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SEC Basketball: Top 5 incoming freshmen for 2018-19

ByBrian Rauf|
LEXINGTON, KY - FEBRUARY 28: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to his team against the Ole Miss Rebels during the game at Rupp Arena on February 28, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - FEBRUARY 28: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to his team against the Ole Miss Rebels during the game at Rupp Arena on February 28, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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SPRINGFIELD, MA – JANUARY 15: Keldon Johnson #3 of Oak Hill Academy reacts in a game against University School during the 2018 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena at Springfield College on January 15, 2018 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, MA – JANUARY 15: Keldon Johnson #3 of Oak Hill Academy reacts in a game against University School during the 2018 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena at Springfield College on January 15, 2018 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Freshmen dominated the SEC basketball season last year and a whole new group of incoming prospects are poised to dictate the conference race again in 2018-19.

Highly-rated freshmen are certainly no stranger to the SEC basketball landscape. Kentucky has made a habit of reeling in top recruiting classes every season under head coach John Calipari but other programs have started getting in on the act.

Alabama (Collin Sexton), Kentucky (Kevin Knox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), and Missouri (Michael Porter Jr.) all produced freshmen lottery picks in the 2018 NBA Draft, but the league will not be short on young talent in 2018-19.

Calipari’s recruiting class ranks No. 2 overall in the country, according to 247sports, followed closely by LSU at No. 3. Vanderbilt (No. 13) and Mississippi State (No. 16) also have classes that rank among the best in the country.

Those classes are buoyed by several of the highest-rated prospects in the 2018 recruiting class. Six of the top 18 overall recruits and nine five-star players will be playing in the SEC this coming season with each hoping to become an immediate superstar.

Which freshmen will make the biggest impact? Here are the top five incoming freshmen in the SEC.

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