2024-25 College Basketball Conference Preview: SEC Fantasy Outlook

The SEC is taking on a new look this season with Texas and Oklahoma coming over from the Big 12. Those are obviously two big brands in the sport, and they will both hope to have a smooth transition into 20 games of SEC play this season. The other huge shakeup in the conference was John Calipari leaving Kentucky to go to Arkansas. He was able to take several players with him and should have Arkansas up and running as a contender right away. Kentucky will be chock-full of new transfers this season, with coach Mark Pope getting brought over from BYU to try and help Kentucky get back to competing for titles again. Then you have Alabama, who very well could be the preseason No. 1 heading into the season after coach Nate Oats took the Crimson Tide to the Final Four and brought in a wealth of talent in the offseason. Tennessee won the SEC Regular Season Championship last season and will look to try and replace SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht. 

Modern college basketball has about as much player turnover as any sport you can think of. While NIL has led to players staying in school longer, their loyalty is another whole question entirely. Every offseason, coaches have to recruit their own players back as much as trying to recruit kids out of high school or in the transfer portal. Programs all over the country have plenty of money to throw around at players and get them to commit for even just a season. It's never been easier to transfer and be productive right away. That can certainly be hard for fans to keep up with.

Alas the reason we do these conference preview articles for college basketball. We'll take a look at all the big offseason transfer/high school additions and what the departures and additions mean for those players returning. The goal is to help anyone playing in fantasy leagues that include the SEC to be able to make decisions on top players to target in any particular category and highlight some under-the-radar players who hopefully can help you win your league this season.

Top Players

Overall: Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn  

Mark Sears certainly has a great argument to be placed here, but Broome having center eligibility and filling up the stat sheet across the board is just too much in my mind to not give him the nod as the No. 1 fantasy player in the SEC. Broome will make use of his fifth year of eligibility to return to Auburn for a third season with the Tigers. He ranked top-10 in the SEC in points (16.5 PPG), rebounds (8.5 RPG) and blocks (2.2 BPG) last season. Broome also averaged over three assists over the last eight games and shot over 35 percent from three on the season. I expect him to continue to find open teammates when doubles come and continue to develop as an outside shooter. With Jaylin Williams gone in the frontcourt, Broome should get even more room on the inside this season. This team as a whole will be motivated to avenge a first-round loss to Yale in the NCAA Tournament. 

Also Considered: Mark Sears, G, Alabama; Johnell Davis, G, Arkansas; Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M; Walter Clayton, G, Florida; Collin Murray-Boyles, F/C, South Carolina 

Scoring: Mark Sears, G, Alabama  

Sears' 21.5 PPG last season was just shy of Dalton Knecht's 21.7 PPG for the top scoring man in the SEC. I think you have to put Sears as the frontrunner to lead in that category this season after he decided to use his final year of eligibility to run it back following Alabama's trip to the Final Four last season. While he only stands at 6-1, Sears is a pick-and-roll maestro that knows how to use leverage to get downhill and attack the basket. He also shot nearly 44 percent from three last season. While Aaron Estrada and Ryland Griffen exit on the perimeter, the Tide brought in Chris Youngblood (15.3 PPG), Houston Mallette (14.6 PPG) and Aden Holloway (7.3 PPG) to go along with a returning Latrell Wrightsell (8.9 PPG) in the backcourt. That's a lot of mouths to feed, but the high pace and space of Nate Oats offense certainly lends itself to a lot of opportunities. Wade Taylor is a close second for me here coming off a season he averaged 19.1 PPG and saw running mate Tyrece Radford (16.5 PPG) depart in the offseason. 

