A few thoughts on the upcoming SEC team dynamics from a competitive point of view.
UT has upgraded their roster a good bit, even with the departure of Jordan Horston. Spears and Wells in their backcourt is a massive upgrade. If Keys comes back anywhere close to her sophomore form, they have a legit center. Jackson, well we know about her, AA potential obviously. Look for UT to make noise, esp since they have a much more manageable schedule for next season. My outlook is they are contenders in the conference, solid contenders and should have an excellent season.
LSU: Prohibitive conference favorites with additions of Hailey Van Lith and Morrow, not to mention game ready Williams in the freshman class. They also get SC at home. Look for the Lady Tigers to win the conference this year, they are loaded.
SC: Is it a rebuild or a reload? Gone is Boston, Cook, Beal, Saxton and Amihere. That was the core nucleus of a four year run that will be hard to replicate. But there is some room for optimism, as the floor leader Johnson returns and so does Cardoso at the center position. Cardoso will be the starting center now and if her production per minutes played carries over to starter minutes, she is a likely AA candidate. The big question here is if 5 star youngsters Feagin and Watkins can be prime time given 30 plus minutes per game. PaoPao will replace Cook at SG, and should bring more consistency from three point range. Hall is a likely starter and based on what we have seen so far she is ready for the challenge on the wing. Fulwiley is the potential game breaker, even as a true freshman, highest ceiling on the team, definite conference freshman of year candidate. Look for SC to remain elite, but not at last year’s level obviously. Top 3 SEC.
Ole Miss: After the three mentioned above, OM is close, very close. Potential to crack top three. Dangerous opponent, coached well and added nice players. If they figure out the offensive side, they will go far again.
aTm: Likely the biggest improvers in conference from last season, could pull some big upsets, tourney team in 2024. A team to watch this year, Barker is going to be special, and they have recruited well around her. Might challenge OM for that 4th spot.