SEC Preseason Power Rankings for the 2026-27 Season

Key players: Thomas Haugh, 6-foot-9 senior forward, 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds per game; Alex Condon, 6-foot-11 senior forward, 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds per game; Reuben Chinyelu, 6-foot-11 senior center, 10.9 points, 11.2 rebounds per game; Boogie Fland, 6-foot-2 junior guard, 11.6 points, 3.5 assists per game

When you bring back four starters from last season’s SEC regular season champion and NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed, the top spot has to be yours. But can this team get better? The frontcourt trio of Haugh, Condon and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Chinyelu will be good, but former five-star prospect Fland will likely look to have a larger role in his second year with the program. 

2. Texas Longhorns

2025-26: 21-15 (9-9)

Key players: Matas Vokietatis, 7-foot junior center, 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds per game; Isaiah Johnson, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, 16.9 points per game (Colorado); David Punch, 6-foot-7 junior forward, 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds per game (Texas); Marcus Spears Jr., 6-foot-7 freshman forward, five-star prospect 

After barely making the NCAA Tournament, the Longhorns had arguably the top newcomer class to surround returning big man Vokietatis. Johnson was one of the top scorers in the Big 12 as a freshman, while Punch is one of the best interior forwards in the nation. The latest addition of top-10 incoming freshman Spears raises the team’s ceiling even more, giving Texas a true top-10 caliber roster. 

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

2025-26: 25-10 (13-5)

Key players: Aden Holloway, 6-foot-1 junior guard, 16.8 points, 3.8 assists per game; Amari Allen, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds per game; Drew Fielder, 6-foot-10 senior forward, 14.7 points per game (Boise State); Qayden Samuels, 6-foot-6 freshman forward, five-star prospect

Even without Holloway available (suspension), Alabama’s offense once again looks to be one of the best in the country. The underclass guards have all been standouts, including 6-foot-6 sophomore wing Cole Cloer. The new-look frontcourt will be the key after struggling last season. If Allen takes an All-American leap as some expect, this will be a dangerous team once again. 

4. Arkansas Razorbacks

2025-26: 28-9 (13-5)

Key players: Billy Richmond III, 6-foot-6 junior forward, 11.2 points per game; Jeremiah Wilkinson, 6-foot-1 junior guard, 17.4 points per game (Georgia); Jordan Smith, 6-foot-2 freshman guard, five-star prospect; Mikka Murrinen, 6-foot-9 freshman forward, five-star prospect

It’s a traditional Coach John Calipari roster in that it’s one of the youngest among the high-major teams, and also one of the most talented. Smith is ranked as the top incoming freshman guard in the country, while Murrinen was once viewed as the top frontcourt player in the 2026 class. The key will be Richmond, an all-league defender set to have his largest role yet with the program. If he can score 15 points per game, the Razorbacks will be incredibly hard to beat.

5. Vanderbilt Commodores

2025-26: 27-9 (11-7)

Key players: Tyler Tanner, 6-foot junior guard, 19.5 points, 5.1 assists per game; Ace Glass III, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, 16.4 points per game (Washington State); Berke Buyuktuncel, 6-foot-9 senior forward, 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds per game (Nebraska); Bangot Dak, 6-foot-9 senior forward, 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds per game (Colorado)

The Commodores are coming off a breakthrough year and bring back their best player in Tanner. His supporting cast is completely new but has plenty of potential, led by Glass, a top-10 scorer in the WCC as a freshman. Buyuktuncel and Dak are proven high-major veterans, with the team having a top-25 incoming freshmen class to give them more depth this time around. 

6. Tennessee Volunteers

2025-26: 25-12 (11-7)

Key players: Dai Dai Ames, 6-foot-1 senior guard, 16.9 points per game (Cal); Terrence Hill Jr., 6-foot-3 junior guard, 15 points per game (VCU); Jalen Haralson, 6-foot-7 sophomore guard, 16.2 points per game (Notre Dame); Juke Harris, 6-foot-7 junior forward, 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds per game (Wake Forest)

Admittedly, the preseason struggles have been concerning. Still, Coach Rick Barnes has earned the benefit of the doubt that he’ll make this roster work, as it’s filled with a ton of quality individual scorers. Hill looks to be the team’s lead guard after being the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year at VCU, while Harris is one of the best pure scorers in the nation and will be a contender for SEC Player of the Year. 

