Xavier Pinson’s March decision to leave Missouri for the transfer portal — a pool of players that spilled over in free agency fashion before teams realigned themselves — became a mere ripple. All told, there are nine new faces on Cuonzo Martin's roster this season.
Programs across the country rebranded and reloaded through the summer, and there likely isn’t a league that reached into the portal more than the Southeastern Conference. The season tips off on Tuesday night. Between transfers, freshmen and notable returners, we look at how each SEC team (other than Missouri, which we previewed player by player) will shape up this season compared to last.
Alabama
Preseason SEC ranking: 2
Big losses: Herb Jones, John Petty Jr., Alex Reese
Key returners: Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford, Keon Ellis, Juwan Gary
Key additions: JD Davison (No. 13), Nimari Burnett (Texas Tech), Noah Gurley (Furman), Charles Bediako (No. 39), Jusaun Holt (No. 80)
With Texas Tech transfer and former five-star Burnett in Tuscaloosa, the Tide looked to have arguably the best guard corps in the nation. While the sophomore will likely be out for the 2021-22 campaign after suffering a torn ACL back in September, coach Nate Oats probably isn’t losing too much sleep with the guards he’s calling upon. The league’s reigning coach of the year still can look to Shackelford, who led the team with 14 points per game en route to a second-team all-SEC selection a season ago, and Quinerly, an all-SEC caliber guard who locked up SEC tournament MVP in March and could be in the running for player of the year honors this year.
The Tide’s continuity will mean everything with all-SEC first-teamers Jones and Petty Jr. in the wind, and Ellis and Gary should look to fill larger roles this season. Add their fourth and 10th highest-ranked recruits in Davison — who might be one of the country’s most electric guards regardless of class — and Bediako, and Oats and friends are back in similar shape as last year. It helps to add a dynamic forward like Gurley, who should give Alabama some versatility within lineups and bring a consistent frontcourt presence at forward. If Bediako is a quick learner, the Tide can stand to rattle different looking lineups deep into the season.
Arkansas
Preseason SEC ranking: 3
Big losses: Moses Moody, Justin Smith, Desi Sills, Jalen Tate
Key returners: JD Notae, Davonte Davis, Connor Vanover, Jaylin Williams
Key additions: Chris Lyles (Miami), Au’Diese Toney (Pittsburgh), Trey Wade (Wichita State), Chance Moore
It isn’t every year that an NBA lottery pick packs his bags for Fayetteville. As big of an opportunity as it was for coach Musselman to have Moody head his eventual elite eight team, the third-year coach will be forced to put promise in his group’s cohesive talent over its relative star power. But that shouldn’t be a problem.
With a prime-time initiator like Lykes and a bucket getter like Notae lining Arkansas’ backcourt, Musselman will sleep like a baby. Davis should better his 8.5 points per game from last season, and with transfers like Toney and Wade, the Razorbacks will have the quickness and versatility to get under ball handlers, switch a ton and deploy the same gritty defense that made them top 10 in defensive efficiency last year.
Williams saw some important minutes down the stretch a season ago, and his size on a team with just three players taller than 6-foot-7 will matter as he looks to bring that same enforcer mentality that contributed to some big plays for Arkansas. Returning 7-3 Vanover and having the ability to throw teams off and especially matchup against other team’s rim protectors will keep the Razorbacks ready for almost any situation. It can’t hurt to add Chance Moore, a top-100 range, 6-5 guard from Georgia that played at McEachern HS with SEC stud turned NBA Draft pick Sharife Cooper.
Auburn
Preseason SEC ranking: 5
Big losses: Sharife Cooper, JT Thor, Justin Powell, Jamal Johnson
Key returners: Allan Flanigan, Jaylin Williams, Devan Cambridge, Dylan Cardwell
Key additions: Walker Kessler (North Carolina), Jabari Smith (No. 6), Wendell Green Jr. (Eastern Kentucky), K.D. Johnson (Georgia)
Once ruled eligible, former high school sensation Sharife Cooper turned the SEC into Play-Doh. His season of playmaking wizardry as Auburn’s initiator was one it will spend years attempting to recruit and replicate. Luckily for coach Bruce Pearl, he one upped himself on the recruiting front roughly a year later.
Freshman Jabari Smith, ranked No. 6 in the class of 2021, replaced Cooper as the highest-ranked recruit in program history. The big man showed skill and prowess inside, while also demonstrating some touch from the in-between area that could very well extend further at a consistent rate as the season goes on. Solidifying himself as one of the nation’s best rebounders and inside presences, the talent is oozing from Smith’s hands. Pearl seems fit to sculpt it.
