2008-09 Bearing The Burden Award…

This award will begin a series of awards based on efficiency numbers (category vs. minutes played) over the next few weeks. These are pure numbers – no bias involved. However, they can be misleading. Thus, here are some heads-ups…

• These awards are meant to effectively and accurately pick the best (and worst) performers in each category. Thus, a line was drawn roughly around the area of 15 games played and/or 40 minutes – 1 full game – played as a minimum. This was done to limit the effect of outliers bringing to our attention surprising walk-ons that could be, according to the stats, future superstars.
• Obviously, these awards are not all-encompassing. Players that transferred or any other players that didn’t play for any reason last season are not included.
• Be sure to understand that each of these categories, alone, are misleading. For example, if a player won Least Minutes/Assist but also finished last in Least Minutes/Turnover, it is not as impressive. Combining these rankings and statistics will give a more clear and well-rounded picture, but these rankings are fun nonetheless.

With further ado, we will begin. Today’s award is the Bearing The Burden Award, given out to the conference’s most efficient field-goal-drainer. This is calculated by Minutes/Field Goals Made. This category clearly relies not only on Field Goals Attempted but also on Field Goal Percentage to prove truly accurate, although this list is not far from right-on.

The winner is…

MARCUS THORNTON – Graduated, LSU  – 4.36 – Last Year: 4.92
Thornton undercut last year’s winner,  A.J. Ogilvy, but .14 and wasn’t the only one to beat last year’s mark. Thornton, serving as LSU’s main offensive threat and facing defenses’ best, still had no problem draining three after three. Thornton was one of the more unheralded players in the game last season, and was absolutely unstoppable and extremely reliable.

The others…

2. Devan Downey – Senior, South Carolina – 4.41 – Last Year: 5.49
Downey joins Thornton in undercutting A.J. Ogilvy’s mark from a year ago, interesting that this year’s top three are all guards while last year’s top three were all forwards. Downey was also his team’s main offensive threat in 2008-09, with his size assisting in his speed and his ability to charge the basket. Downey will likely be one of the favorites for SEC Player of the Year next season.

3. Jodie Meeks – NBA Draft, Kentucky – 4.70 – Last Year: 9.44
One of this year’s most breakout stars, Meeks has won accolades from all across the nation. As a result of having no experienced ball-handlers, Kentucky’s offense was a sinking ship waiting to happen. Most nights, Meeks was the liferaft. Meeks led the conference in scoring and had the ball in his hand every posession.

4. Patrick Patterson – Junior, Kentucky – 4.78 – Last Year: 5.51
Patterson, after receiving SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, has proven himself in every aspet of the game. Kentucky dodged a bullet when Patterson dodged the draft, as he will be a first-round pick when he jumps. With a more well-rounded offense and help down low, Patterson’s production may decrease next year.

5. Alex Tyus – Junior, Florida – 4.84 – Last Year: 6.74
Speaking of dodging a bullet, Florida missed one of two this year. The heart and soul of their team in their star point guard Nick Calathes went pro – in Europe – and Tyus announced he was transferring, leaving many to wonder what was going on in Gainesville. Tyus changed his mind, and his production should increase with the loss of hot-handed Calathes.

6. Michael Washington – Senior, Arkansas – 5.06 – Last Year: 9.00
Washington rivaled Meeks in Most Improved in 2008-09, as he effectively had no choice when nearly his entire team graduated or left the team. The big-man stepped up big-time and relied upon heavily. Unlike others in this list, he had a tendency to be susceptible to double-teams and solid defense, but was an outstanding and otherwise reliable presence for the Razorbacks.

7. Tasmin Mitchell – Senior, LSU – 5.08 – Last Year: 9.43
With Thornton hogging all the lime-light, most forgot about Mitchell. And that was to his advantage, as his size and skill dominated nearly every defender he saw. Mitchell came on strong at the end of the season, enough to seriously consider jumping to the NBA draft. He’s back, and LSU has a chance to not be god-awful next year because of it.

8. Travis Leslie – Sophomore, Georgia – 5.23 – Last Year: N.A.
Leslie is the lone returning freshman on this list and likely the most underrated freshman from 2008-09. Leslie is absolutely awful from the charity stripe and isn’t fond of taking long-range shots, but is a reliable scorer that could turn into a star for the Bulldogs.

9. A.J. Ogilvy – Junior, Vanderbilt – 5.26 – Last Year: 4.46
The only player on this list whose production actually decreased from a year ago, ogilvy suffered from the loss of Foster. Foster was one of the greatest shooters the conference has ever seen, and distracted defenses enough to allow Ogilvy open shots underneath. Ogilvy is still outstanding at most every aspect of the game and should be a first-round draft-when he opts for the NBA.

10. Wayne Chism – Senior, Tennessee – 5.29 - Last Year: 5.94
Chism seems to be constantly battling teammate Tyler Smith for notice. And don’t look now, he may very well be better at the colelgiate level. Chism is an outstanding rebounder, is a force in the paint and likely doesn’t see enough touches considering his ability to get the ball in the basket. He and Smith will challenge Kentucky and Mississippi State for the conference’s most feared front-court.

The opposite end of the spectrum…

1. Marcus Monk – Inellgible, Arkansas – 9.92 – Last Year: N.A.

2. Rickey McPhee – Senior, Georgia – 9.69 – Last Year: N.A.

3. Brandis Raley-Ross – Senior, South Carolina – 9.67 – Last Year: 8.86

4. Chris Barnes – Junior, Georgia – 9.55 – Last Year: 8.86

5. Justin Knox – Junior, Alabama – 9.48 – Last Year: 13.80

6. Terry Martin – Graduated, LSU – 9.46 – Last Year: 7.75

7. Drazen Zlovaric – Sophomore, Georgia – 9.44 – Last Year: N.A.

8. Perry Stevenson – Senior, Kentucky – 9.44 – Last Year: 10.96

9. Zach Graham – Junior, Ole Miss – 9.35 – Last Year: 6.86

10. Sam Muldrow – Junior, South Carolina – 9.33 – Last year: 10.51

 

Please leave comments if you enjoyed this breakdown or have questions, and I will be releasing the next set soon!

SEC loses Meeks…

Meeks to the NBA

 

After dodging several bullets this offseason, the SEC took just its second big hit today when Jodie Meeks, Kentucky’s star shooting guard and the league’s top scorer at 23.7 ppg, announced he will remain in the NBA draft.

Meeks was a breakout star a year ago, as Kentucky’s offense nearly ran through his hands on every play. His field-goal percentage was third-best in the conference among guards at 46.3% and he led the SEC from behind the arc at 40.6%.

Strangely, this loss doesn’t hurt UK as much as it probably should. Calipari’s recruiting class in his first year with the Blue was nothing short of epic, and the team returns a massive amount of talent and experience as it is. As good as Meeks was, he was also a ball-hog. With him gone, incoming freshman point-guard and top-ranked recruit John Wall will be dishing out the ball to a more well-rounded group of teammates like Patrick Patterson, Perry Stevenson and freshman stars DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton.

What this does, however, is force Kentucky’s entire lineup into a front-heavy crew. Kentucky’s only true usable talent in the backcourt will all be underclassmen, and all but one will be freshmen. DeAndre Liggins is the sole returning guard with any real potential, and he managed to shoot just 23.5% from three in his freshman season. Both Wall and Bledsoe have perimeter shots listed as a “weakness” by Scout and freshmen Jon Hood and Darnell Dodson both are listed as small forwards whose perimeter games won’t likely be a difference-maker in the SEC.

Unless Liggins can turn into the next Meeks – and that’s about as likely as Kentucky fans admitting a national championship shouldn’t be a garuantee – UK is going to be heavily unbalanced next season. For as much hype as this team will get, UK is following the recipe for a quick NCAA exit line-by-line.

Tyler Smith to return…

Smith returns to Tennessee

 

It’s looking more and more like the SEC, after a year to forget, is set to return to the national stage in a big way. A procession of future NBA players and SEC stars have announced they will be returning for 2009-10, including Michael Washington, Jarvis Varnado, Patrick Patterson and Tasmin Mitchell. Thus far, the leaugue is only missing out on Nick Calathes among underclassmen after a scare from Florida forward Alex Tyus.

Tyler Smith is the latest to rejoin the talent and experience-rich conference. Smith is probably the most NBA-ready player in the league physically and mentally, as he scored 17.4 ppg, grabbed 5.8 rpg, and was the conference’s best ball-handling big-man at 3.35 apg. Smith is a surprise to return to school, and should be absolute dynamite as a senior. In fact, I’d personally be shocked if he wasn’t selected as preseason SEC Player of the Year.

And for the record, I’m going to hold serve until the NBA draft in the middle of this month before beginning to release the results of my much-anticipated (at least by me) efficiency calculations.

Calathes going pro…

Calathes to Greece

Except not to the NBA. The Greece pro leagues have offered Calathes first-round NBA Draft money to come play in Greece and he has reportedly accepted the offer.

This is an absolutely massive blow for Donovan and the Gators, as Calathes was the heart and soul of his team a year ago. Calathes led the Gators in scoring a year ago and ranked 7th in the SEC with 17.2 points per game, added 5.3 rebounds, was the best-shooting guard in the league at 48.2% overall, and was one of the best ball-handlers the league has ever seen at 6.4 assists to just 3.3 turnovers per game.

This will likely drop Florida out of the preseason Top 25, although this isn’t to say Donovan can’t rebound with as much talent as he has on the roster.

Kentucky solidifies #1 recruiting class in nation…

 

Wall to UK

Calipari has gone insane at Kentucky, pulling in what is easily the nation’s top recruiting class this year and one of the best ever for any team as the nation’s top recruit and projected top pick in next year’s NBA draft John Wall has chosen to play for the Wildcats.

The Blue faithful now have signitures or committments from the #1 player, #10, #18 and #30. Very, very nice performance thus far from Calipari on the recruiting scene.

On another note, I am currently working on last season’s efficiency ratings, scores and rankings for each and every player in the league. I’ll have numbers for every statistical category and those compared to the amount of minutes each player played. This is the single most exciting part of the offseason for myself personally, as it describes in very accurate detail exactly how much talent and potential each player has, and suggests some dark horses for breakthrough years next year. I’ll have it up as soon as I complete it!

Another talented post man rejoins the SEC…

Washington returns to Arkansas

This time in the form of Michael Washington, Arkanasas’ main inside presence. The SEC seems to be avoiding several potential trip-ups in the post-season, as now the only real threats to leave early would be Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks, Florida’s Nick Calathes, and Tennessee’s Tyler Smith.

Patterson and Varnado return to the SEC…

Patterson returns to UK

 

In case you’ve been living deep in a hole with your fingers in your ears, the SEC’s two biggest all-star big men have both announced in the past couple of weeks that they will be returning to the respective schools.

Patterson, an offensive-minded powerhouse will be returning to a Wildcat team that, with a signature from the country’s top freshman in John Wall, will likely be ranked in the top five nationally preseason.

Varnado returns to MSU as a defensive presence unlike the nation has ever seen before, and likely to break the all-time NCAA career blocks record and finish third all-time at MSU in rebounds.

Just as the league appeared down and out a few months ago, it certainly is taking shape to rock the national scene in 2009-10.

 

Varnado returns to MSU

Holcombe frees up one MSU scholarship…

Red-shirted guard Jacquiese Holcombe has decided to transfer from Mississippi State, freeing up one of two extra scholarships the Bulldogs have signed.

If Varnado does not return or if either Riek or Sidney is not cleared to play this fall, this would free up the other scholarship.

Source confirms Riek committment…

A personal source intimate with the program has confirmed Riek has committed to State, and will sign this week. I realize this is practically old news at this point, but I wanted to confirm to all of the readers that this is a done deal.

More MSU news about Riek and Varnado…

Sorry to the other fanbases of the SEC, but Mississippi State seems to be stealing all of the limelight recently…

Local newspaper, NortheastMississippi picked up on the Riek report, and has a report from Varnado’s father concerning his likeliness of returning to State.

Apparently, Riek’s decision has no bearing on Varnado’s decision and he fully expects to return to MSU unless his draft status drastically increases.

Mississippi State will be outstandingly experienced and talented if Riek/Sidney both get on campus and eligible and Varnado returns.

Update on Riek to Mississippi State…

It seems increasingly likely Riek will sign with Mississippi State, and will do so soon.

Cincinnati people are claiming that Riek signed a Letter of Intent, but Cincinnati did not file it with the NCAA due to eligibility concerns. When word was received that Riek was looking at an uphill battle to get eligible, on top of his health concerns, the program decided to release Riek and his situation to another program.

This could mean any number of things. Riek could have simply expressed that he did not want to play for Cincinnati, and UC let him go to avoid drama and bad PR, and created a story to cover themslves. Perhaps UC refused to admit Riek, and thus the program was forced to let him go. Perhaps the article is telling the truth.

What we do know is that if and when Riek is healthy and eligible to play at Mississippi State, he will be joining a very, very potent squad.

Word has it that Riek has filed paperwork with MSU, and that the school will officially announce his signing sometime this week when all of the paperwork is cleared up.

Some additional John Riek rumor de-bunking…

First of all, many Cincinnati fans appear to be in a frenzy, and some seem to be creating rumors at a wild pitch. Some have claimed, on Cincinnati’s Rivals page – Bearcat Lair – that Mississippi State’s thread on their own rival page regarding Riek is locked, claiming it is only an unfounded rumor. THIS – in fact – is an unfounded rumor. I am a member of the site – there have only been a few posts regarding Riek, and Mississippi State’s representative, Logan Lowery, has not been heard from on the topic yet. The thread is not locked, and noone is claiming it is an untrue rumor on the board.

Additionally, many Cincinnati fans appear to be confused regarding press conferences and releases. Coaches are, in fact, allowed to release comments regarding SIGNED recruits. I have worked in media relations for a very long time now, and every single school I’ve ever been in contact with has always – ALWAYS – issued a press release immediately following a recruit’s signing. Some Cincinnati fans seem to believe programs are only allowed one press release per recruiting period, and this is simply not the case. If Riek had in fact signed with Cincinnati, the Bearcats could have, at any point, issued a press release.

This is not suggesting Riek will or will not be attending Mississippi State, as it seems everyone involved is playing a massive waiting game. Just keep in mind the Fox report stated Riek had COMMITTED to MSU, not SIGNED. Thus, the Bulldogs would not have a release on their site until Riek actually signed with the school. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and let’s all try and calm down.

John Riek controversy…

Apparently, there is a great deal of confusion surrounding John Riek’s supposed commitment to MSU. Rivals reports that Riek signed a Letter of Intention, which is binding, on April 15 of this year. However, Scout reports that Riek has not signed with anyone, and the school never published any release regarding Riek.

The most likely scenario here is that a source close to Riek believed he had the intention of signing with Cincinnati, and thus leaked it to Rivals, who went with the story. I suspect there was simply no signature or papers, or Rick Stansbury wouldn’t have been recruiting Riek knowing the potential punishments and bad PR. In addition, every school publishes a release after a commitment signs – and no doubt when one as highly regarded as Riek does – and thus all signs seem to point to a fair and clean MSU commitment.

No official word has come from either department outside of Fox Sports, although many sources confirm Riek was on campus at MSU this weekend.

I’ll keep everyone updated as this situation unfolds.

Clarification…

To clear some things up for my Cincinnati fan viewers…Riek signed with Cincinnati before attending prep school, which releases him from the letter of intent. He is still on the market, and is committed to Mississippi State.

Mississippi State adds John Riek…

Another elite prospect to MSU

Just when you thought the Bulldogs had ended their recruiting after signing an extra scholarship in highly-touted big-man Renardo Sidney, today brings word that John Riek – an elite 7′2″ former top-five prospect and #1 ranked postgraduate prospect - has committed to State. This puts MSU with two extra scholarships, possibly suggesting that outstanding junior Jarvis Varnado may have decided to stay in the NBA draft. Either way, MSU will need to shed at least one player, possibly sending three-star big-man Wendell Lewis to prep school for a year.

If Varnado returns, the Bulldogs should be a lock for the preseason Top 15 next season, if not better.

There seems to be a lot of confusion from Cincinnati fans – this is to clarify…Riek signed a Letter of Intent in 2008, but then attended prep school, which releases him from the contract. He is cleanly on the market, and seems to have committed to Mississippi State. He has been confirmed as having been on campus at MSU this past weekend.

Mississippi State pulls in SEC’s top recruit…

Sidney to MSU

The nation’s fifth-best prospect according to Scout, and the best incoming to the SEC thus far, signed with Mississippi State today. Renardo Sidney, a 6′10″ power forward with immense talent will be a Bulldog in 2009-10. Sidney is known for his face-to-the-basket prowess, including his fadeaway mid-range game and long-distance skills. He is also one of the best-passing big men in the class.

If Varnado returns to Mississippi State, the Bulldogs are already being tabbed as a preseason Top-15 squad and Final Four contender.

If Kentucky manages to bring in Wall, the nation’s conensus top player, the SEC could see a replay of 2006 when the Wildcats and Bulldogs fought tooth and nail throughout the season and both made the Final Four.

Sidney apparently waiting on dad…

According to NEMS360, five-star recruit Renardo Sidney “wants to come to Mississippi State“. His dad, however, isn’t sold yet. He is wanting Sidney to take visits to LSU and Oklahoma, although Sidney’s mother is on board with MSU. Sidney is also, apparently, good friends with current Bulldog Romero Osby.

With this parental hold-up, it appears that Sidney won’t be signing with Mississippi State today.

More news to follow…

Sidney rumor update…

An inside source, although I can’t vouch for its reliability, has claimed that Sidney’s family has decided on Mississippi State and that the letter of  intent will be faxed to MSU tomorrow. Let’s see how this plays out…

Big-time recruit changing committment to SEC?

Sidney to MSU?

Top-Ten recruit and insanely talented big-man Renardo Sidney is apparently strongly considering a switch of his committment from USC to Mississippi State.

Sources have all but confirmed that Sidney visited Starkville this past weekend. He is currently ranked the #2 power forward in the country by Scout and fifth overall.

Sidney has been reported to have an attitude problem, and problems with his motivation, but several sources are quoted as saying Sidney is the most purely talented player in the entire class.

Sidney originally lived in Jackson, Miss. before moving to Los Angeles to play prep ball.

In other MSU news, talented junior Jarvis Varnado has put his name into the NBA draft, although he will not hire an agent. If Varnado returns and Sidney is added to the roster, Mississippi State could be a Final Four contender.

Another big announcement by an SEC player, and this time in favor of the league: Alex Tyus has pulled a Billy Donovan and changed his mind – he will, in fact, return to the Gators’ basketball team next season.

Intersting analysis forthcoming…

To all of my faithful readers…

Times have slown down for everyone in the world of college basketball, but my academic life is insane as I approach finals week as well as graduation next semester.

Once things have calmed down for me personally, I will begin my stats/minute breakdown of players – one of my favorite things to do all season.

In addition, I’ll be looking at what percentage of points/rebounds each team returns heading toward next year, as well as recapping the SEC teams’ recruiting classes.

Lots of reasons to keep checking!

Another big SEC loss…

Tyus to transfer

More suprising news in the SEC, this time from the Gators. Sophomore Alex Tyus, who ranked second on the team this past season in scoring (12.5ppg) and first in rebounding (6.2rpg), is transferring out of the program for unknown reasons.

This is, quite obviously, a massive loss for the Gators, coupled with the chance of star point-guard Nick Calathes’ jump to the NBA.

With just this loss alone, Florida likely ruins their chances at being ranked pre-season next year, and will need to quickly find some depth under the basket.

In other rumors, apparently Malcolm White – one of the two starters to transfer out of Ole Miss – is wanting to play for LSU next season. However, word is that Kennedy would not release him to do so.

2008-09 Over/Under Achievers

No doubt that, as a whole, the SEC underachieved heavily in 2008-09. Due mostly to a severe lack of experience, many teams in the conference fell well short of their expectations this season.

Here’s a breakdown of each team’s performance this season, and how it compared to… (A) How the team was expected to perform, and (B) How I personally believe the team should  have performed. Keep in mind that these two factors can be wildly different, as my outlooks are very different than those of the media at times.

I’m also including, as an added bonus, my pre-season predictions posted on the blog in October.

UNDERACHIEVERS

Alabama   (18-14, 7-9, #108)
My prediction:   (18-11, 8-8, ~2 seed NIT)

vs. expectations: Alabama has been heralded ever since Ronald Steele stepped foot on campus, and the media fully expected the Tide to at least make some type of postseason with him returning and the addition of his brother.

vs. my prediction: I was very close with the Tide, although I again overestimated what .500 in the SEC would mean this season.

Arkansas   (14-16, 2-14, #147)
My prediction:   (14-15, 5-11, no postseason)

vs. expectations: After losing a great deal to graduation in 2007-08, the Razorbacks weren’t expected to compete well in the SEC this year. Two wins, however, was even less than most expected.

vs. my prediction: I nailed the Razorbacks’ overall record within a half-game, but I had no idea Pelphrey was capable of just two wins in the SEC – especially with the amount of talent on the roster that he had. Any team with Michael Washington, Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clark should win more than two games in the SEC – especially considering the state of the SEC this past season.

Florida   (25-11, 9-7, #54)
My prediction:   (25-5, 12-4, ~3 seed NCAA)

vs. expectations: Considering Donovan took a bunch of sophomores to a national championship just a few years ago, the media seemed to buy into the idea that Florida could compete for the East this season with Tennessee. They fell just one game short of the East, but noone knew what little that would mean.

vs. my prediction: This was possibly my worst pick of the season, as I bought far too much into the old storyline of Donovan’s super sophomores from a few years back. I also underestimated the impact that Florida’s ridiculously soft non-conference schedule would have on the team’s postseason.

