REPORTS: Prior to the 2024–25 season, rank every anticipated SEC starting big man.
It looks like the SEC will lead the collegiate basketball team to victory once more.
The Southeastern Conference might be unstoppable in 2024 with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference, Auburn and Alabama expected to be among the top five teams, and other programs developing into powerhouses.
The roster of Rodney Terry’s Longhorns won’t look the same in 2023 because of a number of players leaving and joining the transfer portal, as well as the big man Dylan Disu declaring for the NBA Draft.
Which big man will start in the middle of Texas’ starting five now that Disu isn’t competing in the paint?
Kadin Shedrick is now anticipated to start at position five. Shedrick had excellent output numbers and made a lot of field goals last season despite playing behind Disu
In terms of the future SEC opponents and the forthcoming season, how do Shedrick and the Horns compare?
Kijani Wright
Kijani Wright is predicted to be the shortest starting “big man” in the SEC for the 2024 campaign at 6-foot-9 and 235 pounds.
When Wright came off the bench for USC last season, he only managed 3.9 points and 2.6 assists per game for the Trojans.
Wright shot 58.4 percent from the field despite having below-average numbers, which puts him in position to likely start for the Vanderbilt Commodores
Derek Fountain
Derek Fountain is about to begin his third season as a collegiate basketball player and his fifth with the LSU Tigers.
Fountain averaged just 19.9 minutes per game and finished with 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Tigers in the previous year.
Fountain is expected to start at big man for LSU as he gets ready for his fifth season in the SEC, but he is well behind some of the other conference leaders.
Justin Abson
Despite his small stature of 6 feet 9 inches, Justin Abson has spent the last two seasons as one of the nation’s top shot-blockers.
Abson played two years at Appalchain State, where he averaged 2.5 blocks per game before transferring to Georgia.
During the 2023–24 campaign, Abson averaged 7.9 points per game, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 61.9 percent from the field.
Nick Pringle
Even though he was the Crimson Tides’ second man up at center last season, Nick Pringle managed to record respectable numbers in his role as a substitute.
Following Alabama’s Final Four success, Pringle declared he would use the transfer link to enroll at South Carolina, a fellow SEC school.
Considering that Pringle averaged 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds for Alabama in the previous season, he is predicted to be the top big man for the Gamecocks in 2024.
Sam Godwin
Sam Godwin is a monster in the paint despite not being a true center thanks to his 6-foot-10 stature. His court knowledge is sophisticated enough, nevertheless, to place him in the top ten on this list.
Godwin averaged 5.2 rebounds and 6.7 points per game for the Sooners in the previous campaign. In addition to 0.5 blocks and 0.5 thefts a game, his assist total was a mere 0.7.
When the rival teams play, Kadin Shedrick should dominate the Sooner, giving Texas supporters peace of mind.
Michael Nwoko
Michael Nwoko is one of the more gifted young players in the SEC this season, even though he has only played one season of collegiate basketball.
Nwoko averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game while playing just 8.8 minutes off the bench for the Miami Hurricanes the previous season.
Nwoko should experience a rise in playing time and improved output for the Bulldogs in 2024 as he becomes more acclimated to the Mississippi State squad.
Josh Gray
Josh Gray, a different inner-SEC transfer this offseason, came to the Missouri Tigers via the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Last season, Gray only played 9.9 minutes a game. In a game, he scored 3.2 points, grabbed 2.8 rebounds, and blocked 0.6 shots.
In addition to his SEC experience, Gray has an advantage against Michael Nwoko thanks to his defensive skills. Nevertheless, he is unable to appear any higher on this ranking due to his low stat
Malik Dia
Ole Miss’ starting big man for the time being will probably be the transfer from the Belmont Bruins, Malik Dia, though freshman true center John Bol may eventually usurp him.
Dia averaged around 17 points and 6 rebounds per game while playing for Belmont last season. He also increased the Bruins’ game-by-game totals by 0.8 blocks, 0.8 steals, and 1.2 assists.
Dia’s numbers for the Rebels will only rise as he grows more accustomed to his role as the team’s starting big man in the SEC, maybe holding off Bol until the freshman’s sophomore year.
Amari Williams
The Englishman Amari Williams, who played his first four years of college ball for the Drexel Dragons, is expected to start at center for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Williams’ unstoppable bulk can and should be used by newly appointed Kentucky head coach Mark Pope to control the paint on both ends of the game.
For the Dragons in the previous season, Williams averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game.
