SEC basketball: Kentucky, Arkansas lead a rising league

By John Fanta
FOX Sports College Basketball Writer

While fans are currently focused on football in Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Knoxville, Fayetteville and elsewhere, this is a nice time to set the table for what could also be a big year of basketball in the Southeastern Conference. As for Lexington, we’ll let Mark Stoops and John Calipari keep sorting that out.

The SEC has made major strides since sending just three teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, but there is more work to be done, and a showing in March is necessary. This past season, after six teams punched a ticket to the big dance, only Arkansas made it to the second weekend of the tournament. The good news? The Razorbacks provided a major statement win for the conference by upsetting Gonzaga, and at least one SEC team has reached the Elite Eight in four of the last five tournaments. 

That trend should continue in the 2022-23 campaign, but it should not be the only goal. The league should have a couple of teams that possess a realistic path to reaching the Final Four in Houston next April. At the same time, there’s also the wrinkle of high coaching turnover in the SEC. Six hires were made in the spring:

— Todd Golden, Florida

— Mike White, Georgia 

— Matt McMahon, LSU

— Chris Jans, Mississippi State

— Dennis Gates, Missouri

— Lamont Paris, South Carolina

That’s a lot of movement, and those programs will be trying to take a step forward in the upcoming season.

Of the most intriguing storylines in the SEC? The best player in the country headlines major returning talent, perhaps the most fascinating roster in college hoops and a bevy of highly-touted freshmen. 

Here’s a whip-around of what to watch from the conference’s top teams in 2022-23.

Oscar Tshiebwe is back, and Kentucky eyes a big March 

For the first time since Tyler Hansbrough in 2008, the reigning National Player of the Year is returning to school. After averaging 17.4 points and a national-best 15.1 rebounds per game, Tshiebwe’s return to Kentucky is great for both the Wildcats and the sport. Between his big-time skill set, friendly personality that has resonated with Big Blue Nation, and the ability to benefit off his NIL, it’s a home run.

On the court, Kentucky’s 2022-23 season will be about avenging the loss to 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s this past March, just the second time the Wildcats failed to get out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament since 1987. While Calipari has had a massive summer on the recruiting trail…