Kentucky   (22-14, 8-8, #79)
My prediction:   (22-8, 11-5, ~6 seed NCAA)

vs. expectations: Kentucky did nothing but struggle under now-deposed head coach Billy Gillispie, and 2008-09 was no different. Expectations are always high for the Blue, and this year was no different considering the enormous amount of talent on the squad – including SEC Player of the Year candidate Patrick Patterson.

vs. my prediction: I foresaw Kentucky struggling according to their own standards, but never would I have dreamt that the Wildcats would be competing in the NIT. Last year was truly a new low for Kentucky basketball fans.

Tennessee   (21-13, 10-6, #25)
My prediction:   (25-5, 13-3, ~3 seed NCAA)

vs. expectations: Tennessee was pre-season Top 25 and was expected to easily take the SEC title. Despite a solid showing in the conference, the team fell three games short of first-place LSU and received a much lower NCAA bid than would have been thought.

vs. my prediction: With the addition of Top 10 player Scotty Hopson and having two of the better inside players in the league in Smith and Chism, I fully expected Pearl’s team to do exactly what the media thought. The Vols simply weren’t able to play enough defense to win enough games to truly compete for the SEC, and this lack of defense seems to be a theme under Pearl.

Vanderbilt   (19-12, 8-8, #95)
My prediction:   (24-6, 9-7, ~5 seed NCAA)

vs. expectations: Vandy finished around where they were expected to, possibly slightly lower, at 4th in the East and .500 in SEC play.

vs. my prediction: The ‘Dores fell well short, overall, of how I felt they could have done with all-star A.J. Ogilvy on the roster. While my SEC prediction was close, I underestimated the growing pains of a team losing an offensive powerhouse like Shan Foster.

ON PAR

Georgia   (12-20, 3-13, #192)
My prediction:   (15-13, 5-11, no postseason)

vs. expectations: After a shocking SEC Tournament run, the media began to see improvement in the Bulldogs heading into 2008-09. But expectations remained low, considering the signficant uphill mountain that faced the team.

vs. my prediction: I gave the Bulldogs some leeway, as Top 20 freshman Howard Thompkins was added to the roster. Often times a single player can make several games’ difference, but that was not the case here in Dennis Felton’s final year at Georgia.

Ole Miss   (16-15, 7-9, #82)
My prediction:   (17-13, 7-9, ~4 seed NIT)

vs. expectations: This was a tricky one to rank, as the Rebels pretty much matched their expectations before the season despite losing three starters to injury. In that sense, the Rebels overachieved heavily.

vs. my prediction: Again, I was very close with the result here – nailing the SEC record. I did not, however, account for the massive losses to injury and thus this was an impressive performance by the Rebels.

South Carolina   (21-10, 10-6, #57)
My prediction:   (19-10, 8-8, ~2 seed NIT)

vs. expectations: South Carolina returned nearly every player on their roster in 2008-09 and rightfully was expected to challenge for the East and make an NCAA appearance. While USC tied for the East title, its laughably weak non-conference schedule cost it an NCAA bid.

vs. my prediction: I was pretty much dead-on with USC apart from a two-game difference in the conference, as I knew from the beginning that a non-conference schedule like that would cost the team a chance at the Big Dance.

OVERACHIEVERS

Auburn   (24-12, 10-6, #64)
My prediction:   (14-17, 3-13, no postseason)

vs. expectations: Auburn was one of two big surprises in the West this season, as Lebo actually managed a decent season in leiu of a very weak SEC. Auburn had for several years finished in the bottom of the West, and was once again thought to take that place.

vs. my prediction: The Tigers added Korvotney Barber back to the mix, and I severely underestimated his potential to change Auburn’s offense. With the addition of him and talented JUCO transfer Tay Waller, this offense got hot and took a top seed in the NIT along with 2nd place in the West.

LSU   (27-8, 13-3, #37)
My prediction:   (21-10, 8-8, ~9 seed NCAA)

vs. expectations: LSU was easily the SEC’s biggest surprise this year under first-year coach Trent Johnson, as the team’s suffocating defense dominated the SEC from the outset. LSU had very little expectations heading into 2008-09 due to a sub-.500 year in 2007-08.

vs. my prediction: While I knew the Tigers had the potential to improve vastly from the year before, I didn’t prepare for just how large a jump the team would make after bringing back nearly everyone on the roster.

Mississippi State   (23-13, 9-7, #63)
My prediction:   (21-10, 8-8, ~10 seed NCAA)

vs. expectations: Mississippi State lost two of the most high-octane performers at their positions heading into 2008-09 and thus the media’s outlook on the team was not much more than an afterthought. State responded with 23 wins, an SEC Tournament title and an NCAA bid.

vs. my prediction: While I overestimated what 8-8 in the SEC would do for the RPI because of the conference’s sluggish performance as a whole, the Bulldogs still performed very well by finishing 3rd in the West under a stellar freshman point guard.

Huertas leaving Ole Miss…

Huertas goes pro...in Puerto Rico

In a pretty surprising announcement, Ole Miss’ junior David Huertas – one of the league’s best scorers – is leaving the Rebels to pursue a pro career in his home country of Puerto Rico.

Huertas averaged 18.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and shot an outstanding 80.6% from the charity stripe along with starting 28 of 30 games he participated in for 2008-09. He was clearly the Rebels’ leader heading into the 2009-10 season.

What makes this particularly shocking, however, is the outlook for Ole Miss. Barring Kennedy being fired over a pending court case, this team brings back nearly everyone from a team that overachieved despite massive amounts of injuries. Ole Miss would have been favored to challenge MSU for the divisional title.

This loss coupled with the transfer of sophomore Malcolm White, who averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game along with starting 27 of the 31 games he played this season, leaves a squad expected to return nearly everyone hurting in the depth department.

Tough offseason thus far for the Rebels.

Official 2008-09 SECHGBD Men’s Basketball Awards

Meeks: SEC Player of the Year

Here are the rather delayed decisions…

SEC Player of the Year:   Jodie Meeks (Junior, Kentucky)

This was a tough decision between three players in particular, but in the end, Meeks’ ability to drain crucial shots from the perimeter and inordinate knack for getting to the charity stripe garnered him the honor of this year’s Player of the Year.

Meeks led the SEC this year in scoring with 23.7 points per game, as just he and Marcus Thornton from LSU were able to average more than 20. Meeks’ 117 three-pointers made easily eclipsed any other player in the SEC while his 40.7% average from long-range also easily led the conference. Added to this impressive resume’ was Meeks’ 263 field goals made this season, 7 more than anyone else in the league. Meeks’ overall 46.3% effort from the floor was 10th best in the SEC, and third amongst the league’s guards.

It’s not all about the pure scoring numbers, and Meeks was not exactly one-dimensional. He also shot 90.2% from the charity stripe to lead the league in that category as well, needless to mention the fact that he attempted 234 shots from there – 12 more than anyone else in the SEC.

The junior, who has announced he will be testing out the NBA draft this offseason, also averaged 1.33 steals per contest (good for 13th in the league) and 34.36 minutes per game (1st).

If Meeks returns to UK for his senior season, Kentucky will have a heck of an offensive weapon.

SEC Freshman of the Year:   Dee Bost (Freshman, Mississippi State)

This contest was clearly between two individuals, as Terrico White of Ole Miss was a better pure scorer than Bost. Bost, however, brings a much more well-rounded and complete game to the floor and is arguably better at on-ball defense. There is no doubt, however, that Bost is a far better leader on his team.

Bost filled the rather enormous shoes of outgoing junior Jamont Gordon very well and took an MSU team picked 4th in the SEC West to a tie for 2nd in the division, an SEC Tournament title, and an NCAA Tournament bid. Bost did so by averaging 4.33 assists per game, 4th in the conference and 2nd among freshmen. While the assist-to-turnover ratio is a category in which nearly every freshman struggles, Bost did not – registering a 1.53 mark, 7th in the league and best among freshmen.

Bost did what every great point guard should do – hand the ball out, take care of the ball, and defend. The latter was demonstrated by his average of 1.44 steals per game which also ranked best among the league’s freshmen and 12th overall in the conference.

Bost was no slouch at scoring either, finishing with a 10.9 points per game average. He also shot 71.8% from the charity stripe, good for 12th in the SEC and again first among freshmen.

While both Bost and White will be outstanding players in their SEC careers, it seems that Bost will prove to be a much more potent all-around player for opposing SEC squads.

SEC Coach of the Year:   Trent Johnson (1st year, LSU)

Unlike many of the other awards this offseason, this one was very clear-cut. Johnson took a very talented but horribly-coached program under John Brady and destroyed the SEC with it the following year.

LSU, just two years removed from a Final Four, was in disarray in 2007-08. The Tigers won just 13 games while losing 18 and went 6-10 in the conference.

Johnson came in and instilled an intense in-your-face defense that finished 2008-09 ranked 17th in the nation, easily claimed the overall SEC season title after going 13-3 in-conference and finished 27-8 overall.

Johnson was an outstanding choice by LSU’s athletic department, and it seems the Tigers will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.

SEC Defensive Player of the Year:   Jarvis Varnado (Junior, MSU)

Words can hardly describe the defensive power, presence and ability of Jarvis Varnado. After absolutely shattering the single-season and career blocks records at MSU, he has gone on to surpass Shaquille O’Neal’s single-season SEC block record. He is now on pace to shatter not only the SEC career block record, but the NCAA one as well. In fact, Varnado himself had more blocks in 2008-09 than 9 of the teams in the SEC and over 300 teams in NCAA Division 1 basketball.

Varnado reigns as the two-time reigning National Defensive Player of the Year, and one could hardly keep him from the title of SEC Defensive Player of the Year. If he returns, he could very well be a favorite for the 2009-10 SEC Player of the Year.

SEC First-Team

Jodie Meeks   (Kentucky – Junior – 23.7ppg – 3.4rpg – 46.3% FG – 40.6% 3PT)

Meeks was possibly the most dangerous and hot-handed scorer in the conference this year, and has an excellent driving ability that sends him to the charity stripe more than any other player in the league. Meeks was more valuable to Kentucky this season than any player was to any other team in the SEC.

Marcus Thornton   (LSU – Senior – 21.1ppg – 5.5rpg – 47.2% FG – 38.8% 3PT)

Thornton was in a close battle with Meeks for Player of the Year honors throughout the season, and is a very similar player to him. Thornton has more muscle and is a better rebounder, but not quite as strong of a shooter. Thornton was one of the most dynamic players in the league, and LSU will have a huge hole to fill on his graduation heading toward the 2009-10 season.

Jarvis Varnado   (Miss. State – Junior – 12.9ppg – 8.8rpg – 4.72bpg – 54.9% FG)

Varnado is destroying block records left and right around the league and soon to be the nation, assuming he returns. What most don’t know, however, is his well-rounded game, as Varnado is a potent scorer under the basket and one of the best rebounders in the league. Varnado could challenge for 2009-10 SEC Player of the Year.

Devan Downey   (South Carolina – Junior – 19.8ppg – 2.8rpg – 4.52apg – 2.87apg)

Downey was without much doubt the best defending guard in the SEC for the 2008-09 season, as he finished almost a whole steal more than any other player in the league. Downey’s small size and tremendous speed led to nearly impossible matchups for most guards in the league he matched up against, and Downey knows how to attack the basket. Ranked third in the conference, he also knows how to score. If he returns, South Carolina could be very, very good next year.

Nick Calathes   (Florida – Sophomore – 17.2ppg – 5.3ppg – 6.4apg – 1.94 a/to)

This was a difficult decision between Calathes, Tennessee’s Tyler Smith and Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson for the final First-Team position, but I have a weakness for good ball-handling and smart-playing point guards. Calathes, last year’s SEC Freshman of the Year, has everything that makes an outstanding point guard – and he can score. Averaging 17.2ppg and still handing out 6.4 assists per outing is no small feat.

SEC Second-Team

Tyler Smith   (Tennessee – Junior – 17.4ppg – 5.8rpg – 3.4apg – 76.6% FT)

Tyler Smith is one of the most dynamic big-men in the conference, as he is money from under the basket and is still quite dangerous from behind the arc. He can also drive the basket and, get this, he can dish the ball…3.4 assists per game is outstanding for a forward. Smith is a great scorer with an NBA body – I’d be surprised if he returns in 2009-10.

Patrick Patterson   (Kentucky – Sophomore – 17.9ppg – 9.3rpg – 2.1bpg – 60.3% FG)

Keeping Patterson from the First-Team was a very difficult thing to do considering his page-filling stat sheet, and as a sophomore this young man has an enormous amount of potential. Patterson is an absolute force for the Wildcats, as there is likely not a better interior scorer than him in the entire league. He is also one of the league’s best rebounders and is better defensively than anyone in the league not named Jarvis Varnado.

Korvotney Barber   (Auburn – Senior – 12.8ppg – 9.6ppg – 1.2bpg – 54.5% FG)

Barber is absolutely money from within five feet of the basket, as his impressive field-goal percentage indicates. Don’t move him outside of that range, however – he’s just 47.3% from free throw. That aside, Barber nearly averaged a double-double for the surprising Tigers and was likely the SEC’s best rebounder last year.

Michael Washington   (Arkansas – Junior – 15.5ppg – 9.8rpg – 1.3bpg – 55.1% FG)

Washington is yet another surpemely talented big-man on the SEC Second Team. For a while, Washington looked like the best in the league, and he would clearly win a “Most Improved” award for the SEC. Washington had the misfortune of playing for one of the SEC’s worst teams, but could lead a susprising Razorback team next year.

Alonzo Gee   (Alabama – Senior – 15.0ppg – 7.2rpg – 44.2% FG – 36.5% 3PT)

Alonzo Gee was one of the league’s most dynamic overall players last season, as he was unstoppable while driving to the basket. His athletic body and sheer mass proved a difficult matchup for his defenders, and he was also one of the league’s most talented rebounding guards – although that term could be used lightly for high-flying Gee. The Crimson Tide will sorely miss his presence in 2009-10.

Georgia with a new coach…

Fox to Georgia

Georgia has officially hired Nevada’s Mark Fox – a surprising move considering his name hadn’t even been mentioned amongst the rumor mill. Fox has been a solid coach at Nevada, with a 123-43 record, and reached the NCAA Tournament each of his first three years as a head coach.

On the flip side, he never got past the second round and has not even made the NIT the past two consecutive years.

Fox is known for his ability to recruit, though he has absolutely no ties to the South. This is a questionable hire by Georgia – but the barrell was running dry.

In other Georgia news, Bulldog guards Zac Swansey and Troy Brewer are both transferring out of the program. Swansey started 17 games and averaged 4.3ppg and 1.9rpg. Brewer played in 21 games and averaged 2.1ppg.

This leaves Georgia with 7 playable squad members after graduation. Fox has a HUGE uphill battle in turning that program around.

Coaching carousel spins…

Memphis interested in Pearl?

Decided to recap the SEC coaching situation as of today…

• Calipari is the nation’s first $4 mil/year basketball coach. Wow.
• Crazy rumor sparked about Bruce Pearl, and Memphis supposedly interested in him for the coaching vacancy. This site confirms that a private jet left Memphis today and is destined for Knoxville. I highly suspect this is just Memphis fans drooling, but an interesting situation nonetheless.
• Jeff Capel, of the Oklahoma Sooner rebuilding, is being reported as accepting the vacancy at Arizona, which knocks him out of the discussion for the Georgia job. After losing both Anderson and Capel, Georgia is reportedly now looking to Miami’s Frank Haith. Can we say, “do better”?

Interesting how many coaching vacancies in major positions are becoming vacant this off-season. Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Arizona, Oklahoma, Memphis and VCU along with possibilities of openings at Missouri, USC and possibly Xavier.

Georgia offers Anderson…

 

UGA offers Anderson

Mike Anderson, the miracle-worker from Missouri, has been offered more than $2 million per year by the University of Georgia.

Anderson, in my opinion, is a FAR better coach than Calipari. This would be a fantastic hire for Georgia…but stealing him away from the grasps of Memphis will be a tough task. This could become a bidding war, but the Bulldogs would have a massive upper hand in that arena.

The Kentucky Wildcats have a new coach…

Calipari to UK?

Or supposedly, although the media rumor bonfire has caught on heavily. Many various sources, including the Commercial Appeal, Star Tribune and even CBS Sports are reporting that the deal is practically done and John Calipari, the exalted coach of national powerhouse Memphis, will be coaching Kentucky next season.

Early reports have the deal rumored to be worth $32 million for 8 years, making Calipari the first $4 million/year collegiate basketball coach. These same rumors say that no announcement will come until the contract is actually signed (no Gillispie repeat), which would be in 24-48 hours.

A few of these rumors are truth. The Memphis Athletic Director has been quoted as saying Calipari wouldn’t be Memphis’ coach by the end of the day, so most of this seems to hold water.

Most of you know how I feel about Calipari. I’m simply not sold on his coaching ability outside of recruiting, and even that has not been solidified as the Memphis program practically recruits itself. However, some very high-profile recruits could be following Calipari to Kentucky, which would be a significant boost for the UK program.

Interesting stuff.

Grant officially accepts Alabama job…

Grant Accepts Job Offer

Anthony Grant, former coach of VCU, has accepted the job offer and will be coaching the Crimson Tide in 2009-10. This seems to be a decent hire, although I’m just not sold on Grant, who served as an assistant under Biilly Donovan at Florida before accepting the head job at VCU.

Grant has improved the situation at VCU, no doubt, but there’s just not enough evidence on the guy for me to be comfortable believing he is an SEC-caliber coach. The future shall ease my concerns, one way or another.

His numbers are certainly impressive, that’s for sure…he is 76-25 as a head coach and 45-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association. None of his teams have made it out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Nick Calathes testing NBA waters…

Nick Calathes, Florida’s star point-guard, has decided to test out his prospects in this year’s draft but not hire an agent just in case.

Definitely a good decision by Calathes, as he is immensely talented and it’s a good idea to get his name out there before next season. However, I strongly believe he will return next season because (A) his stock isn’t high enough, and (B) Florida is set for a big season next year which will increase his exposure and thus raise his draft status.

The Kentucky situation…

So, just two seasons after fans were clamoring over Gillispie, who had been hired after impressive turn-arounds at Texas El-Paso and then Texas A&M, the three-time Big 12 coach-of-the-year and reigning SEC co-coach-of-the-year has been let go.

The Wildcats this year missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years, after finishing the regular season 19-12 and 8-8 against a weak Southeastern Conference. After jumping out to a 5-0 start to league play, the Wildcats collapsed and lost three-straight.

Inconsistency has been the trademark of Gillispie’s teams at Kentucky, despite sporting two of the nation’s best players at their respective positions in big-man Patrick Patterson and the SEC’s leading scorer Jodie Meeks. In addition, the Big Blue started one of the nation’s most gifted freshmen in Darius Miller.

So what went wrong, was it fair, and what happens now?

All too often coaches become successful at smaller and lesser-known institutions because of their ability to recruit. Average, or even poor, floor-coaches step into a program and vault it into respectability on their recruiting prowess alone. It seems as if this was the case for GIllispie.

Gillispie looked nothing but out of place and lost every moment he stepped onto the court for Kentucky. The Wildcats were beyond painful to watch this season for the lack of offense, which would stagnate for over five minutes a game nearly every outing. The program was clearly nosediving, and it was clearly Gillispie’s fault.

Taking the latter into consideration, the move to let Billy G. go seems to me a logical one. This is NOT to say that most UK coaches are treated fairly – they’re not. And I am not ignoring the fact that Kentucky fans place a suffocating amount of pressure on their head coaches – they do. Such was the case with Tubby Smith, the previous UK coach who has suddenly taken Big 10 cellar-dweller Minnesota into the limelight at the Big Blue have been tanking. HE, my friends, was treated unfairly. Gillispie however, was not.

I admire Kentucky fans. The pressure, the intensity, the passion – it’s all rather intoxicating. The very soul which is Kentucky basketball simply can’t be matched anywhere else in the nation, in any sport. Kentucky fans will rarely be happy with their head coach, and if they happen to be it won’t be for long. Whether it’s unfair, immoral or damaging is simply irrelevant. This is Kentucky basketball, and this is the experience of Kentucky basketball coaches. You either succeed and deal with it, or you don’t. Gillispie wasn’t able to do either.

As for the future, it is a rather uncertain time for Wildcat fans. Meeks, Liggins and Patterson have all suggested that their decision on their respective futures will hinge on today’s decision. There is also now a coaching vacancy to fill at one of the nation’s most premier men’s basketball institutions.

Early speculation leans in favor of John Calipari of Memphis. I, however, would quickly compare Calipari to Gillispie. It’s impossible to lose at Memphis – a ridiculous recruiting base, a very weak conference, guaranteed NCAA Tournament bids with seeds no less than three and the recruits are guaranteed exposure to both the national media and NBA scouts. The situation has won at Memphis, not Calipari. When his team’s talent and athleticism fails to win the Tigers ballgames, they lose. Calipari’s coaching doesn’t win the team games, and thus Mitch Barnhart – athletic director of Kentucky – would be sorely mistaken to hire him.

A better fit would be Travis Ford of Oklahoma State. This man has built Eastern Kentucky and Massachusetts from nearly the ground up, and has already vastly improved the situation at Oklahoma State in his first season there, taking the team to its first NCAA appearance since 2004-05. Collegiate basketball fans can only sit back and see if UK will make the right choice.

Though lots of things are in doubt in Lexington, this much can be for sure: the decision to release Gillispie was the right one.

Mitch Barnhart with nasty words for Gillispie…

As most expected, Kentucky today announced that it will not retain Billy Gillispie next season. What WAS surprising, though, was Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart’s words regarding the situation: “Kentucky fans deserve a coach who understands that Kentucky isn’t just another coaching job.” Harsh, man…harsh. Certainly seems to be some bad blood here.

