College Basketball

Seven teams that could win the SEC men's basketball regular-season title

Updated Jan. 14, 2025 5:28 p.m. ET

College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter

We are more than two months into the 2024-25 college basketball season, and it's fair to say that SEC fans might be witnessing the best season by a conference in modern history. Yes, that's a bold statement, but the numbers don't lie, as seven of the top 15 teams in the latest AP Top 25 Poll are from the SEC, and nine of the 16 teams in the conference are currently ranked.

How did the conference get to this point where it's dominating the headlines of the sport? By putting together a historically great non-conference season.

From Nov. 4-Dec. 18, SEC teams posted a collective record of 155-20. Yes, that is 155 wins in 175 total games! With a 53-4 mark in the month of December, the conference had a combination of marquee wins and virtually no major blemishes, with some of the best teams in the country winning Thanksgiving week tournaments and posting significant results.

As it stands right now, there's only one conference road game outside of Quadrant 1 in the NET system (at South Carolina), meaning that there are countless chances for already-strong teams to continue to bolster their résumé.

What does all of this mean? That just about every game in this conference is entertaining for fans, but a root canal for the coaches across the league. It also means that we're in for some serious drama when it comes to crowning an SEC regular-season champ, especially after the ankle injury that national player of the year front-runner Johni Broome suffered in Auburn's 66-63 win over the Gamecocks this past weekend.

Broome, who is averaging 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, does not need surgery, but is expected to miss this week, and his timeline is indefinite. Broome's injury further impacts the conference regular-season title chase and will likely change who gets ranked No. 1 in future weeks as Auburn hosts top-15 Mississippi State before visiting No. 23 Georgia this weekend. Can the Tigers withstand this injury and stay at the top of the rankings? We shall see, but there's no shortage of competition for who could come out as the best team in this league.

Because of Wade Taylor's injury (undisclosed) for Texas A&M, the Aggies are not included in the mix of these teams, but here are seven teams that could win the SEC regular-season title.

1. Auburn Tigers (15-1, 3-0)

Why they will win the SEC: Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones and freshman Tahaad Pettiford will continue to guide what has been the nation's best offense, while Dylan Cardwell will do enough to fill the void with Broome being out for the next few weeks. This should allow Bruce Pearl's team to hang at or near the top of the league before the big man returns to the fold. So much of Auburn's success depends on Broom's ankle, because if you take the best player in the country – or the second-best player next to Cooper Flagg – out of Auburn's lineup, that leaves a massive void in both production and presence.

Here's a look at the Tigers' upcoming schedule: a home game against Mississippi State is manageable without Broome, but that is followed by a trip to Athens to meet Georgia, which will be tough. If the Tigers can win both of those games, it would show just how great this squad is. After that, Auburn has a week off before hosting a top-10 Tennessee team at Neville Arena, followed by a trip to play one of the weaker teams in the league, LSU.

If Broome is back by Feb. 1 and Auburn has somehow taken three of four, I'll feel very good about this team. A split at 2-2 would definitely increase the questions about their regular-season title chances with trips to Alabama, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Ole Miss still on the slate.

Why they won't win the SEC: The injury to Broome will have a lingering effect on the team on both ends of the floor and the perimeter shooting and playmaking that we've seen throughout this eight-game winning streak and 15-1 start to the season will suffer as a result. The big man's presence has allowed for Pettiford, Jones and Kelly to shoot over 40% from 3-point range on the season. Will that continue? And can Auburn still be in the top-20 defensively in efficiency without Broome? Regardless of all of this, the timing of this injury will determine whether Pearl's team wins the regular-season crown or not.

X-Factor: Miles Kelly. When the Georgia Tech transfer is drilling 3-pointers like he has been in recent games with eight combined triples in the last two contests, it gives an already-loaded Tigers team yet another dimension. Pettiford's presence off the bench is pretty much known at this point, as he's shown just how steady of a scorer he can be, but Kelly has gone through some ups and downs this season. After a 14-point showing at Duke and scoring 15 against Richmond, he had five straight games where he was very quiet. He has combined for 32 points and nine rebounds in the last two contests and his continued production is important for an Auburn team that won't be able to replace Broome's sheer interior offense.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (14-2, 3-0)

Why they will win the SEC: Because they might just be the best team in the country. Yes, Alabama is ranked No. 4 in the nation, but there isn't a single team that played better in the month of December than the Crimson Tide, who have won nine consecutive games. They've cleaned up some of their early defensive issues, Mark Sears continues to be an All-American-level guard, and they own the second-best offense in the country with the second-best tempo in the sport. Head coach Nate Oats is 32-7 in his last 39 league games, which also tells you how much faith can be placed in the man who took the Crimson Tide to the first Final Four in program history last year.

