The 2024–25 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October followed by the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which started on November 3, 2024. Conference play began on January 4, 2025, and ended in March, after which the 16 member teams participated in the 2025 SEC men's basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tournament champion Florida received the conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament, where they would go on to win the tournament following a 65–63 win over Houston in the national championship game.

This was the first season with 16 members of the conference as Texas and Oklahoma joined the conference before the start of the 2024–25.

The league set a record for most schools sent to the NCAA tournament, with 14 out of the league's 16 members granted bids to the tournament.

Pre-season

Recruiting classes

+ Rankings Team ESPN RivalsOn3 Recruits247 SportsSigneesAlabama No. 3 No. 3 No. 2 4Arkansas No. 5 No. 2 No. 3 3Auburn No. 24 No. 15 No. 31 2Florida No. 64 – – 2Georgia No. 10 No. 12 No. 10 4LSU No. 13 No. 13 No. 14 4Kentucky No. 51 No. 44 No. 45 2Missouri No. 6 No. 14 No. 5 5Mississippi State No. 70 – No. 47 2Oklahoma No. 30 No. 41 No. 25 3Ole Miss No. 75 No. 45 – 1South Carolina No. 44 No. 46 – 2Tennessee No. 73 No. 43 – 1Texas No. 16 No. 26 No. 17 2Texas A&M No. 57 No. 39 No. 30 2Vanderbilt No. 82 – – 2

Preseason watchlists Below is a table of notable preseason watch lists.

PlayerWoodenNaismithCousyWestErvingMaloneAbdul-JabbarOlsonJonas Aidoo, ArkansasChad Baker-Mazara, AuburnJohni Broome, AuburnWalter Clayton Jr., FloridaJohnell Davis, ArkansasMalik Dia, Ole MissDarlinstone Dubar, TennesseeBoogie Fland, ArkansasJosh Hubbard, Mississippi StateTre Johnson, TexasArthur Kaluma, TexasChaz Lanier, TennesseeMark Mitchell, MissouriCollin Murray-Boyles, South CarolinaMatthew Murrell, Ole MissGrant Nelson, AlabamaCliff Omoruyi, AlabamaJordan Pope, TexasJaxson Robinson, KentuckyMark Sears, AlabamaWade Taylor IV, Texas A&MAmari Williams, KentuckyZakai Zeigler, Tennessee

Preseason All-American teams

PlayerAPCBSFox SportsMark Sears, Alabama1st team1st team1st teamJohni Broome, Auburn1st team2nd team2nd teamWade Taylor IV, Texas A&MRV3rd team3rd teamJohnell Davis, ArkansasRV3rd team3rd teamTre Johnson, TexasRV

Preseason polls

AP Blue Ribbon CBS Sports Coaches ESPNFox Sports KenPomNCAA Sports SportsIllustratedAlabama No. 2 No. 1 No. 2 – No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 1 No. 1 Arkansas No. 16 No. 15 No. 13 – No. 14 No. 13 No. 25 No. 13 No. 21 Auburn No. 11 No. 12 No. 10 – No. 11 No. 15 No. 3 No. 15 No. 10 Florida No. 21 No. 18 No. 22 – No. 21 – No. 28 No. 20 No. 18 Georgia – – – – – – No. 67 – – Kentucky No. 23 No. 19 – – No. 23 No. 22 No. 42 No. 14 No. 23 LSU – – – – – – No. 51 – –Missouri – – – – – – No. 53 – –Mississippi State RV – – – – – No. 32 – – Oklahoma – – – – – – No. 40 – – Ole Miss No. 24 – – – No. 20 No. 24 No. 47 No. 33 No. 17 South Carolina – – – – – – No. 65 – – Tennessee No. 12 No. 11 No. 14 – No. 13 No. 11 No. 13 No. 12 No. 12 Texas No. 19 No. 24 No. 20 – No. 22 – No. 18 No. 27 – Texas A&M No. 13 No. 9 No. 11 – No. 12 No. 20 No. 16 No. 22 No. 24 Vanderbilt – – – – – – No. 96 – –

SEC media days The SEC conducted its 2024 SEC media days in Birmingham, Alabama on October 15 & 16, 2024 on the SEC Network.