Also Considered: Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M, Walter Clayton, G, Florida; Josh Hubbard, G, Mississippi State; Johnell Davis, G, Arkansas; Jaxson Robinson, F, Kentucky

Rebounding: Andersson Garcia, F/C, Texas A&M  

What if I told you the guy who led the SEC in rebounding last season started four games? That was Garcia, who proved to just be a menace to block out with his relentless hustle. He stands at just 6-7, 215 pounds, but he led the way for an Aggies team that was tops in the country in offensive rebounding. He put together a lot of Dennis Rodman-like lines with two points and 13 rebounds, which does limit his overall fantasy upside, but if you're in need of rebounding help, look no further than Garcia. There's a decent chance he continues to come off the bench with Pharrel Payne (10.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG), Henry Coleman (8.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG) and Solomon Washington (7.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG) also options in the frountcourt. Cameron Matthews could be right in the mix too for the rebounding crown in the SEC with Mississippi State losing Tolu Smith (15 PPG, 8.1 RPG), D.J. Jefferies (5.6 RPG) and Jimmy Bell (4.9 RPG). Matthews, like Garcia, is undersized for a guy likely to see a lot of minutes at center, but Matthews also provides upside in scoring (9.4 PPG), assists (2.9 APG) and steals (2.1 SPG). 

Also Considered: Cameron Matthews, F/C, Mississippi State; Clifford Omoruyi, C, Alabama; Collin Murray-Boyles, F/C, South Carolina; Jalon Moore, F/C, Oklahoma; Jonas Aidoo, F/C, Arkansas

Assists: Zakai Zeigler, G, Tennessee  

Zeigler has led the SEC in assists the last two seasons and there's no reason to think he won't make it three in a row. While the Vols will lose key targets in Dalton Knecht (21.7 PPG), Josiah-Jordan James (8.4 PPG) and Santiago Vescovi (6.3 PPG), they do bring in some exciting transfers in Chaz Lanier (19.7 PPG), Igor Milicic (12.8 PPG) and Darlinstone Dubar (17.8 PPG) for Zeigler to find, along with Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey back for another season. Zeigler is poised for easily his best season yet as a senior, and his assists numbers should be up there with not just the best in the SEC, but the best in the nation. A.J. Hoggard has been amongst the best assist-men in the Big Ten the last few seasons at Michigan State. His move to Vanderbilt was an interesting one, but there's certainly a lot of upside for fantasy players on a roster with a lot of unknowns. 

Also Considered: A.J. Hoggard, G, Vanderbilt; Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M; Walter Clayton, G, Florida; Tony Perkins, G, Missouri; JP Pegues, G, Auburn; Sean Pedulla, G, Mississippi

Center: Collin Murray-Boyles, F/C, South Carolina  

Murray-Boyles didn't have quite the season GG Jackson did as a freshman in 2022-23, but it wasn't too far off. Murray-Boyles took off towards the end of last season and averaged 14.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.5 SPG and 1.3 BPG over his last 13 contests. With BJ Mack (13.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG) now out of the picture, Murray-Boyles will have more offensive upside, even with Nick Pringle coming over from Alabama, who is a more defensive player. South Carolina surprised a lot of people going 26-8 last season, and while I don't think they will fair as well in 2024-25, Murray-Boyles could end up getting a few SEC POY votes. Matthews would be my next pick here for center eligible players not named Johni Broome, but Jalon Moore also deserves a mention for what I think he could do this season on a pretty thin Oklahoma roster. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 block and 1.1 three-pointers over the final 12 games last season. 

Also Considered: Cameron Matthews, F/C, Mississippi State; Jalon Moore, F/C, Oklahoma; Amari Williams, C, Kentucky; Clifford Omoruyi, C, Alabama; Jonas Aidoo, C, Arkansas; Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee

Freshman: Asa Newell, F/C, Georgia  

Newell is really everything you want from a modern big. He has true face-up skill, can shoot from the perimeter at a high clip and is an explosive athlete. Newell will be able to come right in and give opposing coaches fits on how they want to handle this 6-11 freak. He will more than likely slot right in at power forward next to another stellar freshman in Somto Cyril, who is more of a defensive-minded center. Coach Mike White has gone 16-16 and 20-17 in his first two seasons at Georgia, but 2024-25 could see the Bulldogs challenging for a return to the NCAA Tournament thanks to these two freshman, and in particular Newell and his unique offensive skills. Texas' Tre Johnson is the highest rated recruit in the SEC, and I expect him to have a solid season as the likely starting shooting guard around a starting five with a wealth of experience. Arkansas' Boogie Fland and Karter Knox are both among the top incoming offensive freshman, and new coach John Calipari certainly knows how to deal with talented young players and get them to produce out of the gate. 

