2025-26 SEC preview

Last season, South Carolina once again ruled the regular season, finishing 35-4 overall and 15-1 in SEC play, reclaiming the conference tournament crown and reinforcing their dominance atop the sport. But the Gamecocks’ March ended in heartbreak; a 82-59 loss to UConn in the NCAA Championship game left a bitter taste, but fuels a new “payback” mission in Columbia.

They won’t be alone in that quest. Texas, in its first SEC season, matched South Carolina’s 15-1 record and charged all the way to the Final Four, signaling a potential incoming power shift in the league. LSU, meanwhile, rode the brilliance of Aneesah Morrow through one last dominant campaign, cementing her legacy. Now, with stars Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams joined by dynamic ex-Gamecock guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, Baton Rouge remains a hotbed of intrigue and expectation.

Across the conference, familiar giants and hungry challengers are plotting their moves. Can Tennessee reclaim its storied glory in Year 2 under Kim Caldwell’s blistering pace? Will Kentucky — led by Kenny Brooks and a promising offense that caught fire late last season — make a legitimate leap? Programs like Florida and Georgia are clawing to escape the bottom tier, while Mississippi eyes more national relevance.

Amid the ever-shifting world of NIL deals and the transfer portal, parity has become the league’s great equalizer. Alabama enters this season seeking more consistency, while Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes — the breakout scorer who lit up arenas as a freshman — will draw every defense’s focus this year, especially with Khamil Pierre’s transfer to NC State. And don’t overlook the new faces of the SEC: Oklahoma and Texas, no longer newcomers, are settling in as full-fledged contenders in the sport’s most relentless conference.

And then there’s change. Missouri, Auburn and Arkansas each open new coaching eras, with two first-timers stepping into the SEC’s fiery crucible, a league where, as the saying goes, “it just means more.”

The exposure is still rising, too. More than 70 women’s basketball games will be played during the 2025-26 season — the most extensive coverage in conference history — and the spotlight on the league has never been brighter. The SEC is projected to be one of the deepest conferences in the nation, with ESPN’s latest preseason bracketology predicting nine NCAA Tournament bids and five teams among the top 16 nationally. The Associated Press poll further underscores that dominance, featuring eight programs in its preseason rankings — five in the top 10 that include South Carolina at No. 2, Texas at No. 4, LSU at No. 5, Oklahoma at No. 6 and Tennessee at No. 8 — followed by Mississippi at No. 12, Vanderbilt at No. 19 and Kentucky at No. 24.

So, as the lights come on and the sneakers squeak across the hardwood, one question looms. Can South Carolina maintain its iron grip on the throne, or will one of the league’s rising challengers — Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi or a dark-horse contender — seize control of a changing SEC landscape?

Welcome to the 2025-26 SEC women’s basketball season, where power meets parity and the race for the crown begins anew on Nov. 3.

South Carolina

• 2024-25 Record: (35-4, 15-1)
• Head Coach: Dawn Staley
• Marquee non-conference games: North Carolina (exhibition), Southern California, Duke, Texas or UCLA (Players Era Championship) and Louisville

Entering last season, South Carolina sat atop the mountain of women’s college basketball — the reigning national champion, unbeaten through the previous year, and owner of SEC regular-season and tournament titles. Even as losses to UCLA, Texas and UConn blemished their regular-season record in the 2024-25 campaign, head coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks remained one of the sport’s standard-bearers, built on defense, discipline, depth and unselfishness. South Carolina once again powered through the postseason to reach a fifth straight Final Four — the longest active streak in the nation and second-longest in NCAA history — setting up another title-game clash with UConn. But the Huskies’ dominance on the big stage denied Staley a fourth national crown, leaving the Gamecocks hungry to reclaim their place atop the sport.

This season, South Carolina’s theme — “Beyond Measure” — reflects head coach Dawn Staley’s commitment to valuing impact that transcends box scores and trophies. After another deep postseason run, the Gamecocks remain a powerhouse poised to contend for both SEC and national titles, even with a reshaped roster. South Carolina was picked to finish first in the media’s preseason poll but slipped to second in the coaches’ rankings, a sign of both respect and the challenges ahead. The Gamecocks lost six letterwinners, including three WNBA Draft picks (Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall and Sania Feagin), and will be without starter Chloe Kitts, who tore her ACL earlier this month. All-SEC First Team selection Joyce Edwards returns after averaging 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds, and she’ll anchor the frontcourt with more responsibility in Kitts’ absence.

