2026-27 SoCon Basketball Preview: Team Rankings, Overrated Contenders & Bold Predictions

The 2026–27 Southern Conference basketball season has arrived, and the league is deeper, more unpredictable, and more wide open than it has been in years.

Can unanimous favorite Furman navigate eligibility hurdles and repeat as tournament champions? How does ETSU respond to Jordan McCollum’s season-ending injury? And can Tobin Anderson’s high-energy Tennessee Tech squad crash the party in year one? From VMI’s potent backcourt to UNCG’s roster overhaul, we cover every angle across all 11 programs.

In This Episode:

• Ranking the SoCon 1 to 11 — Full tier breakdown and rankings of every program heading into the expanded 20-game conference slate.
• Furman’s Repeat Ambitions & Eligibility — Sizing up the Paladins' roster depth, impact transfers, and the questions that could tighten the race at the top.
• ETSU Without McCollum — Evaluating how BJ Ward and the Buccaneer backcourt adapt following major injury adversity.
• Tennessee Tech’s Immediate Impact — Tobin Anderson’s press-and-pace arrival, De'Ante Green’s comeback, and why the Golden Eagles could surprise the league.
• The VMI Backcourt & Preseason POY — Rickey Bradley Jr.’s return to form, pairing with TJ Johnson, and why the Keydets could outplay their poll projection.
• Preseason All-Conference & Burning Questions — Scouting breakout candidates, transfer impact across Wofford, Samford, Chattanooga, Mercer, WCU, and The Citadel, and debating the intra-conference transfer rule.
• Sealed Envelope Bold Predictions — Unveiling our boldest takes of the year and picking who cuts down the nets at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville.

Presented by Ingles Markets