Why they won't win the SEC: Alabama's late conference schedule, which is an absolute gauntlet, could cause this team to have a tough closing stretch and falter. The Crimson Tide play Auburn twice in the final seven games, presumably during a time of year when Broome should be back to full strength.

Here is a look at how Alabama's regular season ends:

Feb. 15: No. 1 Auburn
Feb. 19: at Missouri
Feb. 22: No. 8 Kentucky
Feb. 25: No. 15 Mississippi State
March 1: at No. 6 Tennessee
March 5: No. 5 Florida
March 8: at No. 1 Auburn

I would venture to say no team has a tougher three games to close the regular season than Alabama, but this group challenged itself in the non-conference portion of the schedule, owning a 4-2 Quad 1 record and going unbeaten against the other three quadrants. The only other thing that could slow this team down is if Sears goes through a rut. As he goes, the Crimson Tide goes.

X-Factor: I'll go with two players here: big man Cliff Omoruyi and freshman Labaron Philon. While Grant Nelson leads the Tide in rebounding with over eight per game, Omoruyi is the team's second-leading rebounder and gives Alabama a physical presence with experience. As for Philon, the freshman guard is capable of a breakout performance on any given day. Just see his 16-point, nine-assist, seven-rebound performance against Illinois back in November or when he scored at least 15 points in four straight games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 18. Philon just has that microwave scoring skill set that can change a game. My gut says the Tide win the SEC, provided they stay healthy.

3. Florida Gators (15-1, 2-1)

Why they will win the SEC: This team is an absolute wagon, and we saw that last week when the Gators thumped Tennessee by 30 in Gainesville. Todd Golden has a top-10 KenPom offense and a top-15 defense with an All-American in Walter Clayton, who is averaging 17.2 PPG and 4.0 APG while shooting 45% from the floor. Clayton and fifth-year senior Alijah Martin, who has Final Four experience with Florida Atlantic and is averaging 16/6/3 on the year, form one of the best perimeter duos in America. Will Richard is a quality complementary piece, Alex Condon supplies the length defensively and interior scoring, and the Gators defend at a high level. This team doesn't have any real holes, similar to Alabama and Auburn, which is what makes this conference race so entertaining.

Why they won't win the SEC: Their collection of road games remaining on the conference schedule are why I think they'll finish just shy of first place. Having already taken a loss at Kentucky, Florida still has to play at Tennessee, Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama. That means you've still got the three best teams in this league away from your house, and it's going to be very difficult to win on the road in this league.

The X-Factor: I'll go with a key bench player in 6-foot-5 guard Denzel Aberdeen. The junior is averaging close to eight points per game and has provided a spark for the Gators, something that's important when teams are focused on taking away Clayton or Martin. Aberdeen totaled 16 points on 5-of-11 from the floor in the win over Tennessee last week and posted 12 points in each of the wins over North Carolina and Virginia.

4. Tennessee Volunteers (15-1, 2-1)

Why they will win the SEC: Sure, the Volunteers got blown out by Florida last week, but they're 15-1 on the season with one of the best players in the country in Chaz Lanier. Rick Barnes and his staff have delivered a slam dunk in the transfer portal with Lanier, who has averaged 19 points per game while shooting 43% from the floor and 45% from 3-point range. The fact that the Vols went from Dalton Knecht last year to Lanier this season is a testament to their ability to find the right fit for their offense from the portal.

Why else can Tennessee win the SEC crown?

As all of Rick Barnes' teams do, Tennessee can defend as well as any team in America. They also have one of the best passers in America with senior Zakai Zeigler, another key supplemental piece in Jordan Gainey, and the post-play from Charlotte transfer Igor Milicic. The Vols have enough to win this league.

