The 2021-22 college basketball season is almost upon us, with games starting on Tuesday, Nov. 9.

The SEC has a number of teams that should compete for spots in the NCAA Tournament, but we’ll see over the course of nonconference play who looks good and who doesn’t.

So, what are some of the biggest questions facing SEC teams this year? We put together a list of 10 questions and then had our resident hoops experts — Joe Cox and Adam Spencer — debate them.

Here’s a look at what they said in our preseason SEC hoops roundtable:

1. What’s your favorite game on the nonconference slate?

Joe Cox: Duke/Kentucky is definitely on the board, with the Coach K season of retirement vs. Coach Cal season of reinvention narrative. But it’s early, and it feels like Kentucky and Duke will both be very different teams in November than in March.

Adam Spencer: Yeah, that season-opening Champions Classic is always fun, but it doesn’t usually do a good job showing who the best teams really are.

JC: So how about Baylor at Alabama on Jan. 29? The defending champion and the best story in the SEC last year face off in a game that’ll be late enough to actually provide some March insight into both teams. That’s my winner.

AS: I think you’re on the right track as far as the SEC team that is involved, but I’m going with another Crimson Tide game. Give me Alabama heading to Seattle on Dec. 4 for a “neutral-site” game against preseason No. 1 Gonzaga. Man, what a daunting nonconference slate the Tide face this year.

2. Most impactful transfer coming into the SEC?

JC: I really like Justin Powell’s game and wouldn’t be surprised to see him thrive with Tennessee (if he can stay healthy), and all of those Auburn guys will show out (Walker Kessler is particularly interesting, just because he’s not a typical Bruce Pearl dude) but in terms of immediate impact, Oscar Tshiebwe at Kentucky is the guy. Kentucky has a ton of options at guard, but in the post, it’s slim pickings. Frankly, Kentucky’s biggest challenge right now is what to do when Oscar has to sit. After freshman Daimion Collins, Kentucky’s other interior options leave something lacking. A veteran scorer, rebounder and winner, Oscar is exactly what Kentucky needed.

AS: Once again, I see your point, but I think you have the right team, wrong player (it’s great how these debates work, isn’t it?). I’m going with a Kentucky guy you didn’t mention — Georgia transfer point guard Sahvir Wheeler.

No one in the SEC is better at dishing out highlight-reel assists. Wheeler had a ridiculous run of 10-assist double-doubles last season, and that was with a disappointing Georgia squad. Imagine what he can do surrounded by shooters like Davion Mintz, Dontaie Allen and Davidson transfer Kellan Grady. The Wildcats didn’t have a true point guard last year, and it hurt them. That won’t be the case this year.

Now, while we’re on the topic of those Wildcats …

3. What can Kentucky do to leave 2020-21 in the past?

JC: Let’s start with winning some close games.

AS: Let’s start with winning some games, period.

JC: Admittedly, Calipari’s m.o. is to just bludgeon everybody with talent, but particularly early in the season, his teams have made an art form out of winning close games. Until last year, when Kentucky just could not buy a break. Granted, that Kentucky team was never going to be very good, but repeated late-game failure made them even worse than they were. Getting a close win or two will definitely help Big Blue Nation forget the insanity of 2020-21.

AS: So, how do they win those close games? Well, I think a couple of guys we already mentioned will play big roles in that. If Tshiebwe can play the Isaiah Jackson role as a rim protector/shot blocker, it will be a big-time help. Then, if Wheeler can get into the paint and dish the ball out to open shooters, creating more space than guys like Mintz and Allen had most of last year, the 3-pointers will start falling. Hit more 3s, win more games. That’s basketball today.

4. How many SEC teams make the NCAA Tournament?

JC: It’s so early (of course), but I’ll guess 8. Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn feel fairly certain. The others? Tennessee, LSU (because Will Wade literally cannot be taken down), Florida (because they’ll be on the bubble all year), and let’s close it out with Mississippi State, probably doing some big things in the SEC Tournament to fit into the field.

AS: I’ll agree with you on 8. But I think Mississippi State makes the field easily. My bubble teams are Florida, LSU and Ole Miss. I think the Gators and Tigers get in, while the Rebels fall to the NIT.

It’s just awesome how deep this league is, though. If LSU hadn’t lost Illinois transfer Adam Miller to a season-ending injury recently, I’d be a lot higher on Will Wade’s crew, too. Alas, I think LSU is heading for a bubble-straddling type of season.

5. Can Alabama repeat as SEC regular-season and tournament champions?

JC: My initial reaction is no, just because winning both is a difficult task. Looking back at recent teams to do so, most of them are the kind of teams that you wouldn’t doubt winning both — Florida in 2007, Kentucky in 2015. Is Alabama on that level? Not yet. At the same time, winning both isn’t as rare as I thought it was, and there’s no question that Nate Oats’ squad is the “It” team of the era. It’s one thing to have that kind of success, seemingly from nowhere. But when has Alabama basketball ever had a target on its back? Cue recording of John Calipari talking about “being everybody’s Super Bowl.” I’ll stick with no, but the more I think about it, the less crazy it gets for Alabama to win both again. For the moment, I’ll pick them to win one or the other, but not both.