So, of course this leaves a huge number of questions up in the air. Who is a possibility? Who isn’t? Billy Donovan of Florida has repeatdedly been quoted as listing Kentucky as his “dream job”, but released a statement today that he was not a candidate for the position.

VCU’s Anthony Grant has been a hot commodity on the coaching market, but reportedly has been confirmed as the new coach at Alabama.

The main name that I’ve heard is John Calipari of Memphis, whom is a decent/good recruiter but not much of a floor coach…much in the mold of Gillispie, in my opinion. One other name that has been mentioned is Oklahoma State’s Travis Ford.

Interesting stuff!

Malcolm White transfers and Gillespie…fired?

First, that which is NOT rumor…

Malcolm White has decided to transfer out of Ole Miss. Early reports state that White decided to leave for “personal reasons” and “wanted to be closer to his family”. White is from Louisiana, so the natural rumor is that LSU is interested…although I highly doubt that (A) This is true, considering his transfer just became public knowledge, and (B) Andy Kennedy would release him to an inter-divisionary school.

White, a 217lb. 6′9″  junior-to-be, averaged 7.2ppg, 1.4bpg, 5.7rpg and shot 50.0% from the floor. This is an absolutely tremendous loss for the Rebels, who’s front-court is already very thin. Strange timing from White as well, considering that Ole Miss brings back almost everyone and is/was poised for a very nice season in 2009-10.

As for Kentucky…

WHAS out of Louisville, Kentucky broke into Grey’s Anatomy just a while ago to report the official firing of Billy Gillespie. The UK sports department then released a statement that it was false. All signs are pointing to the ousting of Mr. Gillespie.

And this part is entirely and 100% rumor. I have heard through the grapevine that Billy Donovan of Florida will be announced as the new Kentucky basketball coach on Monday. Sources are “confirming” that Donovan is in fact checked into a hotel in downtown Lexington tonight. Hmm…

Interesting times…

More news…

Mostly UK stuff, and some regarding Mississippi State…

So apparently well-known Wildcat booster/fan Marc Haggard has gone public that Billy Gillespie has been fired and the official statement will be released tomorrow. In fact, the UK administration has organized a press conference tomorrow, so conventional wisdom would seem to agree with Mr. Haggard.

Haggard’s reputation is generally one of trustworthiness, but he has been wrong in the past. Regardless, tomorrow’s press conference should put the rumors to rest one way or another.

In the meantime, various UK players are giving their input. Patterson, the star inside guy, is apparently leaning towards returning, although Liggins and Meeks are both on the fence and are waiting for a decision to be made on the coaching situation. A.J. Stewart is expected to transfer regardless, Darius Miller is expected to return, and Michael Porter mentioned personal issues to consider in his decision.

As for Mississippi State, rumors have swirled since mid-season than immensely-talented but little-used forward Kodi Augustus was looking into transferring. After receiving a great deal of playing time in the final 1/3 of the season and becoming an instrumental part of the team’s end-of-the-year success, Augustus has decided to return to State for his junior season.

I’ll update the Kentucky situation after tomorrow’s press conference.

Kentucky carrying the SEC banner…

With last night’s losses by Auburn and Florida, Kentucky stands as the only SEC team in post-season play. The Wildcats play at Notre Dame tonight at 6 p.m. CT for their chance to represent the Southeastern Conference in the NIT Final Four.

Here are the recaps for the Florida and Auburn games…

#1-seed Florida [62] vs. #2-seed Penn State [71]

• Penn State shot 48.1% and held the Gators to 41.7% shooting
• Florida was outrebounded 35-25
• The two teams combined for just 21 free throw attempts
• Calathes dished out 7 assists with just 1 turnover
• Sophomore big-man Alex Tyus scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds

Rebounding seemed like the major decisive statistic here, as Florida isn’t often outrebounded that heavily. The Gators didn’t compete well against the physical Penn State team, and trailed by a comfortable margin the majority of the game. This was a surprisingly disappointing season from the Gators, as Donovan was fully expected – at least by me – to challenge Tennessee for the East and at very least make the NCAA Tournament. The team is, however, poised for a big season in 2009-10.

#1-seed Auburn [72] vs. #3-seed Baylor [74]

• Auburn shot 39.1% and ley Baylor shoot 50.0%
• Baylor outrebounded the Tigers 38-31
• Auburn attempted 10 more shots than Baylor (64-54)
• Barber shot very poorly, especially for him (4-of-12), but finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds
• Waller shot just 2-of-8, 2-of-7 from three

Seems as if Baylor did a great job defending Barber/Waller and correctly predicted that the Tigers wouldn’t be able to create enough offense otherwise to keep up. The Tigers had a good season by their recent standards, although I strongly suspect that it was by default, as the SEC was down and Auburn was experienced. Lebo has saved his job for another year, but he should be gone next season.

Anthony Grant lands in Tuscaloosa…

VCU’s coach Anthony Grant landed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama [home of the Crimson Tide] this morning around 10 a.m. CT and is being formally interview for the job there.

Grant, of course, is a former Billy Donovan [Florida] assistant. He’s a good coach, but I’m not sold on his readiness for an SEC, or a BCS for that matter, position. He has done well at VCU, but BCS leagues are a completely different animal all together. His ties to the SEC and its recruiting bases will help, so we shall see if he can make the grade in Tuscaloosa – assuming he is hired.

What to look for…

Just giving you guys a heads-up on what to look for in the coming week(s)…

• I’ll be analyzing the cumulative SEC statistics for each team compared to the conference and the nation, and comparing those results with the success of the team this season and coming to a rough conclusion as to which statistics tend to be more important for success as a whole – obviously these readings will become more and more accurate and reliable as the years go on.
• I’ll be evaluating the performance of each school and coach as compared to what was expected of them and what each was capable of at the beginning of this season.
• I’ll be releasing, after post-season play – as the popular media should do, my picks for SEC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, etc.
• Recaps of 2009 recruiting classes

And lots more to look forward to, so stay tuned!

Grant interviewed by another SEC team…

This time it’s Alabama. Actually, he hasn’t been interviewed YET but ‘Bama has received permission to contact VCU’s head coach, according to the Tuscaloosa News.

In other news, the Wildcats of Kentucky – where a coaching change is somewhat expected as soon as the Blue’s season ends – defeated 1-seed Creighton on their own home floor tonight 65-63, as a last-second Creighton trey missed long. Here’s the stats break-down…

• UK shot 46.8% from the floor, Creighton shot 37.3%
• Creighton attempted 19 threes, the Wildcats attempted only 8 (and Meeks  only two)
• Kentucky shot 78.9% from the charity stripe, Creighton shot 57.9%, both teams attempted 19
• UK’s Perry Stevenson had a great game, saw a game-high 38 minutes and responded with the game’s only double-double…13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.
• Meeks led Kentucky (surprise) with 16 points but attempted only 9 shots…was a perfect 7-of-7 free throws (another surprise)

In close games, free throws are everything and that was clearly the case here. Nice to see someone other than Patterson or Meeks step up, as the Wildcats desperately need some more role-players. Kentucky will hit the road again and play at Notre Dame for a chance to travel to New York for the NIT Final Four.

As a recap of SEC teams in postseason play, 1-seed Florida will host 2-seed Penn State tomorrow at 8 p.m. CT for the bid to NYC, and the winner of that game will face the Kentucky/Notre Dame winner. 1-seed Auburn hosts 3-seed Baylor for the same privilege and the winner of that game will match up against the winner of San Diego State vs. either Davidson or St. Mary’s. If St. Mary’s defeats Davidson, Kentucky (a four-seed) will be the lowest-seeded team in New York City.

More coaching rumors…

This Kentucky/Gillespie rumor has created a media wildfire that has burned out of control. As A Sea of Blue reports, it seems as if the media has reached a consensus that Gillespie will be shown the door after just two seasons after his NIT run.

If this happens, what impact does it have for UK? After forcing out a very good coach who took UK to a Final Four in Tubby Smith, the Blue would have again forced out a coach after two seasons (granted, I can’t disagree with the Gillespie decision). How much job security does a future UK coach feel as if he has, and how much EXTRA pressure does this add to an immensely pressure-filled job? Not very, and a lot.

Gillespie has made comments that he “loves Kentucky” but obviously he has no bearing on the decision. No official comments at all have been issued by the athletic department, which means without doubt that there IS, in fact, a decision to be made.

I’m on the fence….at first I didn’t believe UK would have the guts to let Gillespie go, even after an embarassing year in Kentucky terms. But with the size and popularity of this rumor, I’m thinking he might be leaving.

In addition, rumor – and ESPN – has it that VCU’s Grant has once again been offered by Georgia. Some speculate that he may be holding out to see if he is offered the Kentucky job.

Nothing new regarding Alabama at the moment.

Kentucky plays Creighton tonight at 6 p.m. CT for their chance to join Florida and Auburn in the NIT’s Elite Eight.

Goof effort from LSU…

Fortunately LSU gave a good, tough fight throughout the game against the Tarheels and led late, but UNC eventually out-talented and out-performed the Tigers late in the game to take an 84-70 victory.

Here’s the stats recap from the game…

• LSU shot 45.3%, UNC shot 53.3%
• UNC was 46.2% from three, LSU was 39.1%
• UNC attempted 18 free throws, LSU attempted 6
• Thornton/Mitchell for LSU and Lawson/Ellington for UNC combined for 89 of the game’s 154 points

Not too much to look at here, although I’d be interested to see how this game would have played out if the foul calling wasn’t so warped in favor of the Tarheels. Both teams have distinguished and clear-cut stars, and UNC’s backups were simply more talented and more focused down the stretch.

LSU overachieved to an outstanding degree this season, and I think the rest of the SEC better look out for Trent Johnson, because he’s proven his worth in this conference. LSU was set up for a successful season, but so was USC and the Gamecocks failed to even make the NCAA Tournament. LSU loses a ton next season, but Johnson is set to compete long-term in this ever-competitive conference.

LSU battling #1-seed UNC…

The Tigers are trailing 38-29 against the Tarheels, after UNC closed the half on a decent little run. The Tigers are clearly not overmatched, but will need a stellar second half to take the SEC to the Sweet Sixteen.

No other SEC games today.

Another SEC squad falls…

Boy, the SEC isn’t doing anything to help its case that this hasn’t been a down year. Tennessee fell today in one of the most exciting games of the first round, although Florida dominated Miami in the NIT to move on to the quarterfinals. Florida won 74-60 and will now face Penn State in a chance to make the trip to New York City. Auburn is also up big in their NIT matchup aganist Tulsa 51-33 with about 11 minutes left in the game. Here’s the stats breakdown of both the Tennessee and Florida games.

Tennessee vs. Oklahoma State

• The Aggies shot 56.6%, compared to Tennessee’s 42.9%
• OSU outrebounded UT 30-25
• Neither team had more than 12 turnovers
• Tennessee attempted 33 threes (made 11)

Not much interesting here, as it’s clear the Vols’ lack of defense cost them the game. Pearl has never been much of a defensive coach, but he needs to find the offense to cover that up next season. Overall it was a pretty disappointing season for Tennessee fans, as most expected them to win the East and challenge for a Final Four, but instead saw them struggle to a first-round loss.

Florida vs. Miami

• The Gators shot 52.0%, compared to Miami’s 41.1%
• Florida owned a 35-21 rebounding advantage
• Florida had 20 assists, to Miami’s 11
• Florida attempted 27 threes (made 10)

The Gators clearly simply outplayed the Hurricanes, up 48-32 at halftime. This was a surprising performance for Donovan’s squad, as I fully expected Miami to be a tough out. Penn State is a decent squad, but I’m picking the Gators.

54-38 Auburn now, with 8:16 left. With an Auburn win, they would face the Baylor/Virginia Tech winner.

One less SEC postseason team…

The only SEC team playing yesterday was Mississippi State, who got absolutely handled by Washington. Many picked State as an “upset special”, but Washington was ferocious on defense and Brockman had his way inside to life the Huskies to a 71-58 victory over the Bulldogs.

Some stats that stand out…

• Washington shot 43.5%, MSU shot 34.5%
• Washington outrebounded State 45-35 and attempted 4 more shots
• Brockman had 10 points and 15 rebounds, Varnado had 7 points and 3 rebounds, 4 blocks.
• Phil Turner had 5 more rebounds than Varnado
• Ravern Johnson and Dee Bost were a collective 4-of-23 from the floor

This was a pretty bad performance from MSU overall, and it shows the weakness of the four-guard lineup against physical teams. State heavily overachieved this year and should be favored to win the SEC next year with nearly everyone returning.

Tennessee begins play against Oklahoma State today in about half an hour and Florida faces Miami in the NIT at 6 p.m. CT.

LSU wins first-round game…

LSU survives a late-game push from Butler and wins 75-71. The Tigers will play the winner of North Carolina and Radford – which is to say, North Carolina. I personally think the Tigers have a great shot at taking down the Tarheels, especially without star point-guard Ty Lawson.

Rumor mill on full alert…

I want to provide a disclaimer in that everything in this post is simply speculation and rumor, nothing more. With that said…

The rumor with possibly the most legs is that Kentucky is secretly in talks with John Calipari of Memphis and has already decided to let Billy Gilelspie go. While I can certainly understand the logic here as Gillespie has been a miserable failure in terms of Kentucky basketball, it’s a bit surprising considering Gillespie is just one year removed from SEC Coach of the Year honors (although he didn’t deserve it) and jsut two removed from being hired. Seth Davis from Sports Illustrated says that a high-placed donor was quoted that, “it’s a done deal.”

I’ve also heard that Tom Izzo of Michigan State was offered and has accepted the job at Alabama. The Tide Times – granted just a blog, but could be legitmate – claims Izzo was offered 16 million for 8 years. Seems like a long contract for such a high-profile coach, but we shall see.

Not too much going on with the Georgia search that I’ve heard, but I’ll keep everyone updated…

NCAA Tournament – Round One

LSU has begun play against Butler in the NCAA Tournament’s first round to kick off the SEC schedule in the Big Dance. Despite only three teams making the cut, all three seem to be in a good position to pull off first-round wins.

LSU leads Butler at halftime, 35-29. The Tigers are surprisingly trailing on the boards, but are very hot from the field: 13-of-26 for 50.0%. Surprise! Marcus Thornton is leading the team, with 13 points but Tasmin Mitchell has continued his elevated play with 5-of-7 shooting from the field for 10 points. Mitchell seems to be the “X” factor for this team energy-wise and performance-wise. The Tigers desperately need someone other than Thornton to step up offensively, and it looks like they’ve found their guy. LSU is easily outplaying Butler in this game.

13-seed (I know, it’s terrible) Mississippi State faces 4-seed Washington later on this afternoon in a game that has become a popular upset-pick, as most everyone BUT the selection committee can apparently see how grossly under-seeded the Bulldogs are at a 13-seed. In comparison, last year’s 4-league-win, sub-.500 Georgia squad that won the league tournament also received a 13-seed.

In the NIT, the SEC received two of the four #1 seeds in Auburn and Florida. The Gators didn’t disappoint with an 84-62 raping of Jacksonville but Auburn struggled with Tennessee-Martin 87-82, although UT-Martin are a deceptively solid squad. Florida moves on to face Miami in what will be a tremendous challenge, as I was very impressed with their game against Providence. Auburn will play Tulsa, which very well could be an easier game than 6-seed UT-Martin.

3-seed South Carolina’s season is over after losing to 6-seed Davidson, who sports possibly the nation’s best shooter in Stephan Curry. I must say I am a bit disappointed with the coaching job of Darrin Horn – this was an extremely experienced USC squad who was more than adequately talented and yet the team still managed only a first-round appearance in the NIT. Organizing what was probably the SEC’s lightest non-conference schedule didn’t help.

4-seed Kentucky was up by 20 on UNLV at one point in the second half before the Runnin’ Rebels came storming back. The Wildcats have seemed unfocused ever since Billy Gillespie stepped foot on that campus, but the ‘Cats will move on to the NIT’s second round after a 70-60 win over UNLV. Another poor coaching job, as Kentucky is supremely talented this year. No excuse for missing the NCAA Tournament.

A bit surprising was Vanderbilt’s exclusion from the NIT – although it’s a bit understandable as the team’s quality wins are questionable.

More to come throughout the day.

SEC Tournament Championship Game: Live-Blogging

12:05 p.m. CT:   Well, this is it folks. The talking heads say the SEC only gets two teams in if Tennessee wins – although I’d argue otherwise. Some think MSU must win to make the NCAA’s. Interesting matchup today…here we go.

12:11 p.m. CT:   Nice start from MSU…silly rebound lost out of bounds from State.

12:12 p.m. CT:   Refs aren’t making ANY calls…score evens up 9-9. Varnado looking lazy to begin.

12:16 p.m. CT:   The Vols respond to a 9-0 MSU run with a 9-0 run of their own.

12:18 p.m. CT:   Tennessee looks more crisp…outrebounding State 10-4.

12:29 p.m. CT:   MSU looks very lazy…lucky to be down only by one at this point.

12:35 p.m. CT:   Interesting to me that MSU looks a bit flat and is being HEAVILY outrebounded (15-10) and is still up by three. Absolutely HORRIBLE foul call against MSU.

12:43 p.m. CT:   Varnado’s second foul…he looks very tired – lagging behind the entire field every possession.

12:50 p.m. CT:   Tennessee turnovers the only thing keeping MSU in this game.  This is a very messy, ugly game.

12:55 p.m. CT:   Neither team shooting free throws well.

1:00 p.m. CT:   Several questionable calls on both ends of the court. Smith nails a three to tie it up at halftime…36-36. State shooting better but has taken 10 fewer shots, being outrebounded by 6. Both teams turning the ball over profusely.

1:18 p.m. CT:   Bad offensive call against Tennessee. MSU seems to have a bit more energy this half, the Vols are outplaying Stateright now. It’s impressive MSU is still in this. 28-19 Tennessee advantage on the boards.

1:22 p.m. CT:   I can’t count how many times MSU has batted a rebound out of bounds and lost the ball. Four fouls on J.P. Prince with 16:24 left.

1:32 p.m. CT:   Yet ANOTHER MSU rebound lost out of bounds. Bad call…the ball was touched and Tennessee is given a free two points.

1:42 p.m. CT:   The game has seen a bit more energy…neither team can buy a free throw.

1:47 p.m. CT:   Sure looks like the refs are going to cost the SEC a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Every single call going Tennessee’s way.

1:55 p.m. CT:   MSU suddenly playing with purpose, up three with two Varnado foul shots coming up.

2:03 p.m. CT:   MSU up 61-57, two possessions with just over a minute remaining.

2:26 p.m. CT:   Mississippi State has won the SEC Tournament, and another bubble team’s bubble has burst. MSU has won their way with six-straight wins into the NCAA Tournament. Now, the question is – what seed do they receive? I would guess something like a 9 or 10.

SEC Tournament, Day Three: Live-Blogging

12:39 p.m. CT:   MSU/LSU underway – a good game…the Tigers leading by two. State playing above their heads, LSU playing typical LSU. It might take the Tigers slipping up or falling asleep for State to win, fouls racking up on LSU big-men. Chris Johnson and Quintin Thornton each with two.

12:46 p.m. CT:   State out to a three-point lead…refs getting petty on off-the-ball defense on both ends.

12:51 p.m. CT:   Petty calls from the refs…two fouls on three LSU players. MSU playing with a lot of heart.

12:52 p.m. CT:   MSU leads at the half 31-29. Here’s some halftime numbers…

FG%:   MSU (37%)   LSU (36%)
3PT%:   MSU (29%)   LSU (25%)
FT%:   MSU (69%)   LSU (75%)
Rebounds:   MSU (21)   LSU (21)
Fouls:   MSU (6)   LSU (10)
Steals:   MSU (0)   LSU (1)
Blocks:   MSU (3)   LSU (2)
Assists:   MSU (7)   LSU (6)
Turnovers:   MSU (3)   LSU (3)
Bench Pts:   MSU (5)   LSU (4)
Second-Chance Pts:   MSU (9)   LSU (2)

Little sticks out other than that these two teams are very evenly matched. State was owned on the boards in the previous two outings against the Tigers this season, and the teams are tied at the half. Should be an entertaining second half.

1:12 p.m. CT:   Chris Johnson with his third foul early in the second half, he’s benched. State’s threes aren’t falling, but they’re attacking the rim very well.

1:15 p.m. CT:   These hustle plays are all going MSU’s way – lots of effort from State.

1:19 p.m. CT:   What a NASTY dunk from Varnado. One of the biggest dunks I’ve ever seen. LSU just doesn’t seem able to keep up with State’s dynamic offense…both Ravern Johnson and Phil Turner have hit 25ish-foot threes. Marcus Thornton with his third foul, and that is becoming an issue for the Tigers as well.

1:26 p.m. CT:   Quintin Thornton to the bench with four fouls. Two others with three for LSU.

1:28 p.m. CT:   47-39 advantage MSU…State simply outplaying LSU at this point. LSU calls a timeout to regroup.

1:35 p.m. CT:   Four LSU players with 3 or more fouls with about 9 minutes left. Chris Johnson has four now, with 8:24 remaining.

1:38 p.m. CT:   MSU only 12-of-20 from free throw, not taking advantage of the many fouls from LSU. Varnado 3-of-10. LSU trying to come back, down only four with the ball.

1:44 p.m. CT:   This game could come down to free throws. LSU is hitting theirs, State is not. Three Tigers with four fouls now, as Marcus Thornton picks up his fourth.

1:49 p.m. CT:   Airball from Chris Johnson. Jumpers aren’t his thing. Temple with his fourth, four guys with four…4:02 remaining. LSU is running out of backups to put on the floor.

