Previewing Kentucky, Arkansas and more SEC teams

As the 2022-23 men's assemblage hoops play draws closer, ESPN.com's sheet of experts is predicting the bid of decorativeness for the nation's apical conferences. We've already looked astatine the mid-majors, American, Pac-12, Big East, and Big Ten. Now our absorption turns to the SEC.

Anyone inactive believing the SEC is lone a shot league hasn't been paying attraction to the preseason hype successful men's hoops. The aforesaid 5 teams are ranked successful the apical 20 successful some the AP canvass and astatine KenPom: Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn and Alabama.

The past clip you saw John Calipari's Wildcats, they suffered a shocking upset successful overtime astatine the hands of No. 15 effect Saint Peter's successful the circular of 64. Now reigning nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth Oscar Tshiebwe is returning, on with capable veterans (Sahvir Wheeler, Jacob Toppin), apical recruits (Chris Livingston, Cason Wallace) and cardinal transfers (CJ Fredrick from Iowa and Antonio Reeves from Illinois State) to marque the Wildcats a fashionable Final Four prime erstwhile again.

Then again, they'll person their enactment chopped retired for it successful a heavy SEC. Arkansas apt has the league's apical NBA draught prime successful five-star enlistee Nick Smith Jr., portion Tennessee returns respective veterans from a squad with 1 of the champion defenses successful the federation past season.

All of the supra teams are hungry, due to the fact that Alabama (2021) and Auburn (2022) person won the past 2 SEC titles outright. Let's extremity disconnected 2022-23.

Find much preseason investigation here.

SEC 2022-23 superlatives

Player of the Year

Myron Medcalf: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Jeff Borzello: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
John Gasaway: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Joe Lunardi: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

Newcomer of the Year

Medcalf: Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
Borzello: Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
Gasaway: Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
Lunardi: Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas

SEC 2022-23 roundtable

We've already mentioned Kentucky and the unfulfilled expectations from past season. Where bash the Wildcats, who haven't seen a Final Four berth since 2015, acceptable into the nationalist rubric speech successful 2022-23?

Lunardi: If I had to stake a owe outgo today, without seeing a infinitesimal of immoderate game, Kentucky would beryllium my prime for the nationalist championship. The Wildcats person the Player of the Year favourite on with different proven veterans. They besides person the accustomed contiguous contributors coming successful (but not excessively galore truthful arsenic to necessitate a lengthy acclimation period). And, of course, they person the "chip connected their shoulder" origin based connected past season's ignominious NCAA tourney exit.

Gasaway: Start with the information that Kentucky is the archetypal men's squad successful 40 years to person a returning Wooden Award winner. That's a bully jumping-off constituent for immoderate rotation, and Tshiebwe projects to wreak havoc connected the SEC erstwhile again with his rebounding and putbacks. One question volition beryllium extracurricular shooting. Calipari's incoming transfers, Fredrick and Reeves, are expected to assistance there, and they had amended -- returning Wildcats made conscionable 20 3s past year.

Borzello: I deliberation the Wildcats volition beryllium successful the Final Four and nationalist title speech travel March -- though they were besides successful that premix past season, earlier immoderate late-season struggles and ultimately, of course, the shocking upset astatine the hands of the Peacocks. But Tshiebwe is simply a game-changer connected the interior and Wheeler is 1 of the champion constituent guards successful the country. Above all, I deliberation Toppin's show volition beryllium key. He was a standout connected the team's preseason travel to the Bahamas, with a premix of length, explosiveness and inside-outside scoring quality unmatched by anyone other connected the roster. If helium hits his potential.

Medcalf: I deliberation Calipari understands the stakes astir this play and volition bash everything successful his powerfulness to scope the Final Four. I besides deliberation Tshiebwe volition seizure different Wooden Award and travel Ralph Sampson arsenic the lone two-time winner. And helium has capable of a supporting formed to get the Wildcats backmost to wherever their instrumentality basal believes they beryllium each year. But I'm inactive acrophobic astir their 3-point shooting. Kentucky hasn't deed much than 36% of its 3-pointers since 2016. Three of the past 4 nationalist champions each topped 39%. Does Kentucky person the shooters to triumph it all? We'll find out.

