March Madness is just around the corner and SEC basketball is providing plenty of drama as tournament bids and postseason honors hang in the balance. The conference’s Player of the Year debate is surprisingly contentious, bubble teams like Georgia and Oklahoma are fighting for their postseason lives, and pivotal matchups are looming that could reshape the tournament landscape.
Here are five storylines shaping SEC basketball as the regular season hits the home stretch.
- Player of the Year Battle
It’s somewhat shocking that this is such a heated debate and if Cooper Flagg played at Texas Tech or Ohio State—or some other Power Four school not named Duke—it wouldn’t be. Johnni Broome is the best player in the country. Broome is averaging 18.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Auburn has played one of the toughest schedules in the country including 11 ranked opponents in 27 games. Duke hasn’t played a ranked team since they played Auburn.
That was on Dec. 4.
- One last stand at the Steg
Losing nine of their last 11, Georgia desperately needs a win. They are currently listed on the next four out on Joe Lunardi’s bracketology. They’re second in that line, which means they are essentially No. 74 trying to find their way into a field of 68. Losing to Florida doesn’t completely eliminate their chances of getting into the tournament. However, winning feels like it would all but guarantee getting into the tournament.
- Who needs it more in Norman?
Kentucky heads to Norman to take on an Oklahoma team hanging onto tournament hopes for dear life. The Sooners are the second team listed on the last four in. They’re also 11-4 at home this season and coming off a huge home win against Mississippi State. Kentucky is riding the opposite of momentum. They’re 2-6 on the road this season and just got blown out at Alabama. Kentucky is cemented as a tournament team no matter what. Oklahoma could use another resumé boost. A win over Kentucky would be just that.
- Can Mark Sears stay hot?
Mark Sears came into the 2024-2025 season as the preseason-SEC Player of the Year. However, he’s struggled this season with defense and turnovers. Everyone knows Sears can score. He’s basically good for 20 points every game he steps onto the floor. Last week he took that up a notch scoring 30 and 35 against Missouri and Kentucky, respectively. Tuesday night the Tide will host Mississippi State in a top 20 matchup.
Last time these two met Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard went off for 38 points. Sears had 17, but had a season high seven turnovers, as well.
- Who’s on Upset Alert
It feels horrible even typing this out because of how good this team truly is, but…
Florida is on upset alert at Georgia on Tuesday night. Florida is one of the best teams in the country. They’re probably better than Duke and are definitely more battle tested. They’re one of only six teams in the conference with a winning record on the road this season at 6-2 and they’ve won six straight games overall.
Georgia is 13-3 at home. They played well enough to stay with Auburn for most of Saturday’s game. They’re 4-3 at home in league play and two of those three losses were by three combined points.