1:54 p.m. CT:   Jarvis Varnado, with today’s seven blocks, is officially the SEC’s single-season block record-holder. Surpassed LSU’s former all-star Shaquille O’Neal. MSU up 59-47 with 2:48…State’s looking good to advance to the tournament finals.

1:56 p.m. CT:   Marcus Thornton is done with five fouls at 2:36, and a technical from Graham. Absolutely needless, MSU looks to be putting this game away.

2:00 p.m. CT:   Varnado with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 blocks…impressive outing. Interesting that MSU has only made three 3-pointers and yet are up 15 on the SEC’s best team. De-bunks the myth of MSU as strictly a three-point shooting team.

2:04 p.m. CT:   MSU shockingly advances 67-57 over the league’s regular-season champions, LSU. State – the only lower seed to advance out of the second round – will meet today’s Auburn/Tennessee winner tomorrow at noon to decide who receives the league’s automatic bid.

This leaves a major question up in the air – with 22 wins and an SEC Tournament Championship Game appearance, do the Bulldogs receive an at-large bid if they were to lose tomorrow? My guess is yes.

SEC Tournament: Day Two Live-Blogging

12:03 p.m. CT:   LSU and Kentucky are about to start – my predictions are LSU by fivish, MSU by threeish, Tennessee by 7ish, and Florida by threeish. Strange how evenly matched LSU/Kentucky and USC/MSU seem to be personnel-wise.

12:24 p.m. CT:   LSU tried to pull away, Kentucky’s defense tightens and pulls within three. LSU’s offense looks messy – this team just has a LOT of talent. 7-0 run from Kentucky, holding LSU pointless for more than 3 minutes…how many times will the LSU guards drive the lane and lose control of the ball??

12:31 p.m. CT:   LSU’s offense is offensive. If the threes aren’t falling, how is this team going to score??

12:40 p.m. CT:   These guards from each team are insisting on driving the lane with shot-blockers lurking…

12:54 p.m. CT:   LSU leads at the half, 28-23…both offenses are struggling with the opponent’s defense. LSU just has more dynamic talent and better  shooting.

Okay, going to grab some food before the MSU/USC game…will be back in 15-30 minutes.

2:21 p.m. CT:   I return just as the LSU/Kentucky game has ended, and it did so about how I expected. The Tigers’ defense was able to contain Kentucky’s offense (Meeks) as he scored just eight points. LSU now will face the winner of the upcoming MSU/USC game.

Kentucky’s NCAA chances are questionable at this point. The Wildcats should be hoping for USC, Tennessee and Auburn to win today.

Interesting to note that the higher seed has won every game thus far in the SEC Tournament…we’ll see if it continues.

2:38 p.m. CT:   MSU seems to be intent on getting the ball to Varnado for a jumper and he’s missing them, USC shooting well, out to a 6-0 run. MSU turning the ball over profusely, Varnado with several blocks already.

2:44 p.m. CT:   MSU looks very bad, turning the ball over and making poor decisions. USC capitalizing, up 10-2.

2:48 p.m. CT:   Referees are not doing MSU any favors – USC playing very physically. 6 turnovers early for MSU.

3:05 p.m. CT:   MSU trimmed it within four, USC then pulled away by 10 again. This isn’t a pretty game.

3:12 p.m. CT:   I’ve never seen a man as big as Kodi Augustus hit threes like he does. USC is hitting EVERYthing, contested shots and all.

3:17 p.m. CT:   Four blocks for Varnado in the half – refs missing several calls on both ends. Fredrick and Archie both with more then ten points. At the half, USC leads 36-32.

3:40 p.m. CT:   MSU within one, 16:20. The threes are falling for State, but USC seems as if they can’t miss.

3:42 p.m. CT:   MSU takes its first lead of the game with a Turner dunk. USC has gotten cold and State seems to be handling the ball better.

3:53 p.m. CT:   Refs have called a NUMBER of questionable offensive foul calls on MSU…game tied at 48 with 11:02.

3:56 p.m. CT:   Seems like every break falls USC’s way – this is a very entertaining game.

4:06 p.m. CT:   MSU pulls out to a 7-point lead, its biggest on 53% shooting from behind the arc.

4:15 p.m. CT:   The two teams have switched positions, as it seems as if MSU is the one that can’t miss now. Great passing from State, good defense as the Gamecocks have struggled to score in this half.

4:23 p.m. CT:   South Carolina rebounding well in the final couple of minutes, pulled it within 73-68 with 51.2 seconds remaining. This game is going to come down to MSU’s free throws and South Carolina’s rebounding.

4:26 p.m. CT:   MSU responded with four straight free-throws, pulls ahead 77-68 with 42.3 seconds – State might be the first lower seed to advance.

4:29 p.m. CT:   What a dirty move from Downey…an intentional foul within 30 seconds while State leads by 11. Completely unneccesary. Followed by a punk move from Conrad…I’m quickly beginning to disrespect this team.

4:32 p.m. CT:   MSU takes the win, 82-68. The Bulldogs are on fire and now suddenly have 21 wins and are in the thick of the NCAA Tournament discussion. South Carolina will be sweating it out on Sunday, and we’ll see an LSU/MSU re-re-match tomorrow. If the double-overtime game in Starkville is any cue, it should be a very entertaining game.

Headed out, will return later in the evening.

7:22 p.m. CT:   Back after a short delay…Alabama struggling to close a 10-point gap against Tennessee. The Vols look to be completely outclassing the Tide at the moment.

7:26 p.m. CT:   Tennessee leads by 11 at the half. ‘Bama will need  a big comeback energy-wise in the second half if they want to compete in this game.

7:45 p.m. CT:   50-32 for Tennessee with 17:04 left…Alabama simply can’t match Tennessee’s talent, shooting or speed. The Tide just look absolutely lazy at this point. They’ve given up.

7:55 p.m. CT:   Almost six minutes into this half and Alabama has yet to score. Tennessee is looking down-right scary at this point…58-32 with 13:56 remaining. Ouch.

8:07 p.m. CT:   Okay this is boring…worst game of the tournament thus far. Tennessee up 65-46 with 8:43 remaining. Tennessee will be playing the winner of tonight’s Florida/Auburn game.

8:09 p.m. CT:   Jamychal Green fouls out with over eight minutes remaining – the big-man will need to learn how not to foul as he matures as a player. Although this is likely his last game as a freshman, he could be the second-best big-man in the conference next season.

Apparently the television lied to me…he has four and hit the bench.

8:14 p.m. CT:   Tabb marches through the lane and dunks on ‘Bama. I can’t count how many times that the Tide have allowed the Vols to drive to the basket unopposed – the team’s interior defense is non-existent.

8:16 p.m. CT:   HUGE alley-oop from Tatum to Smith…75-52, 5:10. Yikes…I imagine Donovan and Lebo both are worried after watching this game.

8:30 p.m. CT:   Tennessee advances 86-62 over Alabama…will play the upcoming Auburn/Florida winner. I’ll take Tennessee against either.

9:49 p.m. CT:   Close game at halftime, as Florida leads by one. Very even game stats-wise…either of these teams will be dominated by Tennessee, I believe.

9:54 p.m. CT:   The difference in a good team and a great team…great teams don’t make stupid mistakes. Stupid mistakes lose games, and both of these teams are making stupid mistakes, although the Tigers are making more of them – thanks to the embarassing coaching of Jeff Lebo. Neither of these teams are NCAA-worthy teams frankly, although Florida is moreso simply due to their level of coaching and chance of advancing.

10:03 p.m. CT:   Auburn has no outside presence in this game…all of their threes have looked awful.

10:41 p.m. CT:   Florida just handed Auburn the game…Florida fails to foul within 30 seconds, Auburn gets a wide-open dunk. HUGE mistake for the Gators – Florida just handed away their NCAA Tournament chances.

Liveblogging: SEC Tournament, Day One

11:22 a.m. CT:   Alright guys, so we’re coming down to it. Before everything starts, I’ll reveal my predictions. I’ve got Kentucky over Ole Miss by 7-10ish, MSU over UGA by 10ish, Bama over Vandy by 3-5ish, and Florida over Arkansas by a whole lot. Anyone else got any picks?

Side note: I have class from noon CT-12:50 p.m. CT or so and won’t be able to post.

1:59 p.m. CT:   I’m back from class, etc. As the Kentucky/Ole Miss game winds down – it went about as I expected, with a slightly larger UK victory. Looks like Kentucky will take the victory 71-58, and the Rebels are out of postseason consideration. Kentucky advances to meet LSU. Quick look at the stats…

Team FG%:   Kentucky (47%)   Ole Miss (44%)
Team 3PT%:   Kentucky (10%)   Ole Miss (29%)
Team FT%:   Kentucky (78%)   Ole Miss (79%)
Rebounds:   Kentucky (35)   Ole Miss (28)
Team Fouls:   Kentucky (15)   Ole Miss (18)
Team Assists:   Kentucky (13)   Ole Miss (7)
Team Turnovers:   Kentucky (10)   Ole Miss (18)
Team Steals:   Kentucky (9)   Ole Miss (3)
Team Blocks:   Kentucky (3)   Ole Miss (3)
Bench Points:   Kentucky (14)   Ole Miss (19)
Second Chance Points:   Kentucky (14)   Ole Miss (9)
Points Off Turnovers:   Kentucky (23)   Ole Miss (7)
Points In The Paint:   Kentucky (48)   Ole Miss (22)
Fastbreak Points:   Kentucky (8)   Ole Miss (2)

A few interesting tidbits here…the game was clearly decided by Ole Miss’ poor ball-handling, as the a:to ratio was 7-18 as compared to Kentucky’s 13-10. Points off turnovers certainly helped the Wildcats as well, 23-7. The pace was awfully slow stats-wise, as neither team made more than 4 baskets off of the fastbreak.

The LSU and Kentucky matchup will be interesting, as the teams are very similar. Both rebound VERY well and are big, phyiscal teams with one outstanding shooter. LSU won the previous matchup @ Kentucky, 73-70.

Next up…MSU/Georgia.

2:54 p.m. CT:   After a close few minutes, State is whoopin’ up on the East Bulldogs at the moment. 30-17 with 5:46. Georgia hasn’t scored in the past four minutes. MSU is hot, and when they’re hot that team is tough to beat.

3:07 p.m. CT:   Georgia just looks absolutely outclasses in this game, trailing 40-26 at halftime. Varnado nearly has a double-double at halftime – this MSU team is dangerous if they can stay this hot.

3:20 p.m. CT:   MSU leading 52-%-41% from the field at halftime, outrebounding the other Dawgs 18-14. Varnado has 10 points and 9 rebounds, Ravern Johnson has 12 points and surging sophomore Kodi Augustus has 10. Thompkins the only UGA player with double digits, with 10.

3:29 p.m. CT:   Georgia getting hot and draining some shots against MSU, and MSU is turning the ball over. Georgia within eight…pretty hook from Jackson.

 I will also be out of pocket after the MSU/Georgia game. Not sure when I’ll be back…

3:39 p.m. CT:   …and MSU pulls away. 57-42, 12:29…Georgia is going to need some serious runs to topple State at this point. MSU is playing with fire under their bellies.

3:51 p.m. CT:   Augustus with a career-high 19 points off the bench. Very impressive…this one getting ugly for UGA…68-48 MSU, 7:53.

4:08 p.m. CT:   MSU wins 79-60. Georgia just couldn’t keep up with State’s balance, as MSU had 10 players score and three over 10 points. State will pair up with South Carolina, who the Bulldogs beat by five at home earlier in the season. Should be a good matchup. I’m gone for a while, I’ll be back later on this evening.

Regular season done…postseason begins

Now that regular-season play has concluded, a TON (way more than usual) of SEC teams are fighting for their postseason lives heading toward the conference tournament. I’m going to break down each team, including their pros and cons, strength of schedule, RPI, etc to conclude their chances for each tournament, and what will be needed.

First, here’s a list of the SEC teams, their records, and their seeds for the SEC Tournament based on tiebreakers.

EAST

1. Tennessee (19-11, 10-6)
2. South Carolina (21-8, 10-6)
3. Florida (22-9, 9-7)
4. Kentucky (19-12, 8-8)
5. Vanderbilt (19-11, 8-8)
6. Georgia (12-19, 3-13)

WEST

1. #12 LSU (25-6, 13-3)
2. Auburn (21-10, 10-6)
3. Miss. State (19-12, 9-7)
4. Alabama (17-13, 7-9)
5. Ole Miss (16-14, 7-9)
6. Arkansas (14-15, 2-14)

Now I’ll break down each team’s performance thus far and their outlook for the postseason. A word about the RPI – it tends to lag a day or two, but this at least is a general idea. The quality of wins are determined by RPI, not record. Chances of etc..  means at LEAST the NIT or NCAA.

Alabama

Record:   17-13
SEC Record:   7-9
Last Ten:   5-5
RPI:   #126
Best Overall Win:   @ [23] Tennessee (70-67)
Best Non-Conference Win:   @ [102] St. Joesph’s (58-48)
Worst Overall Loss:   vs. [181] Mercer (69-72)
Worst League Loss:   @ [85] Vanderbilt (74-79)

The Crimson Tide finished the regular season with a massive win on the road at Tennessee, but it’s looking like at least two victories in the conference tournament will be necessary to be considered for the NIT. While ‘Bama faces Vanderbilt in the first round, who provided the team with its worst loss of the conference season, the second-round matchup with Tennessee seems to be favorable considered the previous win on the road. The opening round will be difficult, however.

Chances of NIT:   20%
Chances of NCAA:   3%

Arkansas

Record:   14-15
SEC Record:   2-14
Last Ten:   1-9
RPI:   #139
Best Overall Win:   vs. [4] Oklahoma (96-88)
Best League Win:   vs. [126] Alabama (89-80)
Worst Overall Loss:   @ [212] Missouri State (57-62)
Worst League Loss:   @ [111] Alabama (67-88)

The Razorbacks are one of the biggest head-scratchers in the conference. After jumping out to a 12-1 start with wins over #4 Oklahaoma and #7 Texas, the fell back to the level that most expected of them approaching the season, as nearly the entire team is underclassmen. The postseason is effectually impossible for the ‘Backs at this point without winning the conference tournament.

Chance of NIT:   <1%
Chance of NCAA:   <1%

Auburn

Record:   21-10
SEC Record:   10-6
Last Ten:    8-2
RPI:   #64
Best Overall Win:   vs. [23] Tennessee (78-77)
Best Non-Conference Win:   @ [106] Virginia (58-56)
Worst Overall Loss:   vs. [181] Mercer (74-78)
Worst League Loss:   vs. [85] Vanderbilt (75-82)

The Tigers are on a serious tear, winning 8 of their last 9 games including a huge 16-point home win over #12 LSU. This certainly thrusts them from off-the-radar into the massive discussion of which SEC teams make the cut. Certainly Auburn looks like a more viable candidate than does either of the floundering East teams in Kentucky or Florida at this point. Auburn could certainly make a stronger argument for their inclusion with a Round Two win over either Florida or Arkansas. Auburn swept Arkansas but fell at home to the Gators earlier in the season 65-68.

Chances of NIT:   >99%
Chances of NCAA: 47%

Florida

Record:   22-9
SEC Record:   9-7
Last Ten:   4-6
RPI:   #48
Best Overall Win:   vs. [13] Washington (86-84)
Best League Win:   vs. [50] South Carolina (97-93)
Worst Overall Loss:   @ [188] Georgia (86-88)
Worst Non-Conference Loss:   @ [17] Syracuse (83-89)

The Gators seem to be on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament based solely on having lost 3 of their last 4 contests. The team’s RPI is still very respectable and the record is solid, thus the team should be in a good position approaching the post-season.

Chances of NIT:   >99%
Chances of NCAA:   65%

Georgia

Record:   12-19
SEC Record:   3-13
Last Ten:   3-7
RPI:   #188
Best Overall Win:   vs. [48] Florida (88-86)
Best Non-Conference Win:   vs. [62] Virginia Tech (67-66)
Worst Overall Loss:   vs. [216] Loyola Chicago (53-74)
Worst League Loss:   @ [111] Alabama (70-75)

The Bulldogs are completely out of the postseason picture without winning the SEC Tournament as the 6-seed for the second year in a row. Although the ‘Dawgs have taken down two of the East’s better teams and have proven their ability to compete with talented competition, Georgia doesn’t seem to have much of a chance at the postseason.

Chance of NIT:   <1%
Chance of NCAA:   <1%

Kentucky

Record:   19-12
SEC Record:   8-8
Last Ten:   3-7
RPI:   #80
Best Overall Win:   vs. [23] Tennessee (77-58)
Best Non-Conference Win:   @ [26] West Virginia (54-43)
Worst Overall Loss:   vs. [188] Georgia (85-90)
Worst Non-Conference Loss:   vs. [126] VMI (103-111)

The Wildcats seem to have played their way onto the wrong side of the bubble, having lost their last four consecutive games including one at home to the SEC’s worst team in Georgia. At least two wins would be required for the team to have a decent argument at this point, and road is tough as it runs through Ole Miss and then league-leading LSU.

Chance of NIT:   95%
Chance of NCAA:   40%

LSU

Record:   25-6
SEC Record:   13-3
Last Ten:   8-2
RPI:   #37
Best Overall Win:   @ [23] Tennessee (79-73)
Best Non-Conference Win:   vs. [89] Washington State (64-52)
Worst Overall Loss:   @ [111] Alabama (59-65)
Worst Non-Conference Loss:   @ [28] Texas A&M (61-72)

The Tigers have long-since locked up a bid to the Big Dance, but have taken a pretty massive hit to their seeding after losing two-straight to Vanderbilt (at home) and at Auburn. If LSU can make the league tournament finals, they could receive as high as a 4 or 5 seed.

Chance of NIT:   >99%
Chance of NCAA:   >99%

Mississippi State

Record:   19-12
SEC Record:   9-7
Last Ten:   5-5
RPI:   #83
Best Overall Win:   vs. [48] Florida (80-71)
Best Non-Conference Win:   vs. [54] Western Kentcky (95-67)
Worst Overall Loss:   vs. [207] Charlotte (64-70)
Worst League Loss:   @ [111] Alabama (85-87)

The Bulldogs have been possibly the streakiest team in the league, as they won 6 of their first 8 league games and then dropped 5 of 6, followed by two consecutive improbable wins to close out the regular season. It seems that the NCAA picture is a long-shot for State, but a couple of winnable games wait to open the SEC Tournament. If the squad can take wins from Georgia and then South Carolina, who fell to MSU 75-70 in Starkville earlier in the season, State would have 21 wins, a top 80 RPI and some semblence of an argument for the NCAA.

Chance of NIT: >99%
Chance of NCAA: 35%

Ole Miss

Record:   16-14
SEC Record:   7-9
Last Ten:   5-5
RPI:   #81
Best Overall Win:   vs. [23] Tennessee (81-65)
Best Non-Conference Win:   vs. [137] Morgan State (78-70)
Worst Overall Loss:   @ [162] Southern Miss (59-78)
Worst League Loss:   vs. [111] Alabama (69-90)

The Rebels seem to be out of the NCAA Tournament without a league tournament title, but the NIT is still very much within grasp. Having lost 3 of their last 4 does not help, but wins against Kentucky and LSU and possibly one more to make the final game could be enough to enter the NIT discussion.

Chance of NIT:   7%
Chance of NCAA:   <1%

South Carolina

Record:   21-8
SEC Record:   10-6
Last Ten:   6-4
RPI:   #50
Best Overall Win:   vs. [48] Florida (70-69)
Best Non-Conference Win:   @ [75] Baylor (85-84)
Worst Overall Loss:   @ [101] Charleston (80-82)
Worst League Loss:   @ [85] Vanderbilt (83-96)

The Gamecocks appear to be the only SEC team outside of LSU absolutely guaranteed an NCAA spot, although Tennessee is looking good as well. South Carolina has very few quality wins but very few quality losses as well and could edge up ot a 7 or 8 seed with a good showing in the league tournament.

Chance of NIT:   >99%
Chance of NCAA:   80%

Tennessee

Record:   19-11
SEC Record:   10-6
Last Ten:   6-4
RPI:   #23
Best Overall Win:   @ [24] Siena (78-64)
Best League Win:   @ [48] Florida (79-75)
Worst Overall Loss:   vs. [111] Alabama (67-70)
Worst Non-Conference Loss:   @ [40] Temple (72-88)

The Volunteers seem to be set for an NCAA bid, although the low amount of wins makes things a bit more scary than they would likely to wish for. An impressive RPI and several big wins should keep the Orange safe on Selection Sunday. A run in the league tournament could even boost the Vols into a respectable 7 or 8 seed.

Chance of NIT:   >99%
Chance of NCAA:   91%

Vanderbilt

Record:   19-11
SEC Record:   8-8
Last Ten:   7-3
RPI:   #85
Best Overall Win:   @ [37] LSU (75-67)
Best Non-Conference Win:   vs. [56] VCU (71-66)
Worst Overall Loss:   @ [188] Georgia (57-61)
Worst Non-Conference Loss:   vs. [168] Illinois-Chicago (55-74)

The Commodores seem to be the 200th SEC team right on the bubble near .500 in the conference, with around 19 wins overall and an RPI in the 80’s. While the RPI is weak for Vandy, the team’s performance lately has been impressive – three in a row, two of them over two of the top three teams in the conference. If the ‘Dores could win a couple in the league tournament – which would require wins over Alabama (who they defeated once already) and Tennessee (who they were swept by) – the team might have a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Chance of NIT:   90%
Chance of NCAA:   20%

 

 

In closing, I’ll make an interesting observation. Through doing this, it’s become apparent that the NCAA bubble contains an inordinate amount of SEC teams. With that said, it’s almost a given that at least one or two of those teams will make an “improbable” run by winning two or three and make the cut.