Arkansas is stacked with 3 top-15 freshmen, including projected apical 5 draught prime Nick Smith Jr. How overmuch of a situation does this contiguous to Eric Musselman, who antecedently utilized transfer-heavy rosters to scope back-to-back Elite Eights?

FULL highlights from our accumulation triumph implicit Rogers State pic.twitter.com/9DovTRVP6j

Gasaway: Musselman's been the maestro of transfers each the mode backmost to his days astatine Nevada. Now he'll person to muddle done with elite recruits. Poor Musselman! No, actually. Arkansas volition beryllium fascinating to watch. This roster, including transfers Ricky Council IV (Wichita State) and Trevon Brazile (Missouri), is some highly talented and (practically) each new. It reminds 1 a spot of Kentucky rosters of yore, erstwhile Calipari was churning done one-and-dones. If Musselman gets the level of D that past year's set of veterans played, this radical truly volition beryllium special.

Borzello: Impact transfers are antithetic from five-star recruits, particularly erstwhile each 3 -- Smith Jr., Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh -- are projected first-round picks. But Musselman has been capable to premix and lucifer each sorts of rosters, and I deliberation he'll find a mode with this ultra-talented radical arsenic well. Brazile mightiness beryllium the breakout subordinate connected this team. The Missouri transportation finished past play connected a teardrop and has been earmarked for large things successful the frontcourt this season. Aside from chemistry, the happening to ticker aboriginal connected successful Fayetteville volition beryllium 3-point shooting. Who connected this roster tin consistently marque shots?

Medcalf: I mean, Auburn had a clump of talented young players, including Jabari Smith Jr. past season, and looked similar it had Final Four plans until it ran into that miraculous Miami squad. I could spot the aforesaid for Arkansas, and a imaginable Elite Eight repeat. But it volition astir apt instrumentality much clip for this radical to fig it retired than it did past season. And that's fine. As others person mentioned, the beingness of Council IV and Brazile volition help. It's important to enactment excessively that not each apical 10 NBA prospects are created equal. But, everything that's been said to day astir Nick Smith Jr. suggests that he's the existent woody and susceptible of starring this squad connected a run.

Lunardi: The astir important happening to retrieve is that it hardly matters however the Razorbacks look successful November, oregon adjacent December. The assemblage play is truthful (too?) overmuch longer present that determination is plentifulness of clip for aggregate versions of a squad to emerge. Given the youth, Arkansas whitethorn beryllium a sliver overrated arsenic we commencement the year, but yet underseeded travel Selection Sunday. That didn't halt the Hogs successful either of the past 2 NCAA tourneys -- oregon Nevada nether Musselman successful 2018.

Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee each performed good past season, but person besides mislaid important talent. Are immoderate of them positioned to vie for the SEC title this season?

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Santiago Vescovi talks astir his information successful Tennessee's "VOLeaders" programme this summertime and getting to question to antithetic countries for assemblage service.

Medcalf: He's reached the NCAA tourney successful 4 consecutive seasons. He's won astatine slightest 26 games successful 3 of those 4 seasons. His sanction is Rick Barnes, 1 of the astir underrated coaches successful assemblage basketball. That's wherefore it has to beryllium Tennessee. Who would beryllium shocked if the Vols won the league crown? Not me. Santiago Vescovi is 1 of 5 seniors connected this roster, and Barnes besides has Julian Phillips, a top-15 recruit. He wins with teams that are built similar this one, and I fishy helium volition triumph with this crew, too.

Gasaway: I'm picking Tennessee too. No squad from the apical tier of past season's standings is returning arsenic galore possession minutes arsenic the Volunteers. This rotation looks similar it hits the saccharine spot for blending acquisition (Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, Zakai Zeigler, Olivier Nkamhoua) and caller endowment (Phillips, Indiana State transportation Tyreke Key). I won't beryllium astatine each amazed if Tennessee finishes the play ranked No. 1 nationally for adjusted defence astatine KenPom. Plus, the rubber set effect could favour a squad that finished dormant past successful SEC play past twelvemonth for 2-point accuracy.

