Texas' Miller: Expired COVID year could hurt SEC's success

Texas head coach Sean Miller believes the lack of an extra year of eligibility for college athletes will hurt the quality of talent in the SEC next season.

"I think just that alone, taking that one layer of talent, where you can convince an All-SEC player to return for a fifth year, and now that that's not in play, I don't think our league will remain as old," Miller said, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. "So I think just with that alone, I don't know if 14 of 16 (bids), I hope, but I can certainly see the effect of that moving forward."

A record 14 SEC teams reached the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25, and Florida won the national championship.

"Even in the Final Four, when you looked closely at Auburn and Florida, two remarkable rosters, part of their greatness was that they had this gift of a blend of talent, but their older players, they were a big part of their success."

The NCAA granted players who lost a season due to the COVID-19 pandemic a fifth season of eligibility. College athletes can typically play four seasons in five years, but players who were active for 2020-21 were allowed to play five seasons in six years.

Miller said there was "25% of the pie missing" in the transfer portal with fewer players eligible for an extra year.

"One thing that's definitely going to change, and I don't think it's talked a lot about in basketball, is the no COVID year," Miller said. "In our case, we had a number of players in my three years at Xavier that were exercising their fifth year. It's a year that doesn't exist right now."

Florida coach Todd Golden is also unsure if the SEC will be able to replicate its 2024-25 season. However, he remains confident in the conference's abilities.

"I think the league will be very good again this coming year, I do," Golden said. "The teams have recruited well, and we're the premier basketball conference right now. I think it's pretty clear. So, will it be as elite as it was this past year? I'm not sure ... but I do think we have a chance to have another great year."