The teams that need to prove themselves are, in order of most likely to make it to least…

-Tennessee – likely
-South Carolina – likely
——————————-
-Florida – probable
-Kentucky – unsure
-Auburn – unsure
-Miss. State – unsure
-Vanderbilt – unlikely

 

I will be live-blogging periodically throughout the day beginning Thursday and through Sunday, obviously in discussion about the SEC Tournament. Please feel free to join and comment as I blog – I will be sure to recognize and respond to each comment, and answer each question. Tell your friends!!

18 hours…and postseason outlooks

To all of my faithful readers, I know we’ve hit hard times. I quickly learned that 18 hours of classes plus a serious ongoing blog endeavor wasn’t particularly possible. However, here’s an update on the SEC teams and their chances at the postseason.

The Chance of NCAA is including the team’s perceived ability to win the SEC Tournament. Chance of NIT is in reference to that team’s chance of at LEAST making the NIT.

Alabama (16-13, 6-9) (RPI: #122)

Remaining games:
@ Tennessee (Sun, 3/8)

The Crimson Tide would need a win against Tennessee and at least one or two in the SEC Tournament to sniff the NIT.

Chance of NCAA: 2%
Chance of NIT: 15%

Arkansas (14-13, 2-12) (RPI: #124)

Remaining games:
vs. Ole Miss (Wed, 3/4)
@ Vanderbilt (Sun, 3/8)

The Razorbacks would need to win their final two games and at least two, maybe three in the SEC Tournament to even make an argument for the NIT.

Chance of NCAA: <1%
Chance of NIT: 2%

Auburn (20-10, 9-6) (RPI: #72)

Remaining games:
vs. #12 LSU (Sat, 3/7)

The Tigers have won 7 of their last 8 and are the hottest team in the conference at the moment not named LSU. Auburn has a very good argument for the NCAA, but that spot will be a battle with Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky. If the Tigers can pick up a win against big-time LSU or take one or two in the SEC Tournament, the squad should see the NCAA for the first time in a while.

Chance of NCAA: 40%
Chance of NIT: >99%

Florida (21-8, 8-6) (RPI: #50)

Remaining games:
@ Mississippi State (Wed, 3/4)
vs. Kentucky (Sat, 3/7)

The Gators are squarely on the massive SEC NCAA bubble, and their final two games could define their postseason tournament. Florida has lost 4 of their last 6, and the team can not afford a loss to MSU and the Kentucky game could be for the SEC’s final NCAA spot.

Chance of NCAA: 60%
Chance of NIT: >99%

Georgia (11-18, 2-12) (RPI: #205)

Remaining games:
@ Kentucky (Wed, 3/4)
vs. South Carolina (Sat, 3/7)

The Bulldogs will need another miracle to reach the postseason for the second-straight year.

Chance of NCAA: <1%
Chance of NIT: <1%

Kentucky (19-10, 8-6) (RPI: #67)

Remaining games:
vs. Georgia (Wed, 3/4)
@ Florida (Sat, 3/7)

The Wildcats are in a situation very similar to that of Florida’s, except that Kentucky has a worse RPI. With losses in 3 of their last 4 contests, Kentucky can’t afford to slip up against Georgia and still might need a win in Gainesville to secure an NCAA bid. A decent performance in the SEC Tournament wouldn’t hurt either.

Chance of NCAA: 55%
Chance of NIT: >99%

LSU (25-4, 13-1) (RPI: #24)

Remaining games:
vs. Vanderbilt (Wed, 3/4)
@ Auburn (Sat, 3/7)

LSU has nothing but NCAA seeding to worry about at this point. If the Tigers can pull off a sweep and win out, including the SEC Tournament, the team could be looking at a 1 or 2 seed.

Chance of NCAA: >99%
Chance of NIT: >99%

Mississippi State (17-12, 7-7) (RPI: #96)

Remaining games:
vs. Florida (Wed, 3/4)
@ Ole Miss (Sat, 3/7)

Mississippi State is possibly the coldest team in the SEC outside of Georgia, having lost 5 of their last 6. Once seeming NIT lock, MSU now seems to find themselves on the NIT bubble. MSU would need at least 3 or 4 more wins to eve be considered for a long-shot chance at the NCAA, and one or two more to be a safe NIT pick.

Chance of NCAA: 5%
Chance of NIT: 60%

Ole Miss  (15-13, 6-8) (RPI: #78)

Remaining games:
@ Arkansas (Wed, 3/4)
vs. Mississippi State (Sat, 3/7)

Ole Miss would nearly need to win the SEC Tournament, or least make the finals to even think of the NCAA’s. The NIT also seems like a longshot, although winning out in the regular season and a win or two in the SEC Tournament could put the Rebels in the discussion.

Chance of NCAA: 1%
Chance of NIT: 20%

South Carolina (20-7, 9-5) (RPI: #42)

Remaining games:
vs. Tennessee (Thur, 3/5)
@ Georgia (Sat, 3/7)

The Gamecocks appear to be the only SEC team outside of LSU to be a lock for the NCAA. If the squad won out, the team could pull out a 4 or 5 seed.

Chance of NCAA: 98%
Chance of NIT: >99%

Tennessee (18-10, 9-5) (RPI: #21)

Remaining games:
@ South Carolina (Thur, 3/5)
vs. Alabama (Sun, 3/8)

Tennessee seems to be safely the SEC’s third NCAA spot, although the team wouldn’t be well-advised to lose out. The Vols have an impressive RPI, however, so they should be shooed into the Big Dance.

Chance of NCAA: 75%
Chance of NIT: >99%

Vanderbilt (17-11, 6-8) (RPI: #104)

Remaining games:
@ #12 LSU
vs. Arkansas

The Commodores are a dark horse contender for both postseason tournaments, but a poor RPI will hold them back. If the ‘Dores can pull out a win in Baton Rouge and win a couple of games in the SEC Tournament, they could have a solid argument for the NCAA. To make the NIT, two more wins could put them in contention.

Chance of NCAA: 20%
Chance of NIT: 45%

MSU/Texas Tech coverage…

Random donation of an article sent from a regular visitor I thought I would share with the public. On that note, if any readers want to send me any material published BY THEMSELVES, and preferrably nowhere else, I’ll be happy to publish it here as well.

By Ray Floriani

 

 

NEWARK – Mississippi State dropped a tough 77-73 decision in the Legends Classic consolation here at the Prudential Center  on Saturday.  A few observations from press row…

 

            The first half saw State struggle to find the Texas Tech shooters. The Big 12 representatives are running under coach Pat Knight. They also have the green light to fire from the perimeter. Several times State lost the shooters, mostly in transition, or were susceptible to quick ball reversals on the perimeter.  Offensively the Tech zone clogged the middle and big men like Jarvis Varnado saw their touches limited (5 pts on 2 of 3 shooting.

 

Half : 42-34 T.Tech

 

                                    Efficiency

T.Tech                         102

Miss. St.                      85

(41 possessions, a near track meet)

 

            The second half the Bulldogs came right out and tightened defensively. When Texas Tech saw the perimeter wasn’t as easy to exploit they went inside and the Bulldog ‘block party’ began. Offensively State made a concerted effort to look inside more. The result saw State back in it and the game, a two point lead by Tech with 12 to go, basically remained a one possession affair. State never could get the lead. There were some unfortunate bounces of the ball and several bad decisions on their part. Regardless, they came up empty.

 

Final : 77-73 T.Tech

 

                                    Efficiency

T. Tech                        103

Miss. St.                      87

(75 possessions)

 

The differences…Texas Tech had a 48% effective Fg Pct to that of 43% for State. Miss. State enjoyed an edge in offensive rebounding Pct 36% to 24%. But the big difference was 17 of 31 from the foul line for the Bulldogs. “You don’t win a game like this against a quality opponent shooting free throws like that,” said State coach Rick Stansbury.

            Despite finishing 0-2 (State lost to Washington State in the semis) at the ‘Rock”, Stansbury felt the experience was beneficial. “We played two very good teams, Stansbury said. “We grew up in some areas but found what we need to do in others.”

 

Stat that jumped off the page…State blocked 9 shots. Texas Tech attempted 42 two pointers so the State block rate was an incredible 21%.

RTC SEC Update

I recently released a post on Rush The Court on the SEC thus far, thought you guys would find it interesting. Leave comments!

Wirth Value: Week One

So, I’ve made a decision – the Wirth Value will not take into account the quality of teams faced until conference play, when I re-introduce the RPI into the equation. I will make note of the teams each squad has faced and comment on whether the stats are inflated or not, but there’s just no way to weight the teams correctly without an accurate RPI, and the RPI won’t be anywhere near accurate until at least the end of OOC play. With that said, here are Week One’s results.

With that disclaimer comes another – because no weight is being given to the level of competition, these values will increase in relevance as the season progresses. Thus, Week One’s Wirth Value is nothing more than an interesting set of numbers to look at.

Also, I’ve changed the posting format a bit. The lines between teams show any significant gaps between teams’ scores, essentially placing them in “tiers”.

OFFENSE

1. Tennessee (86.75)
2. Miss. State (85.50)
3. LSU (81.25)
——————–
4. Kentucky (67.25)
5. South Carolina (67.00)
6. Alabama (62.75)
——————–
7. Auburn (53.50)
8. Florida (52.00)
9. Ole Miss (49.50)
——————–
10. Vanderbilt (29.75)
11. Arkansas (21.75)
——————–
12. Georgia (6.25)

DEFENSE

1. LSU (85.75)
2. Miss. State (84.00)
——————–
3. Alabama (71.00)
——————–
4. Georgia (60.75)
4. Tennessee (60.75)
6. Florida (58.50)
7. South Carolina (56.00)
8. Vanderbilt (49.00)
9. Arkansas (40.00)
10. Kentucky (38.50)
——————–
11. Auburn (27.00)
12. Ole Miss (21.75)

OVERALL

1. LSU (215.75)
1. Miss. State (215.75)
3. Tennessee (199.75)
——————–
4. South Carolina (179.00)
5. Alabama (169.75)
6. Florida (159.75)
——————–
7. Auburn (126.00)
8. Kentucky (119.50)
9. Ole Miss (100.75)
10. Vanderbilt (110.50)
——————–
11. Arkansas (80.75)
12. Georgia (79.50)

NUMBER OF CATEGORIES LED

Mississippi State:   7
Tennessee:   4
Florida:   3
South Carolina:   3
Alabama:   1
Auburn:   1
Ole Miss:   1

—While LSU and Mississippi State both seem to be dominating the stat categories, they should both be pretty inflated by a very soft early-season schedule. While LSU’s cupcakes should continue, we’ll learn a lot about the Bulldogs this coming week against Washington State and then either Pittsburgh or Texas Tech.

—Tennessee has faced two very solid mid-majors in MTSU and UT-Martin with MTSU on the road. They seem to be the best team in the SEC at the moment.

—South Carolina at a distant fourth considering their abysmal competition (which will continue throughout their OOC) is not promising for them when the SEC East comes around. As I’ve said all along, the talking heads are going to jump on the ESC bandwagon when they go a while undefeated, only for the Gamecocks to get knocked down to real life in the SEC.

—Alabama and Florida, both with a weak OOC thus far, seem to be heavily disappointing as near-favorites in their respective divisions. Florida is undefeated against cupcakes and still has not put up big numbers.

—Auburn has a loss to a surprising Mercer squad, and still ranks near the middle of the back in the conference – which is an exciting statement for the Tigers considering their horrible performance in the past few years.

—Kentucky and Ole Miss have racked up some pretty bad losses, although Kentucky’s stats are probably the only SEC team thus far which are under-inflated because of an early-season matchup with #1 UNC. Vanderbilt has a “good” loss to Illinois, but Shan Foster’s departure has obviously hurt the ‘Dores very badly.

—Georgia and Arkansas are down-right terrible this season. Georgia’s offensive stats are the worst I’ve ever seen, and Arkansas is struggling with every single cupcake on the schedule. Expect these two teams to bring up the rear of the conference.

Wednesday games…

Mississippi State [102] vs. North Alabama [61]: I caution excited/dismayed readers that this was a rare SEC vs. D-II regular-season matchup. With that said, the Bulldogs certainly took care of business – although the Lions pulled within 8 early in the second half. State is looking pretty dominant in their early-season games, although they’ve all been against terrible teams. Regardless – MSU is at or near the top of the SEC is several offensive and defensive categories, and continued that tonight. Varnado once again neared triple-double status with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 blocks – just sick. Stewart is still looking to be in freshman-season form with 16 points as well, and FRESHMAN point guard Dee Bost handed out 10 assists (although with 5 turnovers). 21 turnovers is too many, although that is to be expected with a young team – and in typical MSU fashion the rebounding numbers are just ridiculous (51-27). As a whole, a great performance that means very little. We’ll know more about these ‘Dawgs after they play in the Legends Classic championships rounds against Washington State and then either Texas Tech or Pittsburgh. If State can win those two games, they should hop into the Top 25.
Impact [Miss. State]: Very little, outside of some stats-fluffing and some confidence.
Grade [Miss. State]: (A) Not perfect, with some turnover troubles, but darn-near close.
Stat of the Game: MSU’s 23-of-26 (88.5%) performance from the charity stripe

Alabama [89] vs. Florida A&M [48]: The Tide rebounded from an embarassing home loss to Mercer and destroyed FAMU, for what it was worth. The Tide hit the boards better and defended well, although ball-handling wasn’t nearly as impressive as it was in their first outing. Steele led the team in scoring – which in general isn’t a good sign for a point guard, especially considering he hit just 4-of-10 shots. A good percentage, but not good enough to be hoisting 10 attempts without handing out more than 1 assist. Gee went 0-fer, but Green had a promising 12-point, 8-rebound outing. Bama’s big men seem to be rebounding excellently, but not scoring efficiently enough. Gottfried’s squad’s point can’t come from the guard position, and certainly not consistently.
Impact [Alabama]: This was a nice recovery from the team’s first game, but some concern still lies at offensive production underneath the basket.
Grade [Alabama]: (A) Not much to complain about outside of the poor ball-handling
Stat of the Game: FAMU’s 0-for-13 mark from long range

Auburn [74] vs. Mercer [78]: Well, Tide fans can feel somewhat vindicated regarding their loss to Mercer, as Mercer has now beaten both Alabama SEC teams on their home floor. The world wants to know, is (3-0) Mercer that good or are the ‘Bama teams that bad? My gut tells me it’s more poor play from Alabama/Auburn than it is Mercer being THAT much improved, although it’s possible. Auburn fell exactly as Alabama did – on the boards. The Tigers got DOMINATED on the boards – but took very good care of the ball, which is a plus. Barber and Waller are looking to be the backbone of this team, as the two combined for 39 points on 14-of-26 shooting and 7 rebounds. If Lebo wants to win enough games to turn this team around, some amount of balance offensively will have to show up for Auburn.
Impact [Auburn]: The Tigers’ hopes at a turnaround season took a big hit with this loss. This team can’t afford any more gaffes at home, considering wins will be hard to come by in the SEC.
Grade [Auburn]: (C-) This wasn’t as bad a grade as Alabama because the Tigers, in theory, are a far weaker team than their in-state counterparts. Auburn must find complementary players and rebounding.
Stat of the Game: Mercer’s 46-21 rebounding advantage

Change of plans…

So, I’ve decided that instead of trying to catch up on a growing number of games, I’m just starting from here on out – so the previous post won’t be updated. Sorry about that!

This weekend’s games…

Note: Many of my posts this season will be works in progress – so if games are missing, have patience!

I’m debuting a new feature in this season’s recaps – the grade. This will be based on each team’s potential and performance as a whole compared to where they should have performed, or had the capacity to perform.

Also, I’m going to tweak the layout of the recaps. Instead of regurgitating stats, I’m going to use less stats and more commentary. Bare with me as the changes take shape over time. If you don’t like the changes, think it’s a good idea, or have any various comments – let me know in comments, they are VERY helpful!

Friday

Arkansas [91] vs. Southeastern Louisiana [87]: This was the first conference “tossup” game that I selected, and it didn’t disappoint. Seems like Arkansas’ freshmen and sophomores aren’t ready to defend yet, as the ‘Backs got outshot heavily by the experienced SeLa team. Michael Washington earned SEC Player of the Week honors from the SEC by a 10-of-16 performance for 30 points and 14 rebounds. The team has talented individual rebounders, but doesn’t hit the glass well as a team – which could be a symptom of a guard-oriented lineup. Speaking of the guards, the super-talented freshman duo Clarke and Fortson had big games, but for different reasons. Clarke looks to be an efficient (and hopefully reliable shooting guard, hitting 5-of-8 threes. Fortson had no fear, that’s for sure, which is a huge obstacle to overcome as a freshman. That said, he put up just one shot less than team-leader Washington and was medicore from the field. Following suit, he distributed the ball for 7 assists, but turned the ball over 6 times. If Arkansas wants to win consistently this season, Fortson needs to focus more on getting the ball to other players and take care of it in the process.
Impact [Arkansas]: This is a big win for Arkansas in a few ways. SeLa should be a nice RPI boost if that comes into play for the ‘Backs, and a close victory can mature young players quickly.
Grade [Arkansas]: (B-) Overall a solid performance against an experienced mid-major. As with many other young SEC teams, rebounding and defense must improve if Arkansas wants to be competitive.
Stat of the Game: Arkansas being outshot from the field 49.3% to 42.9%

Auburn [75] vs. Missouri State [60]: If I were an Auburn basketball fan (do they exist?), I’d be excited about Korvotney Barber and Tay Waller. This may be the most dynamic duo in the SEC. Barber showed just why everyone is so excited about him in his season opener – and why he led the nation in field-goal percentage last season before his injury. He shot 10-of-14 (wow) for 22 points and 5 rebounds. I’d like to see some more rebounding, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if the scoring keeps up. Oh yeah, he had 2 blocks and a steal too. Transfer Waller is looking more and more like a consistent and reliable guard after a 4-of-8 mark from long range in this game, and these guys combined with the SEC’s most underrated player in Quantez Robertson could actually do some damage for the Tigers this season. Auburn actually has some impressive talent this season, but with so little depth the team can not afford even a single injury or off-game.
Impact [Auburn]: This was a good win, as Missouri State was a surprisingly competitive mid-major last season. Nice confidence boost for AU.
Grade [Auburn]: (A) The Tigers rebounded well, forced turnovers, and took care of the ball. Nice performance.
Stat of the Game: Auburn’s 56.0% field-goal percentage

Florida [80] vs. Toledo [58]: And to think some doubted me when I put Dan Werner on my Second-Team All-SEC. Werner led the Gators in the blowout win with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 5 rebounds and I don’t see this performance slacking much. This guy is talented, but just not dominating enough to carry as much load as Florida needs him to down low. Calathes, SEC POY candidate, increased his scoring to 16 points but sacrificed ball-handling, turning the ball over five times. If Calathes is going to increase his production offensively at the cost of turnovers, this could hurt the Gators – he needs someone to step into that shooting role. Alex Tyus at center isn’t cutting it – 2 rebounds won’t get it done in the paint. As talented as Florida is, seems as if the team isn’t meshing well early on.
Impact [Florida]: The win was nothing special, but a weakness in rebounding was exposed badly.
Grade [Florida]: (B-) A big win but defense was lacking and rebounding needs to improve.
Stat of the Game: Florida’s +2 rebounding margin and allowing Toledo to shoot 43.8%

Georgia [72] vs. USC-Upstate [48]: Nice all-around performance from the Bulldogs except for on the boards (Sound like a trend? What’s with SEC teams so far and poor rebounding?), as UGA thoroughly outshot and otherwise outplayed USC-Upstate. Scoring was pretty much even across the board, with injured Albert Jackson the only player who didn’t score. Four players scored either 10 or 11 points, two of them non-starters.
Impact [Georgia]: Not much. Easy win against a lesser opponent. Rebounding has surfaced as a concern.
Grade [Georgia]: (A-) No excuse for being outrebounded by USCU by 9.
Stat of the Game: Georgia’s 20 (pressure, much?) steals

Kentucky [103] vs. VMI [111]: Kentucky did it again. Last year’s 18-point opening blowout home loss to Gardner-Webb only somewhat eclipses this year’s first-game blowout home loss to VMI. And yes, this was a blowout loss despite the 8-point difference, and noone who saw the game would argue. VMI can score points, no doubt, but UK’s 25 turnovers and utter lack of defense didn’t help. VMI was up by well over 20 points at times during the game, as the Wildcats looked lost and confused throughout the game. UK’s offense was unbelievably lopsided, as Meeks attempted 27 (wow) shots from the field for 39 (another wow) points. Confusing to me, though, is that Perry Stevenson played literally every minute of the game while returning SEC Freshman of the Year Patrick Patterson played just 27. Patterson managed just 8 points in those 27 minutes, too. Both teams shot very, very well – but VMI’s hot-shooting from three got it done.
Impact [Kentucky]: The Wildcats desperately need VMI to do well this season, and they just might. Otherwise, UK has already lost a huge amount of respect on the national scene once again.
Grade [Kentucky]: (F) The Blue had no sense of balance, no gameplan, and no consistency. No excuse for such an embarassing loss.
Stat of the Game: VMI’s 14-of-31 (45.2%) mark from behind the arc

Sunday

Florida [81] vs. Bradley [58]: I hate to gloat (okay, no I don’t), but Werner is not only validating his Second-Team All-SEC pick, he’s making an argument for First Team. He’s currently leading the Gators in scoring, after tying for the lead in this game with 17 on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Very nice, especially for a “forward”. Chandler Parsons put up 10 rebounds – if those two can complement each other that well every game, Florida may actually have a reliable post presence…at least in the starting lineup. Calathes led the Gators in shots attempted (that shouldn’t happen) but had a solid 6-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio. Defense is still very, very shaky for Florida so far this season, as is rebounding.
Impact [Florida]: This game proved that the Toledo outing wasn’t a fluke – these Gators must find defense and rebounding.
Grade [Florida]: (B) Another big win, but it seems as if Florida is simply winning on talent at the moment, which won’t last forever.
Stat of the Game: Florida being outshot from the field 44.9% to 41.5%

