superstars like Clayton, Broome, Sears, and Zeigler. Those guys are gone and I don’t see that caliber of player on any of the rosters in the SEC. Those were first team SEC guys.

Second team returnees like Oweh and Hubbard could be the front runners for SEC POTY. Condon maybe, but we will see how he handles being the focal point of the offense now that their guards are all gone.

Auburn also lost their next superstars with Baker-Mazara and Pettiford leaving.

Bama has a few really good players back but lost several to the portal and NBA draft.

Tennessee looks to be in total rebuild mode.

It looks to be wide open in the SEC. No clear cut favorite and on paper, UK looks like the top team. Arkansas is right there too, but until Cal proves he can win tight games down the stretch, I have a hard time putting them on top.

 

[Edgarman]

I feel like Florida, Auburn, Alabama, and Tennessee had built their roster to make their run this past season. All four had a bunch of Super (fifth year) Seniors and Seniors that had been with their programs for multiple years. They all had younger players, but the rosters were built around those older guys, with portal and HS recruits filling in the blanks as complimentary players. Those veterans won’t be easy to replace.

Meanwhile, Pope has his second year guys (Oweh, Garrison, Chandler, Noah) and adds the best recruiting class in the SEC.

Pope competed against programs led by superstars like Clayton, Broome, Sears, and Zeigler. Those guys are gone and I don’t see that caliber of player on any of the rosters in the SEC. Those were first team SEC guys.

Second team returnees like Oweh and Hubbard could be the front runners for SEC POTY. Condon maybe, but we will see how he handles being the focal point of the offense now that their guards are all gone.

Auburn also lost their next superstars with Baker-Mazara and Pettiford leaving.

Bama has a few really good players back but lost several to the portal and NBA draft.

Tennessee looks to be in total rebuild mode.

It looks to be wide open in the SEC. No clear cut favorite and on paper, UK looks like the top team. Arkansas is right there too, but until Cal proves he can win tight games down the stretch, I have a hard time putting them on top.

I think we may be surprised by how well several teams have replaced their departing players. The SEC will not be easy for any away games again next year. A 4 or 5 loss team could win the conference. A strong SEC conference is here to stay because of the massive amount of money to attract high level talent. FL, Bama, Auburn, TN, TX, and aTm have as much or more NIL as anyone in the country. My biggest concern going forward is TX with Sean Miller and their deep deep pockets. They will be an annual problem with Miller.

 

[Cat_Man_Blue]

The SEC will likely be the premier conference again this year. But they won't be as deep as last season in my opinion. I would not be surprised to see us get 10-11 in the NCAA tournament though. More than any other conference.

This is the way I think it will play out.

 

[Digger-Cat]

I think we may be surprised by how well several teams have replaced their departing players. The SEC will not be easy for any away games again next year. A 4 or 5 loss team could win the conference. A strong SEC conference is here to stay because of the massive amount of money to attract high level talent. FL, Bama, Auburn, TN, TX, and aTm have as much or more NIL as anyone in the country. My biggest concern going forward is TX with Sean Miller and their deep deep pockets. They will be an annual problem with Miller.

The difference is, those schools lost guys that have played together for 2, 3 and 4 years.
Yes, you could get a better player than Ziegler, Broome, CBM, Sears, Clayton, Martin etc…, but the new guys haven't played together for multiple years.

The teams that usually cut down the nets, are teams with good coaches and multiple returning players.

Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn are all hitting the reset button and it looks like UK FINALLY has a very good core of returning players.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I think we may be surprised by how well several teams have replaced their departing players. The SEC will not be easy for any away games again next year. A 4 or 5 loss team could win the conference. A strong SEC conference is here to stay because of the massive amount of money to attract high level talent. FL, Bama, Auburn, TN, TX, and aTm have as much or more NIL as anyone in the country. My biggest concern going forward is TX with Sean Miller and their deep deep pockets. They will be an annual problem with Miller.

No doubt it will continue to be strong, but compared to this last year, it will be down.

Most teams in the SEC were incredibly experienced this past season. Seniors, especially fifth year COVID Seniors, are not going to be easy to replace.

The SEC will take a slight step back just because of all of the departing Seniors.

 

[bucsrule8872]

The difference is, those schools lost guys that have played together for 2, 3 and 4 years.
Yes, you could get a better player than Ziegler, Broome, CBM, Sears, Clayton, Martin etc…, but the new guys haven't played together for multiple years.

The teams that usually cut down the nets, are teams with good coaches and multiple returning players.

Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn are all hitting the reset button and it looks like UK FINALLY has a very good core of returning players.

Exactly.

Well said.

 

[MidseasonTweaks]

The SEC will be a bit down compared to this past season. I think UK on paper has a better team than anyone else in the conference. I expect Auburn to be good too. Bama, Florida and Tennessee seem down enough, but are not gimme games by any stretch.

