SEC Tipoff ’27 is over, and the season is a little more than two weeks away. Rosters across the league turned over heavily again, so there are plenty of new names and familiar players in new uniforms to learn. This preview runs in three parts. The first covers five programs, and the next two installments publish next week.
Alabama Crimson Tide
– Last season: 24-11 (7-9 SEC, 11th), NCAA Tournament second round
– Key losses: Essence Cody, Jessica Timmons, Diana Collins
– Key returners: Ace Austin, Naomi Jones
– Key additions: Aaliyah Roberson, Paris Bradley
– Projected finish: 10th
Few programs nationally squeezed more out of fewer resources than Kristy Curry did in Tuscaloosa over the past five years. Her move to USF this offseason looked like a search for a school that valued her. Alabama’s budget ranks near the bottom of the SEC, while USF reportedly offered spending near the top of the American.
Pauline Love steps in with a reputation as a strong recruiter and respected assistant, having worked at Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma. A short runway meant she couldn’t build a deep class of SEC-caliber players. Her plan is to blend lessons from Curry with ideas from Mike Neighbors.
Love at SEC Tipoff:
“Let’s play with a fast pace, and I got this from Mike Neighbors. I’ve been blessed enough to be around some really great coaches. The one thing he would always say to me and to our team at Arkansas is to be able to function fast and have organization. So we want to be able to score in the first 7 seconds of the shot clock. I think it’s a fun way of doing it, but our first practice in the summer, oh, I’m going to be honest with you, it was a little hectic. I was, like, okay, I think I need to start over.”
“I have to give Kristy a lot of respect because she put me in uncomfortable situations, and the things that I didn’t want to do or didn’t feel comfortable with, she made me do it, right? I think just working with her for that year and I’ve been knowing her since I was in college, the Southern Miss days. She’s the best manager of people. Just by her putting me in those uncomfortable situations, I was, like, hey, maybe I can do that. So I just have to give her credit for that, for sure.”
Arkansas Razorbacks
– Last season: 12-20 (1-15 SEC, 16th), no postseason
– Key losses: Bonnie Deas, Taleyah Jones, Jenna Lawrence
– Key returners: Emily Robinson
– Key additions: Whitley Rogers, Kyiah Prestridge, Jianna Morris
– Projected finish: 16th
The preseason poll’s top and bottom spots were no mystery, with South Carolina first and Arkansas last. Kelsi Musick imported much of her Oral Roberts roster for her debut season, and the results were about as rough as expected. She then had to replace 11 players from that group.
Musick has done well in high school recruiting, landing Rogers, a top-60 prospect, in 2026 and assembling a 2027 class that features a top-30 recruit. That bodes well for the future, but this season will likely be another struggle.
Musick on what progress looks like:
“In year two, I think ending year one the fact that no matter what, my team played hard all the time. I think building on that. We have such a new team. I think our foundation, our culture, those pieces are extremely important. I think that this team really does represent that. They can really run the offense and the dribble-drive to a higher rate. I think that’s extremely important, too. They’re buying into the system, into the coaches and what we want. So I think there will be a lot of growth this season.”
Auburn Tigers
– Last season: 15-17 (3-13 SEC, 15th), no postseason
– Key losses: Harissoum Coulibaly, Mya Petticord, Khady Ley
– Key returners: Kaitlyn Duhon, Ja’Mia Harris
– Key additions: Sira Thienou (injured), Ashley Knox, Zaniyah Williams
– Projected finish: 15th
Auburn was better than its 3-13 conference mark suggested. The Tigers added two top-80 recruits and transfer Sira Thienou, arguably Ole Miss’ most important player a year ago. A torn ACL will keep Thienou out all season, and with her went much of the optimism around the program.
