SEC basketball preseason poll: Florida lands No. 1 spot ahead of 2026-27 season
By Ethan Stone
Published:
The 2026-27 SEC basketball preseason media poll was posted on Monday afternoon. In an unsurprising development, Florida has been picked to finish first in the league after retaining Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon — a unit that won the Gators a national title in 2024-25.
Next up is Texas, led by TCU transfer David Punch and veteran Horns C Matas Vokietaitis. Sean Miller’s squad is looking to make another push after advancing to the Sweet 16 last season.
At 3rd are the Arkansas Razorbacks, another young John Calipari team supplemented with veteran talent such as Billy Richmond, Furman transfer Cooper Bowser and guard Jeremiah Wilkinson out of Georgia.
Predicted to finish 4th is Tennessee, led by head coach Rick Barnes and a host of high-end transfers such as Juke Harris, Jalen Haralson and Terrence Hill. The Vols have made it to 3 straight Elite 8s and are looking to advance to the first Final Four in program history.
Here’s a look at the full predicted order of finish:
- Florida
- Texas
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Vanderbilt
- Kentucky
- Mizzou
- Texas A&M
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina
The season is set to tip off on Monday, November 2. The first game of the year featuring an SEC program is Monday’s meeting between Florida and Miami in Tampa.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