Alabama [69] vs. Mercer [71]: Yeah, you read that right. In what was, to me, the most embarassing outing by an SEC squad this weekend, Mercer toppled some analysts’ favorite for the Western Division at home. How did they do it? Well, for one, Alabama (who is normally dominant on the boards) got outrebounded 56-38. Ouch. Defense? Not there. Offense? Not there. What WAS there? Former All-American Ronald Steele, who silenced all doubters who wondered if he could return to form after his surgeries and hiatus to the tune of 25 points. He hit 5-of-11 threes, which in theory is good if he can keep it up, but 11 treys sure seems like a lot to be attempting and seems to show that he was thinking shoot-first as opposed to old-school Steele pass-first mentality. Three assists to two turnovers says that too. On the up side, the squad took care of the ball, as six turnovers for a game is very impressive. As a whole, the Tide looks completely out of sync, and Gottfried has placed himself firmly on the very-very-hot-seat after just one game.
Impact [Alabama]: This was simply a devastating loss. Rebounding must improve, along with nearly everything else. This game could seriously hurt ‘Bama in the RPI if – as I suspect – the squad goes near .500 in the conference and is arguing for an NCAA bid.
Grade [Alabama]: (D-) The Tide didn’t fail only because this wasn’t a blowout loss. Not much positive to take from this game.
Stat of the Game: Alabama’s current -18 rebound margin on the season

Monday

Georgia [53] vs. Loyola-Chicago [74]: This might not have been the most embarassing (although close) performance by the SEC over the weekend, but it was probably the most shocking. The Bulldogs absolutely laid a freakin’ egg against ULC in the NIT Season Tipoff, shooting terribly and making a joke of themselves with ball handling (how about a 5-to-18 assist-to-turnover ratio). The team outside of Woodbury and freshman Travis Leslie put up a COMBINED 11 points. Absolutely no offense. Oh yeah, and 5 assists for an entire team in a game is horrendous. Several SEC *players* had more assists in single games over the weekend. This Bulldog team is on track for a whole lot of losses this season if these kind of performances continue.
Impact [Georgia]: The Bulldogs will be living this loss again and again. Any hope for a postseason has taken a major blow with this loss, especially if it is a precursor for the future.
Grade [Georgia]: [F] Oddly, not much I can say about this horrific outing. Rebounding was the only “decent” stat category. The Bulldogs are badly, badly under-talented and will be relying upon one or two players all season.
Stat of the Game: ULC attempting 11 more shots from the field than UGA

Tuesday

Kentucky [58] @ North Carolina [77]: The Wildcats got thoroughly outplayed in Chapel Hill, although the game was a relatively close 6-7 points for much of the contest. Have no doubt, though, there was never any doubt who would win this game. Gillespie wised up and got Patterson playing time (37 minutes) in this one, and he showed why that’s a good idea: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks. Meeks once again is attempting to carry Kentucky’s offensive load, and it is NOT going to work. He must be able to share the ball and stop putting up so many shots (20 in this one). He also is not able to handle the ball, as he turned it over 6 times – with that said, the entire team doesn’t seem to be able to either (28 as a team). This squad needs to complete their adjustment and quickly, while someone needs to step up and complement Meeks offensively.
Impact [Kentucky]: Kentucky wasn’t supposed to win this one, but the loss did help confirm the nation’s suspicions of UK after a loss to VMI. The loss also drops UK to an embarassing 0-2 to start the season.
Grade [Kentucky]: (C-) The ‘Cats were outclassed and bumbling on offense.
Stat of the Game: Kentucky’s 14-to-28 assist-to-turnover ratio

Another setback for Ole Miss…

First Trevor Gaskins was lost, which really just hurt guard depth but not necessarily the Rebels’ talent-level too badly.

But now, this – Eniel Polynice has injured his knee and will be out for the remainder of the season. Polynice is the most experienced upperclassmen among a slew of underclassmen, and this loss not only is devastating for the Rebels’ defense and backcourt offense, but also for its experience.

If Andy Kennedy can squeak out a postseason birth after these two losses, he should be a heavy favorite for SEC Coach of the Year honors.

Absolute disaster…

While I’m following up this post with some actual game-by-game breakdowns, I thought I would express my utter shock and horror at this weekend’s games in the SEC. Apparently the day has come which SEC teams that can actually beat teams such as VMI, Loyola Chicago, or Mercer by 20 points as expected are the conference’s elite, while teams that were supposed to rank among the SEC’s top 4 or 5 are losing those games.

To compound the problem, off-the-court issues are plaguing teams across the league as well. Georgia’s mass losses are well documented, Jai Lucas left Florida, Ole Miss has lost two valuable guards and Mississippi State is missing two players two injury.

Is this bad fortune a case of bad luck, simply a symptom of a reloading conference, or is the SEC sliding against the nation’s best?

Discuss.

SEC’s final exhibition game…

On the eve of the SEC’s regular-season debut, Alabama wrapped up the league’s exhibition slate against Belhaven.

Alabama [97] vs. Belhaven [43]: Not much didn’t go right for the Tide on Thursday evening, as every major role-player stepped up and played their part in the well-oiled machine. Senario Hillman, who will be looked toward to lead the team in scoring, did so in this game with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Freshman Jamychal Green, who ‘Bama needs a huge season out of, played much better in his second exhibition outing with 14 points and 7 rebounds, although 8 of those points came from the charity stripe. Green also stole the ball 5 times and blocked 3 shots. Big-time player Alonzo Gee put up 18 points and 6 rebounds, while returning former All-American Ronald Steele handed out 8 assists and turned the ball over just once. Even usually-inept forward Yamene Coleman shot 6-of-7 for 12 points in 17 minutes. The only scary stat was UA only outrebounding the D-II team 47-43.
Stat of the Game: Alabama’s 26-to-12 assist-to-turnover ratio

More exhibition results…

As we wind down the exhibition “season” and approach regular-season play, here are some recaps of SEC teams’ exhibition outings…

Alabama [99] vs. Faulkner [53]: While this was a convincing win as a result of a simple gap in athleticism, there were some worrying results in this contest for the Tide. Star interior freshman Jamychal Green, looking to fill the gigantic hole underneath left by departed Hendrix, had an unstellar performance with 8 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes, while the Tide’s other interior bodies mustered 19 points and 17 rebounds in 49 minutes. Coupled with the lack of production underneath was the team’s abysmal 6-of-31 performance from behind the arc for 19.4%. All eyes were on Ronald Steele, who seemed healthy enough and surprisingly was a much more effective rebounder (7) than scorer (2-of-5 for 5 points). Gee led the way with 21 points while Torrance put up 19.
Stat of the Game: Alabama’s 20-to-10 assist-to-turnover ratio

Arkansas [108] vs. Dillard [80]: While the Razorbacks have averaged over 100 points in exhibition play, allowing 80 points to a D-II school is a bit scary. Dillard shot almost 40% from the field and over 35% from three. With that said, the ‘Backs continued hitting on all cylinders with a 56.5% mark from the field. Michael Washington seems ready to pull the weight for the young Razorbacks with 19 points down low on 8-of-13 shooting and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes, while Courtney Fortson showed off why Arkansas fans were excited about his ability with an outstanding 10 assists to just 2 turnovers, along with 11 points for a double-double. Rotnei Clark, another freshman phenom for Pelphrey, also went off for 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting from long range and proved to be a very talented shooter from the charity stripe at 5-of-5 on the night. Overall, it looks like Arkansas will live and die by their offense this season, as is the case with most inexperienced teams.
Stat of the Game: Arkansas players not named Clark going 4-of-18 (22.2%) from three

Auburn [98] vs. Morehouse College [50]: This result should give the (very few) Auburn hoops faithful a good amount of hope, as the Tigers looked impressive in their first exhibition outing. Junior college transfer Tay Waller looked particularly exciting, especially considering his name is almost unheard of around the SEC. Waller drained 7-of-12 three-pointers (yeah, 7. of 12. Geez.) and recorded 27 points in 21 minutes (!). Quantez Robertson, one of the most unheralded but deserving players in the league, scored 19 points and surprisingly grabbed 10 rebounds to put up a double-double, as well as handing out 5 assists without turning the ball over. For every surprise (Waller) there is a disappointment, though, and that comes in the form of Korvotney Barber, who Auburn desperately needs a big season out of. Barber managed just 4 points and no rebounds in 19 minutes.
Stat of the Game: Auburn’s 45.5% effort from three

Florida [82] vs. Rollins College [53]: The Gators had a pretty uneventful and standard exhibition game against Rollins College, with a pretty standard outclassing in offense and defense. The remarkable thing was the even scoring, however, as nearly every squad member got on the board – and that the Gators were actually outrebounded 37-36. Parsons hit 7-of-11 shots from the floor for 16 points, while Calathes also put up 16 on 6-of-8 shooting as well as a 6-to-1 assists-to-turnover performance. Kenny Kadji has not performed well underneath, and this game was not an exception: just 4 points on 1-of-5 shooting and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes.
Stat of the Game: Nine out of ten Gators scoring

Georgia [93] vs. Albany State [56]: The Bulldogs relied heavily upon offense to down Albany State, although the squad stole the ball 18 times. ASU did, however, score efficiently against UGA – shooting 24-of-55 for 43.6%. Price led the Bulldogs with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 7 rebounds, while Albert Jackson was not effective offensively in his outing back from the injury at 1-of-8 from the field for 4 points but pulled down a solid 7 rebounds. Brewer and Zlovaric pitched in 15 apiece.
Stat of the Game: Georgia forcing 29 Albany State turnovers

Kentucky [94] vs. Ouachita Baptist [72]: The Wildcats allowed OBU to hit 46.4% from behind the arc to keep the game respectable, but Kentucky solidly outrebounded and outscored their opponents for a safe win. After apparently gaining a big head, UK’s first exhibition star Josh Harrellson saw only 3 minutes while potential-ridden junior Perry Stevenson saw 35 and absolutely destroyed the stat sheet with 16 points and an unbelieveable 20 (…wow) rebounds. Oh yeah, and 7 blocks. Dude is talented. Gillespie wasn’t pleased, however, as Stevenson apparently missed several assignments and took his play on his own shoulders. One thing is for sure, though – with Stevenson and Harrellson beside SEC Player of the Year candidate Patrick Patterson, UK’s frontcourt has nothing to be concerned about. Meeks, who will be relied upon heavily to step up with the heavy guard losses for the Blue, led all scorers with 23 points and hit a perfect 8-of-8 free throws. Freshman Deandre Liggins performed adequately in the point guard role, handing out 7 assists to just 4 turnovers although he hit just 2-of-5 shots from the field.
Stat of the Game: Kentucky’s 52-36 rebounding advantage

Mississippi State [67] vs. Oklahoma City [65]: The Bulldogs trailed almost the entire game and came from behind the defeat the two-time defending NAIA national champion OCU Stars. MSU’s defense was surprisingly lacking, despite the high quality of opponent, and ball-sharing was worryingly lacking. Ever-reliable superstar Jarvis Varnado neared triple-double status for the second consecutive outing with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks in 24 minutes. Freshman point guard Dee Bost served well, dishing out 6 assists to 3 turnovers and 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from long range, while a pair of backup big men in senior Brian Johnson and sophomore Elgin Bailey combined for 19 rebounds and 16 points. Seems as if the Bulldogs are scarily short on effective and reliable role players.
Stat of the Game: MSU shooting 25-of-73 (34.2%) and allowing OCU to shoot 27-of-63 (42.9%)

South Carolina [75] vs. Kentucky Wesleyan [55]: In a surprisingly underwhelming performance, the Gamecocks didn’t truly dominate UKW, allowing their opponents to shoot (38.3%-35.4%) and rebound (44-41) similarly. In fact, USC was allowed 14 more free throws in the game, and that difference made up for an otherwise very close game. Devan Downey, one of the league’s elite players, led the Gamecocks in scoring with 19 points and 8 rebounds, but sacrificed his ball-handling with 4 assists to 3 turnovers. Archie added 9 rebounds, while Steed put in 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Stat of the Game: USC’s 85.2% from FT compared to UKW’s 46.2%

Tennessee [82] vs. Tusculum [51]: The Vols rebounded somewhat from a disappointing first exhibition game with a solid win here, although some key stats are remaining that should worry Orange fans. The Vols only shot 8-of-26 (30.8%) from long range – the heart and soul of the squad’s offense. In fact, the team was outshot from three (33.3%). The main key to the game was shots attempted, as the Vols simply controlled the ball more. Both star big men, Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism, posted double-doubles with a collective 25 points and 21 rebounds while super-freshman Scotty Hopson was mediocre at 1-of-4 from downtown for 11 points.
Stat of the Game: Vols forcing 25 Tusculum turnovers

Vanderbilt [84] vs. Alabama-Huntsville [65]: Yet another case of an SEC team failing to keep up the intensity on defense and relying on offense to win in exhibition play, as UAH actually outshot Vandy heavily from behind the line and nearly matched them on the boards. Leading the ‘Dores was ridiculously talented A.J. Ogilvy. For those who questioned him as my pick for SEC Player of the Year, how about these numbers: 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe in just 19 minutes. Just wait until this guy gets ~30 minutes per game. Eyes are on Beal to step into Foster’s spot, and those shoes are enormous in comparison – Beal managed just 8 points and 2 assists in 25 minutes. Freshman Jeffrey Taylor made a name for himself, as he put up 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. With the collection of guards, it will be interesting to see if Ogilvy can fill up Vandy’s needs inside, because otherwise rebounding looks hard to come by.
Stat of the Game: Vandy’s +4 rebounding margin

Conference primer…

So, the conference primer I put together for my good friends at Rush The Court has been published – you should check it out!

While their ranking of fifth for the SEC is certainly understandable, I retain my hopes that the league will take a step up this coming season.

With the season quickly approaching (this weekend), I will be releasing predictions and such soon. I’ve been battling some pretty serious physical conditions, including a trip to the emergency room, so once I recover some more in-depth analysis will be up.

When it rains, it pours…

And now there’s more…Albert Jackson apparently suffered an ankle injury in Georgia’s exhibition tonight against Albany State.

Although little is known as the X-ray results haven’t been released yet, word on the street is that Jackson hit the ground hard and literally could put no weight on the foot.

Jackson really came on strong late for the Bulldogs and currently holds a starting position on the Bulldogs’ scarily thin front line. Georgia literally only has two froncourt players outside of Jackson, and with the departure of Takais Brown and Mike Mercer during the offseason, this team is seriously lacking in role players.

If Jackson is out for any length of time, this squad is headed closer and closer to being the worst team this league has seen in quite some time.

Another major development…

This time with Ole Miss. Trevor Gaskins, a sharp-shooting sophomore-to-be who tore his left ACL and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Although Gaskins only averaged 5.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game last season, he was a major component in the Rebels’ backcourt for this upcoming season, ranked third last year in 3-point percentage among SEC freshmen.

The pressure will now be on junior David Huertas to step up, work on his jumper, and pick up some slack. This will hurt the Rebels’ guard depth, and could hamper their hope for a solid season.

Exhibition recap

Here are some results and highlights from SEC exhibitions that have occured thus far…

Arkansas [103] vs. Campbelsville [58]: The Razorbacks shot 60.6% as a team from the field , along with 50.0% from outside the arc, to destroy visiting Campbelsville. Michael Washington dominated the paint, scoring a game-high 22 points in just 21 minutes on the floor, to go with 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Stefan Welsh led all guards with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 4-of-6 from long range and 3 steals.
Stat of the Game: Arkansas shooting 29.6% better from the floor than Campbelsville

#19 Florida [108] vs. Warner [49]: Warner was completely over-everything-ed in this game, as the Gators tromped in their first outing of the season. Dan Werner led the Gators with 17 points and 6 rebounds while Alex Tyus, an up-and-comer, notched a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Chandler Parsons had 6 rebounds while phenomenal point guard Nick Calathes racked up 9 assists.
Stat of the Game: Florida’s 46.4% mark from three

Kentucky [111] vs. UM-St. Louis [53]: The Wildcats looks awfully impressive in this one, especially ju-co transfer Josh Harrellson. Harrellson put his name on the SEC radar screen with a surprising 21 points in just 16 minutes and 12 rebounds for a double-double, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor including a made three-pointer. Jodie Meeks proved his potential as an explosive scorer with a game-high 27 points on 7-of-13 shooting from behind the arc, while ever-reliable Patterson recorded 24 points and 11 rebounds for the team’s second double-double.
Stat of the Game: Kentucky’s 63-23 halftime lead

Mississippi State [88] vs. Montevallo [59]: The Bulldogs needed to knock a little rust off from the offseason, but Varnado showed his offensive ability by nearing triple-double status in just 24 minutes with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 8 blocks, along with a surprising 4 assists. Ravern Johnson lived up to offseason hype with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. A pair of freshmen also impressed, as Dee Bost shined as the starting point guard with 13 points and seven assists to just 3 turnovers, while Romero Osby played very well in the paint with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting and 11 rebounds in just 13 minutes.
Stat of the Game: Mississippi State’s 62-37 rebounding advantage

Ole Miss [115] vs. North Alabama [81]: Where there was good news for Ole Miss offensively, there was bad news defensively. The Rebels gave up 81 points and allowed UNA to shoot 38.9% from three, but scored 115 on 56.8% shooting from the floor. Further emphasizing the lack of Rebel defense, the Rebs only stole the ball twice, as compared to UNA’s 11 steals. The scoring was very balanced for Ole Miss, with seven players scoring 11 points or more, led by DeAundre Cranston with 16 on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 threes. Malcolm White led all rebounders with 9.
Stat of the Game: Ole Miss’ 57-27 rebounding advantage

#14 Tennessee [87] vs. Indianapolis [73]: This was perhaps one of the more shocking exhibition results in the nation, as Indianapolis took a quick lead over the highly-regarded Vols. Unfortunately a problem that often plagues Bruce Pearl teams, the Volunteers simply didn’t have any sense of defense and allowed UI to shoot 48.1% from the field and 42.9% from long range along with a disappointing 20 turnovers to just 17 assists. Scoring was well-balanced as five squad members scored in double figures, led by standout Tyler Smith and freshman phenom Scotty Hopson on a collective 9-of-19 performance. New point guard Bobby Maze played well with 7 assists to just 3 turnovers.
Stat of the Game: UI shooting 14.3% better than Tennessee from three

Breaking news: Jai Lucas is transferring

According to CBSSportsline, Jai Lucas is transferring out of the Florida program.

This comes a huge shock considering the positive direction the Gators are headed in, but word on the street has it that Lucas is intimidated by the challenge for playing time. I’m not sure what else he expected considering Florida is just two years removed from back-to-back national titles. Talented players run away, truly GREAT players welcome the challenge and prove themselves.

Lucas averaged 8.5ppg, 1.7rpg , 2.2apg last season and shot an outstanding 43.5% from three-point range. Although the Gators have a wealth of depth, this certainly hurts their cause. In the big picture however, I don’t see the loss affecting the Gators’ season in a significant way.

2008-09 Preseason SEC Awards

So, here we go – my complete run-down of the season’s awards heading into the 2008-09 season.

SEC COACH OF THE YEAR:   BILLY DONOVAN (FLORIDA)

While both South Carolina and LSU should take major steps upwards this season with an almost entire roster returning, both programs will be welcoming in new coaches, and that always invites unpredictable results. Out of returning coaches, Donovan has the best situation on his hands with many players returning and an incredible recruiting class.

Donovan is 285-115 (.713) at Florida, which ranks as the second-highest percentage in the SEC behind Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl. Having recently won back-to-back national championships in 2005-07, Donovan has more than proven his ability as a head coach.

Donovan returns nearly every starter, including co-freshman of the year Nick Calathes, the league’s best overall point guard. With the cast and crew returning in 2008-09, along with Donovan at the helm, the Gators could shock the nation and make a surprise return to the Final Four next March.

SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR:   A.J. OGILVY (VANDERBILT)

When I’m wrong, I go all out. A year ago, I was resisting the Ogilvy bandwagon that had built up steam amongst the national media. I held the belief that the Australian would struggle with SEC-caliber competition.

I was wrong.

Ogilvy easily ranked, as noted previously in the summer, as the most efficient player in the conference last season – as a freshman. He averaged over 17ppg despite playing alongside the league’s most prolific scorer in Shan Foster, while also chipping in almost 7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Without Foster on the roster, I would suppose that Ogilvy’s scoring will go somewhat higher as the Commodores will rely even more heavily upon the sophomore.

SEC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:   SCOTTY HOPSON (TENNESSEE)

Hopson comes into the Vol program as the highest-ranked freshman in the SEC per the media outlets. The Hopkinsville, Kentucky native is accurately named, with a huge leaping ability, and is a lethal scorer. Although Hopson will likely fill the shooting guard spot, he’s equally adept at small forward, known for his mid-range jumper. Hopson should be a definite one-and-done.

SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:   JARVIS VARNADO (MISSISSIPPI STATE)

This was as easy a selection as I’ve made in quite some time. Varnado led the nation in blocks per game a season ago at 4.6 per contest, while tying Shaquille O’Neal’s SEC single-season record in swats per outing. Varnado helped MSU rank second in the nation in both field goal percentage defense and blocks per game, and currently ranks as State’s highest field-goal-percentage shooter of all time. Look for Varnado to step up offensively in the wake of Rhodes’ graduation, and challenge for SEC Player of the Year honors.

ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM

A.J. Ogilvy (Vanderbilt – Center – Sophomore – 17.0ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.4bpg) – Ogilvy is a tremendously talented big-man who specializes in offense. He has a soft touch and uses his size (6′11″, 250lb) to his advantage defensively.

Nick Calathes (Florida – Point Guard – Sophomore – 15.3ppg, 5.2rpg, 6.1apg) – Calathes is in the running for SEC Player of the Year because of his versatility. He’s extremely efficient with the basketball and is one of the best passers the league has ever seen. His long-range shot is also solid, and his rebounding is phenomenal for his position.

Marcus Thornton (LSU – Shooting Guard – Senior – 19.6ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.3 spg) -Thornton returns as the league’s leading scorer, and its second-best three-point shooter. This kid is dynamic and explosive, with a touch for the basket only barely overshadowed a season ago by Vanderbilt’s Foster.

Tyler Smith (Tennessee – Power Forward – Junior – 13.6ppg, 6.7rpg, 3.3apg) – Smith was the league’s most versatile big man last year, shooting an impressive 37.8% from long range, 53.6% from the floor, and is among the SEC’s elite rebounders.

Patrick Patterson (Kentucky – Power Forward – Sophomore – 16.4ppg, 7.7rpg, 1.2bpg) – Patterson was named the SEC’s co-freshman of the year for 2007-08 after a tremendous season, providing a much-needed hole-stopper down low for the Wildcats. Patterson is among the league’s most reliable post players, producing big numbers nearly every single game.

Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State – Center – Junior – 7.9ppg, 7.8rpg, 4.6bpg) – Producing ridiculous block numbers last year, including two consecutive 10-block performances, Varnado led the nation in swats per game last season. He stands as MSU’s all-time most efficient score, shooting over 60% in his career, and returns as the league’s leading rebounder. Expect Varnado’s offensive production to increase heavily with his minutes, and the big man to challenge for SEC Player of the Year.

Devan Downey (South Carolina – Point Guard – Junior – 18.4ppg, 5.3apg, 3.2spg) – Downey is a tremendously talented guard stuck in an underperforming program. Downey is the league’s second-leading returning scorer and still found the time and ability to hand out over 5 assists per game. Downey – possibly the SEC’s best defending guard – should have a huge season along with his fellow Gamecocks this year.

Chris Warren (Ole Miss – Point Guard – Sophomore – 15.8ppg, 4.4apg, 1.0spg) – Warren provided the Rebels, who approached last season with dampened expectations, a huge boost of energy both from his ability to find open lanes and hit treys when the formations fell apart. Warren is a special talent and has a bright future in Oxford.

ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM

Ronald Steele (Alabama – Point Guard – Senior – Redshirted) – There is no other player in the SEC that begs more questions than Ronald Steele does. When healthy, Steele is a tremendous asset in his maturity and decision-making. However, after two knee surgeries, doubts remain about his ability to return to form.

Alonzo Gee (Alabama – Small Forward – Senior – 14.5ppg, 6.8rpg, 1.5spg) – Gee stands as the SEC’s most energetic player, suffocating the ball while on the court on both offense and defense. While this certainly has its advantages, as it’s nearly impossible to guard his athleticism, it also brings turnovers and ball-hogging.

Dominique Archie (South Carolina – Power forward – Junior – 10.6ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.0spg) -Archie is poised for a breakout season alongside fellow Gamecock Mike Holmes, while Archie specializes in his athleticism on defense. Archie also provides a difficult matchup on offense, as he shoots a solid 34.3% from long range.

Chris Johnson (LSU – Center – Senior – 11.6ppg, 6.6rpg, 2.6bpg) – Johnson, although very lanky at just 210lbs at 6′11″, is dangerously potent defensively, ranking (a distant) second in the league last season. He does well what a big man should, which is score from under the basket and grab rebounds.

Dan Werner (Florida - Power Forward – Junior – 9.1ppg, 6.4rpg, 2.4apg) – Werner struggled to replace Joakim Noah’s hole alongside talented big-man Marreese Speights last season, but still rebounded and defended very well in the paint. Look for Werner to have a breakout season for the Gators in 2008-09.

Wayne Chism (Tennessee – Center – Junior – 9.9ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.3bpg) – Chism pales in the shadow of the team’s star Tyler Smith, but still serves his duty as an adept scorer and a potentially explosive big-man. Unfortunately, Chism will need to produce on a more consistent basis if he hopes to jump to first-team.

Korvotney Barber (Auburn – Power Forward – Senior – 13.8ppg, 6.9rpg, 72.0% FG) – Barber has about as much potential as any player in the league, but broke his hand early last season and was benched. Barber was leading the nation in field-goal percentage before the incident, and could be a huge anchor for the Tigers this year if he can stay healthy.

ALL-SEC FRESHMAN TEAM

Scotty Hopson (#5 nationally – Tennessee – Shooting Guard – 6′5″, 185lbs – Other offers from Texas, Cincinatti, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State)

DeAndre Liggins (#28 nationally – Kentucky – Point Guard – 6′5″, 190lbs – Other offers from Memphis, Illinois, Kansas)

Courtney Fortson (#60 nationally – Arkansas – Point Guard – 5′10″, 175lbs – Other offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Kentucky)

Jamychal Green (#21 nationally – Alabama – Power Forward – 6′8″, 225lbs – Other offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Marquette, Ole Miss, Virginia)

Dee Bost (#83 nationally – Mississippi State – Point Guard – 6′2″, 170lbs – Other offers from Virginia, High Point, Cincinatti, Florida State, Miami)

Kenny Kadji (#27 nationally – Florida – Center – 6′10″, 240lbs – Other offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Memphis, Connecticut)

Howard Thompkins (#30 nationally – Georgia – Power Forward – 6′8″, 225lbs – Other offers from Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Florida, Florida State)

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

East

1. Tennessee   (25-5, 13-3)
2. Florida    (25-5, 12-4)
3. Kentucky   (22-8, 11-5)
4. Vanderbilt   (24-6, 9-7)
5. South Carolina   (19-10, 8-8)
6. Georgia   (15-13, 5-11)

West

t1. Alabama   (18-11, 8-8)
t1. LSU   (21-10, 8-8)
t1. Mississippi State   (21-10, 8-8)
4. Ole Miss   (17-13, 7-9)
5. Arkansas   (14-15, 5-11)
6. Auburn   (14-17, 3-13)

Please feel free to post comments and questions!!!!!

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Vanderbilt

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Morehead State
vs. Illinois
vs. Middle Tennessee State***
vs. Central Arkansas – Cancun Challenge (Nashville, Tennessee)
vs. Drake – Cancun Challenge (Cancun, Mexico)
vs. New Mexico/VCU – Cancun Challenge (Cancun, Mexico)***
vs. Illinois-Chicago
@ Georgia Tech
vs. Alabama A&M
vs. USF – SEC/Big East Challenge (Nashville, Tennessee)
vs. Tennessee Tech
vs. Furman
vs. Saint Francis (PA)
@ Massachusetts***
———-
@ Kentucky
vs. Georgia
@ Mississippi State
vs. Tennessee
vs. Florida
@ South Carolina
@ Auburn
vs. Alabama
vs. Ole Miss
@ Tennessee
vs. Kentucky
@ Florida
@ Georgia
vs. South Carolina
@ LSU
vs. Arkansas

The ‘Dores’ non-conference schedule will spin up the ol’ hype machine, but the team’s RPI will be very weak. I’ve got them going (24-6) and (9-7) and around a 4 or 5 seed in the tournament…possibly lower considering the RPI.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Tennessee

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Chattanooga
vs. UT-Martin
@ Middle Tennessee State
vs. Siena – Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Florida)***
vs. UNC-Asheville
@ Temple***
vs. Marquette – SEC/Big East Challenge (Nashville, Tennessee)***
vs. Belmont
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
@ Kansas
vs. Gonzaga***
———-
@ Georgia
vs. Kentucky
vs. South Carolina
@ Vanderbilt
vs. Memphis
vs. LSU
vs. Florida
@ Arkansas
@ Auburn
vs. Georgia
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Ole Miss
@ Kentucky
vs. Mississippi State
@ Florida
@ South Carolina
vs. Alabama

The Vols are in for another huge season, and their fans are hoping for a deep run into the NCAA’s this year. I’ve got the orange going (25-5) and (13-3), and around a 2 or 3 seed in the tournament.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: South Carolina

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Jacksonville State
vs. Winthrop***
vs. USC-Upstate
vs. Gardner-Webb
@ College of Charleston***
@ Princeton
vs. Furman
vs. UNC-Central
vs. The Citadel
vs. Presbyterian
vs. Clemson
@ Baylor
vs. Wofford
———-
vs. Auburn
@ LSU
@ Tennessee
vs. Florida
vs. Ole Miss
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Kentucky
@ Florida
vs. Georgia
@ Alabama
@ Mississippi State
vs. Arkansas
vs. Kentucky
@ Vanderbilt
vs. Tennessee
@ Georgia

USC looks to challenge LSU as the SEC’s breakout team, predicted to finish (19-10) and (8-8) overall, although an extremely weak RPI could hold the Gamecocks to a 1 or 2 seed in the NIT.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Ole Miss

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Arkansas State
vs. South Alabama***
vs. Utah – Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona Beach, Florida)***
vs. Marshall – Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona Beach, Florida)
vs. UCF
vs. Morgan State
vs. West Virginia***
@ New Orleans
@ New Mexico
vs. Alabama State
vs. Louisville – SEC/Big East Invitational (Cincinatti, Ohio)
vs. Florida A&M
@ Southern Miss***
vs. Nicholls
———-
@ Florida
vs. Arkansas
vs. LSU
@ Alabama
@ South Carolina
vs. Kentucky
@ Mississippi State
vs. Auburn
@ Vanderbilt
@ LSU
vs. Tennessee
vs. Georgia
@ Auburn
vs. Alabama
@ Arkansas
vs. Mississippi State

A solid performance for a team that loses nearly every frontcourt producer, the Rebels look at (17-13) and (7-9), likely enough for a 3 or 4 seed in the NIT, although a win in the league tournament would help the team’s cause.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Mississippi State

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Centenary
vs. Louisiana-Monroe
vs. North Alabama – Legends Tournament (Starkville, Miss.)
vs. Fairleigh Dickinson – Legends Tournament (Starkville, Miss.)
@ St. Bonaventure
vs. Washington State – Legends Tournament (Newark, N.J.)***
vs. Pittsburgh/Texas Tech – Legends Tournament (Newark, N.J.)***
vs. Alabama State
vs. Charlotte***
vs. South Alabama
@ Cincinatti – Big East vs. SEC Challenge
vs. Nicholls State (Jackson, Mississippi)
vs. San Diego
vs. Houston
vs. Western Kentucky
———-
@ Arkansas
vs. Alabama
vs. Vanderbilt
@ LSU
@ Georgia
vs. Ole Miss
@ Kentucky
vs. Arkansas
vs. LSU
@ Auburn
vs. South Carolina
@ Alabama
@ Tennessee
vs. Auburn
vs. Florida
@ Ole Miss

The Bulldogs are looking at (21-10) and (8-8) overall, another solid year and enough to ride alongside the Tigers as a 9 or 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: LSU

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Jackson State
vs. Alcorn State – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Northwestern State – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Centenary – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Troy – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Cal State Fullerton
vs. Grambling
vs. Nicholls State
@ Texas A&M
vs. McNeese State
vs. Washington State***
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
vs. Southeastern Louisiana
@ Utah***
vs. Xavier
———-
@ Alabama
vs. South Carolina
@ Ole Miss
vs. Mississippi State
vs. Xavier***
@ Tennessee
vs. Arkansas
@ Georgia
vs. Alabama
@ Mississippi State
vs. Ole Miss
@ Arkansas
vs. Auburn
vs. Florida
@ Kentucky
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Auburn

The Tigers should take a huge step forward this season, with an extreme amount of experience and talent (although, the depth is lacking) in a weak Western division. I’ve got the Tigers going (21-10) and (8-8), good enough to squeak into the NCAA Tournament as a 9 or 10 seed with a solid RPI.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Kentucky

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. VMI
@ North Carolina
vs. Deleware State – FTLV Invitational (Lexington, Kentucky)
vs. Longwood – FTLV Invitational (Lexington, Kentucky)
vs. Kansas State – FTLV Invitational (Las Vegas, Nevada)
vs. West Virginia/Iowa – FTLV Invitational (Las Vegas, Nevada)***
vs. Lamar
vs. Miami***
vs. Mississippi Valley State
vs. Indiana
vs. Appalachian State (Louisville, Kentucky)
vs. Tennessee State
vs. Florida Atlantic
vs. Central Michigan
@ Louisville
———-
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Tennessee
@ Georgia
vs. Auburn
@ Alabama
@ Ole Miss
vs. South Carolina
vs. Mississippi State
vs. Florida
@ Arkansas
@ Vanderbilt
vs. Tennessee
@ South Carolina
vs. LSU
vs. Georgia
@ Florida

This would be a step up for the Wildcats overall at (22-8) and (11-5), although the conference record is slightly worse after losing so much backcourt firepower. That would be enough for a solid 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, considering their impressive strength of schedule.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Georgia

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. USC-Upstate
vs. Loyola-Chicago – NIT Season Tip-Off (West Lafayette, Indiana)
vs. Presbyterian
@ Western Kentucky***
@ Illinois***
vs. Virginia Tech
vs. Wofford
vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
vs. N.C. A&T
vs. Kennessaw State
vs. Missouri
@ Georgia Tech
———-
vs. Tennessee
@ Vanderbilt
vs. Kentucky
vs. Mississippi State
@ Florida
@ Alabama
vs. LSU
@ South Carolina
@ Tennessee
vs. Florida
vs. Auburn
@ Ole Miss
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Arkansas
@ Kentucky
vs. South Carolina

This would give the Dawgs a (15-13) and (5-11) record, again leaving UGA out of the postseason and escorting Felton out the doors.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Florida

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Toledo
vs. Bradley
vs. Southern Utah
vs. Syracuse – TBA (Kansas City, Missouri)***
vs. Missouri-Kansas City (Orlando, FL)
vs. Florida A&M
@ Florida State***
vs. Florida-Gulf Coast
@ UCF
vs. Georgia Southern
vs. Winthrop (Sunrise, FL)
vs. Stetson
vs. N.C. State
vs. Longwood
———-
vs. Ole Miss
@ Auburn
vs. Arkansas
@ South Carolina
@ Vanderbilt
vs. Georgia
@ Tennessee
vs. South Carolina
@ Kentucky
@ Georgia
vs. Alabama
vs. Vanderbilt
@ LSU
vs. Tennessee
@ Mississippi State
vs. Kentucky

The Gator sophs stand at (25-5) and (12-4), enough for a 2-3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, depending on their performance in the league tournament.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Auburn

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Missouri State
vs. Mercer
vs. George Washington
vs. Bethune Cookman
vs. Dayton***
vs. Northern Iowa***
@ Xavier
vs. LA-Monroe
vs. Tuskegee
@ Virginia***
vs. Alabama State
vs. Alabama A&M***
vs. Southeastern Louisiana
vs. Tulane
———-
@ South Carolina
vs. Florida
vs. Alabama
@ Kentucky
@ Arkansas
vs. Texas-Pan American
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Ole Miss
vs. Tennessee
vs. Arkansas
vs. Mississippi State
@ Georgia
@ LSU
vs. Ole Miss
@ Mississippi State
@ Alabama
vs. LSU

The Tigers from the plains look to go (14-17) and (3-13), at the bottom of the SEC again. This should be Lebo’s final year at the helm.

2008-09 SEC Schedule breakdowns: Arkansas

Wins in bold, losses in italics, and toss-ups are marked with asterisks.

vs. Southeastern Louisiana***
vs. UC-Davis
@ Missouri State
@ South Alabama
vs. Florida A&M
vs. Texas Southern
vs. UNC-Central
Austin Peay – Jim Thorpe Classic (Fayetteville, Arkansas)***
Stephen F. Austin – Jim Thorpe Classic (Fayetteville, Arkansas)***
vs. Northwestern State
vs. Oklahoma
vs. North Texas (North Little Rock, Arkansas)
vs. Texas
———-
vs. Mississippi State
@ Ole Miss
@ Florida
vs. Auburn
vs. Alabama
@ LSU
vs. Tennessee
@ Mississippi State
@ Auburn
vs. Kentucky
vs. LSU
@ South Carolina
@ Alabama
vs. Georgia
vs. Ole Miss
@ Vanderbilt

This puts the Razorbacks at (14-15) and (5-11), rebuilding after losing a significant amount of talent and without a postseason bid.

2008-09 Schedule breakdowns: Alabama

Some notes as we get started with these…

These non-conference picks take into account MANY things, including schedule placement (before or after a big game), home or away, loss of players, amount of leaders on the team, and even a bit of randomness as well. So if your team is predicted to lose a game that you believe they won’t – understand it’s not because I don’t think your team is better, but that every team loses games they shouldn’t because of random variables.

Conference-wise, my plan was to get a general feel beforehand about the record each team would achieve, and take that as an idea towards my picks, but not as a solid rule.

There may be (hopefully not) a few mistakes in games’ locations. If you catch one, please let me know and I’ll correct it. Also, I will not be predicting games in which at least the team’s opponent is one of two teams, such as in-season tournament finals and such.

Overall records reflect just regular-season games, and not postseason games nor the previously mentioned games in which the opponent isn’t at least one of two teams. Thus, they will not be entirely accurate in the amount of total games.

Lastly, please feel free to ask questions and give your predictions or opinions as comments, I’ll be sure to respond quickly!

Wins are in bold, losses are in italics. An asterisk is for toss-up games, and I did not classify SEC games as tossups because nearly every game would be one.

These for Alabama.

vs. Mercer
vs. Florida A&M
vs. Oregon – Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii)
vs. North Carolina/Chaminade – Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii)
vs. TBA – Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii)
vs. Alabama A&M
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
vs. Texas A&M***
vs. Tennessee State
vs. Chattanooga***
vs. Yale
vs. Quincy
vs. Georgia Tech
@ Clemson
———-
vs. LSU
@ Mississippi State
@ Auburn
vs. Ole Miss
vs. Kentucky
@ Arkansas
vs. Georgia
@ Vanderbilt
@ LSU
vs. South Carolina
@ Florida
vs. Mississippi State
vs. Arkansas
@ Ole Miss
vs. Auburn
@ Tennessee

This gives the Tide an (18-11) record overall and (8-8) in the conference. UA would likely need a win or two in the SEC Tournament to bolster their NCAA resume, otherwise the squad would end up as a 1-2 seed in the NIT.

SEC schedule excel file…

I’ve put together this year’s version of an excel file that has every SEC school’s schedule, complete with dates and such for my ease of use, and I’m willing to share this year again as long as any use of it on a website or blog mentions me here at SECH:GBD.

Email me at kaw_86@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

EDIT: My friends at SECRivals have made the file available for direct download as well. Much thanks to them!

Coming up…

Sorry for the delay, I’ve been preparing a gigantic SEC preview for my friends over at Rush The Court and fighting technical issues galore as well. I plan on publishing that in the next few days, so be looking for it!

Coming up on THIS blog, I’ve got a schedule-by-schedule breakdown of each SEC team and predicted records, along with my picks for the SEC awards such as Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, etc.

Lots to look forward to, just be patient!

SEC Schedules: Vanderbilt

vs. Morehead State
vs. Illinois
vs. Middle Tennessee State
vs. Central Arkansas – Cancun Challenge (Nashville, Tennessee)
vs. Drake – Cancun Challenge (Cancun, Mexico)
vs. New Mexico/VCU – Cancun Challenge (Cancun, Mexico)
vs. Illinois-Chicago
@ Georgia Tech
vs. Alabama A&M
vs. USF – SEC/Big East Challenge (Nashville, Tennessee)
vs. Tennessee Tech
vs. Furman
vs. Saint Francis (PA)
@ Massachusetts
———-
@ Mississippi State
@ Auburn
vs. Alabama
vs. Ole Miss
@ LSU
vs. Arkansas

Granted Vanderbilt has lost some huge pieces, and none larger than SEC Player of the Year Shan Foster, but this schedule is barely better than South Carolina’s embarassment. Only a trip to the Cancun Challenge presents any real trouble, although a trip to UMass could be trouble if the team isn’t focused.

The Commodores’ schedule versus the West is average, with trips to MSU and LSU, but Alabama and Ole Miss at home.

SEC Schedules: Tennessee

vs. Chattanooga
vs. UT-Martin
@ Middle Tennessee State
vs. Siena – Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Florida)
TBA – Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Florida)
TBA – Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Florida)
vs. UNC-Asheville
@ Temple
vs. Marquette – SEC/Big East Challenge (Nashville, Tennessee)
vs. Belmont
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
@ Kansas
vs. Gonzaga
vs. Memphis
———-
vs. LSU
@ Arkansas
@ Auburn
@ Ole Miss
vs. Mississippi State
vs. Alabama

Apparently trying to surpass Kentucky as the SEC’s most insane scheduling year in and year out, and undoubtedly perturbed about missing a top seed a year ago, coach Bruce Pearl has absolutely gone over the top with this year’s schedule. Some of the nation’s top mid-major names are mixed in with heavyweights like Kansas and Memphis to provide a schedule that would simply burn most any other team upon first sight.

The Vols’ schedule against the West is as close to perfect as it can come. What could be the top three teams from the West all visit Knoxville while the West’s weaker teams are all on the road.

