The SEC has been the league to beat this season in college basketball, boasting nine ranked teams, while also outperforming the other conferences in head-to-head matchups, such as going 14-2 in the ACC/SEC Challenge earlier this season.
South Carolina under third-year head coach Lamont Paris has struggled this year, going 11-16 and 1-13 in the SEC, and despite collecting its first SEC win on Saturday against Texas, the team still remains in last place in the SEC.
Given the talent and top teams in the conference, the SEC will have multiple teams set on winning the National Championship, something the conference has not done since 2012.
Top five teams in the SEC
The No. 1 Auburn Tigers are the top ranked team in the country, carrying a 25-2 overall record, and a 13-1 SEC record. This team is led by senior forward Johni Broome who has averaged 18.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 25 games played.
The Tigers have faced a loaded schedule, facing up against six top-10 teams this season, including many competitive out of conference teams, such as No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 9 ranked Duke.
After going into Tuscaloosa as underdogs against the then-ranked No. 2 Alabama Crimson and grabbing a 9-point win, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said this about the state of the SEC.
"I think the thing I'm proudest of is that all eyes of college basketball were on the state of Alabama and the SEC,” Pearl said. “What this conference has done in men’s basketball is historic.”
Head coach, Todd Golden and his Florida Gators rank second in the SEC and are the No. 4 team in the country. The Gators are 11-3 in the SEC and 24-3 overall. Florida has beaten two number one teams in the AP poll with wins over Tennessee and Auburn.
The Florida Gators are led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who leads the team in points and assists with 17.1 points and 4.0 assists per game. Paired with Clayton is graduate student guard Alijah Martin, who averages 15 points per game, and senior guard Will Richard who averages 12.6 points per game.
“This trio right here? Best in the country, man. Simple as that,” Clayton said.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are ranked third in SEC and are No. 4 in the AP poll, with a 22-5 overall record and 11-3 conference record. Coming off of a loss in the 2024 Final Four, the Crimson Tide look to make the NCAA tournament final for the first time in program history.
Senior guard Mark Sears has lit up the SEC for the Crimson Tide, averaging 18.9 points and 4.8 assists per game, including a 35-point performance against Missouri and most recently a 30-point game against Kentucky in a win. He is paired with another sharpshooter, sophomore guard Aden Holloway who averages 12 points per game on 41.9% 3-point percentage.
The Crimson Tide claimed some key early wins against Houston and Texas A&M, but fell to top ranked Auburn and Missouri in consecutive losses. Alabama has a gauntlet of a schedule remaining, playing Auburn, Florida and Tennessee to end the season.
The No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers are ranked fourth in the SEC boasting a 9-5 SEC record and 22-5 overall. Tennessee is ranked third in defensive efficiency only giving up 60.8 points per game to its opponents.
Senior guard Chaz Lanier leads the Volunteer offense, scoring 18 points per game. Lanier’s backcourt partner, senior guard Zakai Zeigler is the floor general of the team, averaging 7.5 assists, 13.5 points, and two steals per game.
The No. 15 Missouri Tigers are currently ranked fifth in the SEC standings after being picked to finish 13th in the SEC preseason polls after coming off a winless season in the SEC last year.
The Tigers have claimed wins over number then-No. 1 Kansas, Alabama and Florida but have also lost games to teams ranked below them, most recently to Arkansas on Feb. 22. Missouri is led by junior guard Mark Mitchell averaging 13.7 points per game and is anchored defensively by senior center Josh Gray who transferred from South Carolina.
The depth of the SEC
The No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies are 9-5 in the SEC and 20-7 overall. The Aggies started the season off hot with victories over Creighton and Purdue, but have struggled in the SEC, losing their last two games against Mississippi State and Tennessee.
The Aggies are led by senior guard Wade Taylor IV who has excelled in his fourth year on the team, averaging 15 points and 4.7 assists per game. Texas A&M will have a tough schedule to end the season, as it will play both playing No. 1 Auburn at home and go on the road to play No. 2 Florida.
Ole Miss and Kentucky, are in the middle of the pack in the SEC, but are still very likely to get into the NCAA tournament. Kentucky has claimed impressive wins against Tennessee and Florida, but have also dropped games to Arkansas and Vanderbilt. Ole Miss also has several wins over the best teams in the SEC such as Alabama and Kentucky, but have lost games to Memphis and Vanderbilt.
Texas, Arkansas, Georgia and Vanderbilt all have postseason hopes, even with SEC records under 0.500. Even though these schools are in the lower tier of the SEC this year, all of these programs are ranked in the top 50 of the NET and have impressive wins over top ranked SEC teams.
South Carolina, under third-year coach Lamont Paris, has struggled this year, going 11-16 and 1-13 in the SEC, finally collecting its first SEC Saturday against Texas. The Gamecocks are ranked last in the SEC, and have not been able to replicate the 2024 season, when the team made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
What's next?
The South Carolina Gamecocks (11-16) look to win its first consecutive SEC game when it faces the Missouri Tigers (20-7) on the road on Feb. 25.