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SEC Basketball 2016: Preview and predictions

By Rob Wolkenbrod

Sep 15, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De Aaron Fox (0) guard Malik Monk (5) and guard Isaiah Briscoe (13) during Kentucky media day at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 15, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De Aaron Fox (0) guard Malik Monk (5) and guard Isaiah Briscoe (13) during Kentucky media day at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the college basketball season about to begin, how does the SEC look heading into the year?

The SEC has been perceived as potentially the weakest Power Five basketball conference over the past few years. The standings are always lopsided and they only get two or three teams into the NCAA Tournament. Losing Ben Simmons and a handful of Kentucky players to the NBA Draft won’t help either.

However, this conference brought in some of the best recruits from the 2016 class, a handful of which could turn into the best players in the country and be the ones we’re talking about all season long.

The top of the SEC has also seen a makeover in talent. Will this impact the likes of Kentucky, Texas A&M, and the rest of the conference’s landscape?

Favorite – Kentucky

Can the SEC favorite be anyone but Kentucky?

Every year, John Calipari is forced to recruit and retool the Wildcats because of all the one-and-done’s that go to the pros. The most recent draft saw them notably lose Jamaal Murray, Skal Labissiere, and Tyler Ulis. So, the rotation has to be changed, again, but with some of the best recruits in the nation.

Kentucky brought in ESPN’s No. 4, 5, 9, and 14 recruits in Bem Abedayo, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Wenyen Gabriel, making this a very young team. Despite not seeing them play a regular season game yet, these four, and other youngsters, should be able to take over the majority of the scoring.

Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe may be the forgotten one here, though. He’s one of the few players from last year’s class still around, and tallied 9.6 points per game in 2015-16 through 32.2 minutes per game. This could put him in line for an increased role and be one of the wild cards of this retooled Kentucky team.

As with past Calipari teams, though, they will go through growing pains. It will take a few weeks, maybe even a few months for this squad to come together. However, this may not matter so much with a weak set of SEC teams below them. None of them are ranked in AP’s preseason poll either.

Frankly, if Kentucky doesn’t walk out with the SEC Championship, it will be one of the shockers of the season in all of college basketball.