The extended SEC once again looks like the most dominant league in College Hoops. They put 13 teams into the Round of 64 in last year’s NCAA Basketball tournament, with the Texas Longhorns also making the field of 68, losing in the First Four to Xavier. That’s nearly the entire conference, including six teams with a losing SEC record, but strength of schedule certainly comes into play. Let’s breakdown this conference with our SEC Basketball Preview with picks and predictions for the entire league for the upcoming season.
SEC Basketball History
Bruce Pearl shocked everyone by stepping down just a month before the College Hoops season
Past 10 SEC Regular Season Champions
- 2025: Auburn Tigers
- 2024: Tennessee Volunteers
- 2023: Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Tournament Champs)
- 2022: Auburn Tigers
- 2021: Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC Tournament Champs)
- 2020: Kentucky Wildcats
- 2019: LSU Tigers
- 2018: Auburn Tigers & Tennessee Volunteers
- 2017: Kentucky Wildcats (SEC Tournament Champs)
- 2016: Kentucky Wildcats & Texas A&M Aggies (Kentucky: SEC Tournament Champs)
The best team in the regular season doesn’t always win the automatic qualifying bid for the conference based on the past decade and the last couple of years. Even last season, the Florida Gators didn’t win the conference regular season, but went on to win the SEC tournament, and of course, the national championship.
They were the first SEC team to cut down the nets since Kentucky did so with Anthony Davis in 2012. And they are pretty high up on the oddsboard to repeat as National Champions. Can they do so?
SEC Basketball Betting Odds
Mark Pope leads the Wildcats in his second year as their head coach
Odds to Win the NCAA Basketball National Championship (SEC Schools)
Odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of October 28, 2025 at 2:49 p.m. eastern. Use Promo Code BNBOL55 for an instant 55% deposit bonus in your account.
- Kentucky Wildcats +1600
- Florida Gators +1600
- Arkansas Razorbacks +2800
- Alabama Crimson Tide +3500
- Tennessee Volunteers +4500
- Auburn Tigers +5000
After that, no SEC team is listed at shorter than 100-1. Kentucky and Florida are tied with Michigan and St. John’s for the No. 5 spot on the overall oddsboard, behind Purdue, Houston, Duke and UConn.
Odds to Win the SEC Regular Season
- Florida Gators +225
- Kentucky Wildcats +325
- Arkansas Razorbacks +500
- Alabama Crimson Tide +675
- Tennessee Volunteers +800
- Auburn Tigers +2000
- Mississippi State Bulldogs +2200
- Missouri Tigers +2500
- Texas A&M Aggies +2800
- Vanderbilt Commodores +2800
- Ole Miss Rebels +3300
- Oklahoma Sooners +3300
- Texas Longhorns +4000
- Georgia Bulldogs +7500
- LSU Tigers +10000
- South Carolina Gamecocks +20000
The odds are very intriguing. Clearly this conference is stacked, but there seems to be a couple of tiers to this league. Florida and Kentucky are a head above the rest, followed very closely by the Hogs, Tide and Vols. After the top five, there might be a bit of a gap before we see the eight teams listed from 20-1 to 40-1. Georgia is on an island by itself at 75-1, followed by the two bottom feeders in LSU and South Carolina.
SEC Team Previews and Predictions
Alex Condon could be one of the best players in the SEC this season
In order to same some time and energy, we only have previews for the potential national title contenders.
No. 1 Florida Gators
It is still the Gators’ conference to lose. Todd Golden reloaded and is ready to repeat. They bring back a menacing front court led by Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. Seven footer Micah Handlogten will come off the bench, opening things up for 6’9″ junior Thomas Haugh to play the lead wing role. A pair of transfers leads the backcourt, with Boogie Fland coming from Arkansas and Xavien Lee from Princeton. Add in AJ Brown from Ohio and freshman CJ Ingram, and the Gators are still the team to beat.
No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats
I’m all in on Kentucky and Mark Pope. Otega Oweh returns to lead a star studded squad, with transfers Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh) and Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State) ready to make immediate impacts. Pope also recruited two SEC transfers, stealing Mouhamed Dioubate from Alabama and Denzel Aberdeen from the Gators. Tulane transfer Kam Williams is a lock down defender and sharp shooter, and returning forwards Brandon Garrison and Trent Noah will have bigger roles on a deep team.
No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers
Rick Barnes has to replace plenty of talent in Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack, but he did just that. Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie is set to lead this team, with Felix Opara and J.P. Estrella returning to protect the rim. Five star freshman Nate Ament will likely be the the best newcomer in the SEC, playing wing as a potential lottery pick next summer. Defensively, the Volunteers will be one of the best in the conference.
No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks
You can never count out Coach Cal, but he’s relying on a young freshman once again. Darius Acuff Jr. is set to be the main point guard for the Razorbacks, teaming up with D.J. Wagner. A trio of returners should all see bigger roles in forward Trevon Brazile and guards Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III. Transfers Nick Pringle and Malique Ewin will also add plenty of talent, but can the Hogs put it all together?
Nate Oats leads the Crimson Tide with plenty of question marks surrounding his team
No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide
Despite losing Mark Sears, the Tide have a trio of guards ready to take over. Labaron Philon Jr. teams up with Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightshell to lead the Alabama backcourt. But losing Dioubate to Kentucky and Grant Nelson leaves us potentially doubting their front court. Returning sophomore Aiden Sherrell will see much more time on the hardwood, along with Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen and Bucknell transfer, seven footer Noah Williamson to round out the bigs.
No. 6 Auburn Tigers
The Tigers fell apart late in the season last year, and Bruce Pearl stepped down about a month ago, leaving his son, Steven to run the operation. Auburn returns Tahaad Pettiford to lead the offense after averaging 11.6 points as a freshman last year. They added tons of transfers, KeShawn Murphy (Mississippi State), Keyhawn Hall (UCF), Kevin Overton (Texas Tech), and a Elyjah Freeman from Division II Lincoln Memorial (Conference Freshman of the Year) and Abdul Bashir who was an NJCAA second team All American.
Although I have beans on the Florida Gators to win the national championship, which you can read about here, I wouldn’t hate a sprinkle on the Kentucky Wildcats at +325.
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