SEC Basketball: 10 questions looming for the 2021-22 season

SEC Basketball: 10 key questions looming for the 2021-22 season

Mar 2, 2021; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats talks to Alabama Crimson Tide guard Jahvon Quinerly (13) and Alabama Crimson Tide guard John Petty Jr. (23) during the second half against Auburn Tigers at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

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Alabama head coach Nate Oates SEC Basketball Nas Sec Lsu Ala 021 /

9. How much will coaching power carry the SEC?

The SEC has become more than just a football conference, and the pendulum is shifting away from the usual theme of the Kentucky Wildcats owning the recruiting landscape.

SEC Basketball has gotten a head coaching facelift in recent years. The 2019 offseason welcomed a cast of Nate Oats, Eric Musselman, Buzz Williams, and Jerry Stackhouse. Since then, it’s seemed like the talent pool just keeps on improving in the conference.

In a conference that features head coaches John Calipari, Rick Barnes, Bruce Pearl and Will Wade along with the names above, the talent level is growing by the recruiting class. The 2021 recruiting class saw the Tennessee Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide, and LSU Tigers finish ranked in the Top 25 overall and the Texa A&M Aggies just outside of it.

In the 2022 recruiting class, the Arkansas Razorbacks currently leads the conference race with three commitments already heading into a new year. LSU is right behind them in 13th as well.

The head coaching power is drawing the talent to the SEC where more than just football seems to have success now, it seems. The SEC saw six teams selected in last year’s NCAA Tournament and this year, that number could very well grow.

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