Grading how every SEC team performed in 2024-25

Before the absorption afloat shifts to the 2025-26 men's assemblage hoops season, we're evaluating however this past play went.

With grades for the ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 already in, we're moving connected to the SEC -- our last study paper of this series. With a record-setting 14 NCAA tourney bids successful 2024-25, it's nary astonishment the SEC earned the astir A grades of the 5 conferences we've covered, and lone the 2nd without a azygous F.

Part of this process is straightforward: A bully squad that played similar a bully squad volition gain a beardown grade, and a bully squad that played similar a atrocious squad volition not. But it volition beryllium analyzable for definite teams. Some had title dreams. Others hoped to triumph conscionable 1 game. Either way, we are judging each squad's play based connected preseason expectations portion offering grace connected a case-by-case ground for immoderate unfortunate midseason events.

Note: Teams listed successful alphabetical bid nether each grading tier.

Jump to a team: Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | LSU | Mississippi State | Missouri | Oklahoma | Ole Miss | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas A&M | Texas | Vanderbilt

A grades

Alabama Crimson Tide

Grade: A

Grant Nelson and Mark Sears -- 2 starters from the squad that mislaid to UConn successful Alabama's archetypal travel to the Final Four successful 2023-24 -- returned to assistance the Crimson Tide vie for the SEC crown, making Alabama the casual prime to triumph the league rubric successful the SEC's preseason poll. While the Crimson Tide yet finished 3rd down rival Auburn and Florida, they inactive boasted the champion discourtesy successful the nation's strongest conference. Sears, an AP first-team All-American, led their electrical scoring onslaught to the Elite Eight, wherever Alabama mislaid to Duke.

Auburn Tigers

Grade: A

From Jan. 13 to March 3, Bruce Pearl's programme was ranked No. 1 successful the AP apical 25 portion connected a 20-1 run. Led by Wooden Award contender Johni Broome, the Tigers won the league title successful the No. 1 league connected KenPom. Although they mislaid to eventual champion and SEC rival Florida successful the Final Four, Auburn -- which had conscionable 3 NCAA tourney appearances successful 30 years earlier Pearl's accomplishment successful 2014 -- had a singular season, with the astir wins (32) successful programme history.

Florida Gators

Grade: A

Last summer, Walter Clayton Jr. withdrew from the NBA draught to instrumentality to Florida aft a play worthy of an All-SEC first-team selection. He wanted to hole for the pros portion helping the Gators triumph astatine the highest level successful assemblage basketball. Todd Golden had the solution: He moved Clayton to constituent defender and added endowment similar Florida Atlantic transportation Alijah Martin, which helped the Gators seizure their 3rd nationalist title (and their archetypal since 2007).

The Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament, Clayton besides enactment himself successful presumption for a imaginable first-round enactment successful this summer's draught -- helium is projected to spell 29th wide successful ESPN's latest mock.

Kentucky Wildcats

Grade: A

There volition ever beryllium a "what if?" constituent to this season, Mark Pope's archetypal arsenic the caput manager of his alma mater, with apical transfers Kerr Kriisa, Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson each missing important clip owed to injuries. But the Wildcats ne'er made excuses connected their mode to securing 1 of the country's astir awesome résumés; wins implicit Duke, Florida and Tennessee (twice) stamped a play that featured 8 top-30 KenPom wins.

It was a ascendant debut for Pope, who had to physique the roster from scratch pursuing John Calipari's departure to Arkansas and took the Wildcats each the mode to the Sweet 16, wherever they mislaid to rival Tennessee. One of America's apical offenses besides matured into a respectable antiaircraft team, clocking successful astatine 51st nationally successful antiaircraft efficiency.

Missouri Tigers

Grade: A

After a triumph implicit Wichita State connected Dec. 23, 2023, Missouri recorded conscionable 1 triumph for the remainder of that season. As a result, manager Dennis Gates, who had led the squad to the NCAA tourney the erstwhile year, faced questions astir his future. But those questions were answered during this past play arsenic Gates helped the Tigers orchestrate 1 of the top turnarounds successful assemblage hoops past (a 22-12 grounds aft going 8-24 successful 2023-24).

Duke transportation Mark Mitchell and seasoned Caleb Grill were anchors of a programme that bushed Kansas, Florida and Alabama. The Tigers stumbled precocious and mislaid to Drake successful the archetypal circular of the NCAA tourney but ended the play tied for sixth spot successful a loaded SEC aft being picked to decorativeness 13th successful the preseason.

Tennessee Volunteers

Grade: A

In the last seconds of Tennessee's triumph implicit Illinois successful December, Rick Barnes drew up a play that helium had learned from legendary precocious schoolhouse manager Morgan Wootten successful 1980, erstwhile helium was a Division I assistant. Barnes' acquisition gave him and the Vols an edge, winning 30 games for the 3rd clip successful programme past and the 2nd clip nether him. They ran into a large Houston squad successful the Elite Eight and fell abbreviated against the eventual nationalist runners-up, but that doesn't instrumentality distant from however Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier led 1 of the apical teams successful the country.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Grade: A

Considering however caller manager Mark Byington was charged with rebuilding a programme that lacked a contented of success, it was not astonishing erstwhile Vanderbilt was picked to decorativeness past successful the SEC's preseason poll. But the Commodores had different plans. Jason Edwards (17.0 PPG) was the centerpiece for a programme that exceeded the likelihood by finishing successful a four-way necktie for seventh successful the league standings and reaching the NCAA tourney for the archetypal clip since 2017.

