SEC expert picks: 2026-27 preview, projected order of finish, preseason predictions, top players to watch

One year after sending a record 14 teams to the 2025 NCAA Tournament and producing its first national champion since 2012, the SEC returned from the stratosphere in 2026. Though it couldn't match the heights of its historic 2024-25 dominance, it still landed in a good place.

The SEC led college basketball with 10 NCAA Tournament bids in 2026 and represented a quarter of the Sweet 16 before it was boxed out of the Final Four. Now, as the 2026-27 season approaches, the conference is — on many levels — running it back.

Only one school made a coaching change, and LSU's new head man isn't exactly new. It's former coach Will Wade, whose first stint with the Tigers ended just four and a half years ago. Of the 15 players who earned All-SEC honors last season, seven are back. In the transfer portal era, that's a significant amount of returning production.

Nowhere is the theme stronger than at Florida. The Gators return four starters from last year's squad, which earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu each played pivotal roles on the program's 2024 national title team. So did…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/