While the SEC did finish .500 in conference play (if you know, you know), it dominated every single metric in 2024-25. It was on a warpath in non-conference play, eviscerating almost everyone in its path. It quickly earned the No. 1 conference rating on kenpom.com and held it for months. 14 teams made the Big Dance, and four earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Auburn and Florida both advanced to the Final Four, and the Gators won the league's first national championship since Kentucky in 2012.
So, maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that the SEC again dominated the NBA stay-or-go deadline. Alabama's Labaron Philon, Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford, Florida's Alex Condon, Kentucky's Otega Oweh and Arkansas' Karter Knox were among the biggest names who passed on the NBA to return to the SEC for money-laced deals.
While the rosters aren't quite as dominant as previous iterations due to the COVID seniors departing (bye Johni Broome, Mark Sears and Chaz Lanier) and the normal fourth-year seniors also exhausting eligibility (unless Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler somehow wins his lawsuit), the SEC still had the buying power to both retain top talent and attract some of the best names in free agency.
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So, who is going to be good in 2025-26? Things could change by November, depending on whether there's a late flip in the portal, a splashy international addition or if summer film work/data dumpster-diving unearths new opinion-shifting revelations, but consider this a way-too-early snapshot with almost all of the SEC rosters close to set and newcomers sidling into campus this week for offseason workouts.
Tiers provide a preferable way of contextualizing the outlook.
Tier 1 - Title contenders: Pretty cut and dry. I think these teams have the upside to win the title. Not just make the second weekend. Not just win three in a row because of a nice draw. Six straight, do-or-die wins.
Tier 2 - Top-25 caliber club: These teams have accrued plenty of talent and should be safely in the NCAA Tournament field today, but they have a few flaws that could keep them out of the top tier.
Tier 3 - Tournament aspirations: These teams have built good rosters and could flirt with top-25 status, but let's be honest: they aren't serious title threats.
Tier 4 - Bubblicious: A Big Dance appearance is in the range of potential outcomes, but the NIT, the Crown (or worse) looms if things fizzle.
Tier 5 - The basement: These teams have a slim chance of making the Big Dance unless something drastically clicks or they make a late splash in recruiting.
Let's start at the top, with them Gator Boys.