Last season will be hard to top for the SEC, which placed 14 of its 16 teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That was a record, both in terms of total number of teams and percentage of teams. Once the tournament began, the league delivered again.
Half of the conference’s 14 Big Dance representatives reached the Sweet 16, which set another record. Four reached the Elite Eight, and in the end, an SEC team (Florida) cut down the nets for the first time since Kentucky in 2012.
But after 13 SEC players were taken in the 2025 NBA Draft and three coaching jobs changed hands, the conference has a new feel entering the 2025-26 campaign. A whopping 26 of last season’s top 30 scorers from the SEC are gone, which opens the door for a new wave of stars to take over the conference.
Maintaining its stranglehold on conference supremacy will be a challenge for the SEC, but the early indications are that it will have a chance. In KenPom’s preseason ratings, 11 of the top 35 are from the league.
Against that backdrop, it’s time to dive in and take stock of the league, including a rundown of the star players and our expert predictions for how the SEC will shake out.
SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Otega Oweh | Kentucky | G
Amid a season of seismic transition at Kentucky, Oweh was a model of stability in 2024-25, as he reached double figures in 34 of 36 games. Now, after flirting with the NBA Draft, the bruising shooting guard is back for a final spin through the college game. Oweh is built like a running back, and that physicality makes him an elite perimeter defender and unstoppable driver of the basketball.
SEC Preseason Freshman of the Year
Nate Ament | Tennessee | F
There is no doubt over Ament’s long-term potential as a 6-10 wing. He is expected to be a 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick and has the long-term upside to develop into an All-Star. The question is: how much can Tennessee coax from Ament right…
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