The teams and representatives in respective order are as follows: Alabama – Nate Oats (HC), Mark Sears & Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Arkansas – John Calipari (HC), Johnell Davis & Adou Thiero Auburn – Bruce Pearl (HC), Johni Broome & Denver Jones Florida – Todd Golden (HC), Walter Clayton Jr. & Alijah Martin Georgia – Mike White (HC), Silas Demary Jr. & RJ Godfrey Kentucky – Mark Pope (HC), Lamont Butler & Jaxson Robinson LSU – Matt McMahon (HC), Cam Carter & Jalen Reed Oklahoma – Porter Moser (HC), Sam Godwin & Jalon Moore Ole Miss – Chris Beard (HC), Jaylen Murray & Sean Pedulla Mississippi State – Chris Jans (HC), Josh Hubbard & Cameron Matthews Missouri – Dennis Gates (HC), Mark Mitchell & Tony Perkins South Carolina – Lamont Paris (HC), Collin Murray-Boyles & Nick Pringl Tennessee – Rick Barnes (HC), Jahmai Mashack & Zakai Zeigler Texas – Rodney Terry (HC), Tre Johnson & Kadin Shedrick Texas A&M – Buzz Williams (HC), Anderson Garcia & Hayden Hefner Vanderbilt – Mark Byington (HC), AJ Hoggard & Tyler Nickel

+Men's Basketball Preseason Poll Place Team 1. Alabama 2. Auburn 3. Tennessee 4. Arkansas 5. Texas A&M 6. Florida 7. Texas 8. Kentucky 9. Ole Miss 10. Mississippi State 11. South Carolina 12. Georgia 13. Missouri 14. LSU 15. Oklahoma 16. Vanderbilt Source:

SEC Preseason All-Conference First Team

NameSchool Pos. Yr. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School) Johni Broome Auburn F Sr. 6′ 10″, 240 Plant City, FL Walter Clayton Jr. Florida G Sr. 6′ 3″, 195 Lake Wales, FL Mark Sears Alabama G Gr 6′ 5″, 205 Muscle Shoals, AL Wade Taylor IV Texas A&M G Sr. 6′ 0″, 175 Dallas, TX Zakai Zeigler Tennessee G Sr. 5′ 9″, 171 Long Island, NY

Second Team NameSchool Pos. Yr. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School) Jonas Aidoo Arkansas F Gr 6′ 11″, 240 Durham, NC Johnell Davis Arkansas G Gr 6′ 4″, 205 Gary, IN Josh Hubbard Mississippi State G So. 5′ 11″, 190 Madison, MS Matthew Murrell Ole Miss G Sr. 6′ 4″, 205 Memphis, TN Grant Nelson Alabama F Sr. 6′ 1″, 230 Devils Lake, ND Third Team NameSchool Pos. Yr. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School) Collin Murray-Boyles South Carolina F So. 6′ 8″, 245 Columbia, S.C. Alex Condon Florida C So. 6′ 11″, 230 Perth, Australia Tramon Mark Texas G Gr 6′ 5″, 200 Dickinson, TX Chad Baker-Mazara Auburn F Jr. 6′ 5″, 180 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Jaxson Robinson Kentucky G 6′ 6″, 192 Ada, OK

Midseason watchlists Below is a table of notable midseason watch lists.

PlayerWoodenNaismithNaismith DPOYRobertsonCousyWestErvingMaloneAbdul-JabbarChad Baker-MazaraJohni BroomeLamont ButlerWalter Clayton Jr.Jeremiah FearsJosh HubbardTre JohnsonChaz LanierAlijah MartinJahmai MashackCameron MatthewsJalon MooreCollin Murray-BoylesAsa NewellClifford OmoruyiOtega OwehZhuric PhelpsJaxson RobinsonMark SearsWade Taylor IVZakai Zeigler

Regular season The schedule was released in late October. Before the season, it was announced that for the seventh consecutive season, all regular-season conference games and conference tournament games would be broadcast nationally by ESPN Inc. family of networks including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and the SEC Network.

Multi-team tournaments

Team Tournament FinishAlabamaPlayers Era Festival2ndArkansas−−AuburnMaui Invitational1stFloridaESPN Events Invitational1stGeorgia−−Kentucky −−LSUGreenbrier Tip-Off3rdMissouri−−Mississippi StateArizona Tip-Off2ndOklahomaBattle 4 Atlantis1stOle MissRady Children's Invitational2ndSouth CarolinaFort Myers Tip-Off3rdTennesseeBahamas Championship1stTexasLegends Classic1stTexas A&MPlayers Era Festival5thVanderbiltCharleston Classic2nd

