Every year seems to bring a little more certainty into an SEC that’s not just Kentucky and the 13 dwarves … or Kentucky and Florida and the 12 dwarves … or Arkansas and Kentucky … OK, OK, we’ve all been there. The dividing lines between many of the traditional SEC haves and have nots has worn down. South Carolina and Auburn have made Final Four appearances. Alabama has been a darling of the 3-and-D gurus. Tennessee has become a relative power (postseason issues aside). What will 2022-23 hold? Here are 10 storylines to watch in the next cycle of SEC development.

1. How much better can a National Player of the Year get?

For the first time since Tyler Hansbrough was a North Carolina Tar Heel, the National Player of the Year came back to college. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe is a historic-level rebounder, and a key component in Kentucky’s hopes to return to a Final Four for the first time since 2015. Tshiebwe has allegedly added an improved perimeter jump shot, but he’s dealing with a minor injury to open the season. Kentucky probably doesn’t need Tshiebwe to improve, but it does need him on the court. If Calipari can squeeze any more productivity out of him, it’ll go far toward getting UK back on top of the SEC.

2. Is Kentucky back?

It’s a fair question, and it probably depends on what “back” means. Is this 2012 Kentucky? No. 2015 Kentucky? No. Could it be a team like 2011 Kentucky or 2014 Kentucky that takes some lumps early, figures out its rotation and is dangerous in March? Why yes, yes, it could. There’s more talent than Kentucky has had probably since the Malik Monk/De’Aaron Fox/Bam Adebayo team in 2016. Having actual veteran players can’t help but improve the process. What does Kentucky need to do to prove that it’s back? Probably reach the Final Four … which is a tall order.

3. Is the SEC’s best freshman class ready?

No, it’s not Kentucky, although that’s no disrespect to Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston. It’s Arkansas, where Eric Musselman signed McDonald’s All-Americans Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh. Three teams signed 3 McDonald’s guys — with Duke and Kansas joining the Razorbacks. Now, the bad news for Arkansas is that the top 7 players from last year’s Elite Eight squad are all gone. But the freshmen join with veteran guard Davonte Davis and some intriguing portal additions, including twin brothers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Rhode Island. While much of the SEC (take Kentucky and Tennessee, for instance) has moved toward veteran players, Arkansas is going to be young. Talented, but young.

4. Is Bruce Pearl ready to return to guard-heavy hoops?

Auburn had a fairly frustrating 2021-22 season, despite having as much talent on the roster as at any time in program history. The good news for Auburn is that the backcourt mostly returns. The bad news is that the backcourt was pretty inconsistent a year ago, while Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler held things together. The addition of Johni Broome from Morehead State will help, but not many players could effectively replace either Smith or Kessler. Auburn has tended to be guard-heavy under Pearl, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Tigers play more consistently (and maybe better) this year than last.

5. Can Tennessee get over the hump?

Given the good work by Rick Barnes in Knoxville, the question is no longer whether Tennessee can win — it certainly can. The question is whether Tennessee can win games that matter in March. Looking down the history of SEC teams in the Final Four, there are some surprises: Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina … but there’s no Tennessee. It’s not a situation where Barnes needs a Final Four to justify his performance (no, that’s a Kentucky phenomenon). But given UT’s returning talent (Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James) and additions (frosh Julian Phillips and transfer Tyreke Key), Barnes would love a deep NCAA run.

6. How will the SEC’s Rodney Dangerfield fare at College Station?

A year ago, Texas A&M was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament entirely because of a brutal stretch of its season when it lost close games as if it had massive wagers placed on the opposing team. No, the Aggies weren’t crooked … but they couldn’t have had much worse luck if they had been. Buzz Williams’ Aggies probably aren’t glamorous like Auburn or Alabama — each chosen ahead of A&M in the preseason media poll. They didn’t have a player selected to the All-SEC team either. But blue-collar guys like Henry Coleman III, Tyrece Radford and Wade Taylor IV will make A&M a formidable opponent. Buzz might not get any respect, but he’ll be getting plenty of wins this winter at A&M.

7. Can Alabama reintegrate Jahvon Quinerly in midseason?

Quinerly, an All-SEC level guard, is a star for Alabama and Nate Oats, but he’s still healing from an ACL tear suffered in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Will he be ready for conference play? Can the Tide get by for 2 months without him and then integrate him back into their regular rotation without impacting their chemistry? Alabama does return center Charles Bediako, and adds both some terrific freshmen and transfer guard Mark Sears from Ohio. But the difference between a good Tide team that reaches the NCAA Tournament and does no damage and one that makes a deep run is how well Quinerly gets — and how well Oats gets him back into the swing of things.

8. Which new coach makes the NCAA Tournament 1st?

OK, so this isn’t entirely fair. Lamont Paris at South Carolina is a definite underdog, for instance, to be the 1st of the SEC’s new coaches to reach the Big Dance. Mississippi State’s Chris Jans and Missouri’s Dennis Gates each has a shot, but both teams are probably a player or 2 away. That leaves LSU’s Matt McMahon and Florida’s Todd Golden as the likely suspects. McMahon has tons of talent in Baton Rouge, but they’ll have to be forgiven if they play like they just met each other, because that’s often the case. Only 2 scholarship Tigers return, and a transfer-heavy roster will lean heavily on guys like KJ Williams, who played for McMahon at Murray State. Meanwhile, Florida has a great 1-2 punch in big man Colin Castleton and transfer guard Kyle Lofton. They just might not have much else. Honestly, none of these coaches might make NCAA trips this year. Golden might be the most likely, but it could be a big learning curve for everybody.

9. Speaking of South Carolina, what about GG Jackson II?

Top recruits landing on SEC teams out of the blue haven’t necessarily done particularly well lately. Ben Simmons didn’t exactly work out well at LSU, and Anthony Edwards couldn’t save Tom Crean’s neck at Georgia. But top recruit Jackson is joining a brand-new coach at Carolina in Paris. South Carolina — outside of Jackson — has perhaps the least talent in the SEC. That said, Jackson will be given a tremendous deal of freedom by Paris, who certainly hasn’t coached the top recruit in the nation at Chattanooga. Could a last-place team have the league’s leading scorer? Or will Jackson subordinate his goals to the team concept, and perhaps raise all other boats as a big wave in an otherwise tranquil ocean?

10. Who’s on the hot seat?

No, it’s not Calipari, although another poor postseason might drive Kentucky fans to help encourage him to consider his post-coaching career options. Kermit Davis at Ole Miss is the most likely hot-seat guy. He’s 64-61 there, and after making the NCAA Tournament in his 1st year, the Rebels haven’t returned. The other coaches in the league are either probably going to the NCAA Tournament (and safe), newly hired or Jerry Stackhouse. Which seems to make Stackhouse the de facto No. 2, although his Vandy team made real strides last year and there’s no real cause for impatience for the Dores. The SEC seats are fairly cool after 6 new hires.