The offseason also brought a major addition in Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer last year at 25.8 points per game. While Staley’s teams rarely center around one dominant scorer, Latson’s offensive prowess and maturity add another dimension. “At the end of the day, I came here to be me,” Latson told The IX Basketball. “They recruited me to be myself. … I just got to go in with confidence, play my game also but continue to grow and everything that they need me to be. … I know that what I bring to the table is scoring. It may be 20 some nights. It may be 15, but as long as I’m making an impact, that’s what matters the most.”

Beyond Latson, the Gamecocks reloaded with top-15 freshmen Agot Makeer (No. 6) and Ayla McDowell (No. 15), Mississippi State transfer Madina Okot, and veteran returners Raven Johnson — the team’s floor general who averaged 8.1 points and 4.8 assists on 44.3% shooting — Maryam Dauda, Adhel Tac, Tessa Johnson and Maddy McDaniel. With Kitts sidelined, Staley is confident her posts can handle the load. “Maryam [Dauda] is playing extremely well,” she said at SEC Tipoff. “Much improved. Adhel [Tac] is playing much improved. Joyce [Edwards] is Joyce. Joyce is going to probably take the brunt of it [rebounding, paint presence] because she’s just got more playing experience under us.” With its trademark toughness and evolving core, South Carolina remains poised to chase another championship

SEC hoops: How revenue sharing is changing recruiting at the top of the SEC.

---

The IX Basketball, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom powered by The Next

The IX Basketball: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX Sports. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.

---

Texas

• 2024-25 Record: (35-4, 15-1)
• Head Coach: Vic Schaefer
• Marquee non-conference games: Richmond, UCLA, North Carolina and Baylor

Texas head coach Vic Schaefer knew exactly what awaited his program when it joined the SEC. After all, he’d already survived the league’s grind while leading Mississippi State and serving under Gary Blair at Arkansas and Texas A&M. That experience paid off as the Longhorns navigated their inaugural SEC season with poise, posting the third-most wins in program history and reaching the NCAA Final Four for the first time in 22 years. But even after savoring that moment, Schaefer, entering his sixth season in Austin, remains driven by unfinished business: capturing his first national championship and Texas’ first since 1986.

The Longhorns return a veteran core led by consensus preseason SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker and All-SEC guard Rori Harmon, surrounded by six newcomers — four transfers (Teya Sidberry, Breya Cunningham, Ashton Judd and Lovisa Asbrink Hose) and two freshmen. “[Madison] is so cerebral,” Schaefer said. “She’s very unselfish. She enjoys the assist as much as the bucket. …She’s doing a great job right now in my gym being a leader, being positive, being the juice, talking. … We have something that we talk about a lot [where] the game honors toughness. … The only thing harder than being Player of the Year is being predicted to be [SEC] Player of the Year. You’re the number one person on the scout sheet every night, every night. …When you think about those things and about her and her career, in two short years, it’s quite remarkable.”

Schaefer’s expectations go beyond his stars. He’s counting on sophomores Jordan Lee — last year’s leading scorer in the national semifinal against South Carolina — along with Bryanna Preston and Justice Carlton to make major strides, while freshman Aaliyah Crump is poised to contribute early. The balance of experience and youthful depth gives Texas another legitimate shot at contending deep into March. “Add those in with our returners, I really think we’ve got a chance. … We’ve got to go live it and prove it,” Schaefer said. With his trademark discipline and defensive intensity, Schaefer knows the blueprint for success. Now, it’s about execution, as Texas aims to finish what it started last spring.

The Longhorns: Rori Harmon is ready to run it back with Texas one more time.

LSU

• 2024-25 Record: (31-6, 12-4)
• Head Coach: Kim Mulkey
• Marquee non-conference games: Duke

Even without standout forward Aneesah Morrow, LSU enters the 2025-26 season as one of the nation’s elite programs under head coach Kim Mulkey. Now in her fifth year in Baton Rouge, Mulkey comes off a milestone season in which she surpassed 750 career wins — faster than any coach in men’s or women’s basketball history — and guided the Tigers to their third consecutive Elite Eight appearance.

