SEC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season

14. South Carolina Gamecocks

Last season: 11-21, 4-21 in the SEC

The South Carolina Gamecocks will look to regroup under head coach Lamont Paris after his first year on the sideline saw them win just four games in conference play. Paris will add five names out of the portal in Ta’Lon Cooper (Minnesota), B.J. Mack (Wofford), Stephen Clark (The Citadel) and Myles Stute (Vanderbilt) as they look to be a whole lot more competitive in 2023-24.

Meechie Johnson and Jacobi Wright will be solid leaders in the backcourt but they’ll need their new frontcourt names in Mack and Clark to fill the void or it could be another season of single-digit victories for the Gamecocks.

13. Ole Miss Rebels

Last season: 12-15, 3-15 in the SEC

The Ole Miss Rebels will look to right the ship with first-year head coach Chris Beard leading the charge. They’ll be another squad that will have to prove themselves when conference play arrives after winning just three games in SEC action in 2022-23. Their top two scorers from last year will return in Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield alongside T.J. Caldwell but that’s it.

They’ll add Allen Flanigan (Auburn), Jaylen Murray (St. Peter’s), Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State) out of the transfer portal as they look to rebuild themselves as a competitor in a deeply talented SEC. The Rebels will start the preseason at 13th in the early conference power rankings.