I believe the Big 12 will be the best conference this coming season with teams like BYU, Texas Tech, Houston being good and maybe even Iowa State getting in the mix late in the year.

 

[Digger-Cat]

The SEC won't be the only conference that takes a step back this season, heck, I think every conference will be weakened.
With regards to the ACC, that conference will also be weakened, as hard as that is to believe.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

The difference is, those schools lost guys that have played together for 2, 3 and 4 years.
Yes, you could get a better player than Ziegler, Broome, CBM, Sears, Clayton, Martin etc…, but the new guys haven't played together for multiple years.

The teams that usually cut down the nets, are teams with good coaches and multiple returning players.

Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn are all hitting the reset button and it looks like UK FINALLY has a very good core of returning players.

Agree. They all have elite coaches so they will be fine, just not all threats to win everything.

Overall the sec couldn't get any better. Plus no way anyone could sustain that level. So it was given it wouldn't be as good but i suspect we'll see texas and others getting better while the title contenders slide. Still no easy games especially not on the road.

 

[Bluegrassking]

Noticeably less best but probably still the best.

 

[ukfan1622]

UK has a much higher ceiling than last year. I keep saying it but last year that team was flawed the defense wasn’t good enough to lock down anyone, the rebounding was awful at times (why we got beat), and everything relied on making 3’s. I feel like next year we’ll live on defense, rebounding, and driving layups/dunks… which we missed a million bunnies last season as well. Hence why I’m super excited. Our only major question for next year is likely can we make enough 3’s if we do we have a chance to be special!!

As far as the rest of the league I think it’ll be down compared to last year although last year was historic… but all the SEC teams have reloaded so likely it’ll be a hard league to win again. Plus FL will finally use that 8’ player that’ll be interesting 🤣

Also, people won't have to complain about our center missing bunnies when he could have dunked. JQ acts like the rim insulted his Mom...

 

[Friedas_Boss]

Collins will definitely be an upgrade on defense. Would have been nice to see you keep Edwards because he was a good scorer for sure. I think the SEC takes a step back obviously from the juggernaut it was. The conference loses a lot of big time players and team mainstays over the past 3-4 years. That said, the teams will be good and filled with talent. The coaches are the same so it will be a war.

I don't mind losing Edwards because we're replacing him with a lot of more well rounded players.

I also think we're about to see how good Byington really is. Last year's roster was pretty gross but he made it work. We had 1 good scorer and he was the worst defensive player in the SEC, we had AJ Hoggard who lost us more games than he won us, and we had 2 total post players (6'7 McGlockton and 6'8 Carey) so teams that had any height would kill us. It was brutal and Byington was a freaking wizard to win as much as he did with that group.

I think he's building a roster that he likes this offseason. Lots of size, speed, length and guys that can score at the rim. We have some shooting too, but I think he wants to get after it on defense and rebound and this team appears to have the ability to be dangerous on both sides of the floor. I think we are 1 player shy of being really really good this season and we have some more money (looking for a shooter/scorer).

Can't wait for basketball season.

 

[FilsonCat]

The SEC takes a step back, but that probably is a good thing. Having a league that difficult top to bottom grinds a lot of teams down by the postseason. We were a mash unit last season in time the SEC Tourney. Pope did well to get us past Illinois with the remaining roster.

 

[runt#69]

Nice to see you, Friedas ! Tried hard to root for Vandy to make it further, but it was a fine start to Byington's first season !

Personally, I think the SEC takes a HUGE step back. Way too many players (and good ones) from too many teams, and the rest of the country is stepping up. I mean, seriously, how COULD the SEC maintain the way it was last season? It was historically the greatest run a conference ever made. Period. In any season. So absolutely, the SEC will take a step back.

How big is the question.

I think the answer lies in the relative strength other conferences step up.

The Big 12 may be the best conference. Houston and Texas Tech should provide top tier service. How Kansas, Iowa state and a team like BYU does will go a long way to determine how well the conference fares.

The Big Ten intrigues me. I know we're all used to seeing the Big Ten fall flat in the NCAAT after being overly rated all regular season long.. but I am going to call "law of averages" on this one...

I'll lay odds the Big Ten will have the strongest conference next year. Purdue, Michigan should be at or near the top all season. It may come down to how well teams like Wisconsin and Michigan State do that will determine how strong overall the conference is. If Indiana is any good at all with this massive change, then they could be a relative surprise. But if I were counting on the Hoosiers to make or break the conference, then I'd say : "watch them fail" as a prediction.

The ACC is going to stay down. Probably worse than even last year, which is a shocker.

The Big East ? Wildcard conference. With UConn and St. John's at or near the top, I think it will be strong, but I don't see any of the other teams stepping up in major ways (yet) that would make the conference a juggernaut.

SEC will be good, just nowhere nearly as dominant top to bottom as last year. I expect our conference to be one of the top 2 or 3 by the end of the season, for sure.

Just my .02 cents worth !

.... and good thread !

Go Big Blue !