Ranked No. 5 in the AP poll and projected to finish third in both the SEC media and coaches preseason polls, LSU once again looks built for a deep postseason run. For the Tigers to return to the Final Four, Mulkey says leadership must come from her stars, Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. “She’s [Johnson] always been reluctant to be a leader of [her] teammates because she wants them to like her,” Mulkey said. “She never felt comfortable doing it because she always had the great older player in that locker room. Now you are that older player. You’re the senior. You’ve been here. … Being a leader for Mikaylah [Williams] is not always when you have good games. I want you to be that leader when you’re struggling. …I think all coaches baby kids when they first get to college. There’s no more need to baby her, Flau’Jae [or Williams].”

Alongside the preseason All-SEC duo, LSU returns Kailyn Gilbert and sophomore point guard Jada Richard, who Mulkey says has shown steady growth. “She [Jada] is really the only true point guard that has learned the game at point guard. She got a taste last year … She can shoot the ball, score the ball from the perimeter.” The Tigers will integrate eight newcomers, including flashy guard MiLaysia Fulwiley and post players Amiya Joyner (East Carolina) and Kate Koval (Notre Dame), who are expected to help fill Morrow’s void on the boards.

“I’m excited about our post play,” Mulkey said. “… It’s fun to watch them battle every day. But when the lights come on and we start playing games, it will be real interesting to see who goes and gets those rebounds. It may be more of a collective effort than just one player.” LSU also boasts the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, led by five-star signees Bella Hines, ZaKiyah Johnson, Divine Bourrage and Grace Knox. While Johnson, Williams and Fulwiley headline the roster, Mulkey expects balanced scoring across her lineup. “We’ve always had around four that average in double figures,” she said. “We’ve had personalities that were big. I don’t know that we have just that one superstar player that’s going to score all the points.”

Tennessee

• 2024-25 Record: (24-10, 8-8)
• Head Coach: Kim Caldwell
• Marquee non-conference games: Belmont, Middle Tennessee, UCLA, Stanford and Louisville

Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell enters her second season in Knoxville with a new perspective, both as a first-time mother to Conor Scott Caldwell and as the leader of a top-10 program hungry for more. After a debut season that included marquee wins over UConn, Ohio State, Florida State and Iowa and a Sweet 16 appearance, the Volunteers open the 2025-26 campaign ranked No. 8 in the AP poll with their sights set even higher. The roster features eight newcomers, including the nation’s No. 1-ranked transfer class headlined by Janiah Barker (UCLA), Nya Robertson (SMU) and Jersey Wolfenbarger (Arkansas/LSU), alongside returning standouts Talaysia Cooper (16.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Alyssa Latham (3.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Kaiya Wynn, who’s back from injury. “She has the ceiling to be one of the best players in the country,” Caldwell said of Cooper. “She’s a better player right now than she was at the end of last year. At the end of last year, she was probably playing the best basketball you have seen.”

Caldwell’s fast-paced, pressure-heavy system transformed the Lady Vols into one of the nation’s most exciting teams last season, ranking third nationally in scoring (86.6 ppg), second in three-pointers (10.1) and ninth in forced turnovers (22.18). With five fearless freshmen joining a veteran core, Caldwell says this year’s mix of talent has elevated competitiveness and accountability in practice. The challenge now is maintaining focus and consistency as Tennessee chases its first Elite Eight since 2016 and a long-awaited return to the Final Four. “We want to win the rebounding battle,” Caldwell said. “We want to win the possession battle. We want 20 more shots up than our opponent. We have to take care of the basketball, turn them over. We have to limit our fouls and get fouled. That means you have to go crash the offensive glass and box out. We want to beat you to every 50/50 ball.”

The Volunteers: Kim Caldwell’s mission is clear in Year 2: ‘Try to prove people wrong’.

The Volunteers: Ruby Whitehorn dismissed from Tennessee Lady Vols

---

Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?

