The SEC preseason predictions are here, and the experts like Arkansas more than Kentucky

Alabama is the team to beat in the SEC this season.

That much has been assumed for months, and the Crimson Tide’s favored status in the conference was confirmed by the 2024-25 preseason predictions released Monday afternoon on the eve of the league’s annual men’s basketball media day in Birmingham.

The biggest storyline in the SEC this season, however, will be shared by Kentucky and Arkansas, two storied basketball programs that saw sweeping changes over the offseason.

Longtime UK coach John Calipari, of course, is now the new leader of the Razorbacks, bolting Lexington after 15 seasons in charge of the SEC’s marquee program.

Former Kentucky standout Mark Pope was named as Calipari’s replacement in April, and — while the two coaches’ focus will be squarely on their own squads — the college basketball community at large will no doubt be comparing the Cats and Hogs over the course of the 2024-25 season.

The early expectations — among SEC media members, at least — predict that Arkansas will have the better team in year one.

The Razorbacks placed fourth in the league’s preseason poll Monday, with the Wildcats projected to finish eighth in the conference. Kentucky will host Arkansas on Feb. 1, marking Calipari’s return to Lexington and the only regular-season matchup between the two sides.

The SEC is expected to be stacked, with nine teams from the league making the AP preseason Top 25 rankings, which were released earlier Monday, and one more from the conference receiving votes in the poll. (Arkansas was No. 16 in those rankings, with UK coming in at No. 23.)

The most recent update to ESPN’s Bracketology placed 10 SEC teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field, more than any other league in the country. The conference expanded to 16 teams this season, with Oklahoma and Texas joining the league.

The complete predicted order of finish in the SEC media poll that was released Monday afternoon: 1) Alabama, 2) Auburn, 3) Tennessee, 4) Arkansas, 5) Texas A&M, 6) Florida, 7) Texas, 8) Kentucky, 9) Ole Miss, 10) Mississippi State, 11) South Carolina, 12) Georgia, 13) Missouri, 14) LSU, 15) Oklahoma and 16) Vanderbilt.

The preseason All-SEC teams were also announced Monday, with Alabama’s Mark Sears, Auburn’s Johni Broome, Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV, Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. named to the first team.

The second-team selections were Alabama’s Grant Nelson, Arkansas’ Jonas Aidoo, Arkansas’ Johnell Davis, Ole Miss’ Matthew Murrell and Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard.

Kentucky’s Jaxson Robinson was named to the third team along with Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara, Florida’s Alex Condon, South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles and Texas’ Tramon Mark.

Sears was chosen as the league’s preseason player of the year.

The SEC portion of the 2024-25 schedule starts Jan. 4, with Kentucky hosting Florida at 11 a.m. in Rupp Arena, the opening contest of league play.

This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 3:10 PM.

Ben Roberts

Lexington Herald-Leader

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Ben Roberts is the University of Kentucky men’s basketball beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He has previously specialized in UK basketball recruiting coverage and created and maintained the Next Cats blog. He is a Franklin County native and first joined the Herald-Leader in 2006. Support my work with a digital subscription