7. Kentucky Wildcats

2025-26: 22-14 (10-8)

Key players: Malachi Moreno, 7-foot sophomore center, 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds per game; Zoom Diallo, 6-foot-4 junior guard, 15.7 points, 4.5 assists per game (Washington); Alex Wilkins, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, 17.8 points, 4.7 assists per game (Furman); Milan Momcilovic, 6-foot-8 senior forward, 16.9 points per game (Iowa State)

After numerous public recruiting battles, the final outlook of Kentucky’s roster looks to be at least in the top-25 range. Momcilovic was the best shooter in all of college basketball last season, while both Diallo and Wilkins are capable scoring guards. The key will be Moreno, who nearly stayed in the NBA Draft and will be a consensus breakout candidate. With depth being a question, Coach Mark Pope will need all four of these guys to be impact players.

8. Texas A&M Aggies

2025-26: 22-12 (11-7)

Mackenzie Mgbako, 6-foot-8 senior forward, 10.4 points per game (7 games); PJ Haggerty, 6-foot-3 senior guard, 23.4 points per game (Kansas State); Jalen Shelley, 6-foot-8 junior forward, 13.7 points, 6.6 rebounds per game (LMU); Cade Phillips, 6-foot-9 senior forward, 3.8 points per game (10 games at Tennessee)

After fielding a fairly balanced offense last season, Coach Bucky McMillian brought in one of the top scorers in the country in Haggerty, who has scored 20-plus points per game in each of the last three years (on different teams). There’s been a shakeup among the supporting cast in recent weeks but there’s a good amount of talent. The biggest storyline will be former five-star prospect Mgbako, who looked good with the Aggies before going down with a season-ending foot injury. He very well could be the second option next to Haggerty this year. 

9. Missouri Tigers

2025-26: 20-13 (10-8)

Key players: Trent Pierce, 6-foot-10 senior forward, 10.4 points per game; Bryson Tiller, 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds per game (Kansas); Jason Crowe Jr., 6-foot-1 freshman guard, five-star prospect; Toni Bryant, 6-foot-10 freshman forward, five-star prospect

A big storyline to watch is whether Missouri’s best player from last year, 6-foot-9 senior forward Mark Mitchell, will be eligible, which could easily move them up multiple spots up the SEC ladder. But the Tigers still have plenty of talent, led by the five-star duo of Crowe and Bryant. They’re also a young team overall, which could create some inconsistencies. But there’s too much talent to ignore with this group. 

10. Auburn Tigers

2025-26: 22-16 (7-11)

Key players: Tahaad Pettiford, 6-foot-1 junior guard, 15.4 points, 3.8 assists per game; Kevin Overton, 6-foot-5 senior guard, 14.1 points per game; Adam Olsen, 6-foot-8 senior forward, 16.7 points per game (South Alabama); Thomas Dowd, 14.4 points, 10.1 rebounds per game (Troy)

Coach Steven Pearl’s second year with the program is benefitted by the return of Pettiford and Overton, one of the better backcourts in the SEC. The key will be the frontcourt, with Olsen’s shooting and Dowd’s rebounding serving as key assets. The center position is one to watch, including NBA Draft pick and 7-foot-1 junior center Narcisse Ngoy. 

11. LSU Tigers

2025-26: 15-17 (3-15)

Key players: Abdi Bashir Jr., 6-foot-7 senior guard, 13.2 points per game (Kansas State); Mouhamed Dioubate, 6-foot-7 senior forward, 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds per game (Kentucky): Brice Desert, 6-foot-11 senior center, five-star international prospect; Michael Ruzic, 7-foot senior center, four-star international prospect

After a long offseason filled with eligibility questions, LSU’s roster still isn’t fully set. The good news is that the international-based frontcourt is good to go, with Ruzic, Desert and 6-foot-8 international forward Saliou Niang all cleared by the NCAA. The Tigers’ depth will always be a question and one injury could tank them, but their eight-man rotation should still be competitive this season, even if the ceiling isn’t too high.