Auburn might have one of the nation’s top frontcourt duos with the formidable twin towers it’s formed in snagging Smith and a top-five portal pluck in Kessler, a UNC transfer and former five-star. Kessler only averaged 8.8 minutes with the Tar Heels, but will add a dynamic presence to the Tigers’ center spot. Factor in Jaylin Williams, who averaged 10.9 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, and Cardwell, and you’re looking at one of the deeper frontcourt rotations in the nation.
It should go without saying how much Flanigan will mean to this team. His 14.2 points per game were second only to Cooper, and his presence on the wing is necessary for Auburn’s ceiling. With Green Jr. and Johnson joining the fold, the Tigers should not just feel like they’ve made up for any losses. They should feel primed to finish miles better than they did last season.
Florida
Preseason SEC ranking: 7
Big losses: Tre Mann, Noah Locke, Scottie Lewis
Key returners: Keyontae Johnson, Colin Castleton, Tyree Appleby, Anthony Duruji
Key additions: Myreon Jones (Penn St), Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (Charleston Southern), Kowacie Reeves (No. 30), CJ Felder (Boston College), Brandon McKissic (Kansas City)
Florida has consistently been one of the better programs in the league. Even after losing two players to the NBA, not much has changed. The Gators grabbed three competitive guards out of the portal to add to their lengthy guard rotation. They also picked up Felder, a versatile forward that averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 boards in the ACC last season.
Coach Mike White retained the nucleus of his core. Johnson, the SEC preseason Player of the Year just last season, has yet to be cleared after his collapse versus Florida State sidelined him for the season. It's unlikely he returns this season, but Castleton and the other returners should do just fine holding down the fort. UF’s guards should keep it afloat, and despite the overflowing talent atop the SEC, the Gators should be swimming in the top half of the league.
Georgia
Preseason SEC ranking: 14
Big losses: Sahvir Wheeler, Toumani Camara, Tye Fagan, Justin Kier
Key returners: P.J. Horne
Key additions: Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Virginia), Aaron Cook (Gonzaga), Braelen Bridges (UIC)
Well, UGA basketball isn’t UGA football. The Georgia team that still managed a better-than-expected 10th place in the SEC doesn’t exist anymore. The roster has completely shuffled, with the portal shaking down coach Tom Crean for everything he had left.
Horne, Georgia’s lone returning starter, is out for the year after undergoing a season-ending surgery. When the smoke clears, The Bulldogs are left with a number of JUCO transfers and four returners — none of which averaged more than eight minutes last season. The bright spots? Cook makes his way from Gonzaga, having played 13 minutes per game for the national runner-ups a season ago. Bridges could improve upon the 9.9 points and 4.8 rebound statline he posted for UIC in his sophomore campaign. UGA also landed Abdur Rahim, a once prolific scoring four-star who didn’t see the time of day during his freshman year at Virginia. Perhaps now he’ll get those reps and return to high school form.
Kentucky
Preseason SEC ranking: 1
Big losses: Isaiah Jackson, Brandon Boston Jr., Olivier Sarr, Devin Askew (excluding Terrence Clarke out of respect for him and his family)
Key returners: Keion Brooks, Davion Mintz, Jacob Toppin, Lance Ware, Dontaie Allen
Key additions: Ty Ty Washington (No. 14), Kellan Grady (Davidson), Oscar Tschiebwe (West Virginia), Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia), Daimion Collins (No. 18)
The 2020-21 campaign was a disaster for the Wildcats. They saw their worst start in over 100 years, and missed their first NCAA Tournament since 2013. But coach Calipari is a man known for turnover, and he flipped his ship in all the right ways this offseason.
Contrary to typical Calipari fashion, the 13-year coach got with the times and snagged some significant pickups from the portal. He addressed his team’s shooting woes and grabbed Grady and Iowa transfer CJ Fredrick — 38.2% and 47.4% shooters from deep, respectively — while keeping Allen. He picked up a veteran point guard in Wheeler, who led the league in assists with UGA last season, to replace the young Askew. He brought in an enforcer in Tschiebwe and a promising young forward in Collins. And he added some decision makers to his locker room in Grady and Washington, the latter of which has looked as poised as any freshman in Lexington in recent memory. If he plays his cards right, the combo guard shouldn’t need more than this season before Adam Silver calls his name on draft night.
