SEC Basketball has really picked it up and with Auburn making the Final Four and Tennessee keeping Rick Barnes the top of the rankings will continue to be flooded with talent for years to come.
Kyle Tucker of The Athletic has ranked the top teams for next season’s competitive SEC Basketball season.
The contenders
1. Kentucky2. Auburn
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
Yes, the Wildcats lose three potential top-20 draft picks — Tyler Herro, PJ Washington and Keldon Johnson — plus their veteran anchor, Reid Travis. And yes, former McDonald’s All-America big men EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards are both testing the draft waters. But neither of those two are likely to be selected and both will probably return alongside fellow five-star “vets” Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley in the backcourt, which counts as a solid returning nucleus in the John Calipari era. Add to that at least three five-star freshmen – combo guard Tyrese Maxey and wings Kahlil Whitney and Keion Brooks – and plug-and-play graduate transfer Nate Sestina in the frontcourt, and you have not just an SEC contender but yet another Final Four hopeful. Even more so if five-star sniper Johnny Juzang, fresh off a visit to Lexington, picks the Cats. Hell, Kentucky could be preseason No. 1 nationally if it gets him and possible graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr., a 6-foot-10 All-ACC center from Virginia Tech.
Read “Way-too-early SEC power rankings for 2019-20: Can the league keep on winning this much?” by clicking here. (Subscription)
