Both the SEC and Pac-12 have released their return dates for both men’s and women’s basketball. The move signals a return of hoops on a college-level following the bubble play of the NBA. Both conferences are set for returning to play before the end of the year.
SEC Men’s non-conference play begins November 25, 2020, which is in line with the NCAA basketball opening dates. Men’s Conference play for the SEC begins on December 29, 2020, with Women starting up a few days later on December 31.
For the SEC men, there will be a total of 18 games over 20 play dates with a built-in extra date if needed. A second date has been built in for the SEC/BIG-12 Challenge. Non-conference play dates will be released by each school individually. For SEC women, there will be a total of 16 conference games played over 18 dates.
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Pac-12 Men and Women’s non-conference play also begins on November 25, 2020. Conference schedules will be released soon according to the conference. The November start notes a change from a season that Pac-12 officials originally said would begin after the first of the year.
Preseason SEC and Pac-12 Teams in Power Rankings
Sports reporters and organizations are beginning to release their preseason Men’s NCAA Basketball Power Rankings. Several SEC and Pac-12 teams are mentioned as favorites – but due to COVID-19 – opinions vary from one ranking to another. Perhaps more than any other season.
One constant, among hoops fans, seems to be that Gonzaga, Baylor, and Villanova (none of which are SEC or Pac-12) will be somewhere at the top of the rankings when games tip-off.
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Here are some of the SEC and Pac-12 men’s basketball teams that are 2021 March Madness contenders.
Kentucky Wildcats (SEC): Depending on what power rankings you look over, the Wildcats are the top SEC team heading into the season. They fall anywhere from 9th to 11th in various power rankings. They are considered to have the best recruiting class in the country with some multi-star transfers coming in as well. They will need those recruits – they lost several players including Immanuel Quickley, Nick Richards, and Tyrese Maxey.
Tennessee Volunteers (SEC): The Vols have plenty of players returning this season and had an impressive recruiting class. Falling between 9th and 15th , depending on where you look, the Vols could be the only team in the SEC to match up well against Kentucky. Their strength will be seasoned players including John Fulkerson, Yves Pons, Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, Olivier Nkamhoua, Uros Plavsic, and Davonte Gaines.
Oregon Ducks (Pac-12): The Ducks will be in the hunt for a Pac-12 Title this year once again and they are constantly mentioned as a top-25 team this preseason. They have several leaders, and top scorers, returning – Chris Duarte, Will Richardson, N’Faly Dante, Addison Patterson, Chandler Lawson, and C.J. Walker. That’s a strong roster. Oregon also did well in recruiting and has several transfer players coming in.
Arizona State Sun Devils (Pac-12): The Sun Devils are mentioned as being a top-12 to a top-15 team this year with several key players making a return such as Remy Martin and Jaelen House. They’ve also added some quality transfer players. Bobby Hurley took his team on a strong 20-11 season run last year and should be able to match or beat that record this season.
UCLA Bruins (Pac-12): UCLA put together some fantastic games down the stretch of last season finishing strong at 19-12 after a rough start – almost a worst to first Hollywood movie! This year the Bruins have top players returning such as five of their top scorers. Returning players include Chris Smith, Jalen Hill, and Tyger Campbell. They should be solid from the corners for 3’s and quick on defense.
Don’t Count These Teams Out
Here are a few SEC and Pac-12 teams that have popped up on various preseason favorites list. Stanford (Pac-12) lands on lists just inside the top-25 or close. The same goes for SEC teams Alabama, Florida, and LSU.
