Tucker’s Preseason SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Part 2
Credit: University of Mississippi Athletics
By Tucker Harlin
This is Part 2 of my SEC basketball preseason power rankings, featuring 9-12 in ascending order.
12. TEXAS
There are two reasons I’m not high on Texas this year.
For one, the Longhorns are in a rebuild. Guard Tyrese Hunter and forward Dillon Mitchell have both transferred out, and guard Max Abmas and forward Dylan Disu graduated. Chendall Weaver and Kadin Shedrick are now the best returning scoring options for Texas, neither of which were highly productive last season.
Rebuilding leads me to my next question: how does Rodney Terry fare with a roster vastly different than what he’s coached the last two seasons?
Texas was fine when Terry took over in the wake of Chris Beard’s firing, but it regressed noticeably last season with many of the same talented players returning.
As you can imagine, the Longhorns went portal heavy this offseason. Many of these transfers are high profile names, like Arthur Kaluma from Kansas State, Jordan Pope from Oregon State, and Tramon Mark from Arkansas. The two that aren’t from the power five ranks are from the Indiana State team that took the world by storm last season in Jayson Kent and Julian Larry.
The Horns bring in a five star shooting guard in Tre Johnson out of Missouri, one that should figure into the rotation.
I have no question about the talent on this team, just about how Terry can mold it into a cohesive unit.
11. OLE MISS
I think the biggest reason I’m not high on Ole Miss right now is the fact it generally finishes no higher than the middle of the pack in the SEC.
Chris Beard is a very good coach and the Rebels were setting up as the biggest surprise in the SEC in 2023-24. But as the calendar turned to February, the Rebels season took a turn for the worst as they went 2-9 from then on with the only wins coming against an awful Missouri team.
The good news for Ole Miss is the three most productive pieces from last season in Jaemyn Brakefield, Matt Murrell, and Jaylen Murray all return for another year.
Beard’s biggest gets out of the portal this season are Virginia Tech point guard Sean Pedulla and Seton Hall forward Dre Davis. Both averaged over 15 points per game last season.
Belmont forward Malik Dia and UNC Greensboro forward Mikeal Brown-Jones are the Rebels’ top two mid major transfers. Dia actually started his career in the SEC with Jerry Stackhouse at Vanderbilt.
The Rebels went global with four star center John Bol, a 7-1 freshman out of South Sudan. Bol figures to play a role this year with the departures of Jamarion Sharp and Moussa Cisse as rim protectors.
I’m not saying Beard can’t turn Ole Miss around this season, but it’s going to be a challenge with what has already been established across the league.
10. VANDERBILT
This may be the hottest of takes I put in these rankings, but first-year head coach Mark Byington could turn Vanderbilt into the surprise of the year in the SEC.
As you might guess, basically all of Vanderbilt’s roster consists of transfers in 2024-25.
The biggest get in the portal for the Commodores this offseason was A.J. Hoggard, the starting point guard from Michigan State. Hoggard was a key piece for the Spartans under Tom Izzo, so prior experience on the big stage should go a long way in West End this season.
Vandy brings in other transfers with experience in power five ball such as M.J. Collins and Tyler Nickel from Virginia Tech, Dwight McGlockton from Boston College, Kijani Wright from USC, and Alex Hemenway from Clemson.
Add in three more productive mid major guards in Chris Manon from Cornell, Grant Huffman from Davidson, and Jason Edwards from North Texas and you suddenly have a pretty deep roster.
The transfer portal is always a wild experiment, but the Commodores can put the league on notice if this experiment works.
9. SOUTH CAROLINA
The Gamecocks took a few losses in the offseason with Meechie Johnson and Josh Gray entering the portal while B.J. Mack and Ta’Lon Cooper ran out of eligibility.
Guards Myles Stute and Jacobi Wright can still create issues on offense while Zach Davis does the job on defense. In the interior, Collin Murray-Boyles plays a lot bigger than 6-7.
So, why is South Carolina only sitting at #9 after a terrific 2023-24 season?
First, the portal didn’t give the Gamecocks much this offseason. They bring in a consistent scorer in Jamarii Thomas from Norfolk State and Nick Pringle from Alabama to help with depth down low. Jordan Butler came over from Mizzou, but he didn’t see the floor a lot last season.
Second and more importantly, it’s much harder to win once you become the hunted.
Lamont Paris caught the SEC by surprise with the efforts of his team last season, taking the Gamecocks from bottom of the barrel to an NCAA tournament appearance. But Paris is still a younger coach in the SEC and hasn’t experienced the “year after the year” just yet.
Just look at Dennis Gates and Missouri last season. Even Rick Barnes had to adjust against a league that was after his team in 2018-19 and then into 2019-2020.
I still expect South Carolina to play an ugly style of basketball and put forth its best effort at dragging its opponents into the mud. But the SEC is going to be ready for it.
