The SEC may have experienced an overall letdown in the 2018 NCAA Tournament but that has apparently not slowed the momentum the league gained following a banner year in the hardwood.

Following one of the most interesting and contested regular seasons of SEC basketball in recent memory, the league only got better this offseason with the additions of Tom Crean at Georgia and Kermit Davis at Ole Miss. Combining those hires with the return of several veterans and the incoming talent around the league and next season could prove to be the SEC’s best yet in basketball.

That’s not just hyperbole, either, as Ryan Fagan of the Sporting News recently put out his list of way-too-early top 25 for the 2018-19 season and six SEC teams were featured in the top 21 teams in the nation — including two Top 10 teams and five in the Top 16.

Here is a list of the SEC teams on his early radar as well as some of his thoughts on why each program is poised to do big things next season:

#3 Kentucky

Depending on how draft decisions play out, Kentucky could actually have a plethora of “veterans” next season, a legitimately experienced team… The recruiting class is “only” ranked No. 6 right now, but includes a couple of 5-star kids (Keldon Johnson and Immanuel Quickly) and one 4-star recruit (Tyler Herro).

#8 Tennessee

The Vols stunned pretty much everybody this season, and they return pretty much everyone next season, including SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams. When you return everyone from team that earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, that’s a top-10 team.

#11 Auburn

The Tigers didn’t have a single senior on their roster this season, but they do have a handful of folks weighing NBA decisions… Still, with Bryce Brown (15.9), Jared Harper (13.2) and Desean Murray (10.1) expected back, the Tigers will be an SEC contender again.

#13 LSU

LSU has Scout.com’s No. 4 class nationally, including 5-star forwards Nazreon Reid and Emmitt Williams and 4-star recruits Darius Days and Je’Vonte Smart. If Tremont Waters, who averaged 15.9 points and 6.0 assists as a freshman, comes back? This team could really be special.

#16 Florida

The truth is, it’s hard to know exactly how the loss of a do-everything guy like senior point guard Chris Chiozza will impact a team. But he’s gone, as is Egor Koulechov, and Jalen Hudson is testing the draft waters without an agent.

#21 Mississippi State

Ben Howland’s team won 25 games this year without an impact senior, and the Bulldogs have the No. 9 recruiting class coming in for next season. If everyone comes back, this will be one of the SEC’s best squads.