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SEC Basketball: Top 15 impact players from 2020 recruiting class

By Curtis Wilkerson

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 04: Brandon Boston, Jr. #3 of Sierra Canyon Trailblazers looks on during the game against the Minnehaha Academy Red Hawks at Target Center on January 04, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 04: Brandon Boston, Jr. #3 of Sierra Canyon Trailblazers looks on during the game against the Minnehaha Academy Red Hawks at Target Center on January 04, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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SEC Basketball
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 12: The arena sits unused after the announcement of the cancellation of the SEC Basketball Tournament (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

SEC basketball had a down year in 2019-20 by recent standards. However, with an influx of young talent that includes 24 top-100 prospects who will be entering the league the SEC is primed to be one of the deeper conferences in the country in 2020-21.

After a string of seasons that saw SEC basketball beginning to establish themselves as one of the premier conferences in the country, the 2019-20 season was a bit of a letdown. After securing 15 bids to the NCAA tournament in the last two years, the SEC was on track to send only four teams (Kentucky, Auburn, LSU, Florida) dancing before the pandemic put an abrupt end to the season during the SEC Tournament.

Most around the league; however, viewed the down year as a blip on the radar largely due to the impressive roster of coaches the SEC has to offer coupled with the conference’s historic success on the recruiting trail with the 2020 class.

According to the 247 composite team rankings, the SEC boasts 5 of the top-10 signing classes in the country and 7 of the top-25. The league will welcome 7 new 5-star prospects and an eye-popping 24 of the nation’s top-100 ranked freshmen.

Add that influx of talent to a strong core of returners and you have the recipe for an exciting year in the SEC, which should be better, deeper, and action-packed. There will be some familiar faces near the top yet again. Kentucky and Auburn look to have reloaded, Florida returns a lot of talent, LSU mixes experience with an impressive coup of newcomers, and Tennessee very well has the best roster the league has to offer on paper.

Then there are the new faces looking to cement their status among the SEC elite. Look for Arkansas and Alabama to take a significant leap forward as they have loaded up with talent. Teams like Texas A&M, South Carolina, and Ole Miss all lurk in the next tier as dangerous sleeper picks.

As we take a look at the top 15 impact freshmen entering the SEC, it is important to keep a few things in mind. This is not a list of the top-ranked incoming freshman but more a projection of those who could have the greatest impact right away.

This was not an easy list to narrow down. With the league welcoming so many high-level recruits, there will be several left off this list. That does not mean they are not expected to have a role or a great college career, it simply means that others may be in a better position early on to contribute.

Factors such as minutes available, competition at the position, team needs and fit, among others have been considered. Additionally, for the sake of variety, I have set a limit to include no more than three newcomers for any given team. Sorry Kentucky fans, your six-man haul was impressive but we have to spread the love.

With all that in mind, let’s dive in and take an in-depth look at the top 15 impact freshmen headed to the SEC for the 2020-21 season.

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