Borzello: I excessively person Tennessee picked the highest of that trio entering the season, though I inactive judge the Vols are a measurement down Kentucky and Arkansas for the championship. Barnes' squad was playing incredibly good down the agelong past season, looking each spot of a Final Four contender, and brings backmost respective cardinal pieces from that group. If Phillips tin supply immoderate dynamism connected the violative end, the Vols mightiness person the scoring indispensable to marque a run.

One much thing: I deliberation Alabama mightiness person the highest ceiling of this trio -- if everything falls close for the Crimson Tide. That includes Jahvon Quinerly coming backmost healthy, Nimari Burnett regaining his precocious schoolhouse form, elite freshman Brandon Miller surviving up to the hype and the different newcomers making an impact.

Lunardi: I don't deliberation Tennessee will triumph the SEC successful 2022-23, but the Vols perfectly can. They were lone a crippled disconnected the gait past season, and instrumentality plentifulness of experience. The existent contented successful Knoxville is to transportation regular-season occurrence to the NCAA tournament, wherever Tennessee has travel up a bully spot abbreviated of projections successful its 4 trips nether Barnes.

Who oregon what are we not talking astir capable astir crossed the SEC?

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Texas A&M protects its homecourt with a large triumph implicit Oregon, sending the Aggies to the adjacent circular of the NIT.

Borzello: I deliberation it's worthy noting the implicit uncertainty crossed astir of the league entering the season. Sure, assemblage hoops is itself an uncertain athletics to foretell -- but propulsion six coaching changes into the mix, and that's what we look with the SEC. Matt McMahon (LSU), Lamont Paris (South Carolina), Todd Golden (Florida), Chris Jans (Mississippi State), Dennis Gates (Missouri) and Mike White (Georgia) are each taking implicit astatine caller jobs, and lone 1 of them (White) has acquisition arsenic a high-major caput coach. How does McMahon bash with astir an wholly caller roster? What should the expectations for South Carolina beryllium with a first-round prime (G.G. Jackson) connected its roster? Can Golden's marque of hoops construe to Gainesville?

Gasaway: Texas A&M was the lone Division I squad ranked successful the apical 40 nationally for spot of grounds (SOR) past March that didn't perceive its sanction called connected Selection Sunday. The Aggies were robbed, perchance due to the fact that they recorded SEC tourney wins implicit Florida, Auburn and Arkansas astatine the 11th hr erstwhile the committee was facing its deadline. Now Buzz Williams is bringing backmost Henry Coleman III, Tyrece Radford, Wade Taylor IV, Manny Obaseki and Andre Gordon. A&M volition oregon astatine slightest should beryllium connected a mission.

Lunardi: All owed respect, Texas A&M wasn't robbed of thing past March (and this from the feline who had the Aggies arsenic his "last squad in"). Every crippled counts, truthful immoderate honorable valuation of the 2021-22 play indispensable besides see A&M's eight-game SEC losing streak and "we told you so" nonconference schedule. This year's nonleague slate is simply a small spot better, but not truthful overmuch that we tin beryllium definite the Aggies were truly paying attraction to what wounded them the most. This was an contented for years successful the SEC -- agelong since solved, but seemingly the memo ne'er made it to College Station.

Medcalf: I mean, we haven't truly talked astir G.G. Jackson, who decommitted from North Carolina, reclassified into the people of 2022 and committed to South Carolina this summer. This is the caller NIL world. A top-10 enlistee tin beryllium swayed by his ain ambitions and the imaginable payoff for attending a schoolhouse that lacks the pedigree of the powerhouse programs that wanted him. I don't deliberation Jackson lone went to South Carolina owed to NIL. But if the Tar Heels tin suffer a apical subordinate to a rival similar this, it tin hap to anyone successful this caller era. Also, I'm excited to spot however Lamont Paris uses the NBA imaginable successful the archetypal play connected field for some of them.

SEC 2022-23 league champion predictions