Alabama basketball picked to win SEC championship, Sears and Nelson named preseason All-SEC
Video: Alabama basketball freshman Derrion Reid wins dunk contest with trick shot
Alabama basketball freshman Derrion Reid won Friday night’s dunk contest at the Final Four reveal with the help of mascot Big Al.
The votes are in and Alabama basketball is the pick to win the Southeastern Conference.
On Monday, the league office announced that the Crimson Tide was selected first in the predicted order of finish for SEC teams at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Leading the favorite for the SEC championship is Alabama guard Mark Sears, who was named SEC Preseason Player of the Year and first team All-SEC. Forward Grant Nelson also received recognition from the voting panel of SEC and national media members, selected second team All-SEC.
How did that happen? Auburn tops Alabama basketball in 2024-25 preseason KenPom rankings
Alabama basketball awards watchlist: Mark Sears ‘unanimous’ preseason All-America first-team pick for CBS and more
Preseason accolades continue to roll in for Mark Sears and company
Sears beat out Auburn’s Johni Broome, Georgia’s Asa Newell, Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV in POTY voting. His fellow first-team selections included Broome, Zeigler and Taylor, as well as Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr.
Nelson was joined on second team by Jonas Aidoo and Johnell Davis (FAU) of Arkansas, Ole Miss’ Matthew Murrell and Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard.
Alabama basketball picked to win SEC
Rankings listed below reflect predicted order of finish from SEC voting, followed by where SEC teams ranked in AP preseason polling and Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings that were released earlier Monday:
1.   Alabama – No. 2 in AP preseason poll (highest ranking in program history), No. 4 in KenPom rankings
2. Auburn – No. 11 in AP preseason poll, No. 3 in KenPom rankings
3.   Tennessee – No. 12 in AP preseason poll, No. 13 in KenPom rankings
4.   Arkansas – No. 16 in AP preseason poll, No. 25 in KenPom rankings
5.   Texas A&M – No. 13 in AP preseason poll, No. 16 in KenPom rankings
6.   Florida – No. 21 in AP preseason poll, No. 28 in KenPom rankings
7.   Texas – No. 19 in AP preseason poll, No. 18 in KenPom rankings
8.   Kentucky – No. 23 in AP preseason poll, No. 42 in KenPom rankings
9.   Ole Miss – No. 24 in AP preseason poll, No. 47 in KenPom rankings
10. Mississippi State – received six votes in AP preseason poll, No. 32 in KenPom rankings
11. South Carolina – No. 65 in KenPom rankings
12. Georgia – No. 67 in KenPom rankings
13. Missouri – No. 53 in KenPom rankings
14. LSU – No. 51 in KenPom rankings
15. Oklahoma – No. 40 in KenPom rankings
16. Vanderbilt – No. 96 in KenPom rankings
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
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