The Auburn Tigers- There’s little doubt that the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is the toughest league in men’s college basketball in 2025. With 10 teams ranked in the AP Top 25, including the top two, and no clearly weak teams by the end of nonconference play, the SEC is a dominant force this season.

This competitive landscape presents a challenging road for Auburn to continue its supremacy in conference play. However, the Tigers and their rivals will gain valuable postseason experience by facing so many strong teams during the regular season. The high level of competition also means that multiple SEC teams may be in contention for NCAA Tournament berths, with more teams than ever before possessing Tournament-caliber resumes. Every SEC road game is a potential Quad I opportunity, and many home games also carry significant weight, elevating the stakes for every matchup.

To give perspective on the SEC’s strength, a look at the major analytical rankings reveals how the conference compares on a national scale. The average team ranking across five major metrics (KenPom, NET, Torvik, EvanMiya, ESPN BPI) places SEC teams in the upper tier:

• KenPom: 30.9
• NET: 29.8
• Torvik: 31.7
• EvanMiya: 28.4
• ESPN BPI: 29.9

Auburn, despite being ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll, is considered the best team in the country by all five major analytics platforms. This highlights the Tigers’ dominance, as they are nearly universally viewed as the top team, even as they face one of the toughest schedules in the conference. Auburn’s only loss came on the road against No. 2 Duke, reinforcing the strength of their competition.

The overall strength of the SEC is reflected in the rankings of other teams as well. The conference boasts three top-10 teams, with Florida also ranking in the top 10 in four of the five major metrics. Remarkably, no SEC team is ranked outside the top 100 in any of these rankings, and even the lowest-ranked SEC team sits inside the top 65. This level of depth and balance is unusual for any league, especially one that is home to multiple national championship contenders.

Missouri, for example, ranks 50th in KenPom, but that places them 14th in the SEC. For context, Missouri’s ranking would place them fourth in the Big East and sixth in the ACC, two conferences traditionally considered superior to the SEC. Auburn, meanwhile, is set to play 12 Quad I games in SEC play, meaning 67% of their remaining games will come against top-tier opponents.

With so many opportunities for quality wins, it’s likely that just seven or eight SEC victories could be enough to secure an NCAA Tournament spot, making the SEC one of the most competitive conferences in recent memory. Auburn’s SEC opener against Missouri, scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, will stream live on SEC Network, kicking off what promises to be a thrilling conference season.