SEC men’s basketball starts tonight, Monday, Nov. 6, with 11 of the league’s 14 teams in action.

While there are still a couple of weeks before Feast Week tournaments begin, it’ll be nice to get a look at the 14 squads in the early part of the nonconference season. As is the case in college basketball these days, the transfer portal has rendered many rosters nearly unrecognizable from last year’s rosters.

So with a bunch of new faces in new places, who should we look to as the class of the SEC?

Here’s a look at our preseason SEC men’s hoops power rankings:

14. South Carolina

Meechie Johnson will be an exciting player this year for Lamont Paris and company. Myles Stute and BJ Mack are interesting additions from the transfer portal. But beyond that, there isn’t much depth on this team, particularly in the front court. This could be another long hoops season for the Gamecocks, who went 11-21 a year ago, including 4-14 in the SEC.

13. Georgia

The Bulldogs are going to miss Terry Roberts, Kario Oquendo and Braelen Bridges a lot this year. Those were Georgia’s top 3 players last season and they’re all gone. And those Dawgs finished 16-16 overall, 6-12 in the SEC. Justin Hill and Jabri Abdur-Rahim need to step up in huge ways this year or else this team isn’t going anywhere. RJ Melendez is an intriguing transfer from Illinois, but I don’t think he’s going to be enough to push this Bulldogs team toward competitiveness in the SEC.

12. LSU

Jalen Cook (Tulane), Jordan Wright (Vanderbilt) and Daimion Collins (Kentucky) form a trio of transfer players who will be expected to contribute right away for the Tigers, who finished 14-19 and last in the SEC at 2-16 last year. They have the skills to do it, but how high is the ceiling for that team? With returning contributors like Trae Hannibal and Derek Fountain returning, this team should be better than last year’s, but not by much.

11. Vanderbilt

Liam Robbins is gone. Jordan Wright and Myles Stute transferred to other SEC programs. That will hurt the Commodores (22-15/11-7 a year ago). But this is Tyrin Lawrence’s chance to shine. He’ll be the star of this team, along with Ezra Manjon in the back court, forming a solid duo. Like the other teams on this list thus far, there isn’t much depth on Vanderbilt’s roster. But the top-end talent on this team can score a few SEC wins.

10. Mississippi State

Jon Rothstein said it best when it comes to Mississippi State without Tolu Smith.

DJ Jeffries needs to play his best basketball until Smith is able to return. Shakeel Moore needs to take a step forward with his game, too. Can they do it? I think they can, but they’ll need to show it soon. Hubbard is a nice player, but it might take some time for him to develop into a consistent contributor. Get healthy soon, Tolu! The SEC is more fun with you in it!

9. Ole Miss

Ole Miss brought in Chris Beard as head coach this year and he’s already made an impact on the Rebels’ roster. Brandon Murray (Georgetown), Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky), Allen Flanigan (Auburn) and Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State) headline a transfer group that will join incumbents Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield in Oxford this season. That’s a good group of players at Beard’s disposal. I might have to bump this team higher if the Rebels look good over these next couple of weeks. A lot of potential in Oxford!

8. Florida

Riley Kugel was a nice surprise last year. Now he’ll look to take another step forward as a scorer and playmaker. He could develop into the leader of this squad. Will Richard is another guy who will have to take on more of a scoring load this year. But the season will hinge on how much of Colin Castleton’s production Marshall transfer big man Micah Handlogten can replace. He should be fine out of the gates defensively. We’ll see if his offense can come along quickly for Todd Golden’s Gators, who were 16-17 overall, 9-9 in the SEC in his first year.

7. Mizzou

Nick Honor, Noah Carter, Aidan Shaw and Sean East II form a legitimate group of potential starters for Dennis Gates and his staff. Tamar Bates comes over from Indiana as an interesting portal prospect. Kobe Brown’s brother, Kaleb, should be ready for a bigger role. Without Kobe Brown, D’Moi Hodge and DeAndre Gholston, though, the Tigers need to replace a lot of scoring (more than 32 points per game).

6. Alabama

It terrifies me to pick Alabama this low. I’ve seen what Nate Oats can do in quickly getting a roster into shape and playing great basketball. Right now, though, I just don’t see the top-end talent on this roster that will allow it to compete with some of the top teams in the SEC. The Tide (31-6/16-2 a year ago) will still be an above-average SEC team and should make the NCAA Tournament, but unless Mark Sears and Rylen Griffin take huge steps forward, this team could struggle come SEC play. Grant Nelson is a name to watch, as he could be among the league’s top bigs after transferring from North Dakota State.

5. Auburn

Auburn has a lot of familiar faces returning to The Plains, led by Johni Broome in the post. KD Johnson, Jaylin Williams, Dylan Cardwell and others are also back for another go. If a couple of other guards emerge alongside Johnson, the Tigers could be a lot of fun. Denver Jones could be one of those guys. A push for the top 3 is possible if all goes well at Auburn, which finished 21-13/10-8 a year ago.

4. Kentucky

How much do you believe in Kentucky’s freshman class? How you answer that question will determine how far you think the Wildcats can go. Antonio Reeves will return to provide some veteran presence for John Calipari’s squad. Tre Mitchell from West Virginia will have to anchor things inside. But the Wildcats have Camden teammates Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner entering as 5-star players. Justin Edwards out of Philly is a 5-star guy and the No. 3 player in the entire recruiting class. Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham are 4-star players. If Reeves and Mitchell can set the tone as veterans, the freshmen could quickly develop into a team that can help Kentucky compete for an SEC title.

3. Arkansas

The Hogs have a tendency of starting slow in SEC play before rounding into form come February and March. That’s not a bad strategy, as you’d rather be playing your best basketball at the end of the year than at the beginning. Once again, coach Eric Musselman will have to get some new contributors up to speed. I’m excited to see how well Tramon Mark and El Ellis fit in alongside Devo Davis in the Hogs’ backcourt. Trevon Brazile returns from injury and Makhi Mitchell will join him in the Hogs’ frontcourt. This is a solid team. Can Muss once again work his magic and go on a deep March Madness run?

2. Texas A&M

Wade Taylor IV is one of my favorite players to watch in the SEC. Tyrece Radford, Julius Marble and Henry Coleman III returning provides great stability for Buzz Williams’ squad. This team has a lot of experience playing together, and that has already led to some solid results. This year, the Aggies will compete for an SEC regular-season title and will continue to be a team no one wants to face come tournament time.

1. Tennessee

I was on the fence about Tennessee or Texas A&M at No. 1 in the SEC power rankings this year … until I saw this:

No Zakai Zeigler? No Santiago Vescovi? No problem for the Vols, who have perhaps the most experienced roster in the SEC. Josiah-Jordan James is back. Jonas Aidoo is back. Jordan Gainey and Dalton Knecht come to Rocky Top via the transfer portal. Jahmai Mashack could be ready to step into a bigger role.

With so many of the SEC’s top teams suffering major personnel losses heading into this season, Tennessee’s consistency makes it No. 1.

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