Star-Studded 2025 SEC Tournament Tips Off in Nashville

NASHVILLE, TN– I have had the honor to preview the SEC men's tournament for three years now, and I’ve never been more excited for southern hoops in Nashville than this year. Earlier in the season, the pundits were saying this season’s SEC could be the best conference– not just this year, but the best ever. At times, experts had 15 of the 16 SEC teams reaching the tournament, and while that number has slimmed down as of late, (now sitting at 13, according to Joe Lunardi’s bracketology) southern hoops are at an all-time high. Due to conference expansion, 16 teams are in Nashville, but we will look at who will play Thursday through Saturday. Let's not waste any more time and preview the NCAA’s premier basketball conference in 2025.

#9 Arkansas vs #8 Ole Miss

The Razorbacks came into this season with high expectations, bringing in former national champion head coach John Calipari and four former Kentucky Wildcats. The Hogs went 11-2 during the non-con and were ranked as high as No. 16 in the AP poll. Then, Arkansas got one heck of a reality check starting SEC play, losing 6 of its first 7 games. The Razorbacks were able to turn it around, largely in part to a trio of Kentucky transfers, Adou Thiero, DJ Wagner and Zvonomir Ivisic. After three tough single digit losses to top-8 teams (No. 3 Alabama, @ No. 8 TAMU, @ No. 1 Auburn) it got back on track with a big win in the Battle Line Rivalry against Missouri and finished the season by winning four of its last five to propel the Razorbacks into a likely tournament appearance. As of now, Lunardi has them as receiving one of the last four byes, and depending on how they fare in Nashville, could crack a top-ten seed.

What an odd year it has been for the Rebels of Ole Miss. Streakiness has defined their season, and not just in the wins and losses column, but their style of play as well. At times, they play a fast-paced offense centered around third team All-SEC guard Sean Pedulla, while on the other hand, they slow down and become stagnant. Ole Miss has major upset potential in March, they have proven they can get it done in the clutch with two wins against top-5 teams (@ Alabama and vs. Tennessee). Pedulla carries most of the load, ranking top 5 on the team in almost every major category, and you can see it in the way they play, everything runs through him. The recipe to beat the Rebels is simple: if you stop Pedulla, get to the cup on offense, and can out-rebound them (which comes easier than you’d imagine) you can beat this team.

#13 Texas vs # 5 Texas A&M

Many college basketball “experts” had the Longhorns deadlocked for a rather disappointing first year in the SEC. Yet, there was a lot to be excited about in Austin this year. Coming off of an NCAA tournament appearance, and a commitment from Tre Johnson, the burnt orange brigade had high hopes. Unfortunately Texas went 2-6 in February, almost a death sentence for their March Madness hopes. Johnson has had an amazing freshman campaign, averaging over 20 points per game, and is a lock to be a lottery pick in this year's NBA draft. As it sits now, they are in the first four out in Lunardi’s Bracketology, and will need to pick up some wins in Nashville to make it to the big dance.

Coming off of a rather disappointing opening night loss to UCF, Texas A&M has had a terrific year. There were big expectations after last year’s team took No.2 Houston into overtime in the second round of the tournament. The Aggies have all but exceeded those expectations, thanks in large part to returning All-SEC first team guard Wade Taylor IV. The bread and butter for the Aggies this year has been their defense. A&M ranks in the top 50 in the NCAA in scoring defense, and in 11 games vs. ranked opponents, have held the opposition to under 80 points in all but 3 of those games. The offense can be shaky at times, especially when Taylor is not hitting, they rank 178th in scoring offense in the NCAA. At the end of the day, the Aggies will have to lock down their drop coverage on defense, and get the ball to Wade Taylor IV if they want to make noise in the SEC tournament. Then again, they don’t need to. Bracketology already has them as a shoe-in for a top three seed, and they don’t have much more to prove.

