SoutheastHoops SEC 2017-18 Preseason Power Rankings

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I almost skipped my SEC basketball preseason power rankings this year.

And it had nothing to do with laziness or being uneducated on all 14 teams. I’ve spent many months now dissecting the players and teams, so I feel confident in my knowledge of the league.

But here’s what I’m not confident about:

Where these 14 teams will actually finish.

Yes, all 14. I am not 100 percent certain on where anyone will finish due to the depth of talent in the conference.

Most years, it’s been easy to pinpoint the league’s top five and bottom four teams. The middle is usually difficult to predict, but we’ve at least felt pretty good about the top tier and bottom tier.

Enter the 2017-18 season, where that predictability is no longer present. Instead, we’re left with a conference where nearly every team expects to be in the NCAA Tournament conversation come March.

Being ranked seventh in recent years meant you were average. Being ranked seventh this year means you are just outside the Top 25. And because of how little difference there is between most of the teams ranked in the bottom half, it’s impossible to know how the standings will shake out.

That reality almost caused the obliteration of my preseason power rankings.

However, I decided to push on and do my best at figuring out an order for all these teams. I’ve changed this order about 837 times since I began the process a few months ago, so that should tell you all you need to know about my confidence level.

Never before has there been a year where I lack confidence in every single spot. That is, until now.

And as always, preseason power rankings mean nothing. They are fun to do, but nothing more than an educated guess on what could happen.

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