SEC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2019-20 season

The Georgia Bulldogs are going into a season with the chance have one of the best seasons in recent program history. The Bulldogs have the top recruit from the Class of 2019 in the SEC and the fourth-ranked recruit overall, Anthony Edwards.

Edwards is a 6’4″ 205lb shooting guard out of Holy Spirit School in Atlanta, Georgia. Edwards is a huge get for the Dawgs and adding him to a team that managed to keep their second, fourth and fifth leading scorers will be huge.

The Bulldogs had a very rough season in 2018-19, but things are looking a bit better heading into the 2019-20 season. Georgia finished second to last in the SEC last year with a 2-16 record in conference play and an 11-21 record overall. Not great at all but all of that should be behind them going into a new year.

In addition to Anthony Edwards, the Bulldogs also got commitments from three other players ranked in ESPN’s Top-100. Those three players are Christian Brown, Jaykwon Walton and Sahvir Wheeler.

Christian Brown is a 6’6″ 210lb small forward who went to Oak Hill Academy and was the 66th ranked player in the nation by ESPN. Jaykwon Walton is ranked 71st in the nation by ESPN. Walton is a 6’6″ 195lb combo-guard from Montgomery, Alabama.

Sahvir Wheeler is a 5’9″ 175lb point guard who was ranked 81st in the nation by ESPN and he attended Houston Christian High School in Houston, Texas.

Do you notice anything in common about the four recruits Georgia has? Three of them are guards, which might mean we will see the Dawgs play with a three-guard set in an effort to get these recruits on the court together.

So with all these top recruits and returning players, who will shine the brightest?

The top player for Georgia next season will be Anthony Edwards and it won’t be close. Edwards is a fantastic player who will put Georgia on his back and will keep them on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.

Not only that but Edwards will become Georgia’s first top-10 pick in the NBA Draft since Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was drafted eighth overall in 2013. That’s great and all but what does that mean for Georgia? How will they fare during the season?

Georgia will get through non-conference play with a record of 10-3 before getting to SEC play where they finish with a 9-9 record and a 19-12 record overall heading into the SEC Tournament.

The question then becomes, is that good enough for the NCAA Tournament? At first glance, one would think so, but it truly depends on whether or not they win a game in the SEC Tournament and the quality of their wins.

Georgia’s non-conference schedule isn’t the strongest in the nation, but it also isn’t the weakest. Not only that but they play in the SEC which has a serious chance to be the best conference in college basketball next season.

All that being said, Georgia is definitely a team you should keep your eye on heading into the 2019-20 college basketball season.