What the…

Overall: 1-1
Vs. Spread: 1-0

Are you kidding me?!? In what was college basketball’s biggest upset in some time, Gardner-Webb absolutely dominated #15 Kentucky on their own floor tonight with a 84-68 win. Kentucky allowed GW to shoot 53.1% from the floor while managing only a 35.5% effort of their own, and was outrebounded 36-28. GW jumped out to a 14-0 lead early, and never trailed.

Ramel Bradley impressed, however, connecting on 14-of-14 free throws on his way to a game-high 24 points while star freshman big-man Patrick Patterson notched his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Although noone in their right mind would have chosen a team that won 9 games a year ago over a 15th-ranked Kentucky team playing at home, I picked incorrectly and now fall to 1-1 overall, although I chose correctly against the spread to go to 1-0 in that category.

The game seems to epitomize the problems Kentucky looks to have this season. They simply have too little of an inside presence and too many guards. Bradley was the only one that could hit any shots, although he only shot 4-of-11 from the field, and the Wildcats couldn’t get the ball down low enough with Patterson the only real threat. Poor health could have assisted in the loss as well, but there is no excuse to lose by 16 to Gardner-Webb at home.

Although shooting 90% (18-of-20) from the foul line will keep them in a lot of games, the Wildcats have to find their stroke if they expect another 20-win season.

Kentucky vs. Gardner-Webb odds…

Overall: 1-0
Vs. Spread: 0-0

The line for GW @ Kentucky currently stands at 25.5

I’m taking Gardner-Webb. Kentucky still seems to be a low-scoring team (I know, it’s early) and so I don’t see the Wildcats running up the score that much on a team that returns four starters.

An easy Kentucky win, either way.

2007-2008 Preseason Coach of the Year

And we move on…

2007-2008 SEC Preseason Coach of the Year

Billy Gillespie - Kentucky

Not often does a coach travel through the ranks from his first year at the helm of a Division 1-A program to the discussion of SEC Coach of the Year within a span of five years. Gillespie is simply that good.

Although Billy’s overall record is only 100-58, 24 of those losses came in his first year at the top spot at UTEP, where the team only won six games. That would be the end of any questions for the young, talented coach. The next year, the former Bill Self assistant took UTEP to a 24-8 record - tying the NCAA record for the biggest one-year turn-around of all-time. A Texas A&M program that had just suffered through a 0-16 conference “run” through the Big 12 noticed…and he was hired.

Gillespie took the Aggies to an 8-8 finish in conference play the next year, along with 21 wins overall. A&M again improved drastically the year after, going 10-6 in conference and achieving Billy’s second NCAA bid in three years. Last year, the head-coach won 27 games along with a Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Kentucky, “struggling” by their own statospheric expectations, began looking last season for a coach that could return the Wildcats to their former national prominence. Looks like they’ve found their man.

Coach Gillespie had a number of quality pieces of the puzzle to work with when he entered the Wildcat nation. He then began to recruit aggressively, and landed one of the highest-regarded freshman big-men in the nation: Patrick Patterson. With Patterson needed to fill the shoes of departing Randolph, the Wildcats are a bit guard-heavy, but not empty inside.

Kentucky, under Billy Gillespie’s direction, will compete for the overall SEC title this season - giving Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Arkansas all they can handle. And with Gillespie’s floor-coaching abilities, don’t count out a Final Four for this Kentucky team come March.

2007-2008 Preseason All-SEC Second Team

As we count them down, second team is our next stop…

All-SEC Second Team

Quantez Robertson (Auburn - Point Guard - Junior - 8.2ppg, 3.9rpg, 5.0apg, 1.7spg) - An outstanding pure point, Robertson has a remarkable eye for the floor and finding the open man. Robertson finished third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.26, and broke Auburn’s record for assists given in a career by his sophomore season. Not a great shooter - only 30.6% from the floor last season - but Quantez is the life and soul of the Tigers’ basketball team.

Charles Rhodes (Miss. State - Power Forward - Senior - 13.7ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.8bpg) - Rhodes is an impressive big man who can dominate down low when he wants to. “When he wants to” being the operative words there. Rhodes has the potential and talent to be one of the best all-around players in the conference, but suffers greatly from a large head and a small work ethic. If Rhodes can step up his rebounding numbers and give everything he’s got, there won’t be many who can stop him.

