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SEC basketball 2020-2021: 5 bold predictions – Can Kentucky reclaim their crown?

By Cody Williams

Jan 29, 2020; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts during the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second half at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2020; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts during the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second half at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Arkansas Razorbacks (Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports) /

SEC basketball sleeper team: Arkansas Razorbacks

When looking at the predicted order of finish for SEC basketball, you would likely see Arkansas much lower in the hierarchy than other teams. After all, Eric Musselman lost the majority of his top scorers last season, including Isaiah Joe, who ultimately left for the NBA after a flip-flopping decision-making process. Yet, there’s reason to believe in the Razorbacks.

Throughout Musselman’s tenure at Nevada prior to landing an SEC basketball job, the head coach built up the Wolf Pack largely on the strength of his ability to thrive in the transfer market. And when you look at the Hogs for the 2020-2021 season, he may be instituting the same type of formula that has brought him previous success.

Indiana’s Justin Smith, New Mexico’s Vance Jackson and Northern Kentucky’s Jalen Tate have all been proven scorers at their previous stops before arriving at Arkansas under Musselman. Now they’ll be playing together and should give the Razorbacks more of a punch than they otherwise would have, especially since they’ll be joined by a solid freshman class.

It might be a stretch to say that Arkansas can compete with Kentucky and Tennessee at the top of the conference this season but they have the talent and the coaching to pull off some upset wins and finish higher in the standings than some might expect. Don’t sleep on the Hogs.