Also Considered: Tre Johnson, G, Texas; Boogie Fland, G, Arkansas; Karter Knox, F, Arkansas; Somto Cyril, C, Georgia; Cam Scott, G/F, South Carolina; Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma; Tahaad Pettiford, G, Auburn

Sleepers

Alex Condon, F/C, Florida

Condon was the backup center much of last season to Micah Handlogten and really did excel in that role as a freshman, averaging 7.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in just 20.3 minutes per contest. Condon's outlook for this upcoming season took a step up after Handlogten suffered a devastating ankle injury that will force him to take a redshirt. The team did add another big in Rueben Chinyelu from Washington State and signed 7-9(!) Olivier Rioux out of high school, but it's pretty clear that Florida is going to be most successful playing through its strong trio of guards and having a pretty mobile big like Condon manning the middle. Expect his numbers to be up across the board, and his development of the outside shot could go a long way to increasing his fantasy value. 

Chad Baker-Mazara, F, Auburn

Baker-Mazara coming on down the stretch of last season was a big reason why Auburn was able to win the SEC Tournament. It's also worth mentioning that his early ejection from the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Yale was a big hit to that team and definitely played a role in why the Tigers ended up falling. I think this is a season in which Baker-Mazara can rebound and have a really formidable senior year. The 6-7, 180 pounder is probably not your ideal four-man, but I think he is the perfect complement to Broome due to his length and shooting ability from the perimeter. There's reasonable upside here for solid contributions in every category while taking Jaylin Williams' spot in the lineup.

Silas Demary, G, Georgia

I've already mentioned some of the nice freshman pieces coming in for the Bulldogs, but Demary will be the guy that makes everything go for this team. Demary is a big point guard at 6-5, which gives him pretty solid rebounding upside for the position, and also helps him to get his long arms in passing lanes and likely lead this team in steals as well. There's also underrated upside in assists with a sharpshooter in Blue Cain and a proven scorer in Tyrin Lawrence on the wings, along with one of the best lob catching threats in Newell. Demary only shot 30 percent from three last season, but improvements in that area in the offseason could cement him as one of the top PG's in a conference with a lot of really good PG's. 

Kadin Shedrick, C, Texas

Shedrick deserves some love here. After three seasons with Virginia, the 6-11 center made the move to Texas and turned in a pretty solid season (7.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.1 BPG) for the Longhorns. The difference is now there is that Shedrick doesn't have a Dylan Disu (15.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG) or Dillon Mitchell (9.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG) to compete with in the frontcourt. This is going to be a lineup that features primarily perimeter players with Jordan Pope, Tre Johnson, Tramon Mark and Arthur Kaluma around Shedrick. Indiana State transfer Jayson Kent could take some minutes away from Shedrick, but I think the veteran offers more to Texas due to his much-needed shot blocking presence. Shedrick was one of the ACC's leader in blocks at 1.9 BPG back in 2021-22 with UVA, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him closer to that number this season, along with a significant bump in rebounds without Disu and Mitchell in the mix.

Also Considered: Tamar Bates, G, Missouri; Will Richard, G, Florida; Trevon Brazile, F/C, Arkansas; Sam Godwin, F/C, Oklahoma; Manny Obaseki, G, Texas A&M; Jahmai Mashack, G, Tennessee; Blue Cain, G, Georgia; Tyrell Ward, F, LSU

Transfers

Johnell Davis, G, Arkansas

Davis was one of the top transfers in the country and could really put Arkansas on the map to be a legit contender in the SEC in Year 1 of the John Calipari era. Davis was a key part of FAU's run to the Final Four in 2023 and then put together an AAC Player of the Year campaign last season, averaging 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 three-pointers and 1.4 steals per contest. Some of those numbers could take a slight dip with all the talent around him in Fayetteville, but coach Cal has certainly shown no lack of offensive production from his teams in recent years even if the defense hasn't be able to follow suit. There's certainly some things to figure out -- one being which pieces fit the best together in the backcourt with options like D.J. Wagner, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond -- but make no mistake, Davis is going to be the leader of this young team and the go-to-guy down the stretch of every game. 