 

[Dalroxas]

Lowe
Oweh
Aberdeen
Dioubate
Quaintance

Johnson
Williams
Chandler
Jelavic
Garrison
Noah

Moreno too

 

[BlueSince92]

Moreno too

You’re right, d’oh!

Great embarrassment of riches.

 

[Padsfs07]

Tourney Teams:
Top-tier: UK, Arkansas, Bama, Auburn
Mid-tier: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma
Bubble: Vandy, Miss St, Tennessee
Just Missed: Georgia, LSU, A&M, Missouri
Bottom: Ole Miss, LSU, South Carolina

Auburn is gonna live-and-die depending on Pettiford's decision.

Some interesting pickups lately include Oklahoma getting Nijel Pack, Texas getting Wilcher, and Miss St getting Jayden Epps.

Some teams are really missing just one more player like Tennessee and Vandy needing a SG. Missouri and Miss St needing a wing. Oklahoma and A&M needing a C. South Carolina and Ole Miss needing a PG.

It's hard to say what USC and LSU will be like either. They've added a lot of transfers, but of varying quality.

 

[HogFan2012]

Everybody is reloading it will probably be just as tough. Depends on what teams get hot and stay healthy.

 

[MidseasonTweaks]

Tourney Teams:
Top-tier: UK, Arkansas, Bama, Auburn
Mid-tier: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma
Bubble: Vandy, Miss St, Tennessee
Just Missed: Georgia, LSU, A&M, Missouri
Bottom: Ole Miss, LSU, South Carolina

Auburn is gonna live-and-die depending on Pettiford's decision.

Some interesting pickups lately include Oklahoma getting Nijel Pack, Texas getting Wilcher, and Miss St getting Jayden Epps.

Some teams are really missing just one more player like Tennessee and Vandy needing a SG. Missouri and Miss St needing a wing. Oklahoma and A&M needing a C. South Carolina and Ole Miss needing a PG.

It's hard to say what USC and LSU will be like either. They've added a lot of transfers, but of varying quality.

Not sure I am sold on Bama being top tier next season. I haven't heard a lot of noise out of them this off-season. They lost a lot to the portal. Arkansas has potential to be pretty good with what they have. I expect Auburn to be good too, agreed there.

I agree with the other assessments below the top-tier as well.

 

[bucsrule8872]

What I like about UK is that most of the guys we have coming in have played big time college basketball.

Dioubate and Aberdeen have played in the SEC and in the Final Four.

Quaintance has played in the Big 12.

Lowe has played in the ACC.

Add them to Oweh, Garrison, Chandler, and Noah and most of our guys have played in big games in big time conferences.

Nothing against the mid-major guys. There have been a lot of those who have stepped up and played well on the bigger stage (Broome, Clayton, Sears, Knecht, Lanier, Reeves, etc.), but I like getting those P5 guys the best.

Having that big time college basketball experience is going to help us next season.

 

[blue cincy]

Current rosters April 28th, probably 5 or 6 SEC teams make the tourney. 2 maybe 3 with higher seeds. Big 10 and Big 12 will have more teams right now in NCAA than SEC.

 

[kybloo92]

The SEC could take a step back and still will be a deeper league than any other next year. Year 2 of Pope and Kentucky will be interesting to see how much better they are with this group. Also, Sean Miller will make Texas better than they were with Rodney Terry.

 

[Padsfs07]

Oklahoma landed Reid from Alabama. That was a nice pickup for them.

 

[Padsfs07]

Not sure I am sold on Bama being top tier next season. I haven't heard a lot of noise out of them this off-season. They lost a lot to the portal. Arkansas has potential to be pretty good with what they have. I expect Auburn to be good too, agreed there.

I agree with the other assessments below the top-tier as well.

Bama has Wrightsell and Mallette coming back from injury and got Williamson and Bol Bowen for the frontcourt. They have the makings of Nate Oats 4 seed to me.

I hope you’re right!

 

[TheRaunchyRupp]

Tourney Teams:
Top-tier: UK, Arkansas, Bama, Auburn
Mid-tier: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma
Bubble: Vandy, Miss St, Tennessee
Just Missed: Georgia, LSU, A&M, Missouri
Bottom: Ole Miss, LSU, South Carolina

Auburn is gonna live-and-die depending on Pettiford's decision.

Some interesting pickups lately include Oklahoma getting Nijel Pack, Texas getting Wilcher, and Miss St getting Jayden Epps.

Some teams are really missing just one more player like Tennessee and Vandy needing a SG. Missouri and Miss St needing a wing. Oklahoma and A&M needing a C. South Carolina and Ole Miss needing a PG.

It's hard to say what USC and LSU will be like either. They've added a lot of transfers, but of varying quality.

Completely disagree with Bama. They’ve been in the losers category for the portal and lost some excellent talent. They desperately need Philon to come back to have a chance at being good, let alone top tier. I expect a significant drop for them