The SEC has far and away been the strongest conference in college basketball this season. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects that up to 13 of the 16 teams in the conference could earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the most of any conference in the country.
It was an exciting regular season for the SEC, with premier programs such as Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee showcasing their strength, playing high-level basketball and proving to the rest of the nation that the SEC has bona fide title contenders.
With the regular season over, the attention shifts to the postseason and the SEC tournament. Kalshi has an active market where users can predict who will win this year’s SEC Tournament, with Auburn sitting as a massive favorite at 40%. Should this be the case? Is there anyone who can challenge the Tigers for the title? Let’s find out.
2025 SEC Tournament Champion Odds![]()
Auburn Tigers
Led by SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome (18.6 PPG), the Tigers are certainly a force to be reckoned with. They boast the top-ranked adjusted offensive efficiency rating in the nation, according to KenPom. Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly and freshman Tahaad Pettiford are all key players who score in double figures.
Auburn is not a shoe-in to walk away with the title in Nashville. Even though the Tigers are the No. 1 seed, they finished their regular season with two straight losses, including a home loss at the buzzer to in-state rival and No. 3 seed Alabama. The Tigers are definitely lacking some momentum, which is not ideal entering the postseason.
SEC Coach of the Year Bruce Pearl needs to help his team regain their confidence as they gear up for what will hopefully be a long month ahead. They are capable of cutting down the nets in Nashville and San Antonio, but at this moment, I’ll pass on Auburn winning the SEC.
Florida Gators
The Gators are the most well-rounded team in the SEC, and a great pick to win it all in Nashville and secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. All-SEC First-Team selection Walter Clayton Jr. (17.2 PPG) is leading a backcourt with 13 years of combined experience that includes fellow senior Will Richard and graduate transfer Alijah Martin.
Martin, who transferred from Florida Atlantic and led the Owls to the Final Four in 2023, adds an extra level of toughness on the defensive end of the floor that the Gators lacked last season. Martin’s younger teammates, namely forwards Alex Condon (8.0 RPG) and Tommy Haugh (6.0 RPG), have emulated this tenacity, allowing Florida to become one of the nation's top rebounding teams and to have a top-10 defensive efficiency rating per KenPom’s metrics.
Florida’s quickness in transition, coupled with its size and strength down low, makes it a tough team to guard and a strong contender to win its first SEC crown since 2014.
The Gators already have some of the best wins in all of college basketball, beating both Auburn and Alabama on the road, and blowing out Tennessee by 30 points when the Volunteers were ranked No. 1. Florida have a chance to add more great wins to its resume and cement itself as a top seed and championship contender.
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Tide are riding high after closing out the regular season with a victory at the buzzer against then top-ranked Auburn. For Alabama, it starts and ends with All-SEC First-Team selection Mark Sears (19.2 PPG), who is looking to bring the Crimson Tide back to the Final Four.
Alabama loves to get out and run, as KenPom ranks the Tide as the fastest team in adjusted tempo in the country. The question is whether this style of play will translate to March, where games tend to get slower and tighter. The defense at times has been suspect, allowing more than 90 and 100 points in losses to Auburn, Missouri and Florida.
A combined 38 points and 16 rebounds from big men Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi against Auburn was a welcomed sign on an off-night for Sears, which is something Alabama will need as it enters the gauntlet that lies ahead in the next several weeks.
Other Contenders?
Hardly a dark horse, Tennessee also has a great shot at securing the SEC’s automatic qualifier and placing itself in the conversation for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Volunteers rank first in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, and are led by the lethal backcourt of All-SEC First Team selection Zakai Ziegler (13.1 PPG) and transfer Chaz Lanier (17.9 PPG). Rick Barnes has won the SEC Tournament just once in his career in Knoxville (2022), but he might have his best chance yet with this squad.
Missouri is an intriguing pick, sitting in the eighth slot at just 2% to win. If the Tigers get through their first game against either LSU or Mississippi State, they would face Florida in the quarterfinal on Friday night, who they beat in Gainesville back in January. Mark Mitchell and Caleb Grill are dynamic scorers for the Tigers, and could make a run to the championship game.
This year’s SEC Tournament is sure to be special, and will hopefully be a great appetizer for what should be an incredible 3+ weeks of college basketball.
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