Head coach Larry Vickers on the goals for year two:
“Well, you know, year two, we just want to be significantly better. Everybody on the Plains tries to keep me calm as we look to rebuild this thing, and they’re, like, hey, it even took (Bruce Pearl) three years. Obviously this is a completely different time, and we don’t want it to take three years, but I think overall for us, you know, doubling that win total, being in the NCAA Tournament conversation, those are important pieces of the puzzle for us as we look to grow this thing to a national power again.”
Florida Gators
– Last season: 18-15 (5-11 SEC, 12th), no postseason
– Key losses: Me’Arah O’Neal, Laila Reynolds, Liv McGill
– Key returners: Jade Weathersby
– Key additions: Taliyah Parker, Kiyomi McMiller, Vivian Iwuchukwu
– Projected finish: 12th
Kelly Rae Finley recruited talent to Gainesville but was dismissed when the wins didn’t follow. Her successor, Tammi Reiss, inherits a thinner roster. She targeted highly ranked recruits who haven’t lived up to their billing in college, betting she can unlock what they have left. Reiss was Dawn Staley’s roommate and teammate at Virginia, and Florida is hoping some of that coaching chemistry carries over.
“I called Dawn Staley first thing when the opportunity presented itself. Really talked to Dawn. She showed you the blueprint on how to rebuild a program brick by brick, from the fan base to recruiting. Every aspect. Marketing, whatever it was. I really picked her brain about this job, the SEC, the University of Florida. There’s never been a time — that’s what besties are for, that’s what best friends are for. Anytime I’ve ever called, Dawn picks up: Whatever you need, sister.
Really, really helped me, number one, in acquiring the job, then, number two, just the blueprint. Really, really great knowledge, great advice. So, yes, I lean on her heavily in a lot of different areas of my life. This was one big decision. It’s a life decision. She really was there for me.”
“Everyone has asked me what game are you most excited in the SEC. C’mon now. To get to go down in that environment in South Carolina, which I think is the best environment in college basketball, get to actually be on the court with her, it’s been since 1992. Head-to-head. I’m a head coach now. She’s a head coach. It was different when I was at Syracuse, I was an assistant, she was a head. We did beat them then to go to our Final Four at Syracuse. This will be a special day, a special moment just because of our relationship, all that she’s done for me, the impact she’s had in my life. It will be a little nostalgic, something I’m really, really looking forward to.”
Georgia Lady Dawgs
– Last season: 22-10 (8-8 SEC, 8th), NCAA Tournament first round
– Key losses: Trinity Turner, Dani Carnegie, Zhen Craft, Mia Woolfolk
– Key returners: Vera Ojenuwa, Aubrey Beckham
– Key additions: Harmonie Ware, Faith Wylder, Dakota Warner
– Projected finish: 13th
Georgia and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson “mutually” parted ways after last season. The split looked like a standoff over money, with one of the SEC’s smaller budgets on one side and no appetite to increase it on the other. Abrahamson-Henderson reached the NCAA Tournament twice in four years, including as a seven seed last March. Nearly that entire roster has left, and in year one under the new staff, Georgia appears headed backward.
Head coach Ayla Guzzardo on recruiting 11 newcomers:
“I’m going to be honest. It wasn’t hard to convince them in a way. You bring ’em here on campus; our administration has done a great job at pouring into us. We want to talk about resources; they give us all the resources we need to be successful and compete at a high level. You get them on campus, it’s sold. Georgia has a great academic and athletic powerhouse of a university. I think once they get here, they start realizing how much passion and our culture that we’re going to have established. It’s that buy-in is immediate.”
Bottom Line
This first group shows how much turnover the SEC is absorbing. Four of the five schools have new head coaches or are in the early stages of rebuilds, and the projections reflect it, with Alabama in the middle and Arkansas, Auburn, Florida and Georgia in the lower half of the standings. The most interesting thread may be Florida, where Reiss is leaning on her friendship with Staley and a roster of buy-low talent. Each program is betting that culture and development can outpace its resource limits, and the first few weeks of conference play will show which bets are paying off.
