The 2026-27 SEC is one of the most fascinating conferences in the nation because it comes with more mystery than the conference usually has. South Carolina and Texas are top title contenders. LSU, Vanderbilt and Kentucky are teams positioned for a deep NCAA Tournament run. Beyond that, though, we have a number of revamped teams that could go either direction. The race for at-large bids beyond the top five will be a lot of fun to watch.
How do the conference's teams all look as we head into the season? Here's how everything currently stands.
1. South Carolina
The Gamecocks are the obvious top choice to win the SEC this season. They have size. They have Joyce Edwards. They get Chloe Kitts back. They added Jordan Lee from Texas.
There aren’t really any questions here other than if this team will be able to win a national title or simply just reach the Final Four. It’s possible the guard play doesn’t develop enough to beat UConn in a title game, but this is also a basketball team coached by Dawn Staley, so one has to believe she'll quickly find the right combination of players.
2. Texas
The Longhorns have lost a lot of key players from last year's team, most notably point guard and team leader Rori Harmon. Despite that, the team is still viewed as the second-best team in the SEC for one major reason: Madison Booker. The potential 2027 lottery pick is the best small forward in college basketball, and her ability to dominate in the midrange game gives Texas a high floor and ceiling.
With that said, the Horns need someone to step up around her after all the departures. Zya Vann comes in from Oklahoma and will play a key role while Breya Cunningham will be asked to step up, but what Texas really needs is for its No. 3-ranked recruiting class to make an immediate impact. If two of the team's four five-star recruits can crack the rotation, Texas will be in the title hunt.
3. LSU
Never count Kim Mulkey out. LSU lost its most important player from last season, Flau’jae Johnson, to the WNBA? Well, she’ll just grab Jada Williams out of the portal, who might have been the most underrated player in the transfer portal.
Grace Knox will continue to improve inside. MiLaysia Fulwiley can be inconsistent, but when she’s on, she’s on. Mikaylah Williams doesn’t get spoken of enough as one of the best guards in the nation. LSU is going to score a ton of buckets and win a lot of blowout games. The only question I have is if they have the depth to win against the elite teams like South Carolina and Texas.
4. Vanderbilt
The Commodores have Mikayla Blakes on the roster, a top-three player in the SEC. They have Aubrey Galvan, who is coming off a very strong freshman season. They added Georgia forward Mia Woolfolk, who should be a big part of this roster. There's a ton to like here.
There's also only one player over 6-foot-4 on the roster. The defense will likely struggle a lot. Losing Justine Pissott is going to hurt. Vanderbilt is the fourth-best team in the conference, but also feels like a team that's in a lesser tier than the top three, because there exists the possibility that Vanderbilt disappoints in a way South Carolina, Texas and LSU shouldn't.
5. Kentucky
The Wildcats lost some key players to the WNBA, but Kenny Brooks has brought in ESPN’s sixth-rated recruiting class, headlined by Maddyn Greenway, the third-ranked point guard in the class.
Potential WNBA lottery pick Clara Strack is one of the best defensive bigs in the nation and is developing into a very good offensive player as well, while the team added Ayanna Patterson from UConn and also made one very curious addition: Ajsa Sivka, a first-round pick by the Sky in 2025 who never signed with the team and instead committed to Kentucky.
6. Ole Miss
The Rebels have to replace a lot of of key players this season, with Cotie McMahon and Latasha Lattimore standing out as the biggest losses. But head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is no stranger to rebuilding a roster through the portal — it’s what she did last year, and it’s what she’ll do again this season.
Former Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper and former LSU guard Jada Richard headline the portal adds. The talent on this roster is undeniable, but there’s always the question of how that talent will ultimately fit together. The ceiling is hosting the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The floor is probably something like a seven seed.
7. Oklahoma
Gone is the interior presence of Raegan Beers, a huge part of Oklahoma’s recent success. The team doesn’t really have a clear replacement for Beers, which means that instead, it appears the team will just have to lean even more heavily into its fast paced, guard-centric approach.
Aaliyah Chavez has to improve her efficiency, but she’s a really good lead scoring option, and the addition of Sa’Myah Smith from Virginia will give her a high-caliber running mate. Defense will be a major concern, though.