12. Oklahoma Sooners

2025-26: 21-16 (7-11)

Key players: Xzayvier Brown, 6-foot-2 senior guard, 15.4 points, 3.3 assists per game; Derrion Reid, 6-foot-8 junior forward, 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds per game; Pop Isaacs, 6-foot-2 senior guard, 9.8 points per game (Texas A&M); Tyler Hendricks, 6-foot-5 senior guard, 11.8 points per game (Utah Valley)

Coach Porter Moser brings back two key players from last year’s group, with Brown set to be one of the top guards in the SEC. The frontcourt is filled with unproven pieces, while Isaacs, who has yet to recapture his freshman form from back at Texas Tech, will need to be a capable secondary scoring option for the Sooners to have a shot at postseason contention. 

13. Georgia Bulldogs

2025-26: 22-11 (10-8)

Key players: Blue Cain, 6-foot-5 senior guard, 13.1 points, 5.1 rebounds; Marcus Millender, 5-foot-11 senior guard, 12 points, 4.1 assists per game; Kanon Catchings, 11.6 points per game; Freddie Dilione V, 6-foot-5 senior guard, 14 points per game (Penn State)

While Georgia lost arguably its two best players to the portal in the offseason, it did bring back a trio of starters who scored in double digits. The Bulldogs will need Cain and Catchings to become All-SEC-caliber players, while Dilione will slide in as a likely starter as a proven high-major player. The center position is an open question, which could hamper their ceiling come league play. 

14. Ole Miss Rebels

2025-26: 15-20 (4-14)

Key players: Iiias Kamardine, 6-foot-5 senior guard, 11.3 points per game; Patton Pinkins, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, 9.3 points per game; Adam Clark, 5-foot-10 senior guard, 12.7 points, 4.9 assists per game (Seton Hall); Roman Siulepa, 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, 10 points, 5.5 rebounds per game (Pitt)

The Rebels bring back two key guards from last year in Kamardine and Pinkins, while do-it-all guard Clark gives them a true point guard to run the offense. There’s legit depth with this roster, which should keep them competitive, but the major concern is the lack of firepower in an SEC filled with stars. 

15. Mississippi State Bulldogs

2025-26: 13-19 (4-14)

Key players: Josh Hubbard, 5-foot-10 senior guard, 22.1 points per game; TJ Simpkins, 6-foot-4 senior guard, 9.7 points per game (Seton Hall); RJ Johnson, 6-foot-4 senior guard, 14.5 points per game (Kennesaw State); Thomas Bassong, 6-foot-8 sophomore guard, 5.9 points per game (Florida State)

The good news for the Bulldogs is that they bring back the conference’s leading scorer in Hubbard. But while there’s no question about his ability to produce, there is with the rest of the supporting cast, as only Johnson has a proven track record of being a double-digit scorer. If others can emerge, Mississippi State could be a dark horse. 

16. South Carolina Gamecocks

2025-26: 13-19 (4-14)

Key players: Kory Mincy, 6-foot-1 senior guard, 14.3 points per game (George Mason); Shane Blakeney, 6-foot-5 senior guard, 14.2 points per game (Drexel); Camden Heide, 6-foot-7 senior forward, 5.9 points per game (Drexel); Aleksas Bieliauskas, 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, 4.9 points, 4.4 rebounds per game (Wisconsin)

Unlike Ole Miss and Mississippi State, South Carolina doesn’t have any proven high-major production. The hope is that Mincy can be a lead guard, while Bieliauskas is a breakout player to watch after being the fourth big at Wisconsin as a freshman. The Gamecocks will need a lot to go in their favor to get out of the SEC basement; on paper, they have the lowest odds of making the Big Dance this season.