#10 Mississippi State vs #7 Missouri

Mississippi State has finally re-joined the 20 win club after narrowly missing out last year. Big thanks in Starkville has been directed to Josh Hubbard, who had another productive season and was rewarded with a spot on the All-SEC second team. The Bulldogs have a great offense, ranked number 46 in the country, but it feels like they fail to show up against the big guys. They suffered just one loss in the non-con, a 10-point defeat at home against Butler, and since conference season kicked off they have won against just three of their 10 top-25 matchups. They have also been on the downturn heading into Nashville, dropping four of their last six games. Their defense leaves much to be desired, ranking 248th in the country, and when the tough gets going they are primed to get blown out. If they want a chance in Nashville, they need to get a lead and to the line early.

What a bounce back year it has been for the Missouri Tigers. Yours truly went to every home game during an abysmal season where the Tigers went 0-19 in conference last year. Some called me a masochist, some called me insane. Were they right? Probably. But I believe in what Dennis Gates is building. Last year, I said, “But dang it, I believe in this team, unlike many others.” How about that, the Tigers turned it around for a 20-win campaign and are a lock for March Madness. Granted, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows this year for Missouri, which has lost four of its last five heading into Nashville. That includes an emotional senior day loss vs No. 19 Kentucky. Dennis Gates’ tearful goodbye to the seniors even got yours truly to shed a tear. The bottom line for the Tigers has been defense. At one point they were one of the best defensive teams in the county, but ever since they gave up 98 points in a win over Alabama, it has disappeared. Only once in the past six games have they held their opponents to under 90 points, that being South Carolina. Their offense also leaves questions. Some days Caleb Grill will go off for 20 points, other days it's Mark Mitchell carrying the offensive load. Anthony Robinson gets taken out too quickly at times, and Tamar Bates has been missing in action as of late. Maybe Dennis is letting the horses stay in the stable with March Madness locked up. Only time will tell, but it feels like this team will either make the Final Four or lose in the first round, and nothing in between.

#14 Oklahoma vs #6 Kentucky

Oklahoma came out of the gates hot this year, going 13-0 during non-con. Jeremiah Fears is the whole team, I’m not joking. When he has a good game, the team succeeds, and when he is off, it doesn’t bode well for the Sooners. Not to mention the fact they have one of the worst defenses in the country, ranking 254th in the NCAA. Fears, who committed to Porter Moser and the Sooners due to a disagreement between him and Illinois wanting him to re-classify to next year, is likely leaving Norman for the NBA at the end of the season. Moser has the tools to take this team on a deep tourney run with the team being one of the last four in as of now. Some of you may remember that he took his now-assistant coach Clayton Custer and the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers to the Final Four. Teams who succeed in March usually have one “top dog” player who can handle the offensive load, and Fears can do that. However, their defense worries me, it has cost them games before and I expect the same story will happen in Nashville and in the NCAA tournament.

With Pope Francis’ recent medical problems, Kentucky fans may try to get Mark Pope to take over. It's hard to think of a tougher job in college basketball than Pope had. Coming in after the eventful departure of Coach Cal, UK fans expect a lot from their basketball program. They don’t call them blue bloods for nothing, folks. Pope has rebuilt Kentucky in record-breaking time and the Wildcats are ready to roll for the NCAA tournament. But what a story it would be for Mark Pope to lead his team to an SEC crown in his first year? Kentucky does have their flaws, four of their 10 losses this year have come to unranked opponents, and they have a tendency to play down to their competition. This goes the same for playing higher ranked teams as well, they will usually rise to the occasion and play a tight game. Otega Oweh has become a star in Lexington, and Amari Williams played his big man role exceptionally. However, their defense is brutal. They rank 308th in scoring defense in the NCAA. You read that right, 308th! In their best win of the season against No. 6 Florida, they gave up 100 points. In March, your defense needs to be solid, and looking at Kentucky, I don’t think they are ready yet to make a run. Give Pope another year or two and Kentucky will be right back in the championship contention realm their fans are used to.

