College basketball is a unique sport in that there is a gigantic universe of 362 teams (and growing) but within that massive landscape is a bunch of distinct ecosystems–the different conferences.
In the midst of overall trends and a sport where hundreds of teams compete at the same level, a focus for programs isn’t competing with the 361 other teams as much as it is focusing on competing within your league. While non-conference play is still an important part of the college basketball calendar, the more important part remains league play. We saw a perfect example of this last year with the Gators as they didn’t get much accomplished in the non-conference portion of the season and weren’t expected to be an NCAA Tournament team, but when they took care of business in the SEC they were able to make it comfortably.
This trend is only going to continue as leagues add more conference games which takes away non-conference possibilities–something that is happening across high-major basketball. With the SEC adding Oklahoma and Texas, it’s possible the league could see even more conference games added in the future to try and balance schedules to whatever extent is possible.
This means that teams in the SEC should be taking note of trends and what happens within the league in order to cater their roster and style of play towards what will work. Even if the style might not position them best to win in non-conference play if it wins in league action–it’s likely worth it.
In order to look at the style of play in the SEC objectively, here are some statistics about the league from the 2023-24 season. Each number will be the league’s ranking about all the leagues nationally (33, or, 32 plus independents if you want to get technical). Seeing where the SEC ranks in some of these categories should give a great indication of some of the trends of the league–trends the Gators should be playing close attention to.
Offensive Efficiency: 4th
A lot of people think of the SEC as a rough and tumble, rock fight kind of league–but that isn’t the case whatsoever. This is a league loaded with teams that can score, and it means you probably need to be able to put up points in a hurry if you’re going to keep up. This could play into last season when the Gators were better in SEC play than in non-conference play–they couldn’t get the stops they needed to beat some of the more methodical teams in November and December, but the SEC turned into much more of a scoring contest which fit their style.
Tempo: 4th
Once again, we have a stat that shows the age of the SEC being a physical, grind it out league has long since passed. This is one of the fastest leagues in the country, and you need players that can keep up to that tempo.
Turnover Percentage: 8th
As mentioned earlier, the SEC is 4th in the country in offensive efficiency so right now the offense seems way ahead of the defense. However, one area where the defense has been good when it comes to forcing turnovers. To compete in the SEC, you need guards that can handle pressure.
Offensive Rebounding Percentage: 2nd
This is a statistical category the Gators certainly helped in as they were one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, but they weren’t alone as there were a number of SEC teams dominant on the glass. This is one area where the old school reputation of the SEC is accurate–teams are incredibly physical on the glass.
Block Percentage: 1st
This isn’t something that you can particularly prepare for or build your roster around, but it’s just interesting to note that the SEC is the best in this category while also being a league where a lot of points are scored.
Three-Point Attempt Rate: 12th
Three-Point Percentage: 24th
This is an area where the league has struggled with for multiple years. Let’s take a look even further back at the SEC’s rank in three-point percentage.
2022-23: 32nd
2021-22: 29th
2020-21: 22nd
2019-20: 28th
…I could go on for a number of years, but you get the point–the SEC has historically not shot the ball well whatsoever.
This is an area where Florida could take a look at their defensive strategy relative to league trends. Right now, Florida’s defense is all about taking away three-point attempts and funneling action towards the rim. You have to wonder if the Gators would be better off changing up that strategy and defending the rim at a higher level and instead giving up more three-point attempts, knowing that the SEC is going to be a below-average shooting league. Of course, nowadays rosters change more than ever and you can’t simply bank on the league once again being 22nd or worse in three-point percentage, but if this trend does continue the Gators could be wise to change their philosophy. Most teams in the league build their offense around scoring at the rim and not taking as many threes, and Florida’s defense may not match up all that well given the fact they’re willing to give up shots at the rim while taking away threes.
Different trends developing in different leagues is something that makes college basketball great, and now that you know some of the trends going on in the league you can know what to look for when the 2024-25 season tips off.