The Wildcats seem deep enough to legitimately platoon swap on occasion. They’re loaded with talent, and will have a lot to throw at the nation’s best teams. Are they the 2014-15 Kentucky roster? No. But they’re damn good, and should start the season miles better than a year ago.
LSU
Preseason SEC ranking: 6
Big losses: Cam Thomas, Trendon Watford, Javonte Smart
Key returners: Darius Days, Eric Gaines, Shareef O’Neal, Mwani Wilkinson
Key additions: Adam Miller (Illinois), Xavier Pinson (Missouri), Efton Reid (No. 28), Brandon Murray (No. 72), Tari Eason (Cincinnati)
The Tigers saw their three best players move on to the NBA. While one era ends, another one is ushered in. Miller and Pinson were destined to be the dynamic duo that led coach Will Wade’s new group. Though Miller suffered a torn ACL this past month that will sideline him for the season, Pinson isn’t exactly a lone ranger.
Days, LSU’s 6-7 enforcer, returns for his senior campaign on a mission. Eason, a similarly productive forward, has migrated from the AAC. Wade landed a premier 2021 big man in Reid, who gives Wade a change of direction as a traditional big and stands to be the man in the middle. Wilkinson should be an even bigger factor in his sophomore season. Gaines looks to make a big jump in his production from last season and improve his professional stock. He’ll see an even larger load with Miller out. If all of that wasn’t enough, Murray was one of his classes’ best scoring guards, and will give LSU a big boost when Wade gives his older guards a rest. Expect the Tigers to remain a top-half team in the league.
Mississippi State
Preseason SEC ranking: 8
Big losses: D.J. Stewart, Abdul Ado, Deivon Smith
Key returners: Iverson Molinar, Tolu Smith, Derek Fountain
Key additions: Garrison Brooks (North Carolina), D.J. Jeffries (Memphis), Rocket Watts (Michigan State)
The Bulldogs took a big hit losing Stewart and Ado, two players who started every game last season. In turn, they saw their best offseason in quite some time. Coach Ben Howland added three major transfers: Brooks, UNC’s leading upperclassmen who averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 boards two years ago; Jeffries, the multi-skilled, 6-7 forward who brought his top-40 ranking to Memphis as part of the supreme class that featured Golden State Warriors’ center James Wiseman; Watts, the flashy former four-star point guard who started in more than half of his appearances at Michigan State last season.
It’s a level of talent that Mississippi State isn’t used to. Combined with those who did return, the group makes for a competitive team. After the Bulldogs’ top-three scorers, no one else averaged more than six points. Two of the top three were Stewart and Ado. But retaining Molinar, the team’s leading scorer, and surrounding him with unfamiliar talent should generate a more balanced effort. This team could surprise some people.
Missouri
Preseason SEC ranking: 10
Big losses: Dru Smith, Jeremiah Tilmon, Xavier Pinson, Mark Smith
Key returners: Kobe Brown, Javon Pickett
Key additions: Boogie Coleman, DaJuan Gordon, Amari Davis, Ronnie DeGray
We're not going to spend much time on this one. We've written about Mizzou's turnover all offseason. Just three players who saw the court are back and Martin brought in four transfers along with five high school prospects. Even in the SEC, Missouri's makeover was extreme.
Ole Miss
Preseason SEC ranking: 9
Big losses: Devontae Shuler, Romello White, KJ Buffen
Key returners: Jarkel Joiner, Matthew Murrell, Luis Rodriguez, Robert Allen
Key additions: Daeshun Ruffin (No. 60), Jaemyn Brakefield (Duke), Nysier Brooks (Miami), Tye Fagan (Georgia)
The Rebels enjoyed a pretty stellar offseason themselves. They reeled in more than they lost, and did pretty well in the portal. Brakefield has an opportunity to show shades of the top-40 recruit he was when he committed to Duke out of high school. 7-foot Brooks, who should have a pension with all the years he’s given to college basketball, helps aid the loss of White and will be the go-to center. Fagan was one of UGA’s starting guards and a strong contributor.
Ruffin is likely the prince, next in line to fulfill coach Kermit Davis’ prophecy of having a small, high-scoring lead guard head his group each year. The four-star’s flashy style is one Ole Miss fans are bound to enjoy. At 5-9, he’s smaller than those who precede him (Breein Tyree, Shuler), but make no mistake. Ruffin can fill it up. It might take him a couple seasons to enjoy royalty (as it did the other two), especially given the lengthy group of guards that Davis is deploying this year.
