SEC basketball starts tonight, y’all! Eleven of the 14 SEC men’s basketball squads tip off on Tuesday night, highlighted by No. 10 Kentucky facing No. 9 Duke in the Champions Classic.

The other 3 teams tip off Wednesday night, meaning basketball season is getting started with a bang!

So, as we dive into the hoops season, what are the biggest storylines we should be paying attention to?

Here are the 10 biggest storylines we’ll be following heading into the 2021-22 campaign:

10. Which freshman will have the biggest impact?

There are certainly plenty of options, as SEC teams other than Kentucky are luring in their share of 5-star recruits these days. I recently ranked my top-5 freshmen entering the season:

I think Smith has a chance to be the best freshman, but I also believe Washington is in a better position to contribute right away for the Wildcats. He’ll have the ball in his hands, which is always helpful for a freshman. Meanwhile, Smith will have to learn the tendencies of Auburn’s point guard and find his place alongside Walker Kessler and others.

Again, I think Smith is a special talent, but John Calipari has a way of getting the most out of his freshmen (last year aside). Give me Washington to be consistently good all year, with Smith coming on strong in conference play.

9. Who will be the first SEC player taken in the 2022 NBA Draft?

You see that list of impact freshmen above? Yeah, it’s going to be one of those guys. I can pretty much guarantee that. Now, if I had to guess, I’d say Jabari Smith. That depends on if he shows he can at least be serviceable from 3-point range, though.

Otherwise, we’re looking at 1 of the point guards being the first SEC player off the board in the draft. I think Kennedy Chandler’s game will translate well to the NBA. Ditto JD Davison. And I think TyTy Washington has the sort of alpha-dog potential NBA teams will fall in love with. The wildcard who isn’t on that list above is another freshman — Kentucky’s Daimion Collins. If he blossoms into an impact big man for the Wildcats, he could quickly rise up draft boards like Isaiah Jackson did last year.

8. Which coaches are on the hottest seats?

Entering the 2021-22 season, I have 4 coaches on the hot seat — Tom Crean (Georgia), Frank Martin (South Carolina), Cuonzo Martin (Mizzou) and Mike White (Florida). Seeing as how Florida has the most potential to make a run in the NCAA Tournament of any of those 4 schools, I’d say White has the best chance to not get fired.

If Georgia remembers it has a basketball program, Crean could be in trouble. However, I won’t fault any Bulldog fan for not paying attention to hoops until mid-January, when Kirby Smart and the football team might be hanging a championship banner over at Sanford Stadium. If the football team keeps eyes off of Crean, he could survive another year. But the product on the court is not going to be good.

7. How will full arenas impact games?

Last year was impacted by COVID-19 in a number of ways, but perhaps the most noticeable was the fact that there weren’t any full arenas across the SEC. This year, we should have some raucous crowds again, adding more of a home-court advantage for teams, especially during conference play.

I’m interested in seeing the winning percentage for home teams this year to compare it to last year. My guess? Fans are going to have a significant impact for the top teams in the league, even more so than in “normal” years.

6. Will the NCAA do anything about LSU/Will Wade?

It seems like the NCAA investigation into LSU has dragged on for years now. But, there are still new nuggets of news coming out of this case. In typical NCAA fashion, nothing is happening quickly. At this point, either suspend/punish Wade for his alleged recruiting violations or leave him alone.

The important thing is to bring this case to an end, one way or another. But, since the NCAA can’t do anything right, we can probably expect the investigation to last another 5-10 years. Meanwhile, LSU will keep chugging right along, playing competitive basketball in the SEC.

5. Can Tennessee fix consistency issues from past years?

In their last 13 regular-season games in 2020-21, the Vols went 7-6, never winning more than 2 games in a row and never losing more than 2 in a row. Their last 7 regular-season games alternated wins and losses.

Not being able to put together a winning streak down the stretch really hampered Tennessee’s ability to develop into a dangerous team come tournament time. This year, many of the same players are back. But, there are also some new faces, including Chandler and fellow 5-star freshman Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. Along with Auburn transfer Justin Powell, those newcomers will have to steady the ship this year, especially when it comes time for SEC action.

4. Has Eric Musselman struck transfer portal gold again?

Arkansas is bringing in 5 transfers this year — Chris Lykes (Miami), Au’Diese Toney (Pitt), Trey Wade (Wichita State), Jaxson Robinson (Texas A&M) and Stanley Umude (South Dakota). Last season, Justin Smith (Indiana) became a star, as did JD Notae, who returns this year for the Hogs.

Musselman is a master at playing the transfer portal, and Arkansas will need a couple of those guys mentioned above to become key players if it wants to make another deep NCAA Tournament run. My prediction? Keep your eye on Lykes. He’s only listed at 5-7, but I think he’s going to be a playmaker for this team.

3. Which team will be the biggest surprise?

My money is on Mississippi State. I love the moves the Bulldogs made this offseason. When Rocket Watts (Michigan State) is healthy, he should be an impact transfer. Garrison Brooks (North Carolina), Shakeel Moore (NC State) and DJ Jeffries (Memphis) should also play big minutes for Ben Howland’s squad.

Add that in with Iverson Molinar returning to lead the squad and Tolu Smith, when he’s healthy, returning in the post and this team has more talent and more depth than in years past. I could see the Bulldogs making a run at a top-4 finish in the SEC this year. They’ll also be a dangerous squad to meet in the SEC Tournament.

2. Will Kentucky bounce back after a historically bad 2020-21 season?

Kentucky doesn’t go 9-16. The final record from the 2020-21 campaign marked the worst-ever season in Wildcats history. So, the obvious question in Lexington is whether or not this year’s team has what it takes to leave last year in the past where it belongs.

The good news? John Calipari has plenty of experience returning, including Davion Mintz, Dontaie Allen, Keion Brooks Jr., Lance Ware and Jacob Toppin. Then, there are the experienced transfers — Oscar Tshiebwe, Kellan Grady, Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick.

Add in all that depth with 5-star freshmen TyTy Washington and Daimion Collins and all of a sudden, we’re looking at a team that is much better equipped to compete in the SEC this year. I truly believe a lack of preseason practices (due to COVID-19) hurt the Wildcats last year. With plenty of preseason work this time around, I expect much different results from Coach Cal and his crew.

1. Can Alabama repeat as regular-season and tournament champs?

My initial answer to this is no. It’s so hard to win both the regular-season and tournament titles in the same year. To do it in back-to-back seasons is utterly dominant. I will pick the Tide to repeat as SEC regular-season champs, though.

Yes, they lost a lot of talent in Herb Jones, John Petty Jr. and Joshua Primo. But, I love Nate Oats’ style of coaching. He works to eliminate inefficient shots from the offense, stressing 3-pointers and getting into the paint. That strategy can win in the SEC even if this team might not be quite as talented as last year’s. He’ll get the most out of role players like Noah Gurley, Keon Ellis and others. If Jaden Shackelford, Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison form one of the best back courts in the league, the Tide will thrive.

I think this team can go 15-3 or 14-4 in SEC play, which should be enough to clinch at least a share of the regular-season title. The SEC Tournament is a crapshoot, though, so I think the Tide fall in the quarterfinals or semifinals there. A deep NCAA Tournament run shouldn’t be out of the question, though.