Subscribe now to The IX Sports and receive our daily women’s sports newsletter covering soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers. That includes Basketball Wednesday from founder and editor Howard Megdal.

Readers of The IX Basketball now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.

---

Oklahoma

• 2024-25 Record: (27-8, 11-5)
• Head Coach: Jennie Baranczyk
• Marquee non-conference games: Belmont, UCLA, NC State and Oklahoma State

Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk considers her debut SEC season a success — though she admits it came with growing pains. Now entering her fifth year leading the Sooners, Baranczyk has a better feel for the league’s relentless competitiveness and believes her team is built to thrive in year two. “This is a league you don’t get to feel comfortable,” she said. “I love that. …We had a hard January… playing on the road in intense environments. …We didn’t show up in some [games]. We got scared in some. We had to learn, Okay, you’re either going to get better or this is just going to continue to happen. [Later in season], we just started to chip away, started to get better. I thought we did a better job of growing in that instead of separating.” That late-season resilience has Baranczyk confident Oklahoma can build on last year’s 27 wins, its best mark since 2010, and take the next step toward becoming a true SEC contender.

The Sooners return four of their top five scorers, including preseason All-SEC First Team selection Reagan Beers (17.3 ppg) and Second Team selection Payton Verhulst (14.9 ppg), along with Sahara Williams (10.6 ppg) and Zya Vann (6.9 ppg). “Payton [Verhulst] doesn’t even know how good she is,” Baranczyk said. “Her off-ball movement … her basketball IQ … her intangibles are really good. …She’s really elevated her level of leadership and everyday competitiveness probably because of the season last year.” Oklahoma’s roster also boasts four McDonald’s All-Americans — Beers, Verhulst, Williams and freshman phenom Aaliyah Chavez, the nation’s No. 1 recruit and reigning Naismith and Gatorade Player of the Year. For the Sooners to push beyond the SEC semifinals and Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010, Baranczyk says the focus is clear. They must take care of the ball, defend one-on-one, and grow together as a team in one of the nation’s toughest conferences.

Mississippi

• 2024-25 Record: (22-11, 10-6)
• Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin
• Marquee non-conference games: Longwood, George Mason, Notre Dame and Kansas State

Mississippi head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin — known across the SEC as “Coach Yo” — enters her eighth season in Oxford with the same trademark fire, grit and relentless pursuit of greatness that have come to define her program. The Rebels, armed with the nation’s No. 2-ranked transfer class, aim to move beyond simply being SEC contenders and into the national elite. Last season, Mississippi fell just short of Coach Yo’s lofty goal of a Final Four run, earning a No. 5 seed and making its second Sweet 16 appearance in three years. This season, the Rebels were projected to finish sixth by both the media and coaches, a mark that, given Coach Yo’s track record, could easily be exceeded even with the departures of floor leader KK Deans and versatile scorers Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott.

Mississippi’s retooled roster features three returners and nine newcomers — eight transfers and one freshman — ready to uphold the Rebels’ trademark toughness. Among them are Virginia transfer Latasha Lattimore, who averaged 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds last season, and Ohio State standout Cotie McMahon, a preseason All-SEC Second Team selection who led the Buckeyes with 16.5 points per game. “I really do believe it was God steering me in the right direction [to Mississippi],” McMahon said during SEC Tipoff. “We had a long talk… she wanted me to succeed… it was very meaningful to me.” Returning forward Christeen Iwuala and Mississippi State transfers Debreasha Powe and Denim DeShields round out a roster built around the team’s word of the season — “give” — as the Rebels look to cement themselves as true SEC title contenders and a program still playing basketball deep into April.

Vanderbilt

• 2024-25 Record: (22-11, 8-8)
• Head Coach: Shea Ralph
• Marquee non-conference games: California, South Florida, Albany and Michigan

If women’s college basketball fans didn’t know about Vanderbilt last season, they certainly do now. As Shea Ralph enters her fifth year at the helm, the Commodores are no longer flying under the radar thanks to sophomore star Mikayla Blakes, whose explosive freshman campaign put the program back on the national map. Blakes averaged 23.3 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game while sweeping SEC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year honors and becoming Vanderbilt’s first National Freshman of the Year.