8. Mississippi State
I’ll be real here: I don’t know what I think about this Mississippi State team. More than any other SEC team, the Bulldogs seem like a mystery. Maybe it’s because they lost 10 players from last year’s roster. Maybe it’s because two of their transfers in are from community colleges. Maybe it’s also because it’s just not clear what the direction of this program even is.
One thing I do know: I’m excited to watch the continued development of Favour Nwaedozi, one of the most intriguing players in the conference. She'll be a big part of the team's potential success.
9. Tennessee
So, uhh, Tennessee. Kim Caldwell caught a ton of flak for how her coaching style prevented the Volunteers from really gelling, resulting in some major struggles at the end of the season and every single player departing the program either via graduation or the portal.
Caldwell brought in a lot of talent, including Maryland’s Kaylene Smikle. The question is just if a whole new group of players can make Caldwell’s unconventional approach to substitutions and lineups work in the SEC or not. We won’t know the answer to that for months.
10. Alabama
It’s tough to get a read on the Crimson Tide right now after former head coach Kristy Curry left for South Florida, necessitating what’s basically a full reset for Alabama. New head coach Pauline Love comes over from Oklahoma, and one big question will be if she tries to bring the Sooners’ fast-paced approach to Alabama.
Alabama is going to depend heavily on Ace Austin, to the point where the team’s ceiling and floor will both be determined by how she adjusts to the lead scorer role. More than likely, though, Alabama is looking at a disappointing campaign as the program enters a bit of a rebuilding era.
11. Texas A&M
Gone is the era of Texas A&M being a true contender, but the 2026-27 season could represent the best chance to win a lot of games since Joni Taylor took over as head coach. Last year's team ended the year on a strong note and while losing Fatmata Janneh in the transfer portal really hurt, adding Essence Cody is a great move.
All four incoming transfers come from SEC schools, which should help those players make a fast impact in College Station, and freshmen Rieyen DeSouze and Jayda Porter might not be elite, but both have the upside to crack the rotation. There's definitely some good depth here, but is there the high-end talent to win against the top half of the conference? We'll have to see.
12. Florida
Florida has a new head coach in Tammi Reiss and is the latest stop on the Kiyomi McMiller tour, two things that could either prove key to the team surprising a lot of people or disappointing a lot of people. Can Reiss adjust to the SEC? Can McMiller make up for the loss of Liv McGill to Florida?
If the answer to both questions is yes, Florida could find itself in the upper half of the bottom half of the conference. If not, the Gators could struggle on both ends of the floor.
13. Missouri
The Tigers played relatively well in Kellie Harper’s first season as head coach, with the team averaging its most points since the 2020-21 season. The defense struggled immensely, though, and improvement on that end will be key if Missouri wants to finish above .500 this season.
Harper’s team will likely still play fast, so the raw defensive numbers still won’t look great, but if the Tigers can find a way to get even a handful of additional stops per game, the team could be a big surprise.
14. Georgia
Georgia won 22 games last season, but a host of departures — including losing Dani Carnegie to Iowa — have the team in a tough spot heading into this season.
There’s definitely talent here, but there are also a ton of new faces. How quickly will this team figure out how to make use of that talent? Seven of the 10 incoming transfer are from major conferences, so there’s definitely a chance that things come together and Georgia is a dangerous team down the stretch, though an NCAA Tournament appearance is likely not in the cards.
15. Auburn
The Tigers are another program that’s hard to get a read on. Last season started off well, but Larry Vickers’ program faded hard in SEC play, going 4-14 and finishing last in the conference in scoring offense.Â
Figuring out how to get baskets will be the primary goal this year. Kaitlyn Duhon was the leading scorer during conference play, but she shot under 40 percent from the floor in those games. Ole Miss transfer Sira Thienou could be key to a turnaround if she can play more like she did as a freshman than as a sophomore, as her efficiency took a nosedive last season.
16. Arkansas
Kelsi Musick’s first season as the Razorbacks head coach didn’t go great as the team went 12-20. There’s a chance that her second season as the Arkansas head coach goes worse, as the roster has basically been completely turned over, with 12 new players on the roster.
Freshman Whitley Rogers will be tasked with playing immediately, and she’s the most interesting part of this team. ESPN’s No. 54-ranked prospect in this class, Rogers has a chance to challenge for a spot on the conference’s All-Freshman team.
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