College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

5 questions entering the SEC

College basketball season is almost here!

Between now and Nov. 3rd, we’ll take an in-depth look at different conferences around the country.

Today’s focus is on the SEC:

1. How many bids will the SEC get in the 2026 NCAA Tournament?
Probably not 14 like a year ago, but 10 seems within reach. 12 teams from the SEC — Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Oklahoma — are currently ranked in the ROTHSTEIN 45 and the teams at the bottom of the conference have all made tangible improvements. It will be much more difficult for teams to pencil in wins this season against LSU and South Carolina, who are both better than they were a year ago. The SEC should again be a monster in 2025-26. 

2. Can Florida go back-to-back?
Without question. The Gators’ four primary perimeter players from last season’s team that won the national title — Walter Clayton Jr., Denzel Aberdeen, Will Richard, and Alijah Martin — have all departed the program, but the primary components up front — Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu, and Micah Handlogten — all return. The ceiling in Gainesville will hinge on how a pair of transfers in the backcourt — Xaivian Lee (Princeton) and Boogie Fland (Arkansas) — adapt under Todd Golden. Florida doesn’t have exactly what it had, but it may still have enough. 

3. Does Kentucky have too many players?
It’s very possible. Last season, the Wildcats had 12 different players average 9.8 minutes or more. History could repeat itself in 2025-26. Kentucky returns four players — Otega Oweh, Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler, and Trent Noah — from last season’s team that reached the Sweet 16 and adds a slew of transfers — Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama), Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Kam Williams (Tulane), Denzel Aberdeen (Florida), and Reece Potter (Miami OH) — who will aim to play key roles. Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, Brayden Hawthorne, and Andrija Jelavic are also newcomers of note. Mark Pope has work cut out in terms of cementing a rotation for this basketball team. 

4. Which freshman should be in bold print?
Arkansas’ Darius Acuff. John Calipari has had more elite first-year guards than anybody in the history of the sport and Acuff feels like he’s next in line. The 6-2 floor general should make an immediate impact in Fayetteville thanks to his poise and ability to run a team. Acuff’s presence should take immense pressure off DJ Wagner in Arkansas’ backcourt as the Razorbacks aim to chase an SEC regular season title in their second season under Calipari. 

5. Who is the sleeper?
Texas A&M. Bucky McMillan has yet to coach a second of power conference basketball, but he’s put together a quality roster in College Station after a nice run at Samford. Pop Isaacs (Creighton), Rylan Griffen (Kansas), Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana), and Federiko Federiko (Texas Tech) are all proven players at the power conference level who should make an immediate impact in the Big 12. The Aggies have the requisites to be a very good offensive team, which aligns with McMillan’s wide open offensive style. Texas A&M looks like — at least on paper — that it has the pieces to contend for an NCAA Tournament berth in 2026. 

Leftovers