JP Pegues, G, Auburn

Auburn is coming off a great season, but one thing it did lack was a dominant guard. Tre Donaldson, K.D. Johnson, Aden Holloway and Denver Jones were all nice pieces, but it felt like there was nobody that coach Bruce Pearl really trusted to be that go-to-guy down the stretch in the backcourt. The great Pearl teams of old seemed to have those guards that could consistently create offense. It's been six years since guards Jared Harper and Bryce Brown led Auburn to a Final Four, but brining in a player like Pegues could be the piece this team was missing last season, especially given all their frontcourt and wing options to go to. Pegues is coming off a terrific season at Furman that saw him average 18.5 points, 4.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 three-pointers and 1.1 steals per contest. Pegues is a player that Pearl will be able to trust to make the right decisions, and I think is really one of the best transfer pickups among the top contending teams. 

Jaxson Robinson and Andrew Carr, F, Kentucky

Kentucky had to completely rebuild its roster after John Calipari left and the team brought in Mark Pope from BYU to be the next head coach in Lexington. There are a lot of transfers I could highlight here for them, but I think the two most impactful from a fantasy perspective next season will be Jaxson Robinson and Andrew Carr. Robinson followed Pope from BYU and gives them a reliable scorer to build their offense around. Robinson started only six games last season, but still put up 14.2 PPG and 2.5 three-pointers per contest. There's a real chance Robinson leads the Wildcats in scoring next season, and he and Koby Brea (3.0 3PM) make quite a scary shooting duo. Carr, on the other hand, can really do it all. He is coming off his most productive season at Wake Forest in which he averaged 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 three-pointers per contest. Carr's versatility is impressive. The 6-11 big man is a more natural power forward alongside either Amari Williams or Brandon Garrison, but he also has the size to play center and make Kentucky one of the hardest offenses to defend in the SEC due to his shooting ability from the perimeter.

Jordan Sears and Cam Carter, G, LSU

It could be another disappointing season in Baton Rouge from a winning percentage perspective, but the Tigers will feature possibly the most underrated backcourt duo in the entire SEC. Let's start with Jordan Sears who was one of the top scorers in the nation last season at Tennessee-Martin at 21.6 PPG. He also put up 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.3 steals per game while shooting over 43 percent from deep. Sears led his team on a seven-game win streak to end the regular season before falling to Morehead State in the OVC Tournament and during that stretch averaged 27.6 points, 6.1 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.4 three-pointers per contest. Sears makes for a great fit alongside Cam Carter, who is coming off a career-best season at Kansas State, where he put up 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 three-pointers and 1.4 steals per game. Both these guards are physical and are not afraid to take it inside against bigger defenders. LSU will play fast under coach Matt McMahon and allow both Sears and Carter to dictate the game offensively. 

Tramon Mark, Arthur Kaluma and Jordan Pope G/F, Texas

How about a trifecta of transfers? Coach Rodney Terry's squad will have a different look this coming season led in large part by these three key gets in the transfer portal. Both Mark and Kaluma have a wealth of postseason experience from their times at Houston and Creighton, respectively. Last season, Mark played with Arkansas and Kaluma with Kansas State, and while the team success wasn't the same, both players learned how to be true go-to-guys as first or second options on a power conference team. Mark has long arms and excels at getting in passing lanes. He also shot a career-best 36.4 percent from three last season and averaged 16.2 PPG. Kaluma is the perfect small-ball power forward at 6-7 225 pounds with a great motor on the glass and solid stroke from deep. He averaged career-highs in points (14.4 PPG), rebounds (7.0 RPG), assists (2.0 APG) and three-point shooting (34.5 percent) last season. Pope should instantly fill the starting PG role for the Longhorns after he averaged 17.6 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 three-pointers per game last season at Oregon State as a sophomore. He has started 63-of-64 career games and has all the tools you are looking for in a modern-day PG. Add in a dynamic scoring freshman in Tre Johnson and true shot-blocker in Kadin Shedrick, and Texas has a solid case as the best starting five going into its first season in the SEC. 