Joe Crawford (Kentucky - Shot Guard - Senior - 14.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.4apg) - One of only two seniors on the Wildcat roster this season, Crawford has battled a knee injury during the offseason which slowed his conditioning and practicing. If Crawford can rebound from the knee troubles, he looks to build on last season’s conference-game surge and continue to be relied on heavily to provide points from both behind the arc and in the lane.

Takais Brown (Georgia - Forward - Senior - 14.2ppg, 5.6rpg) - A junior college transfer a year ago, Brown led the Bulldogs in scoring with a 56.6% mark from the field, third in the SEC. Brown gives Georgia a physical threat inside, of which they have been short for a good while, but could work on his effort. Brown’s potential is very high, and is a great tool for Felton to use against the more physical teams in the conference.

Barry Stewart (Miss. State - Guard - Sophomore - 9.8ppg, 3.2rpg) - Stewart ranked third in the SEC from behind the line with a 39.1% mark, and hit 41.0% in conference play….as a freshman. He also broke Mississippi State’s all-time freshman record for most three-pointers made, at 68. Stewart also handled and distributed the ball excellently, recording a 1.59 - and 2.00 in conference - assist-to-turnover ratio. Known as “ice-cold Barry”, Stewart could be one of the best pure shooters in the league as he matures and gains confidence.

And coming up….All-SEC First Team.

2007-2008 Preseason All-SEC Third Team

Here they are, in all their glory - listed in reverse order for optimal excitement, beginning with All-SEC Third Team…

All-SEC Third Team

Tasmin Mitchell (LSU - Forward - Junior - 14.5ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.0spg) - The only remaining star player from a team that reached the Final Four two years ago only to miss the postseason last year. Relied on too heavily for outside contributions, Mitchell is shooting only 25.9% from three. Regardless, Mitchell is an outstanding all-around player who contains excellent versatility and will be relied on heavily by the Tigers this season and will receive ample opportunity to fluff his stats sheets.

Wayne Chism (Tennessee - Center - Sophomore - 9.1ppg, 5.2rpg, 0.6bpg) - An athletic, but short, purely-inside man who greatly increased his production at the end of last season. Although Chism will likely be overshadowed by Iowa transfer Tyler Smith in the post, Chism should easily average over 10ppg this season, giving a guard-heavy Volunteer team a legitimate inside presence.

Charles Thomas (Arkansas - Power Forward - Senior - 10.7ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.2apg) - Another forward relied on too heavily to score from behind the arc. Thomas averaged only 17.9% from that range last season, athough Thomas led the Hogs in both offensive rebounding and free throw attempts last season meaning he can more than handle his own inside the paint. Thomas needs to work on his offensive game, but has tremendous rebounding potential - best seen in his 18-rebound effort versus Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament last season…more rebounds by a single Razorback in a single game in over 10 years.

Ramel Bradley (Kentucky - Point Guard - Senior - 13.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 3.8apg) - A combo guard slotted in the point guard position, Bradley loves to score from the field (42.0%), from three (36.7%) or the stripe (81.5%). That last mark ranked second in the conference. With that said, Bradley has the problem many floor generals do - giving the ball away…his assist-to-turnover ratio notched in at a meager 1.42 as he caused 91 turnovers on the season. If Bradley could work on his ball-handling, he has the potential to be one of the most effective points in the SEC.

Ben Hansbrough (Miss. State - Guard - Sophomore - 7.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.2apg) - Brother of National Player of the Year candidate Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Ben shares his love for the game and drive to win with his older sibling. Hansbrough ranked second in the SEC from behind the arc as a freshman (41.2%) and sixth from the stripe (78.4%). Backing up Gordon at the point occasionally, Hansbrough also ranked eighth in the conference in the assist-to-turnover ratio category, with a 1.72:1 mark. If Hansbrough can continue shooting with the same accuracy and learn to drive and dish a little better, he could do big things as a starter for the Bulldogs.

Well, there you have it. Look for Second-Team All-SEC very soon.

Can Tennessee overcome chemistry problems?

That’s the overriding question in SEC basketball at this point…will Tennessee be able to survive despite the divorce of coach Pearl, arrest and (at least) temporary loss of Crews, and a host of other problems facing the Volunteers?

These struggles shouldn’t affect SEC play too much, however, only the Volunteers’ seeding come March if they struggle early in the season.

In other news…

One of the top recruits in the country for the 2008 freshman year, Scotty Hopson, took the weekend to make an official visit to his school of choice - Mississippi State. Hopson ranked the trip a “ten out of ten,” and took the opportunity to meet future teammates Dee Bost and Romero Osby, along with the rest of the current Bulldog team. Osby, ranked the #6 recruit in the nation by Rivals, stated he intends on signing with Mississippi State in November and will not be taking official visits to any other schools. This should certainly lay to rest the rumors surrounding his possible defection to Kentucky.