ACC–SEC Challenge

Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record Dec. 3 South Carolina Boston College Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts ACC–SEC Challenge 73–51 1–0 Notre Dame Georgia Stegeman Coliseum • Athens, Georgia 48–69 2–0 California Missouri Mizzou Arena • Columbia, Missouri 93–98 3–0 Arkansas Miami (FL) Watsco Center • Coral Gables, Florida 76–73 4–0 Syracuse No.3 Tennessee Thompson–Boling Arena • Knoxville, Tennessee 70–96 5–0 Wake Forest No. 22 Texas A&M Reed Arena • College Station, Texas 44–57 6–0 Florida State LSU Pete Maravich Assembly Center • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 75–85 7–0 Georgia Tech No. 21 Oklahoma Lloyd Noble Center • Norman, Oklahoma 61–76 8–0 No. 23 Ole Miss Louisville KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, Kentucky 86–63 9–0 No. 4 Kentucky Clemson Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, South Carolina 66–70 9–1Dec. 4 Alabama North Carolina Dean Smith Center • Chapel Hill, North Carolina 94–79 10–1 Virginia Florida O'Connell Center • Gainesville, Florida 87–69 11–1 Auburn Duke Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, North Carolina 78–84 11–2 Texas NC State Lenovo Center • Raleigh, North Carolina 63–59 12–2 Pittsburgh Mississippi State Humphrey Coliseum • Mississippi State, Mississippi 90–5713–2Vanderbilt Virginia Tech Cassell Coliseum • Blacksburg, Virginia 80–64 14–2 Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking

Records vs other conferences The SEC has a record of 184–24 in non-conference play for the 2024–25 season. Records shown for regular season only.

Regular season

+Power 5 ConferencesConferenceRecordACC30–4Big East4–5Big Ten10–9Big 1214–2Combined58–20 Other ConferencesConferenceRecordAmerica East1–0American6-2ASUN17–1Atlantic 102–0Big Sky2–0Big South2–0Big West0–0Coastal3–0Conference USA4–0Horizon2–0Independents/Non-Division I0–0Ivy League1–0Metro Atlantic0–0Mid-American4–0Mid-Eastern Athletic4–0Missouri Valley1-1Mountain West3–0Northeast3–0Ohio Valley8–0Patriot2–0Southern3–0Southland14–0SWAC20–0Summit3–0Sun Belt8–0WCC3–0WAC2–0Combined126–4 Thru December 31, 2024

Record against ranked non-conference opponents This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll at time of the game):

Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record Nov. 4 ● − 0−0 0−0 † denotes neutral site game

Conference schedule This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.

 AlabamaArkansasAuburnFloridaGeorgiaKentuckyLSUOklahomaOle MissMississippi StateMissouriSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasTexas A&MVanderbiltvs. Alabama – 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–1vs. Arkansas 1–0 – 0–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–0vs. Auburn 0–1 0–0 – 1–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–1vs. Florida 0–0 0–1 0–1 – 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–0 0–1vs. Georgia 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 – 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 0–0vs. Kentucky 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 – 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 1–0 0–0 1–0vs. LSU 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 – 0–1 2–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–0vs. Oklahoma 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 – 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 0–1vs. Ole Miss 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–2 0–0 – 2–0 1–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–0vs. Mississippi State 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 – 1–0 0–2 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–1vs. Missouri 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 – 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1vs. South Carolina 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 2–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 1–0 1–0vs. Tennessee 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 2–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 – 0–1 0–0 1–1vs. Texas 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–0 – 1–1 1–0vs. Texas A&M 1–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–2 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 1–1 – 0–0vs. Vanderbilt 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 –Total 10–2 4–8 11–1 10–3 4–9 6–6 3–10 3–10 8–5 7–6 8–4 0–13 8–5 5–8 9–4 5–7 Thru Feb. 19, 2025

Points scored

TeamForAgainstDifferenceAlabama 2,258 1,978 280Arkansas 1,841 1,654 187Auburn 2,128 1,710 418Florida 2,179 1,729 450Georgia 1,950 1,773 177Kentucky 2,148 1,907 241LSU 1,992 1,878 114Oklahoma 2,006 1,897 109Ole Miss 2,023 1,792 231Mississippi State 2,053 1,847 206Missouri 2,065 1,724 341South Carolina 1,809 1,843 -34Tennessee 1,858 1,497 361Texas 2,046 1,801 245Texas A&M 1,917 1,704 213Vanderbilt 1,934 1,733 201

Thru Feb. 19, 2025

Rankings

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings   Improvement in ranking Drop in ranking Not ranked previous weekRVReceived votes but were not ranked in Top 25NVNo votes received