Also Considered: A.J. Hoggard, G, Vanderbilt; Igor Milicic, F, Tennessee; Kanye Clary, G, Mississippi State; Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee; Amari Williams, C, Kentucky; Mark Mitchell, F, Missouri; Sean Pedulla, G, Mississippi; Jamarii Thomas, G, South Carolina; Tony Perkins, G, Missouri; Chris Youngblood, G, Alabama; Tyrin Lawrence, G, Georgia; Pharrel Payne, F/C, Texas A&M; Zhuric Phelps, G, Texas A&M; Alijah Martin, G, Florida; Dre Davis, F, Mississippi; Miles Kelly, G, Auburn

Top-10 Players*

1. Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn
2. Mark Sears, G, Alabama
3. Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M
4. Walter Clayton, G, Florida
5. Johnell Davis, G, Arkansas
6. Collin Murray-Boyles, F/C, South Carolina
7. Josh Hubbard, G, Mississippi State
8. Matthew Murrell, G, Mississippi
9. Cameron Matthews, F/C, Mississippi State
10. Jalon Moore, F/C, Oklahoma

*Note: These rankings are at the discretion of the article author, and may not necessarily correspond with RotoWire's official 2024-25 player rankings.

Projected Team Standings

1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. Arkansas
4. Texas A&M
5. Tennessee
6. Texas
7. Florida
8. Mississippi
9. Kentucky
10. Mississippi State
11. Georgia
12. South Carolina
13. Missouri
14. LSU
15. Oklahoma
16. Vanderbilt

Eight teams have made the NCAA Tournament from the SEC in each of the last two seasons, but I think that number could reach double digits this coming season. The Big 12 still has to have the crown as the best basketball conference in the country because of all the title-contending teams at the top, but the SEC is not far off. Alabama has a ridiculously talented roster from top to bottom this season. Auburn and Texas A&M are bringing back a ton of production from last year while making a few nice offseason additions. Then you have programs like Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas -- teams that all made waves in the transfer portal this offseason. 

I think the SEC team rankings break into three tiers. The top six teams are all legit contenders for the SEC title, the next six teams (No. 7-12) all have the roster and upside to make the NCAA Tournament, and the bottom four teams all have some rebuilding to do to get in the discussion. Kentucky will probably be the most interesting team to watch to see how coach Pope is able to put all these different pieces together. They have the upside to be in the mix for the SEC title, but also the floor to completely miss the tournament. Georgia is another intriguing team with with those two great freshman bigs along with a number of other strong transfer additions. I trust coach Mike White to get things figured out and potentially lead Georgia back to the tournament. This year's South Carolina who came out of nowhere to challenge in the SEC might be Missouri, who won exactly zero games in the SEC last season. Coach Dennis Gates put together a big haul both in the transfer portal and from the high school ranks. Those 10 players including Mark Mitchell (11.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG) and Tony Perkins (14 PPG, 4.6 APG) coming in will make for a very competitive camp alongside leading returning scorer Tamar Bates (13.8 PPG). 

At the end of the day, I believe it will be a battle between Alabama and Auburn for the SEC crown this coming season, and they are also the two teams I see that are most likely to be able to challenge for the national title out of this conference. Shooting, skilled bigs, playmaking guards, interior length, depth, experience, coaching; they really check all the boxes. 

Projected Team Rotations

For a full array of college basketball stats with additional categories, check out our 2024-25 College Basketball Player Stat Projections.

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