A preseason All-SEC First-Team pick, Blakes returns with her sights set on leading the Commodores past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 — the same year Vanderbilt last won an SEC Tournament title. “When I first went to watch her play after having several conversations with her on the phone,” Ralph said, “I was blown away by her motor, her competitive fire, the way that she allowed herself to be coached, the way that she spoke to her teammates, the eye contact. There’s a lot of talent in the country, players with skill. Mikayla has the intangible qualities that I have been fortunate enough to witness as a basketball coach and a player, and some of the best players I’ve ever seen play the game.”

While Blakes headlines the roster, Ralph faced turnover after losing five letterwinners, including four starters. Thanks to the transfer portal, she quickly replenished her lineup with five newcomers joining five returnees, with Blakes as the lone returning starter. Among the new faces, former Texas center Ndjakelenga Mwenentanda brings valuable Final Four experience after starting 15 games for the Longhorns last season. “She’s a player on our team that has been where we want to go and has been able to make an immediate impact just in that way,” Ralph said. The Commodores also add freshman guard Aubrey Galvan, the top-ranked point guard from Illinois, who Ralph praised as a “high-IQ point guard that understands where the ball needs to go,” and welcome back forward Sacha Washington, who missed last year due to blood clots. “She [Washington] is one of the hardest workers on the floor,” Ralph said. “I cannot wait to have her back this year. It’s no secret, we need size. She’s going to have a force in the paint that we haven’t had in the last year.”

The Commodores: Vanderbilt is looking forward to a stronger season.

---

Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.

If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout to save 30%!

---

Kentucky

• 2024-25 Record: (23-8, 11-5)
• Head Coach: Kenny Brooks
• Marquee non-conference games: Louisville and Maryland 

Kenny Brooks admits he didn’t know exactly what to expect in his first season leading Kentucky. “We knew how good we were and how good we could be,” he said. The Wildcats quickly proved their potential, navigating the SEC gauntlet to earn five ranked wins, climb as high as No. 8 in the AP poll and secure a double bye as the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament. Kentucky shattered a dozen program records along the way, finished as the nation’s leader in blocks per game (7.0) and claimed a top-four NCAA Tournament seed. Brooks credits much of that success to his “cheat code,” point guard Georgia Amoore, now with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. “The things we were trying to do on the floor, she [Amoore] could really take what I was trying to say into the locker room,” he said.

Without Amoore this season, Brooks enters Year 2 in the SEC with a stronger sense of direction and confidence in his team’s foundation. The Wildcats return nearly half of their scoring and more than 70% of their rebounding, led by the “Triplets” — 2025 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and preseason All-SEC Second Team selection Clara Strack (15.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg), Teonni Key (11.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg) and Amelia Hassett. “Very proud of her [Strack] accomplishments, what she was able to do, because she was an unknown,” Brooks said. Guard Jordan Obi also returns from a leg injury, while Dominika Paurová will miss another season after tearing her ACL. To stabilize the backcourt, Brooks added All-ACC transfer Tonie Morgan from Georgia Tech, who averaged 13.7 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds last season. “When she [Morgan] got to us, I told her very bluntly, ‘look, I don’t want you to fill Georgia Amoore’s shoes, I want you to bring your own.’” Picked seventh by coaches and eighth by the media, Kentucky plans to exceed expectations once again.

SEC women’s hoops: 2024-25 SEC Preview.

Alabama

• 2024-25 Record: (24-9, 10-6)
• Head Coach: Kristy Curry
• Marquee non-conference games: Harvard

Alabama enters the 2025-26 season aiming to build on last year’s success while managing major roster turnover. The Crimson Tide reached their first preseason ranking (No. 24) since 1998-99 and lived up to expectations with a sixth-place SEC finish, but this year’s squad faces a different challenge. Head coach Kristy Curry, entering her 13th season in Tuscaloosa, must replace 67% of her team’s scoring, 41% of its rebounding and 61% of its assists from a roster that ranked among the nation’s top 25 in both offense and defense. Alabama was projected to finish ninth by both the media and league coaches, missing out on consecutive preseason top-25 rankings, but Curry isn’t fazed. With a top-20 recruiting class, seven newcomers and renewed depth, she’s focused on what’s ahead rather than the polls.

