Saturday, January 3, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Remember where things stood heading into Southeastern Conference play last season? The league, simply put, was the talk (maybe even the envy) of college basketball.
Through two months, only three teams in the country were still unbeaten. And, yes, all from the SEC. Tennessee was No. 1, Florida No. 6 and Oklahoma No. 12. The conference had 10 teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including five in the top 10 – and that fifth team was none other than Kentucky. Both Auburn (No. 2) and Alabama (No. 5) were fashionable picks to win the national championship. Those two already had nine Quadrant 1 wins between them.
In time, half the Elite Eight and Final Four came out of the SEC.
So did the national champion.
It's that time again. The SEC flag drops Saturday, with all 16 teams in conference action, including the nightcap between 22nd-ranked Florida (9-4), winner of four straight, and Missouri at Mizzou Arena. The Gators will be looking to open conference season with a win for the first time in five years.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
The league may not be as stacked – certainly not as top-heavy – as a year ago, but it's still ranked as the strongest in the country, according to KenPom.com advance metrics, nearly one power point ahead of the Big Ten and smidge more than one ahead of the Big 12.
Of the nation's five remaining unbeaten teams, only Vanderbilt – yes, Vandy! – resides in the SEC. The Commodores are one of six teams in the country that already has stockpiled four Quad 1 wins. The others are Michigan, Arizona, UConn, Iowa State, Duke and Michigan State.
That's some pretty good company the Commodores are keeping. Over the next weeks (and months) we'll see just how good they are … and just how good the rest of the league is.
Florida coachTodd Golden (left) in his finest hour ... last April 7 at San Antonio.
Six SEC teams are ranked in the Top 25, led by Vanderbilt at No. 11, followed by Alabama (14th), Arkansas (18th), Tennessee (19th), Florida (22nd) and Georgia (23rd), which boasts the highest-scoring offense in the country at 99.0 points per game.
For what it's worth, the Gators – despite four Quad 1 losses, including three to teams in the AP top six – are still the betting favorite to win the conference.
"Maybe there aren't as many top-level teams as we had last year, but still a lot of really, really good teams at the top and just really deep [after that]," said UF coach Todd Golden, whose '24-25 squad navigated the conference with a 14-4 record and used the momentum to tear through the postseason, defeating three ranked teams in the SEC Tournament, then capturing the NCAA title. "Any road win you can get in the league, I think is going to be really valuable this year."
Below is a snapshot of the SEC to date, with emphasis on on the 15 teams outside of Gainesville. For planning purposes, the SEC Tournament is March 11-15 at Nashville, Tennessee.
Let the games (the really important ones) begin.
Expanded SEC Standings
Team (Associated Press ranking)
Record
Home
Away
Neutral
Streak
NET
Saturday opener (ET)
Vanderbilt (11th)
13-0
7-0
3-0
3-0
W13
7th
@South Carolina, 2 pm
Georgia (23rd)
12-1
9-0
1-0
2-1
W6
23rd
Auburn, 1 pm
LSU
12-1
8-0
1-0
3-1
W5
35th
@Texas A&M, 4 pm
Alabama (14th)
10-3
5-1
1-0
4-2
W3
15th
Kentucky, noon
Arkansas (18th)
10-3
8-0
0-1
2-2
W1
28th
Tennessee, 3 pm
Missouri
10-3
9-0
1-1
0-2
L1
92nd
Florida, 8:30 pm
Oklahoma
10-3
7-0
1-1
2-2
W3
51st
Ole Miss, 3:30 pm
Tennessee (19th)
10-3
8-0
0-1
2-2
W3
22nd
@Arkansas, 3 pm
Texas A&M
10-3
8-1
1-1
1-1
W3
66th
LSU, 4 pm
Auburn
9-4
6-0
0-1
3-3
W1
34th
@Georgia, 1 pm
Florida (22nd)
9-4
6-0
0-1
3-3
W4
25th
@Missouri, 8:30 pm
Kentucky
9-4
8-1
0-1
1-2
W4
27th
@Alabama, noon
South Carolina
9-4
9-1
0-1
0-2
W2
103rd
Vanderbilt, 2 pm
Texas
9-4
7-1
1-1
1-1
W2
54th
Mississippi State, 6 pm
Ole Miss
8-5
6-1
0-1
2-3
W1
88th
@Oklahoma, 3:30 pm
Mississippi State
8-5
6-1
1-0
1-4
W4
102nd
@Texas, 6 pm
Top Teams
"Mr. Commodore," the official Vanderbilt mascot, and the folks in the Music City are as excited as he's been in decades.
