Every conference has favorites. In the 2025 SEC basketball race, these three teams are head and shoulders above the rest.
Welcome to the Elite Tier—the ones with the roster, the coach, and the system to chase championships. These teams should be near the top of the table all season long, and will be grossly disappointed if they are not.
Kentucky Wildcats
Mark Pope built a juggernaut in year two. Kentucky boasts the SEC’s top transfer class—ranked No. 4 nationally—with Jayden Quaintance (rim protection), Jaland Lowe (dynamic PG), and Kam Williams (41% from deep). Mouhamed Dioubate adds rebounding muscle, while returners like Otega Oweh and Brandon Garrison offer chemistry and toughness. Throw in 5-star freshman Jasper Johnson, and this is Pope’s blueprint to go from Sweet 16 to Final Four. That is all dependent on Lowe and Oweh returning, which for now looks to be the case. That means Mark Pope and crew should be the odds on favorite to win the league next season.
Auburn Tigers
Johni Broome is gone, but Bruce Pearl reloads like few others. Keyshawn Hall—Big 12 scoring champ (19 PPG) per ESPN—brings elite shot-making, while Mississippi State’s KeShawn Murphy gives them another scoring big. Auburn lacks Kentucky’s depth but has the firepower to win any game, especially at home.
Arkansas Razorbacks
John Calipari didn’t go portal-crazy—but he didn’t need to. Calipari does his best work when his back is against the wall and he has mostly young stars with a couple vets mixed in. DJ Wagner and Trevon Brazile return with something to prove, and freshmen Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas could be instant-impact players. The freshman class is ranked 6th in the country by 247sports. That gives him just that in year 2 down in Fayetteville. Arkansas is banking on continuity, chemistry, and Calipari’s edge. If it clicks, they’ll be scary by March.
In a deep SEC, these are the teams everyone else is chasing with Kentucky sitting atop... for now.