Why they won't win the SEC: They don't play a style that's conducive to being able to win high-scoring games, and you can only rely on your defense so much. This is a great team, one that can make the Final Four, but if Lanier has an off-game and Gainey isn't on, it's fair to wonder where their scoring is coming from. They really need to win their next three games: Georgia at home, at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State in Knoxville.

The X-Factor: Jordan Gainey. He only had seven points in last week's loss to Florida, but when he's on, it changes the dynamic of Tennessee's offense. The 6-3 guard has totaled eight games this season in which he has hit multiple 3-pointers. He came up with the game-winning shot at Illinois in what was a tremendous road win and had 16 points in a neutral-site victory over Baylor. Gainey's perimeter shooting is key for this team's title hopes.

5. Kentucky Wildcats (13-3, 2-1)

Why they will win the SEC: Mark Pope's offense is an electric factory and the Wildcats have multiple experienced players who can take on the alpha role late in games. Whether it be Otega Oweh, Final Four hero Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, or even Andrew Carr – and don't forget about Koby Brea's shotmaking – the Cats have so many threats, with five players averaging double figures. The Cats also get the benefit of not having to travel to Auburn, and they get Alabama home first on the schedule. Kentucky hosts Texas A&M on Tuesday night before welcoming the Tide this weekend. Get both of those games and ride that red-hot offense, and the belief of an SEC title is very much in play.

Why they won't win the SEC: The defense is not consistent enough and that's a huge concern, particularly when you have to hit the road. The Wildcats are 87th in KenPom defense and that could cause this team to take some losses that others do not. Now, Alabama made the Final Four last year with a defense that ranked 111th in KenPom. Miami made it with a defense ranked 99th the year before.

The X-Factor: Amari Williams and his presence defensively is really important for this Kentucky team. He fills the stat sheet, averaging 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks per game. I also think Robinson still has his best stretch of basketball in front of him. But Williams gives this Kentucky team something unique, particularly on defense, where they've struggled.

6. Ole Miss Rebels (14-2, 3-0)

Why they will win the SEC: The Rebels are loaded with experience behind lead guard Sean Pedulla, Jaylen Murray, Matthew Murrell and a matchup problem in forward Dre Davis. They also have nine players averaging double-digit minutes per game with a top-30 offense in the country, as well as a top-25 defense. They are led by Chris Beard, who's done a really good job in Oxford.

Why they won't win the SEC: That defense has been inconsistent at times, allowing 80 to Purdue in a loss and 87 in a defeat to Memphis. The closing schedule for the Rebels, if they are hanging around, could lead to them coming up short. Their final four games:

Feb. 26: at No. 1 Auburn
March 1: Oklahoma
March 5: No. 6 Tennessee
March 8: At No. 5 Florida

The X-Factor: The 23-year-old Dre Davis, who changes the game for Ole Miss when he is clicking offensively. At 6-6, Davis plays even bigger than that and is shooting an efficient 47% from the floor while averaging 10.7 points per game. Ole Miss is 10-0 on the season when Davis scores in double figures.

7. Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-2, 2-1)

Why they will win the SEC: The Bulldogs are 14-2 on the season and are rarely out of a game with an offense that currently is better analytically than their defense, which says a lot about their upside because it's typically the other way around. Sophomore guard Josh Hubbard is one of the best players in America that people don't talk enough about, averaging 17 points per game, while the Bulldogs have seven players averaging nine or more points per game. Boston College transfer Claudell Harris has been huge from the perimeter in recent weeks with 19 made triples over the last six games. Harris and Hubbard can keep the Bulldogs in any game.

Why they won't win the SEC: They're 11th in the league in defense and second-to-last in 3-point field goal percentage defense. With road trips to Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama still on the docket, the schedule doesn't set up great, especially when considering they get the Tigers and Vols on the road and don't host either team.

The X-Factor: KeShawn Murphy's interior presence and Riley Kugel's shooting ability are two key areas for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State is 7-0 when Murphy, the junior big man averaging 10 points and seven rebounds per game, scores in double figures. Kugel has been up-and-down in his first year with the program after transferring from Florida, but he can get hot from 3-point land in a hurry. He has to get on track after managing only 17 minutes combined in the last two games.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.

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