Joiner was the Rebels’ second leading scorer a season ago, and Rodriguez joins him as the other returning starter. Murrell plans on banking on his four-star fame with his freshman season behind him. Rebel fans, don’t fret. All these guards are a good problem for Davis. While they’re not as talented as the SEC’s juggernauts, the Rebels have a chance to punch a few teams in the mouth. With how similarly competitive the middle of the league is, Ole Miss has a chance to sneak its way into rounding out the top half along with two or so other teams.
South Carolina
Preseason SEC ranking: 11
Big losses: A.J. Lawson
Key returners: Keyshawn Bryant, Jermaine Couisnard, Wildens Leveque
Key additions: Chico Carter Jr. (Murray State), Devin Carter (No. 91), James Reese (North Texas)
South Carolina leaves much to be desired. It was far from the most talented bunch in the league last year, and the needle didn’t move much with its only All-SEC player departing for the pros. The Gamecocks do welcome back some significant returners, though. The continuity will be significant in their effort to refrain from barreling to the bottom of the SEC.
There is some hope in some of the new guards they’ll suit up this season. Devin Carter is an incredibly underrated, fundamentally sound guard. Carter and Reese were real contributors on decent mid-major teams. But fans should be delighted if South Carolina musters a fortune better than where it finished last year.
Tennessee
Preseason SEC ranking: 4
Big losses: Jaden Springer, Keon Johnson, Yves Pons
Key returners: John Fulkerson, Victor Bailey Jr., Josiah Jordan-James,
Key additions: Kennedy Chandler (No. 9), Jonas Aidoo (No. 24), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (No. 35), Jahmai Masmack (No. 53), Justin Powell (Auburn)
Coach Rick Barnes did it once more. His core veterans returned to campus yet again, and he’s pairing them with an extremely highly-touted freshman class — this time a top-five recruiting class in the nation — yet again.
Tennessee will be just fine. They’re as talented as they were last year considering the bulk of their core returned. Perhaps their recruiting class might not feature two NBA first rounders as it did last year. But the number of players Barnes corralled plus their respective talent levels should more than make up for the loss of UT’s previous star freshmen.
Chandler can immediately be one of the country’s best point guards. He wasn’t the top-ranked point guard in his class for no reason. He’s mature. He’s skilled. He’s absolutely electric, and Tennessee will sculpt him into a pro-ready player. In the meantime, he’ll headline the Volunteers’ scary recruiting class. This team can easily be top three in the conference on any given night, and it says a lot about the strength of the SEC when this team is voted fourth ahead of the season.
Texas A&M
Preseason SEC ranking: 12
Big losses: Emanuel Miller, Savion Flagg, Jay Jay Chandler
Key returners: Quenton Jackson, Andre Gordon, Hassan Diarra
Key additions: Manny Obaseki (No. 26) Marcus Williams (Wyoming), Henry Coleman III (Duke)
The Aggies aren’t exactly overflowing with overall talent. They lost their leading scorer to the Big 12, but retained two starters and Diarra, a former four star who will look to take a step up in his sophomore campaign. Texas A&M made two solid grabs out of the portal in Williams, who can be a lead guard for this team and Coleman, another former four star who will look to see the time of day in College Station that he didn’t see in Durham.
It shouldn’t go without mention that Texas A&M landed its third highest-ranked recruit in program history in Obaseki. The 6-4 guard gives the Aggies an unfamiliarly creative presence on the wing. His development will be significant to watch throughout the year.
Vanderbilt
Preseason SEC ranking: 13
Big losses: Dylan Disu, Maxwell Evans, D.J. Harvey
Key returners: Scotty Pippen Jr., Jordan Wright, Trey Thomas
Key additions: Liam Robbins (Minnesota), Shane Dezonie
The Commodores’ season will be grim at times. But Pippen will put on a show. A 2021 All-SEC first teamer and this year’s preseason SEC Player of the Year, Pippen will have no problem posting numbers similar to his sophomore campaign. Will they come in mostly winning efforts? Probably not. But who doesn’t like to see the hero try and save his city?
Wright and Thomas will return to the rotation. Robbins will attempt to replace Disu’s 15 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The past couple years in Nashville as a basketball fan have been as eventful as watching paint dry. The ceiling will be low for Vanderbilt, but it can’t get much worse than Georgia.
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