"It Just Means More" doesn't apply to the 2025-26 College Basketball season. A new breed of dominant hoops squad has emerged, and the SEC is not represented among it.
Among that group, you'll find the Michigan Wolverines, Arizona Wildcats, Iowa State Cyclones, and Purdue Boilermakers. The UConn Huskies are also back on track after a spectacularly disappointing campaign last year in their three-peat bid.
As for the old guard? The Florida Gators, the Auburn Tigers, and the Kentucky Wildcats? Vanderbilt Commodores On SI's Joey Dwyer believes they, along with the Missouri Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs, are old news.
For Auburn, the issue was not blamed on Steven Pearl. Rather, the Tigers' inclusion in such a dubious category was due to the players Bruce Pearl wouldn't have had either, had he decided not to retire this past September.
"Just about everyone in the SEC has gotten worse relative to where it was a year ago. Perhaps it’s unfair to the league to call it down as a result of it being historically good a year ago, but it certainly isn’t at the same level it was a year ago. In reality, it’s probably the third-best league in the country these days despite having the highest NET ranking of its average team of any league," Dwyer wrote.
"Florida has taken an inevitable step back after it ran out an all-time great roster a year ago. Auburn lost Johni Broome, Miles Kelly and Dylan Cardwell. Kentucky has had more growing pains than should be acceptable with the sport’s most expensive roster. Missouri is on a three-game power-five losing streak and has real perimeter shooting issues. Mississippi State has faded into obscurity. "
Bruce Pearl retired for a reason
Unfortunately, Bruce retired for a reason. A ton of talent was lost after the 2024-25 academic calendar, and the emotional toll of their 2025 Final Four run carried over into preparations for the current season.
Bruce also said he wanted to retire on top. Emeka Opurum's season-ending injury is a massive blow to the frontcourt, and, combined with Tahaad Pettiford's health and shaky performance, is seemingly a death knell to any hopes of contention. There wasn't much hope this roster could be a Final Four team, though, even with better health and Bruce on the sidelines.
It's not his fault, but the Steven Pearl era is off to a rough start, and there's no guarantee it's going to get back to the Bruce era's heights anytime soon.