SEC basketball: 10 storylines to watch

There are 10 storylines to watch in the next cycle of SEC basketball development. South Carolina and Auburn have made Final Four appearances. Alabama has been a darling of the 3-and-D gurus. Tennessee has become a relative power.

Oscar Tshiebwe is a key component in Kentucky's hopes to return to a Final Four for the first time since 2015. He is dealing with a minor injury to open the season.

Kentucky is a team that can be dangerous in March. It has more talent than it has had since the Malik Monk/De’Aaron Fox/Bam Adebayo team in 2016. The team needs to reach the Final Four to prove that it's back.

Arkansas signed three McDonald's All-Americans in their freshman class. The Razorbacks lost the top 7 players from last year's Elite Eight team. They have some interesting portal additions, including twin brothers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Rhode Island.

Auburn had a disappointing 2021-22 season. The backcourt is mostly back, but the team was inconsistent last year. Johni Broome from Morehead State will help, although not many players can replace Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler. Bruce Pearl has tended to play guard-heavy basketball under him.

Rick Barnes' Tennessee team is good enough to make it to the NCAA Final Four. The team has returning talent and new additions. It's not a situation where Barnes needs a Final 4 to justify his performance.

A year ago, Texas A&M was snubbed by the NCAA Tournament. This year, the Aggies are going to play in the tournament. They didn't have a player selected to the All-SEC team.

Alabama's Jahvon Quinerly is recovering from an ACL tear. The team is looking for a way to integrate him back into the regular rotation without affecting their chemistry. Alabama does return Charles Bediako and adds freshmen and transfer guard Mark Sears from Ohio.

Matt McMahon and Todd Golden are the new coaches in the SEC. They are trying to make it to the NCAA Tournament. They have a lot of talent, but they have to play well to get there. Florida has a great 1-2 punch in big man Colin Castleton and transfer guard Kyle Lofton.

Jackson is joining Carolina in Paris. He is the league's leading scorer. Paris hasn't coached Jackson before at Chattanooga. He will be given a lot of freedom by Paris, who is a new coach.

Kentucky's coach is not on the hot seat. Kermit Davis at Ole Miss is the most likely hot-seat guy. Jerry Stackhouse is probably the de facto No. 2 coach in the league.