Winner of ARK v MISS vs # 1 Auburn

Not too long ago, Auburn was the clear-cut number one team in the country, boasting a 14-2 record vs Quad 1 opponents. Senior Johni Broome was looking like a shoo-in for the Wooden award, and Chad Baker-Mazara was fully embracing the character of the villain of college basketball. The Tigers then suffered two tough losses to A&M and rival Alabama, and experts started to rethink Auburn’s future in March. Let's slow down. Auburn is still one of the best teams in the country, and as of now, top dogs in the south. The SEC regular season champs boast four players on the All-SEC teams, noted bender-of-NCAA-rules Bruce Pearl won SEC Coach of the Year, and Broome was the Player of the Year. The phrase ‘nobody's perfect’ embodies Auburn, as no matter how good they are, they can be beaten. Watching Auburn, you see how good the offense is, top 5 in scoring in the country as well, but their problems start when Broome isn’t on the floor. His absence is big, and the team's rebounding and defense suffer. Not to mention their overall defense isn't the greatest as is, but truly suffers without Broome. Don't get me wrong, I still truly believe Auburn is a great team, but they worry me in March, we’ve seen it in the past. When the Tigers match up with a big, physical team that can shoot the 3, they have floundered (look at Yale last year and Houston the year before). If Auburn wants to succeed in Nashville and in March, rebounds are the name of the game, especially when Broome is sitting down.

Winner of TEX v TAMU vs # 4 Tennessee

Rick Barnes has done it again, folks. It feels like it does not matter who is on the team, Barnes will lead them to 20 wins like it's nothing. Getting Chaz Lanier (no relation to Bob, in case you were wondering) had been a godsend, and Zakai Zeigler has continued to be one of, if not the, best pass-first guards in the country. Add that to the floor spacing Igor Milicic brings, and the late season emergence of Jahmai Mashack, Rocky Top is ready to roll in Nashville. However, don't forget that Tennessee lost the last time they were in Nashville, a one-point loss at Vandy did them in. The Vols have a good but not great offense. Don’t get me wrong, they can score 80 points getting out of bed in the morning, but they haven't reached the 90 point mark since December. Granted, you don’t need an amazing offense when you have the kind of defense Tennessee has. The Vols had a unanimous top-10 defense no matter where you look. At one point, they had the best three point defense in the country. I had the opportunity to see it first hand right behind the Missouri bench when the two faced off in Knoxville. Their defense can crush your dreams and take your soul. I imagine it will be much of the same in both the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Winner of MISS ST. v MIZ vs #2 Florida

I’m going to be super honest here. I pride myself on knowing a lot about SEC basketball, but I did not see this coming. I did not think that Florida would roll through teams the way they have this year. Its win against Tennessee, holding them to 43 points, may still be the most impressive in college hoops this year. The Gators’ defense has blown many away this year, ranking 67th in the country. Pair that with their 7th ranked offense, they have what it takes to succeed in Nashville. Walter Clayton Jr. is one of the best players in the county. I know Gator fans were praising a higher power when he undeclared from the NBA draft last year, and it's paid off. Pair that with Alex Condon’s breakout sophomore season, and the Gators have a lot going for them. Second year head coach Todd Golden has done a fantastic job, and the Gators are primed for a deep run in March. While some analysts don’t think the Gators will be raising a banner this year, I think Clayton will deliver like he has so many times this year, and give Florida fans one heck of a parting gift in March.

Winner of OU v UK vs #3 Alabama

Where do I even start with Alabama? Don't get me wrong, the Tide have one of the best college basketball offenses I’ve ever seen in terms of scoring the ball. However, they have one of the WORST defenses in college basketball to go along with it. Their team is the epitome of yin and yang. Instead of one part completing the other, it does the complete opposite. Alabama’s M.O. is to shoot the lights out of the gym and hope you can't keep up. That doesn’t always work. When a team is up for the challenge, ‘Bama’s defense couldn’t stop a penguin from flying. Five of its six losses have come despite the team scoring 85 or more points, and in only one of those losses have they lost by more than 10, that being a 110-98 defeat against Missouri. Mark Sears is the man for the Crimson Tide, and their offense flows through him. Sears is not a lottery pick, but he can elevate his teammates, especially in the clutch. Watching the team, you would think they can waltz to the Final Four with that offense, but I think the defense will crumble much earlier than people expect. That is no hot take, I’m aware, but I just don’t think they will be able to run and gun their way to a title this year. However, I do think they will have success in Nashville, just maybe not as much as some in Tuscaloosa think.