The SEC has long been recognized as the preeminent conference in college football. And the SEC is in a league of its own in baseball.
Now, SEC basketball is peaking as it prepares to open conference play on Jan. 4. The ACC can vouch for the SEC’s rise to prominence.
The SEC-ACC men’s basketball challenge turned the first week of December into one giant mismatch. The SEC probably couldn’t have been any more dominant if it had challenged the Mountain West. It won 14 of 16 games against the ACC, whose basketball reputation is fading almost as fast as the SEC’s is soaring.
ACC women’s basketball fared much better. It managed to win six of 16 games against the SEC.
It’s not just the ACC that should be concerned about what SEC men’s and women’s basketball have become. As if the rest of the country weren’t already weary of being pummeled by SEC schools in football and baseball, now it must deal with the SEC’s rise to prominence in basketball.
December likely was only a preview. March is just as apt to be an indicator of the SEC’s newfound basketball prosperity. It’s not farfetched to think the conference could place 10 or more teams apiece in the NCAA men’s and women’s tournament.
Not only is the SEC deeper than ever in men’s and women’s quality basketball teams. It never has had so many national championship contenders.
Alabama men’s basketball was ranked No. 1 in preseason. Auburn has been ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history. It was quickly displaced at the top by Tennessee.
That’s not basketball business as usual in the SEC. Kentucky also has cracked the top five, and Florida has made the top 10. Four other conference teams have been ranked in the top 25. Nine teams are currently ranked in one or both of the two top-25 polls.
You don’t have to check the rankings to appreciate the SEC’s basketball talent. It’s obvious when you watch the top teams play.
The opening day of SEC play will be highlighted by Kentucky vs. Florida and Tennessee vs. Arkansas.
The SEC women begin conference competition Jan. 2.
South Carolina is a popular pick to win the national title since it has won two of the past three national championships and again has a formidable roster. LSU, which won the national title in 2022-23, also has championship potential.
But they will have plenty of competition within the conference.
Expansion has been an obvious factor. Texas and Oklahoma – both in their first SEC season – have been ranked in the top 10. Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama and Kentucky also have been ranked in the top 25. And 10 SEC teams already have at least 10 wins.
Most of those teams entered the season with high expectations. Tennessee has been a top-25 surprise under first-year coach Kim Caldwell, who won a Division II national championship at Glenville State in 2021-22 and went 26-7 in her one season at Marshall (2023-24).
So far, she hasn’t been fazed by a higher caliber of competition. Tennessee’s returning players have transitioned nicely to her high-speed, 3-point shooting system. Caldwell also has benefitted from transfer portal additions.
As a result, an already-strong conference looks even stronger entering SEC play.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