This year’s group blends youth, athleticism and experience. The Crimson Tide welcome four freshmen and three transfers — Waiata Jennings (Baylor), Alancia Ramsey (Coastal Carolina) and Ta’Mia Scott (Middle Tennessee) — to complement eight returners, including three who missed last season due to injury. “When [Alancia] walks in the room, you’re like, wow, what an athlete. …The impact she can have… she’s incredible on the offensive and defensive glass. [Scott] brings a replacement to the scoring we lost,” Curry said. With versatile forwards like Essence Cody and backcourt leaders Jessica Timmons, who returns from a knee injury, and Karly Weathers, Curry expects Alabama to be stronger inside and more balanced overall. Her goal is to push the program beyond recent NCAA Tournament consistency and into its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1998.

Mississippi State

• 2024-25 Record: (22-12, 7-9)
• Head Coach: Sam Purcell
• Marquee non-conference games: Davidson

Sam Purcell has made a habit of embracing change and thriving through it. The Mississippi State head coach enters his fourth season in Starkville with another retooled roster and the same relentless energy that has defined his tenure. The Bulldogs will feature nine new players, including six transfers, continuing a pattern of turnover that has yielded results. Purcell brought in 11 newcomers last season — a group that included a top-10 recruiting class — and seven in his debut year, with both teams earning NCAA Tournament berths. Known for his passion and contagious enthusiasm, Purcell has set the tone once again, choosing “drive” as this season’s team identity. With 67 wins in three seasons, the most by any coach in program history, and three consecutive top-20 finishes, Mississippi State is hungry to keep climbing.

The Bulldogs’ mix of new and returning talent fuels that optimism. Among the key additions are former Mississippi and Auburn forward Kharyssa Richardson, whom Purcell expects to take on a major role, along with transfers Trayanna Crisp (North Carolina/Arizona State), NJCAA All-American Awa Fane and Howard transfer Saniyah King, last season’s MEAC Freshman of the Year. They join veteran Chandler Prater and freshman Madison Francis, part of the nation’s 11th-ranked signing class and second-best in program history. Despite being picked to finish 10th by the media and 12th by coaches, Purcell welcomes the underdog label. “We know our backs are against the wall,” he said. “Especially, five out of the top-10 teams in the country are from the SEC. Nobody’s talking about us. Nobody is considering us. … They did it last year. … When you do that, all you do is fuel the fire for my team. Most importantly you give us a chip. That’s the best thing a head coach can ask for.”

Florida

• 2024-25 Record: (19-18, 5-11)
• Head Coach: Kelly Rae Finley
• Marquee non-conference games: Florida State and Georgia Tech 

Kelly Rae Finley enters her fifth season at Florida intent on elevating the Gators back into NCAA Tournament contention after three straight years on the outside looking in. Despite back-to-back appearances in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, Florida has struggled to sustain momentum in games, often competing tightly through the first half before faltering late due to turnovers, defensive lapses and offensive miscues. Still, Finley sees growth in the adversity, crediting her team’s postseason grit for back-to-back SEC Tournament runs that saw the Gators knock off Auburn and Alabama to reach the quarterfinals. Picked to finish 11th by the media and 10th by coaches in the preseason polls, Florida is determined to climb higher this season. 

As the Gators prepare for the 2025-26 campaign, Finley knows her team must find its stride earlier. “We’ve really evaluated this off-season where we need to grow sooner as a program,” she said. “Part of that is in the consistency of our players.” Florida returns three All-Americans — standout guard and second team All-SEC selection Liv McGill, who set a school record with 611 points as a freshman, Laila Reynolds, who posted 21 double-digit scoring games, and Me’Arah O’Neal — forming a dynamic core. “Both Liv and Laila had enormous experience live in-game,” Finley said. “They’re diligent workers, students of the game.” The trio leads a roster infused with seven newcomers and seven international players, giving Florida the mix of talent, experience and depth needed to make noise in the SEC this season.