AS: We’ll get into this in a little bit when we pick our regular-season champions (that’s what we in the business call a “tease”), but I tend to agree with you here. I think, if you’re a high-level team, which Alabama is, it’s almost easier to win the regular-season title. You have to sustain your excellence over an 18-game SEC season, yes, but the better teams usually rise toward the top. In conference tournaments, you often see a lower-ranked team get hot and win a few games. So, like you, I’ll say no for this question.

6. Who is your SEC player of the year?

JC: No offense, but it isn’t Scotty Pippen Jr., who won the preseason nod. I’ll go with Jaden Shackelford. Kentucky doesn’t have that recognizable No. 1 player, and the Tide will be the talk of the league for most of the season. When in doubt, the best player on the best team is the safe pick.

AS: I agree with you that Pippen, who is going to put up major numbers, might not get the votes or recognition he deserves if Vanderbilt once again struggles to win games. So, I’m going to go with a guy who received first-team preseason nods from both the media and coaches — Iverson Molinar of Mississippi State. He should have the ball in his hands a lot. And, he’s surrounded by a deeper, more-talented Bulldog roster than last year. That’s going to be a big help. A much-improved player on a much-improved team surrounded by better talent? Sounds like a winning recipe to me.

JC: If you want a long-shot guy …

AS: You know I do!

JC: Darius Days of LSU is a guy who wouldn’t shock me. Will Wade’s team is always dangerous, and Days could have his way against several SEC teams that lack sufficient interior defenders to slow him.

AS: My long-shot guy is Davonte Davis of Arkansas. I absolutely love watching that guy play. Defensively, his work ethic is contagious. He can also dish the ball around the court. If his scoring improves this year, which certainly isn’t out of the question based on how he finished last season, he could be a sneaky Player of the Year candidate.

7. Which coach is on the hottest seat?

JC: There are some candidates here. I don’t see any program with as big of a gap between their ceiling and their present situation as Florida. Mike White doesn’t get a ton of talk, but he’s a guy I’d consider. Some think it’s Frank Martin, and admittedly, Carolina has struggled since his miracle Final Four season. But then again, let’s review that last sentence and note that he took South Carolina to the Final Four. So, the answer is Tom Crean. He’s always been an odd fit at Georgia, he hasn’t won, and he managed to get nothing from Anthony Edwards’ collegiate career. And the outlook isn’t brilliant for the Bulldogs this season, either.

AS: I agree with everything you said about Crean, but does anyone in Athens even realize the basketball season is getting ready to start right now? If the Bulldogs win the football national championship, I think Crean could skate by and last another year. I’ll go with White. He’s been so inconsistent at Florida. Fans are getting fed up. Anything less than a top-4 finish in the SEC and a decent NCAA Tournament run could prompt the Gators to make a change.

8. Best freshman in the league?

JC: Can’t wait to see JD Davison. Wonderful marriage of coach, system and hardcore competitor. TyTy Washington at Kentucky is going to be plenty of fun, too. Both are next-level lead guards, and fans would do well not to blink, because neither will be in college long.

AS: Davison is definitely going to be fun, and you also mentioned Washington, so I’ll mention the other incoming stud point guard — Kennedy Chandler at Tennessee. You talked about Justin Powell earlier. I think Chandler’s going to get him plenty of open looks. And Chandler has Round 1 NBA Draft talent. But my official answer is going to be Auburn’s Jabari Smith. Out of everyone we’ve mentioned, he’s the one with the potential to be a top-10 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. We know Bruce Pearl will give him plenty of playing time to show his skills. Let’s see if he can make the most of it!

9. Potential surprise team?

JC: Can I beat you to the punch and take Mizzou?

AS: Please do. There’s no way I was going to pick Mizzou here!

JC: I always think Cuonzo Martin is a better coach than his current beleaguered fan base thinks, and as a back-against-the-wall kind of guy, I can see him molding this caravan of basketball nomads into a decent team by March.

AS: Count me as among the most “beleaguered” members of the fan base, because I think this is going to be a long year for the Tigers. I am going to go with Mississippi State as my surprise team. The Bulldogs have some star power with Iverson Molinar. Tolu Smith should be back before conference play, and then there are the transfers — Rockett Watts from Michigan State, DJ Jeffries from Memphis, Shakeel Moore from NC State and Garrison Brooks North Carolina. All those guys should play big minutes. If all goes well, this could be a top-4 team in the SEC.

10. Who wins the regular-season title?

JC: Alabama. I think the conference tournament will be both much more competitive and much more indicative of where teams like Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee are standing heading into the NCAA Tournament. The only two ways to compete with Alabama right now are to beat them at their own game, which nobody is doing, or to count on talent to overcome their efficiency, which few can do. I think they’ll win the league by a couple of games.

AS: I’m going to agree with you here. I think Nate Oats is a heck of a coach and the Tide have too much depth and talent to be caught during the regular season. But, I’m also going to side with you on the SEC Tournament. This has the potential to be one of the craziest, most wide-open tournaments we’ve seen in recent years. As things stand right now, I think there are 8 teams that could reasonably win the tournament title. We’ll see!