SEC College Basketball Betting Preview: 2026–27 Odds, Picks & Predictions

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College basketball returns, and the SEC once again looks poised to be the powerhouse conference in the sport.

While the SEC didn’t match its historic 2025 campaign, when it sent 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament and produced the national champion, the conference still secured 10 bids to the Big Dance.

Can Florida live up to its lofty expectations as the current NCAA Tournament favorite? Will Tennessee’s revamped roster make some noise? And which teams offer the best betting value heading into the new season?

Dive in below for my SEC college basketball betting preview for the 2026-27 season, including odds, picks and predictions.

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2026-27 SEC Regular Season Title Odds

SEC Favorite

Florida Gators (+112)

It should come as no surprise that Todd Golden’s Gators are the heavy favorites to win the SEC for the second consecutive season.

Florida returns four starters from last year, giving it one of the most experienced rosters in the country.

Consensus lottery pick Thomas Haugh headlines a frontcourt that will feature plenty of size. While 7-foot-1 Micah Handlogten transferred out of the program, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu returned.

Chinyelu will be particularly important this season. He ranked inside the top 10 nationally in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate last year. If the senior can stay out of foul trouble, he’s primed to take yet another step forward.

Every player in Golden’s projected starting lineup is an upperclassman, a rarity in today’s college basketball landscape. Boogie Fland returns as the lead ball handler, while Denzel Aberdeen rejoined the program this offseason after spending a year at Kentucky.

Aberdeen was granted a temporary injunction, allowing him to play for Florida this season.

With its size and experience, Florida has the makings of one of the most formidable defensive teams in college basketball. The Gators should once again thrive under Golden, but can they put together a deep March run?

Ultimately, the Gators’ ceiling may depend on the backcourt pairing of Fland and Aberdeen, two veterans who have shown flashes of inconsistency throughout their college careers.

If that duo clicks, the sky is the limit.

But regardless, there's a reason Florida enters the season as the consensus No. 1 team and the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC.

SEC Best Futures Bet

Tennessee Volunteers (+930)

The narrative that Rick Barnes is an overrated coach is nothing short of malarkey. For the third time in four seasons, the Vols made an Elite Eight run in the NCAA Tournament.

Barnes is one of the best coaches in college basketball, and his willingness to adapt to a complete roster overhaul could be the key to an even deeper postseason run.

Known for their bruising defense and dominance on the glass, the Vols took a different approach in the transfer portal this offseason, prioritizing an all-out offensive attack.

Barnes did not disappoint.

Nine transfers arrive in Knoxville, four of whom averaged at least 15 points per game last season. Jalen Washington’s eligibility remains in flux, but even if he isn’t granted another year, this is an immensely talented and dangerous Tennessee team.

Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris headlines the group after a breakout sophomore season in which he averaged 21.4 points per game. He showed an ability to take care of the ball while drawing fouls at a high rate, making him an ideal centerpiece for this revamped offense.

Jalen Haralson joins Harris in the ACC-to-SEC pipeline after starring at Notre Dame, where he averaged 16.2 points per game. He brings excellent touch for a big man and drew the eighth-most fouls per 40 minutes (7.5) in college basketball.

Add in microwave scorer Terrence Hill Jr., the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year, along with elite shooters Dai Dai Ames and Tyler Lundblade, and Tennessee has the offensive firepower to finally crack the top 15 nationally.

The question is whether the defense can maintain its reputation as a bruising, physical unit.

I trust Barnes to make the Vols an SEC contender once again.

DeWayne Brown II should take a step forward as a sophomore, and it’s not as if Barnes completely abandoned defense in the transfer portal. Miles Rubin (Loyola Chicago) and Braedan Lue (Kennesaw State) should provide some much-needed depth off the bench.

Florida may be the best team in the SEC, but with the Gators priced at close to even money, I don’t see enough value to justify a bet. Instead, I’d rather back Tennessee at +1000.

If this offense clicks, we could see a version of the Vols unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Tennessee also gets its two toughest conference matchups — Florida and Alabama — at home, which is a significant advantage.

SEC Best Value Bet

Missouri Tigers (+6500)

Missouri is the ultimate boom-or-bust team in the SEC.

Dennis Gates hit the transfer portal hard this offseason, bolstering his frontcourt with Bryson Tiller (Kansas) and Jaylen Carey (Tennessee).

With Mark Mitchell also granted a temporary injunction to play, Missouri has the potential to boast a frontcourt that stacks up with the best in college basketball.

Physicality will be the identity of this team. Carey was one of the better offensive-rebounding bigs in the country last season, while Tiller’s length proved critical around the rim.

Mizzou also added five-star big man Toni Bryant, giving Gates another talented piece to work with inside.

There are plenty of question marks surrounding this Missouri team, and that uncertainty is a big reason why the Tigers offer value at their current price.

Incoming freshman Jason Crowe Jr., ranked No. 8 by ESPN, was a prolific scorer in high school and will be tasked with running the offense from day one.

The backcourt remains a major concern, but Gates brought in Jamier Jones (Providence) to provide some much-needed stability.

As long as Mitchell remains eligible, Missouri has the talent and physicality to make some noise in a loaded SEC.

The backcourt questions make the Tigers a risky bet, but the upside is undeniable.

SEC Player to Target for Props

Isaiah Johnson Assists

While Texas didn’t get much attention in this article, the Longhorns are a legitimate threat this season and have all the makings of a team capable of making a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Isaiah Johnson transfers in from Colorado to run the offense and should thrive with a talented frontcourt featuring David Punch and Matas Vokietaitis.

I’d expect Texas to lean heavily on the pick-and-roll, giving Johnson plenty of opportunities to rack up assists.

With this kind of frontcourt talent, the Longhorns should create matchup problems all season, and Johnson could reap the benefits as the primary facilitator.