Georgia

• 2024-25 Record: (13-19, 4-12)
• Head Coach: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
• Marquee non-conference games: Georgia Tech, Kansas and Florida State

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson enters her fourth season at Georgia brimming with optimism and expectation after the Bulldogs closed last season on a surge, winning three of their final four games, including an upset against Tennessee. With two returning All-SEC Freshman selections — guard Trinity Turner, who led the team with 12.2 points per game, and forward Mia Woolfolk, who added 11.0 — Georgia has a strong foundation of young talent. That duo, combined with the nation’s No. 18 freshman class and the No. 5-ranked transfer portal haul, gives Abrahamson-Henderson plenty to build on.

The newcomers include former ACC Sixth Player of the Year Dani Carnegie and ex-Wake Forest leading scorer Rylie Theuerkauf, while Savannah Henderson — the coach’s daughter — returns from injury, and forward Miyah Verse looks poised for a breakout year. “I think Miyah Verse is going to be like Angel Reese,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “She was one of the best rebounders in our league. Dani [Carnegie] has a huge basketball IQ. …At Georgia Tech, she was more of a scorer, off guard. …When Dani is coming down the floor, her passing ability, her vision is amazing. I’ve had to tell our post players, Please, get your hands ready. Dani is not going to look at you when she passes.”

A year ago, Georgia was picked to finish 14th in the SEC preseason poll. This season, the Bulldogs have inched up to 12th in the media poll and 11th among coaches — modest progress that Abrahamson-Henderson fully intends to surpass.

Missouri

• 2024-25 Record: (14-18, 3-13)
• Head Coach: Kellie Harper
• Marquee non-conference games: Kansas, Northwestern, California and Illinois 

After a year away from coaching, Kellie Harper is back on the sidelines, this time leading Missouri. The veteran coach, who spent the last five of her 20 Division I seasons guiding Tennessee, returns to the SEC with a proven résumé that includes nine NCAA Tournament appearances and three Sweet 16 runs. Now, Harper’s task is to help the Tigers claw their way back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2019. Missouri’s retooled roster features seven transfers — Shannon Dowell (Illinois State), Saniah Tyler (Kentucky), Lisa Thompson (Rutgers), Jordan Reisma (Cleveland State), Jayla Smith (Purdue), Chloe Sotell (Pepperdine) and Sydney Mains, giving Harper plenty of new talent to mold as she looks to establish a fresh identity and competitive edge in Columbia.

The Tigers also return key contributors in Abbey Schreacke, who ranked 12th nationally in three-pointers made per game and totaled 168 last season, and Grace Slaughter, a top-20 scorer who averaged 15 points per contest. Backed by a staff that has developed 28 professional players and 11 WNBA draft picks, Harper brings championship pedigree. However, she knows patience will be vital with so many new faces. “Translating practice to game is going to be really important early on,” Harper said. “… We want to try to capitalize on that and try to push them every day.” Despite a recent exhibition loss to Maryville, Harper remains encouraged by her team’s drive and hunger to learn quickly, qualities she believes will shape Missouri’s path back to SEC prominence.

---

Want more women’s hockey content? Subscribe to The Ice Garden!

In case you missed it, The Ice Garden is now part of The IX Sports family!

The staff of The Ice Garden has paved the way for women’s hockey coverage from the college ranks to international competitions. Of course, that includes in-depth coverage of the PWHL too. For a limited time, free signups at The Ice Garden can sample all the work they do. Check it out, sign up now!

---

Texas A&M

• 2024-25 Record: (10-19, 3-13)
• Head Coach: Joni Taylor
• Marquee non-conference games: Kansas State, Colorado, Georgia Tech and West Virginia 

No team in the SEC battled adversity quite like Texas A&M last season, when head coach Joni Taylor’s squad was ravaged by injuries including a season-ending setback to former Aggie standout Aicha Coulibaly in January. Now entering her fourth season in College Station, Taylor is optimistic as the 2025-26 campaign begins with a clean bill of health, a point she playfully emphasized by knocking on the wooden lectern during SEC Tipoff earlier this month. The Aggies boast 12 new players, the most in the conference, along with five international standouts, ranking second among SEC programs. Among the new additions are Saint Peter’s transfer Fatmata Janneh, the nation’s top rebounder last season (9.7 per game), and Sacred Heart transfer Ny’Ceara Pryor, who led the country in steals (4.1). “We call Fats [Janneh] all gas because there’s no brakes,” Taylor said. “She’s all gas in everything. … It’s how she shows up every single day.”

