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Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV. Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

NCAAB futures: The SEC is truly a basketball league

By Matt Wiesenfeld | Last updated 11/5/23

Any discussion of SEC basketball has to include Kentucky but the strength of the league the last few seasons has been because of programs like Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas. This season even Texas A&M might be considered a favorite to win the SEC on the hardwood. Sorry, Wildcats fans.

Kentucky once again has the best recruiting class in the conference (and the nation) but being experienced has meant much more across the sport recently so getting talented players that stay or luring them in, are what you really need to succeed it seems.

I believe there are seven teams that "could" win the SEC this season and that is not including Ole Miss who might have the best tactical coach in the league in new bench boss Chris Beard. Let's have a closer look at the conference and see if we can make some plays.

2023-24 SEC Basketball Champion Futures

Tennessee +300
Kentucky +400
Texas A&M +750
Arkansas +800
Alabama +850
Florida +1000
Ole Miss +2500
Missouri +3000
LSU +4000
Vanderbilt +10000
Georgia +10000
South Carolina +25000

Per the intro, I see as many seven teams with at least a shot at winning the SEC this season. That is a big reason why even though Tennessee is at the top of the table they are only +300.

The Vols get a lot of heat for their lack of postseason success and it is justified. That is not what we are getting into here though. This team's rugged style of play makes them a tough out and they have the guards who can score enough to win a lot, again. The team at the top is rarely the best value though. Pass.

Kentucky is the most talented team (probably), if you like NBA potential. There are lottery picks on the squad but that has not been a recipe for success of late. They are still a little too reliant on players without much experience and the freshmen they have are not of the calibre of John Wall and Anthony Davis. Plus if you take them, your brain will be telling you "I told you so" all season long, right?

Texas A&M looks like the best bet to me. The Aggies are very experienced, have great continuity and their coach is very well respected. Lead guard Wade Taylor IV might be the SEC Player of the Year and is part of the league's best backcourt with Tyrece Radford. Maybe they do not have the ceiling of the teams above them in the table but their floor is super high and at +750 the payoff is definitely worth it.

Arkansas is also fascinating to me. I am a big believer in the coach and even though the freshman group they are bringing in is not as good as last year's crop, they have some really nice experience already in place to go with it. Plus, they are a program that has proven they get better as the season progresses so they do not need to have it all figured out on November 5. At +800 there is a lot to like there too.

Alabama and Florida are also very well-coached programs and they are going to take some games from the teams above. By beating up on the teams below them they should be able to amass good overall records and be in consideration for the NCAAs all season long.

Once you get past that cut line there are just way too many questions for each program, mostly about talent. However, I do believe that Ole Miss will be one of the best defensive teams in the country, Beard's teams always are. That gives them an outside shot at going on the run in the SEC Tourney but a lot would have to go right quickly for them to really challenge in the SEC every night.

Mizzou, LSU, Vanderbilt, Georgia and South Carolina: Sorry, there just isn't much to say.

Best Bet: Texas A&M
Sleeper: Arkansas
Deep Sleeper: Ole Miss

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