When looking for teams that have a chance to make deep runs into the postseason, the ones who sit in the top 20 in both offense and defense, per KenPom, are legit. In fact, only two national champions (UConn in 2014, Baylor in '21) since KenPom debuted its system for the 1996-97 standard did not meet that standard.
Right now, the Commodores, in their second season under Mark Byington, are the lone SEC team to fit the criteria; eighth in offense, 13th in defense. They won the Battle 4 Atlantis in November, then broke for Christmas with consecutive road wins at Memphis and Wake Forest. They've scored at least 90 points seven times, rank sixth in the nation from the 2-point area (62.6%), 40th from the 3-point line (37.6%) and they don't turn the ball over. Vandy did get some bad news over the break, with word that outstanding fifth-year senior backup point guard Frankie Collins (7.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.7 apg, 2.4 spg) would be out indefinitely following knee surgery. The Commodores' depth will be tested, but their upbeat, attacking philosophy won't change.
Alabama and Tennessee, of course, warrant mention. The Crimson Tide, with four of their six players back from a team that won 28 games and advanced to the Elite Eight, are No. 3 nationally in offensive efficiency, but suspect again on defense (68th). Frankly, defense at Bama has become a form of collateral damage to the team's system under Coach Nate Oats, who has averaged 25.8 wins over the last five seasons, to go with one SEC regular season title, two league tournament championships and an 11-5 record in NCAA play (7-2 the last two seasons).
The Volunteers started the season with seven wins, capped by an upset of No. 1 Houston in Las Vegas, but then dropped consecutive games to Kansas, Syracuse and Illinois before snapping the skid with a blowout home win of No. 16 Louisville. UT has another elite defense (No. 12), the top offensive rebounding team in the country (yes, one spot ahead of Florida), a high-impact transfer and one of the best freshman in the country (read on).
Watch out also for Arkansas. The Razorbacks' three losses came at Michigan State and on neutral floors against Duke and Houston, but they've beaten Louisville and Texas Tech. Ditto Kentucky, which is getting healthy at the right time and has won four straight, including an impressive defeat of St. John's in a high-pressure reunion meeting against Rick Pitino.
New Coaches
Steven Pearl (left) is a head coach for the first time -- in the SEC, no less -- thanks to his father (right).
Steven Pearl (Auburn)
His dad played this one beautifully. Bruce Pearl, 65, after leading the Auburn program to unfathomable heights (as in four SEC titles and two Final Fours over his 11 seasons), announced his retirement in September, well after the coaching cycle wheels had stopped turning. His son, 38-year-old Steven, with the title of associate head coach the previous two seasons and with zero head-coaching experience, was promoted to the big chair. The results to date have been mixed, including a trio of losses to three of the best teams in the country (Michigan, Arizona and Purdue). Note: Bruce lost a total of three games by at least 25 points in his last eight years; Steven had three losses by at least 25 in his first 12 games.
Sean Miller (Texas)
This guy has made a bigger comeback than Jesus. OK, so that's something of an overstatement, but Miller was one of the highest profile coaches caught in the FBI sting scandal of 2019 that eventually blew up in the NCAA's face with little ramification for the offending schools and coaches. He was fired at Arizona and after sitting out a year went back to Xavier, which gave Miller his first head coaching job in 2005. He was there long enough (three years) and won enough (65-40 with two NCAA berths) for Texas to overlook the past transgressions. Miller got the job occupied by Rodney Terry the last three years and, with all his baggage, likely will win his 500th career game later this month and try to reach his 13th NCAA Tournament with three different schools.