As Taylor looks to steer the Aggies back into NCAA Tournament contention after their 2023-24 appearance — the program’s first since Gary Blair’s 2020-21 squad — she’ll lean heavily on veteran forward Lauren Ware, affectionately nicknamed “Little Joni” for her leadership and close bond with her coach. A sixth-year senior and defensive anchor, Ware has led A&M in blocks the past two seasons (102 total) and ranked third in the SEC with 1.8 blocks per game last year. “I will cry buckets of tears when she has her Senior Night this year. She didn’t have to come back for a sixth year. Her body hurts every single day. … She wasn’t satisfied with the way we ended our season last year after we got hurt. … She leads with her voice every single day.” With Taylor’s energy, a revamped roster and Ware’s steady presence, Texas A&M seeks to reclaim its place among the SEC elite.

Auburn

• 2024-25 Record: (12-18, 3-13)
• Head Coach: Larry Vickers
• Marquee non-conference games: California, Oregon, Syracuse, Seton Hall and Middle Tennessee

Larry Vickers begins his first season at Auburn after transforming Norfolk State into a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference powerhouse. Over a decade with the Spartans, he guided the program to four straight MEAC regular-season titles, three tournament championships and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Now, he takes over an Auburn team eager to restore its once-proud tradition, a program that hasn’t claimed an SEC regular-season crown since 2009 or a conference tournament title since 1997, though it returned to the NCAA stage in 2024. Vickers, known for his defensive intensity and player development, brings the same winning mindset to the Plains as he looks to reignite the Tigers’ identity on the hardwood.

The first-year coach will have plenty of new faces with 10 newcomers, including seven Division I transfers, a junior college transfer and two freshmen. Among them, he plans to lean heavily on transfers Khady Leye and Ja’Mia Harris, along with returners Kaitlyn Duhon and Syriah Daniels, who appeared in just eight games before a season-ending injury last November. “Khady [is] a player that some forwards in our league are going to hate to defend,” Vickers said. “She can play inside-out, stretch the floor. … Duhon is extremely vocal … one of those players that talks a lot.” Despite being picked to finish 15th out of 16 teams in preseason polls, Auburn is already buying into Vickers’ defensive schemes — a mix of zone and man-to-man looks — and his vision of a team that plays with freedom, toughness and belief.

Arkansas 

• 2024-25 Record: (10-22, 3-13)
• Head Coach: Kelsi Musick
• Marquee non-conference games: Harvard

Kelsi Musick enters her first season living out what she calls her “dream job”, leading the Razorbacks. Hired in March to revive a team that hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2022, Musick inherits a squad looking to rebound from a 10-22 finish in ex coach Mike Neighbors’ final season. Despite postseason appearances in the WNIT in 2023 and the new WBIT in 2024, the Razorbacks have struggled to regain national footing. Musick, who built a reputation for offensive fireworks at Oral Roberts, plans to overhaul the team’s mindset and culture with an up-tempo, attacking style. “We’re trying to force the issue in transition,” she said during SEC Tipoff in Birmingham earlier this month. During her three seasons at ORU, the Golden Eagles ranked among the nation’s top 20 in scoring and top 10 in pace per game, according to HHS.

While Musick’s high-octane offenses have drawn attention, she’s equally focused on shoring up the defense and the glass as Arkansas transitions into her system. “We have to be a unit … on the defensive end of the ball,” she said. “… We’ve got to rebound. It’s a physical game, especially in the SEC.” The Razorbacks return five players, including guard Wyvette Mayberry — daughter of former Arkansas All-American Lee Mayberry — and welcome eight newcomers, highlighted by Taleyah Jones, Oral Roberts’ leading scorer last season at 18.1 points per game. The roster also includes three freshmen and an international flavor, with four players who represented their countries in FIBA competition this summer: Cristina Sanchez and Maria Rodriguez of Spain, Bonnie Deas of Australia and Danika Galea of Malta.

---

---