SEC basketball season is almost here. And by almost here, I mean four months away.
But it’s never too early to talk basketball. It’s a guarantee that this conference will be better than it has been in recent years. And that will make it very unpredictable.
Not like ‘Missouri wins the SEC title’ unpredictable, but still pretty wild.
Here are some early observations for next season.
1. Kentucky is your regular season champion
Sorry to non-UK fans, but it’s true. John Calipari has another loaded recruiting class set to take the floor in Lexington.
How far the Wildcats go will simply be based on how well these young dudes mesh chemistry-wise (isn’t that always the case with Calipari’s UK teams?). Isaiah Briscoe and Derek Willis will add leadership and experience.
It’s tough to see anyone dethroning them.
2. Florida and Texas A&M should battle for the No. 2 spot
Mike White did a great job last season, and the Gators only lost Dorian Finney-Smith. KeVaughn Allen and John Egbunu will have big years for Florida.
Texas A&M is interesting. The Aggies lost a lot of production and two good assistant coaches in Kyle Keller and Rick Stansbury. However, Tyler Davis will be an absolute stud in the paint.
I’d put the Gators in second if I had to pick today. Their potential shooting woes may cause me to backtrack on that.
3. Georgia is an NCAA tournament team
The Bulldogs haven’t officially won an NCAA tournament game since 1996 (the 2002 win over Murray State was vacated by the NCAA). That may change this year.
I love J.J. Frazier, and I love Yante Maten. They’re both back. Good things are going to happen with those two on the court.
Mark Fox’s seat could get hot if Georgia doesn’t meet the higher expectations this season.
4. Vanderbilt might be an NCAA tournament team
Vandy has question marks. The Commodores lost Wade Baldwin and Damian Jones to the NBA, so that production will need have to be replaced.
Luke Kornet is set for a great season in Bryce Drew’s offense, and Matthew Fisher-Davis and Jeff Roberson will be outstanding as well.
Here’s where the questions come in: Will Riley LaChance return to his freshman form? Will Joe Toye take a huge leap forward? Will there be enough contributions from the bench?
Those questions will decide whether it’s an NCAA or NIT year for the Commodores.
5. Auburn is a lock to finish in the top half of the conference
An absolute lock. Others will have them lower than that. Totally fine. Last season was a total disaster, but Bruce Pearl has a crop of talent that can win a lot of games.
Mustapha Heron enters as the first five-star recruit in program history. Danjel Purifoy can finally play. Bryce Brown will be even better (10.1 PPG last season). Transfers Ronnie Johnson and LaRon Smith could contribute right away. TJ Dunans and TJ Lang are back as well.
See what I mean? The even better news is that he won’t have his center playing point guard this year.
July 24 update: After landing four-star forward Chuma Okeke, Pearl now has the No. 1 recruiting class in 2017. The future is bright.
6. Predicting LSU is like predicting lottery numbers
Good luck being an LSU basketball fan this season. One minute I slot them in the top half, the next minute I start comparing them to Missouri.
No, LSU won’t be as bad as Missouri. But the Johnny Jones effect is real and it’s spectacular.
The Tigers have talented players like Antonio Blakeney and Craig Victor. But did you see what Jones did with those guys plus THE NO.1 PICK IN THE NBA DRAFT? They underachieved all season and only scored 38 points in a 33-point trouncing in the SEC tournament semifinal.
7. It’s time to take Arkansas seriously
Mike Anderson has never had a losing season as a head coach. Not once.
The Razorbacks kept that streak going by finishing 16-16 last season, and they’ll sport a better record this season.
Dusty Hannahs is back to deliver an insane amount of three-pointers, while Moses Kingsley is a first-team All-SEC type player. Arkansas also adds two outstanding JUCO All-Americans in Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon to the roster.
Top half finish seems likely if they can actually win road games.
8. Mississippi State is the obvious sleeper team
The Bulldogs could be very good or very bad. The latter seems unlikely, but the former may be too much to ask.
Mississippi State is made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores. That’s about it. So who knows how this could turn out.
What we do know is that Quinndary Weatherspoon will be fun to watch. If Ben Howland gets the best from his Top 1o recruiting class, the Bulldogs could cause a lot of problems for the top-tier teams and potentially even slide into the top half of the conference.
What are your early thoughts on SEC basketball this season? Is it UK and everyone else? Who is your sleeper team? Log into Facebook to comment below.
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.