Bucky McMillan (Texas A&M)
In 2021, Samford took a flier on a local (and legendary) Birmingham high school coach by giving McMillan – and his breakneck, 3-point-firing system known as "Buckyball" – his first collegiate job. After going 6-13 in year one, the Bulldogs went 85-39 mark over the next four seasons, including a program-record 29 wins and just the third NCAA berth (first since 2004) in school history. The Aggies are averaging 95.0 points (second in the league) and already have hit 100 points five times after failing to do so once over six seasons (and 193 games) under Buzz Williams, who bolted for Maryland.
Who's Tested?
Alabama coach Nate Oats is the boldest of all SEC coaches when it comes to testing his team in the non-conference season.
Before showing you what he did this season, it's worth mentioning what he did last. The aforementioned Nate Oats sent his '24-25 Bama team to Purdue, then played consecutive neutral-site dates against Illinois, Houston, Rutgers, Oregon and North Carolina, before giving the Tide a break with a home game against Creighton. At season's end, that was seven opponents that finished in the KenPom top 70.
This year? More of the same. Alabama has played the nation's 10th-toughest schedule (and the hardest among power conference teams), with a run of St. John's on the road, Purdue at home, Illinois, Gonzaga, UNLV and Maryland on neutral floors, Clemson at home, then Arizona at a neutral site. Hell, Oats even threw in a home game against South Florida for good measure. Good for him. Good for his fanbase.
Elsewhere in the league, Auburn has played four top-10 KenPom teams, but already has four losses, which matches its total from last season. The Tigers' slate rates the 27th-hardest. Florida, at 44th, has the third-toughest to date, with Mississippi State (106th) and Arkansas (119th) next, followed closely by Kentucky (133rd) and Vanderbilt (140th).
The rest of the league checks in at 191st or worse, with (and this is kind of embarrassing) six teams in the bottom 300. Those teams are Texas (316th), Oklahoma (327th), Georgia (337th), Texas A&M (341st), Missouri (348th) and South Carolina (353rd) ... out of 365.
Five Big-Time Players Back
Alabama guard Labaron Philon
Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State)
If the junior point guard isn't the most formidable long-range shooter in the SEC, Hubbard certainly is the most prolific. No one in the SEC has attempted more 3s over the last three seasons, and he's leading the league again (the only SEC player with more than 100 attempts) with heaves at 36.5%. Hubbard has five games of at least 30 points in his career, including one this season, and sits second in the conference in scoring at 21.3 per game.
Mark Mitchell (Missouri)
Though not overwhelmingly big (6-9, 230), Mitchell is a brute in the post, incredibly strong and gets where he wants (including to the free-throw line a ton), thus the nearly 65% inside the arc. Now in his second season since transferring from Duke, the Tigers play through Mitchell and will go as he goes.
Otega Oweh (Kentucky)
He was tapped as preseason SEC Player of the Year, but has been far from dominant thus far; a little like the Wildcats' season in microcosm. He was an all-league guy last year, his first at UK after coming from Oklahoma, and started his SEC career with 26 consecutive double-digit scoring games. UK is getting some guys back from injury and likely rounding into a different version than what began the season, so look for Oweh (14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apg) to get going, get more aggressive and get to the free-throw line more, something at which he excels.
Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
Pettiford played starter minutes for the Tigers last season, but never started a game, and was instrumental in their run to the national semifinals on his way to SEC All-Freshman honors. He takes nearly 30% of Auburn's shots, but his percentages are down this season (44.7 from 2 and 32.1 from 3). He's already had career games of 30 points against Arizona and four blocks against North Carolina State. Don't discount his Final Four pedigree, either. He was terrific in his first four NCAA Tournament games ... before running into Alijah Martin and friends.
