Defending national champion Florida is the media’s pick to win the 2026 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball championship — but the Arkansas Razorbacks are projected to be right in the mix among the SEC’s elite.
In the preseason poll released by the league on Monday, the Razorbacks were predicted to finish fifth in the conference standings, behind Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. The vote was conducted by a select panel of SEC and national media members.
Arkansas also placed two players on the preseason All-SEC Third Team — Karter Knox and D.J. Wagner — signaling high expectations for a Razorback squad looking to return to form after a roller-coaster 2024–25 season.
Florida, fresh off its national title run, dominated the preseason honors, with three players — Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, and Thomas Haugh — earning All-SEC recognition. Condon also landed on the First Team All-SEC, joining Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard, Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford, and Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr.
Oweh, a standout guard for Kentucky, was named the SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year in preseason voting.
The Razorbacks, under head coach John Calipari, enter the 2025–26 season with a talented roster headlined by Knox and Wagner — both expected to play key roles in Calipari’s first year in Fayetteville. With Arkansas projected to finish in the conference’s upper tier, the Hogs will aim to reestablish themselves as contenders on the national stage.
The 2025–26 season tips off Monday, November 3, with SEC play beginning January 3. The SEC Tournament is scheduled for March 11–15 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Predicted SEC Order of Finish:
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Florida
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Kentucky
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Tennessee
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Alabama
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Arkansas
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Auburn
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Missouri
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Ole Miss
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Texas
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Mississippi State
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Vanderbilt
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Oklahoma
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Texas A&M
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Georgia
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LSU
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South Carolina