SEC Schedules: South Carolina

vs. Jacksonville State
vs. Winthrop
vs. USC-Upstate
vs. Gardner-Webb
@ College of Charleston
@ Princeton
vs. Furman
vs. UNC-Central
vs. The Citadel
vs. Presbyterian
vs. Clemson
@ Baylor
vs. Wofford
———-
vs. Auburn
@ LSU
vs. Ole Miss
@ Alabama
@ Mississippi State
vs. Arkansas

This scheduling is possibly the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in a long while. Apparently ignoring any chances of a post-season berth or what impact this schedule may have on the team’s RPI, there are only three semi-decent games on the non-conference slate. Way to rack up some meaningless wins, I suppose. While USC should be a decent team this season, the non-conference could supply as many as 12 wins.

USC’s schedule against the West isn’t great, with trips to both Tuscaloosa and Starkville on the horizon.

SEC Schedules: Ole Miss

vs. Arkansas State
vs. South Alabama
vs. Utah – Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona Beach, Florida)
vs. Marshall – Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona Beach, Florida)
vs. UCF
vs. Morgan State
vs. West Virginia
@ New Orleans
@ New Mexico
vs. Alabama State
vs. Louisville – SEC/Big East Invitational (Cincinatti, Ohio)
vs. Florida A&M
@ Southern Miss
vs. Nicholls
———-
@ Florida
@ South Carolina
vs. Kentucky
@ Vanderbilt
vs. Tennessee
vs. Georgia

Andy Kennedy has packed out Ole Miss’ non-conference slate, seeming to increase with intensity as the season progresses. Utah could be a sleeper with a ton of talent returning, West Virginia could be ranked as could Louisville, and trips to Southern Miss and New Mexico both should be very tough battles. Ten wins before the conference slate would be a huge accomplishment for this young Rebel team.

The conference schedule looks grueling for the Rebels also, with trips to both Florida and Vanderbilt.

SEC Schedules: Mississippi State

vs. Centenary
vs. Louisiana-Monroe
vs. North Alabama – Legends Tournament (Starkville, Mississippi)
vs. Fairleigh Dickinson – Legends Tournament (Starkville, Mississippi)
@ St. Bonaventure
vs. Washington State – Legends Tournament (Newark, New Jersey)
vs. Pittsburgh/Texas Tech – Legends Tournament (Newark, New Jersey)
vs. Alabama State
vs. Charlotte
vs. South Alabama
@ Cincinatti – Big East vs. SEC Challenge
vs. Nicholls State (Jackson, Mississippi)
vs. San Diego
vs. Houston
vs. Western Kentucky
———-
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Georgia
@ Kentucky
vs. South Carolina
@ Tennessee
vs. Florida

Surprisingly, Stansbury has put together a very challenging non-conference schedule for a team that lost three starters and the best inside-outside tandem in the conference. While Stansbury usually under-schedules a bit, this lineup could make or break this young squad. The final rounds of the Legends Classic should be difficult games, while South Alabama took down last year’s talented MSU squad and State rounds out the non-conference slate with three-straight high-profile mid-majors.

MSU’s lineup against the East is decent, with trips to Kentucky and Tennessee serving as major obstacles. Florida and Vanderbilt at home should help.

SEC Schedules: LSU

vs. Jackson State
vs. Alcorn State – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Northwestern State – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Centenary – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Troy – LSU Invitational (Baton Rouge, LA)
vs. Cal State Fullerton
vs. Grambling
vs. Nicholls State
@ Texas A&M
vs. McNeese State
vs. Washington State
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
vs. Southeastern Louisiana
@ Utah
vs. Xavier
———-
vs. South Carolina
@ Tennessee
@ Georgia
vs. Florida
@ Kentucky
vs. Vanderbilt

The Tigers haven’t exactly put together a competitive non-conference schedule, highlighted by a joke of a mid-season tournament. Trips to Utah and Texas A&M are decent games, while Xavier at home should easily be the most challenging non-conference game. Considering the improvement LSU should make this season, the Tigers could escape with only 1 loss outside of the conference.

LSU’s matchups against the East are about as favorable as physically possible considering the divisions’ lack of parity, with home games against Florida and Vanderbilt.

SEC Schedules: Kentucky

vs. VMI
@ North Carolina
vs. Deleware State – FTLV Invitational (Lexington, Kentucky)
vs. Longwood – FTLV Invitational (Lexington, Kentucky)
vs. Kansas State – FTLV Invitational (Las Vegas, Nevada)
vs. West Virginia/Iowa – FTLV Invitational (Las Vegas, Nevada)
vs. Lamar
vs. Miami
vs. Mississippi Valley State
vs. Indiana
vs. Appalachian State (Louisville, Kentucky)
vs. Tennessee State
vs. Florida Atlantic
vs. Central Michigan
@ Louisville
———-
vs. Auburn
@ Alabama
@ Ole Miss
vs. Mississippi State
@ Arkansas
vs. LSU

Typically Kentuckian, this schedule features three of the most prominent teams in America – including a road trip to North Carolina who will be heavily favored to win the National Championship. The FTLV Invitational will provide a challenge before a home game against Indiana, which has fallen apart in the off-season. A road trip to Louisville will prep the Wildcats for the SEC season. Per the usual, Kentucky sports one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the SEC.

Gillespie’s matchups against the West are tough, with trips to Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss with home games against the West.

SEC Schedules: Georgia

vs. USC-Upstate
vs. Loyola-Chicago – NIT Season Tip-Off (West Lafayette, Indiana)
vs. TBA – NIT Season Tip-Off (West Lafayette, Indiana)
vs. Presbyterian
@ Western Kentucky
@ Illinois
vs. Virginia Tech
vs. Wofford
vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
vs. N.C. A&T
vs. Kennessaw State
vs. Missouri
@ Georgia Tech
———-
vs. Mississippi State
@ Alabama
vs. LSU
vs. Auburn
@ Ole Miss
@ Arkansas

Possibly an Auburn-esque case of over-scheduling, the Bulldogs will face a brutal schedule during the non-conference. After the Preseason NIT and a decent field, there is an almost-immediate three-game stretch where the ‘Dawgs will be lucky to win a single game. Missouri and a trip to Georgia Tech caps the non-conference slate, both teams of which should heavily overmatch UGA.

Fortunately, Felton faces a somewhat favorable schedule against the Western division, with home games against LSU and Auburn possible wins, and State at home a longshot. Also similar to Lebo, this should be Felton’s last season at Georgia.

SEC Schedules: Florida

vs. Toledo
vs. Bradley
vs. Southern Utah
vs. Syracuse – TBA (Kansas City, Missouri)
vs. TBA – TBA (Kansas City, Missouri)
vs. Missouri-Kansas City (Orlando, FL)
vs. Florida A&M
@ Florida State
vs. Florida-Gulf Coast
@ UCF
vs. Georgia Southern
vs. Winthrop (Sunrise, FL)
vs. Stetson
vs. N.C. State
vs. Longwood
———-
vs. Ole Miss
@ Auburn
vs. Arkansas
vs. Alabama
@ LSU
@ Mississippi State

In typical Billy Donovan fashion, the Gators leave the state of Florida only once before SEC play, and are up against only Bradley and (to a lesser extent) Syracuse as challenges. A trip to Florida State should be a win, but could be competitive if the Gators don’t show up.

Considering the expected weakness of the Western division, only a game against Alabama at home and a trip to Starkville to face the Bulldogs look interesting for the Gators.

SEC Schedules: Auburn

vs. Missouri State
vs. Mercer
vs. George Washington
vs. Bethune-Cookman
vs. Dayton – TBA (Hoffman Estates, Illinois)
vs. Northern Iowa – TBA (Hoffman Estates, Illinois)
@ Xavier
vs. Louisiana-Monroe
vs. Tuskegee
@ Virginia
vs. Alabama State
vs. Alabama A&M
vs. Southeastern Louisiana
vs. Tulane
vs. Texas-Panamerican
———-
@ South Carolina
vs. Florida
@ Kentucky
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Georgia
vs. Tennessee

Either Lebo has more confidence in his team than most of us do, or this is a bad schedule for an SEC bottom-dweller. Even the first game is difficult, followed closely by a challenging mid-season tournament and then a trip to powerful Xavier. A trip to ACC-member Virginia won’t be easy either, as both squads are in similar positions in their respective conferences most years.

The SEC schedule will also be a mountain to climb this year for the Tigers, as very few games look winnable. Both Florida and Tennessee are at home, and the weaker (in comparison to others in the East) squads – South Carolina and Georgia – are both on the road. I see no way Lebo doesn’t lose his job after this season.

SEC Schedules: Arkansas

vs. Southeastern Louisiana
vs. UC-Davis
@ Missouri State
@ South Alabama
vs. Florida A&M
vs. Texas Southern
vs. UNC-Central
Austin Peay – Jim Thorpe Classic (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
Austin Peay/Stephen F. Austin – Jim Thorpe Classic (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
Stephen F. Austin – Jim Thorpe Classic (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
vs. Northwestern State
vs. Oklahoma
vs. North Texas (North Little Rock, Arkansas)
vs. Texas
———-
@ Florida
vs. Tennessee
vs. Kentucky
@ South Carolina
vs. Georgia
@ Vanderbilt

Interesting choice by Pelphrey to go with two very challenging road games early in the non-conference slate, and although there are only three participants in the Razorbacks’ mid-season “tournament”, both Austin Peay and Stephen F. Austin won their conferences and could defeat a rebuilding Arkansas squad. A home game against Texas should be a blowout loss, but it also provides an opportunity to the ‘Backs to take down a national power. Very solid non-conference schedule.

Against the East, the Razorbacks are afforded no favors with trips to Vanderbilt and Florida which should both be losses. Home games against Tennessee and Kentucky will both also be tough wins to come by.

SEC Schedules: Alabama

Apologies for the absence, but we’re back to begin breaking down the SEC teams’ schedules. We’ll begin with Alabama. Keep in mind only the SEC games versus the opposing division are posted, because the games versus the same division don’t change.

vs. Faulkner
vs. Belhaven
vs. Mercer
vs. Florida A&M
vs. Oregon – Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii)
vs. North Carolina/Chaminade – Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii)
vs. TBA – Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii)
vs. Alabama A&M
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
vs. Texas A&M
vs. Tennessee State
vs. Chattanooga
vs. Yale
vs. Quincy
vs. Georgia Tech
@ Clemson
———-
vs. Kentucky
vs. Georgia
@ Vanderbilt
vs. South Carolina
@ Florida
@ Tennessee

The Crimson Tide are the overwhelming favorite to win the Western Division this season, but their SEC schedule will be brutal, with trips to possibly the top three teams from the East.

As for the non-conference slate, Gottfried layered the schedule with home games, so the Tide could be artificially inflated in the polls approaching SEC play. The Maui Invitational has a great field this season, and if the Tide can get past the Ducks, they’d be forgiven for falling to UNC. If Alabama could somehow take down the Tarheels, the excitement might be warrented. A trip to Clemson will serve as the most difficult game for the Tide outside of the mid-season tournament.

Another return, and lots of news missed…

Apologies once again for the extended dissappearance, but I have returned and it’s time to jump on the oodles of news I’ve missed.

Seeing as several SEC teams have released their schedule at this point, I will soon be releasing the schedule breakdowns, similar/identical to the ones from last season.

Probably the largest bombshell to hit the ariwaves while I was gone was news from Arkansas that 2006-2007’s SEC Freshman of the Year, Patrick Beverly, will not be elligible to compete this season. While no official word was given as to why, it was clear Beverly was interested in transferring this past offseason and rumor has it that the junior-to-be stopped going to class. While Arkansas loses a tremendous amount of talent to graduation, this loss could put Arkansas at the bottom of the SEC for this coming season – talented recruits or not (assuming they make the cut).

Equally as distressing for Auburn is the loss of Josh Dollard, who simply couldn’t get to class enough to stay on the team. As a sophomore, Dollard averaged 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as a sophomore, and looks to finish out his degree outside of the basketball arena. Rumor has it that Barber has also been released from the team, although I’ve found no solid evidence to support it at this point. Either way, with the loss of Prowell to graduation, the Tigers can look “forward” to yet another miserable basketball season.

As most of you realize by now, there’s tons more information I haven’t hit on yet, but I can’t let you overdose! Next up, I’ll be breaking down schedules.

Summer vacation…

I will be stepping away to embark on a road trip for my summer vacation starting at 3AM tomorrow morning, and thus I will likely be unable to update the site until I return, which will be towards the end of July – around the 25th. To all my faithful readers: please return then!!

Until next time…

Aggressive underneath…

Now we’ve made it to minutes per free throws attempted. This again should be dominated by forwards and aggressive guards. However, the main difference here is that free throw percentages aren’t as relevant, but instead the turnover rate is key. This category measures how aggressive these players are in the paint and if this aggression is working in their favor by free throw attempts heavily outweighing their number of turnovers.

MINUTES PER FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED

While the aim is for this number to be low, it’s best combined with a solid free throw percentage and low turnover rate.

1. A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (3.9) – As if this phenomenal freshman hadn’t done enough, he leads yet another statistical category, this time in how often he gets to the stripe. His aggression and assertiveness under the basket is unmatched offensively, and he improves upon that with a very solid 76.9% touch – although his 10.5 m/to rate could be improved upon.

2. Elgin Bailey, Mississippi State (5.2) – Bailey seems to have a lot of potential under the basket, with solid shooting percentages and rebounding figures as a freshman. His aggression in the paint, however, goes unrewarded as he hit an absolutely abysmal 39.0% from the stripe with 41 attempts (he hits a much better 47.4% from the field). If Bailey wants to step into the shoes of graduating forward Charles Rhodes, he absolutely must improve from the charity stripe.

3. Cameron Tatum, Tennessee (5.3) – Very similar to Bailey but with much less playing time is Tatum, who shot well from the field but managed just a 42.9% effort from the free throw line in 14 attempts. Similarly, he must improve that stroke before he looks to contribute for the Vols. A 9.3 m/to rate also should improve.

4. Korvotney Barber, Auburn (5.6) – Shockingly, Barber is the 3rd out of the top 4 in this category to shoot less than 45% from the free throw line (43.8%), although Barber’s misses made a much larger impact on his team, as he started 29 of 32 games for the Tigers. Auburn simply doesn’t have a choice, with limited options inside., although his 11.5 m/to ratio is at least decent.

5. J.P. Prince, Tennessee (5.8) – Although his shooting touch is still terrible at 55.7%, Prince’s m/to rate is an acceptable 11.3 and his touch from the field is a solid 49.7% – especially for a guard. Prince should continue to improve his free throw shooting and outside mark (15.4%) if the Vols are to seriously filter him into the starting lineup.

6. Nick Calathes, Florida (5.9) – Calathes is simply beneficial to his team regardless of what he is doing. Included is his knack for attacking the lane and drawing fouls, shooting 72.4% from the charity stripe as a freshman. This dynamic guard should join A.J. Ogilvy as preseason SEC Player of the Year favorites.

7. Zach Graham, Ole Miss (6.3) – The third-straight guard in the category, Graham would have been an absolute star if he had started every game last season, with incredible numbers from long range (43.3%) and his aggressive floor-play. A 13.9 m/to ratio is also impressive for a freshman guard.

8. Tyler Smith, Tennessee (6.4) – Smith, possibly the most dynamic player in the conference, got to the line 160 times and hit 70.6% of those shots. His 11.3 m/to ratio is especially impressive considering the amount of time in which he handled the ball.

8. Alonzo Gee, Alabama (6.4) – Gee’s touch from the charity stripe is far from impressive for a guard (67.9%), but his 15.8 m/to ratio is excellent considering his role as perhaps the most aggressive player in the conference.

10. Tasmin Mitchell, LSU (6.6) – Mitchell only saw three games, but excelled in those games from the free throw stripe, hitting 8 of 10 of his attempts. However, his ball-handling was nothing short of poor, as he turned the ball over every 7.3 minutes. In perspective, he would have given the ball up an average of five times if he had played 40 full minutes.

Not too much surprising on this front, as few would argue that these 10 players are the most aggressive in the conference. Some to their remorse, and others to their own benefit. To coaches, it’s absolutely vital for a player with lots of talent and potential to get to the basket, while those who only think they have that talent should know when to back off.

Next, we move on to the ever-important rebounding category with minutes per rebound.

UGA is imploding…again…

More loss for Felton at Georgia, this time in the form of Jeremy Jacob – a sophomore-to-be that saw six games before enduring a stress fracture in his left foot and missing the rest of the season who has decided to transfer out of the program.

Jacob, a 6′7″, 210lb. forward, averaged 5.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per those six games in just 14.8 minutes per game.

Jacob was set to serve as the sixth/seventh man in the lineup this coming season and likely moving into the starting lineup as a junior.

This leaves Felton with just seven scholarship players returning next season, and just three of those upper-classmen. While this seems like an unfortunate circumstance for the Bulldogs – I’ll imply this again…this has been nothing short of a trend with Felton’s program and eventually the blame has to be put squarely on his shoulders.

This man’s lack of success has simply been his fault, and things need to change at that program.

And this begs the question…was Georgia’s miracle run in the SEC Tournament good for that program in the long-run, or was it a hinderance in the form of allowing Felton another year at the helm?

I’m inclined to believe the latter.

Free throw gurus…

Up next is minutes per free throws made. While obviously inside men have the advantage here, the forwards and centers tend not to shoot as well from the free throw stripe as the guards do, and so there’s always a chance the more aggressive guards will show up in the lists.

MINUTES PER FREE THROW MADE

This number should be as small as possible for effective free throw shooters, especially forwards. For guards, the number is only okay to be small if the player can hit their free throws and get into the lane without turning the ball over.

1. A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (5.1) – It’s rare to find a reliable big man who shoots 76.9% from the stripe, but Ogilvy once again shows his level-headed approach to the game by leading his second category thus far. Leading the SEC in this category as a freshman is very impressive.

2. Nick Calathes, Florida (8.2) – And yet another fabulous freshman leading the category. Calathes not only shot 72.4% from the free throw line and got to the line 199 times, he led the Gators in scoring and had a better than 2/1 assist to turnover ratio, proving his excellent decision-making.

3. Tasmin Mitchell, LSU (8.3) – This is a bit of an outlier, considering Mitchell only saw 3 games. However, he played 22 minutes per game in those three games, and hit 8 out of his 10 free throw attempts.

4. Tyler Smith, Tennessee (9.0) – The ever-dynamic and talented Smith was a force inside for the Vols this season, including at the stripe, where he hit 70.6% of his attempts.

5. Alonzo Gee, Alabama (9.4) – This is a case of Gee’s affinity to avoid an organized offense and instead charge the lane, as Gee only shot 67.9% from the free throw line but got there 156 times in 994 minutes.

5. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky (9.4) – Another way in which Meeks shows his very high potential is at the charity stripe, where he shot 79.4% and got there a lot for a guard without turning the ball over much.

7. Joe Duffy, Vanderbilt (9.5) – Another skewed stat, as Duffy only saw 19 minutes and hit both of his two attempted free throws.

7. Zach Graham, Ole Miss (9.5) – Much like Gee, Graham has a tendency to drive the ball too often, turn the ball over too much, and only hits 66.2% of his free throws.

9. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky (10.3) – Patterson is again much like Ogilvy, just less so. He’s insanely talented in the paint and gets to the stripe effectively, where he hits a solid 73.1%.

10. J.P. Prince, Tennessee (10.4) – And yet another overly aggressive guard, as Prince shoots a miserable 55.7% from the free throw line and turned the ball over at a very high rate.

I’m somewhat surprised at the number of guards (5) in this list, and three of them shouldn’t be shooting as many as they are.

Next up will be minutes per free throw attempted.

It’s raining threes – and the offensively inept…

Now we’re to minutes per three pointers attempted. This list includes talented shooters, but also some that would rather toss up a bomb instead of trying to work within the reigns of an offensive scheme.

MINUTES PER THREE-POINT ATTEMPTS

1. Troy Brewer, Georgia (3.3) – After seeing 32 games of playing time, this sophomore-to-be proved that he was unafraid to take a long-ranged shot, and that he couldn’t hit over 30% of them.

2. Kelvin Lewis, Auburn (3.7) – As has already been established, Brewer and Lewis are very similar in their ability to jack up too many shots and hit less than 30% from long range. Both should either work on their stroke or stop shooting.

3. Chris Warren, Ole Miss (4.2) – Warren solidifies his spot as the most prolific and efficient three-point shooter in the SEC with this ranking. Warren shoots 38.9% from three on 265 attempts.

4. Marcus Thornton, LSU (4.4) – Thornton is the scariest overall scorer in the conference, and this is just another layer of his ability. A 37.7% long-range shooter, Thornton put up 239 attempts from behind the arc.

4. Trevor Gaskins, Ole Miss (4.4) – Gaskins is another Rebel sharp-shooter, shooting 38.7% from three with 119 attempts and 8 starts.

4. David Huertas, Ole Miss (4.4) – Huertas is the third Rebel player in the top five three-point shooters in the conference, hitting 36.1% of his 208 three-point attempts.

7. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky (5.1) – Although Meeks only saw 11 games, and started 5 of those, he showed potential as a shooter. While only hitting 32.0% of his threes, his stroke should greatly improve with more playing time.

8. Terry Martin, LSU (5.3) – While Martin showed some ability as a scorer, hitting 37.2% of his shots overall, he only brought down 30.5% of his three-point attempts. He did, however, attempt 141 of them in 752 minutes. Don’t look for Martin’s shot to improve, considering he’s entering his senior season.

9. Evaldas Baniulis, South Carolina (5.6) – As I stated in my previous post, Baniulis has tremendous potential as a shooter entering his junior season. He brought down 44.2% of his 95 attempts last season, and if I were Horn I’d be increasing those attempts as much as possible.

10. Zam Fredrick, South Carolina (5.8) – Fredrick rounds out the Top 10 as a mediocre 35.2% shooter from long range, although he attempted a high 193 shots from that range.

One thing of note is the fact that Ole Miss and South Carolina will be high-octane offenses next season, with five members of the Top 10.

Next is minutes per free throws made.