B grades

Arkansas Razorbacks

Grade: B

John Calipari's determination from Kentucky to Arkansas was the biggest communicative of past offseason. With the assistance of fiscal backers similar Tyson Foods president John Tyson, Calipari hand-selected the apical recruits and transfers successful the country. But a bid of injuries yet affected the Razorbacks with Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero, their apical 2 scorers, missing important time. And portion their 0-5 commencement to SEC play garnered headlines, a tally to the Sweet 16 -- wherever they had a precocious pb implicit Texas Tech earlier losing 85-83 successful overtime -- helped salvage an imbalanced season.

Georgia Bulldogs

Grade: B

Georgia's play lone strengthens the SEC's lawsuit arsenic 1 of the top conferences successful caller NCAA men's hoops history. The Bulldogs earned a 9-seed arsenic 1 of the league's 14 teams to person their names called connected Selection Sunday, going 8-10 successful league play with wins implicit Texas, Kentucky and Florida. Considering their nonconference slate was anchored by a triumph implicit St. John's, a Georgia squad that was mostly considered to beryllium an afterthought entering the play -- the Bulldogs were picked to finished 12th successful the preseason canvass -- ended its run with wins implicit the Big East champion Red Storm and nationalist champion Gators.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Grade: B

Josh Hubbard, who averaged 18.9 PPG, helped the Bulldogs past successful the SEC to gain a travel to the NCAA tourney arsenic an 8-seed. They finished ninth successful the league standings aft being picked to decorativeness 10th successful the preseason poll, but their 8-10 grounds successful league play was bully capable for the enactment committee, which is the lone happening that matters. Chris Jans coached a squad that did conscionable capable successful a stacked conference.

Oklahoma Sooners

Grade: B

It was a rocky twelvemonth for the Sooners. After winning their archetypal 13 games of the season, they went 0-4 to unfastened SEC play earlier finishing 7-14 successful their last 21 games. They inactive managed to gain their archetypal travel to the NCAA tourney nether Porter Moser, though, acknowledgment to that undefeated start. Projected NBA draught lottery prime Jeremiah Fears was the young prima of an Oklahoma squad that had wins implicit Louisville, Arizona and Michigan.

Ole Miss Rebels

Grade: B

Chris Beard had his astir talented and balanced teams taking implicit astatine Ole Miss successful 2023 -- the Rebels were top-25 successful adjusted violative and antiaircraft ratio connected KenPom -- and helium made the astir of that with the program's archetypal tally to the Sweet 16 successful 24 years. The Rebels managed to decorativeness 10-8 successful league play with wins implicit Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. Sean Pedulla (15.4 PPG, 39.2% from beyond the arc) was an all-SEC third-team enactment and 1 of six players who averaged treble figures for the Rebels.

Texas A&M Aggies

Grade: B

Buzz Williams' squad finished 10th successful KenPom's adjusted antiaircraft efficiency, the archetypal top-10 decorativeness of his career. Texas A&M was picked to decorativeness 5th successful the SEC's preseason poll, which is precisely wherever it landed successful the last standings. But with the conference's corporate spot and a midseason wounded to Wade Taylor IV (15.7 PPG), thing came casual for the Aggies, who accrued nonconference wins implicit Creighton, Texas Tech and Purdue. A nonaccomplishment to Michigan successful the 2nd circular of the NCAA tourney capped a subpar decorativeness to the play (3-6 successful their past 9 games).

D grades

LSU Tigers

Grade: D

The Tigers finished 15th, conscionable 1 slot beneath their predicted spot successful the SEC's preseason poll. Matt McMahon enjoyed a palmy tally astatine Murray State, wherever helium helped aboriginal NBA superstar Ja Morant make his crippled earlier arriving astatine LSU successful 2022. But McMahon has had nary specified luck with the Tigers, who missed the NCAA tourney for the 3rd consecutive play and finished beneath .500 for the 2nd clip successful his 3 years.

It wasn't a bully play to beryllium a mediocre squad successful the SEC.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Grade: D

The 2023-24 run was a imagination for Lamont Paris and South Carolina -- the Gamecocks won 26 games, finished successful a four-way necktie for 2nd spot successful the SEC and earned a 6-seed successful the NCAA tournament. But 2024-25 was a nightmare, with lone 2 league wins. Still, the SEC's worst squad managed to bushed 3 NCAA tourney squads (Clemson, Texas and Arkansas).

Texas Longhorns

Grade: D

It seemed the Longhorns had everything a squad could want. Tre Johnson, a projected top-10 prime successful the 2025 NBA draft, averaged 19.9 PPG and had 1 of the champion freshman debuts of the NIL and transportation portal era. They besides had high-level transfers similar Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) and Tramon Mark (Arkansas) connected the roster. But Rodney Terry was fired aft they finished 19-16 (6-12 successful SEC play) and hardly made the NCAA tournament, wherever they mislaid a First Four crippled to Xavier. In an absorbing offseason twist, the Longhorns past replaced Terry with Xavier manager Sean Miller.