Labaron Philon (Alabama)
He checks in at No. 6 in the KenPom Player of the Year standings, making him – analytically, at least – the league's best player. Philon sat out the team's previous game with a thigh bruise, but is expected to be back in action Saturday. He started the bulk of games as a true freshman and top-10 recruit for the Tide last season, leads the SEC at 21.9 per game, with 10 games of at least 20 points. He's shooting 62.5 from 2 and 42.2 from 3 as a guy with a 30.9 usage rate.
Five Portal Prizes
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, by way of Maryland, is leading the Volunteers.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee (from Maryland)
When we last saw Gillespie, he was being ushered out of the Sweet 16 by the Gators in San Francisco. He's currently fifth in the SEC in scoring (17.8), third in assists (5.2), 14th in 3-point percentage (35.4), with only five players in the league with more than his 36 makes. It's Gillespie's third school in as many seasons, having spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Belmont.
Keyshawn Hall, Auburn (from UCF)
One of those four-schools-in-four-years guys. He started at George Mason, then it was off to UNLV, etc. The 6-7, 240-pound Hall is currently the only player in the SEC to rank in the top five in both scoring (20.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.0). He's hit double-digit scoring in all 13 games, with a season-high 28 in a big win over North Carolina State.
Duke Miles, Vanderbilt (from Oklahoma)
Miles fell out of the KenPom PoY standings over the holidays, but certainly is a candidate for SEC Player of the Year. So much about what's going on with the Commodores and their elite play on both ends of the floor has to do with the former Sooner, who is averaging 17.1 points (9th in the league), 4.7 assists (T-6th) and 2.8 steals (1st). The injury to do-everything sidekick Collins will put some additional pressure on Miles.
Nijel Pack, Oklahoma (from Miami)
Remember when Pack's whopping million-dollar NIL deal to leave Kansas State for Miami was all the rage? Yeah, we don't, either. Just kidding. But that was sooooo 2023. Pack, who will turn 26 this spring, is in his sixth season, averaging 16.3 points per game, is flirting with top-100 status in offensive rating and shooting a sizzling 47.5% from the 3-point line.
Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky (from Arizona State)
The 6-10, 255-pound sophomore sat out the first 11 games with an injury, but returned Dec. 20 with a 10-point, eight-rebound, two-block performance in the upset of St. John's. Quaintance, whose freshman season with the Sun Devils ended in injury, was a top-100 rebounder and elite shot-blocker at ASU – six double-doubles on the season -- and will only become more of a force in the paint as the Wildcats come together.
Three Fab Freshmen
Arkansas guard Darius Acuff (5)
Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)
Coach John Calipari's latest one-and-done phenom. Acuff, the McDonald's All American out of Detroit, is the SEC's fourth-leading scorer at 18.8 points per game (that's sixth among the nation's power-conference freshmen), as well as second in assists (6.2 ppg) and third in minutes (32.5). His 33.8% assist rate is top-50 nationally and he's at 44.3% on his 3-pointers (with a half-dozen games of at least three makes), which is fifth in the SEC. Acuff had 10 assists against Louisville.
Nate Ament (Tennessee)
The numbers, including being 18th in the SEC in scoring at 15.4 per game, aren't eye-popping, but the Manassas, Virginia product and McDonald's All American, is showing up in all 2026 mock drafts as not only a lottery pick, but maybe a top five guy. Ament isn't a great shooter, but at 6-10 and 207 attacks the paint, draws fouls and is an outstanding defender. He had 20 points, nine rebounds and went 8-for-8 from the line against Kansas.
Malachi Moreno (Kentucky)
A rare homegrown Wildcat, the 7-footer was a prep standout in Georgetown, Kentucky, and one of two McDonald's honorees to sign with UK. He's averaging 9.1 points on 61% shooting to go with 6.5 rebounds and is a top-100 shot-blocker at 7.0%. His minutes picked up in the second half of the non-conference season, with his effectiveness expected to increase alongside the now-healthy Quaintance. Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu.Find his story archives here.
