The 2023-24 season has come and gone. The SEC had one of its most successful seasons, having two Elite 8 teams, alongside eight teams making the NCAA Tournament, tied for the most in college basketball. This will be part one of two of grading every SEC team on a classic A-F letter system, with teams being graded in alphabetical order.
Grading Every SEC Team’s Season: Part 1
Alabama: A+
Following a season that saw Alabama be one of the best teams in the country, many saw them taking a step back this year. Picked to finish fifth in the preseason SEC standings, Nate Oats and the team led by 20 point per game scorer Mark Sears, would go on to tie for second in the SEC. Although their SEC Tournament run would be cut short by Florida. Their following NCAA Tournament performance is what gives them their grade. In a run that included a win over one seed and blue-blood North Carolina, Nate Oats led the Tide to their first-ever Final 4. They lost to a dominant UConn squad who went on to secure back-to-back national titles. After losing multiple starters from last years team, Nate Oats has shown himself to be one of the best coaches in the entire country.
Arkansas: F
I want to note that this article is solely based on this season. While Arkansas is obviously the hiring John Capilari, this will not impact their grade. Coming into the season, Arkansas was picked to finish third in the SEC. Even after a non conference that disappointed, I still thought they would turn it around. The Hogs finished 11th in the SEC, obviously failing to make the NCAA Tournament. Only a third of their conference losses were within ten points. Their only SEC Tournament win came against a Vanderbilt team that has since made a coaching change. No way around it, this year was a letdown in Fayetteville.
Auburn: A-
Auburn is maybe the most difficult team to rank. They were predicted to finish sixth, but tied for second in the SEC. However, they still struggled against the conference’s best, going 3-4 against the top five SEC teams, two of those coming against fifth place South Carolina. Despite that, they won the SEC Tournament. Following that, they lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Yale. Very mixed bag for Bruce Pearl’s team this grade has a huge range, it just depends on what you value. A- felt like the happy medium. Better than expected regular season, but losing to a team seeded nine spots lower in the first round is going to have to lower the grade.
Florida: B+
The Gators were picked to finish eighth in the SEC and were NCAA Tournament hopefuls. Todd Golden’s bunch climbed the standings up to sixth, with multiple big wins against some of the SEC’s best. In the SEC Tournament, the Gators went all the way to the SEC Tournament title game. While their NCAA Tournament appearance was brief, Todd Golden showed he belongs in the SEC and can build a legitimate program. I feel as if that outweighs their loss to in my opinion an under-seeded Colorado team.
Georgia: B
While only finishing one spot above where they were predicted, this was Georgia’s best winning percentage in seven seasons. Mike White has given the Georgia fanbase, which is often football-focused, a reason to believe in Georgia basketball. Their NIT Final Four appearance is Georgia’s best postseason finish in nine years. Programs like Georgia don’t become NCAA Tournament teams overnight, it’s all about building a foundation early on. That counts for something.
Kentucky: C
Being picked fourth to finish in the SEC, the Wildcats ended up finishing second. One of the most talented rosters in the country, with elite seniors and freshmen alike, Kentucky entered March with expectations of making some serious noise. The Cats would again, be leaving March empt handed. Their loss in the SEC Tournament looked like the exact same team from January. In their game against Oakland, the best three-point shooting team in the country was shut down by a zone, which isn’t typically how those matchups go. You can’t have that performance in March at Kentucky with a team that good.
LSU: A
The Tigers were picked to finish 13th in the SEC, yet a late surge that saw wins over South Carolina and Kentucky got LSU all the way up to seventh. Second-year coach Matt McMahon had one of the best coaching jobs all year in the SEC. This same team lost to Nicholls State at home in November, the same building they beat Kentucky in. The most intriguing thing is this was not a season where the ball bounced their way all year. There were numerous close losses in a season full of injury issues. Overall I would be excited if I were an LSU fan going forward.