Although this is relatively old news, Jejuan Brown withdrew from Vanderbilt a few days ago. He averaged 3.1 points and a rebound last season - this seems to only open up a scholarship for Stallings.

Michael Porter - a relatively unused Wildcat, received a concussion after diving for a loose ball. He’s expected to be out about a week.

I will soon release my choices for the preseason honors of the SEC. Should be the next post or two…

NCAA fans, bow down…

Kentucky basketball fans are, bar none, the most dedicated group of fans that has ever existed. In all of history. Period.

The University of Kentucky has officially asked fans not to line up more than 3 days before the release of tickets for Kentucky’s annual Midnight Madness event. This will mark the third year in a row that Kentucky has packed out the 23,000-seat Rupp Arena for a practice.

Kentucky basketball fans are only rivaled by Alabama football fans, who packed out the 92,000-seat Bryant Stadium for Alabama’s first open practice last spring, called the A-Day Game.

Insanity, yes. But every fan of any other program should both respect and strive for this level of dedication - even if it borders on the edge of ridiculous.

Schedule Breakdown: Kentucky

Predicted wins and losses, with wins in bold and losses italicized.

TBA - 2K Sports College Hoops Classic (Lexington, KY)
TBA - 2K Sports College Hoops Classic (Lexington, KY)
TBA - 2K Sports College Hoops Classic (New York, NY)
TBA - 2K Sports College Hoops Classic (New York, NY)
vs. Liberty
vs. Texas Southern
vs. Stony Brook
vs. North Carolina
@ Indiana
vs. UAB
@ Houston
vs. Tennessee Tech
vs. San Diego
vs. Florida International
vs. Louisville
————————–
vs. Vanderbilt
@ Mississippi State
@ Florida
vs. Tennessee
vs. South Carolina
@ Georgia
@ Auburn
vs. Alabama
@ Vanderbilt
@ LSU
vs. Georgia
vs. Arkansas
vs. Ole Miss
@ Tennessee
@ South Carolina
vs. Florida

This record would put the Wildcats at (23- and (11-5) on the year, easily placing into their hands a NCAA Tournament at-large bid - around a 3 or 4 seed considering their very strong RPI.

The Battle of Hopson

Okay, it’s officially gotten ugly.

Mississippi State commit Scotty Hopson has been subject to a string of rumors in recent months, culminating recently in a rash of discussion regarding not only interest in Kentucky, but also a change of high-school - and consequently, a more Kentucky-friendly coach.

In response, Hopson has said “I am 100% solid in my commitment. Everyday I hear more rumors and I have people telling me to go to Kentucky. It’s good to feel wanted, but it gets old after a while.”

In addition, it seems as if the high-school rumor was fabricated as well, as Hopson has begun classes at his current high-school.

One wonders how diligently Gillespie is recruiting a young man who’s already committed to his school of choice, and if Hopson is truly interested in the Wildcats.

All I have to say is enough is enough - the kid is going to attend the school that best fits him.

Either way, the November early-signing period will tell a lot. Either Hopson makes his decision final, or it won’t be looking good for the Bulldogs.

Schedules seeping through the cracks…

This time of year is that exciting (okay, maybe not entirely exciting) phase in college basketball when the recruiting period is wrapping up and schedules for the upcoming season begin to filter out of the programs.

Here is a look at some SEC schedules that have been released. Particularly interesting games have been bolded, and only schedules versus the opposite division have been included, because all inter-division teams play home-and-home series.

 KENTUCKY

2K Sports College Hoops Classic - Will host first 2 rounds
2K Sports College Hoops Classic - Final 2 rounds in NYC
vs. Liberty
vs. Texas Southern
vs. Stony Brook
vs. North Carolina
@ Indiana
vs. UAB - In Louisville
@ Houston
vs. Tennessee Tech
vs. San Diego
vs. Florida International
vs. Louisville
————————–
vs. Alabama
vs. Arkansas
vs. Ole Miss
@ Auburn
@ LSU
@ Miss. State

Kentucky’s schedule is relatively challenging. Most of the non-conference consists of cupcakes, but the three “big games” could all end up being Top-10 opponents. Their SEC West schedule is favorable, with both Alabama and Arkansas at home. At Mississippi State and at Tennessee could be the two toughest games in their conference schedule.

OLE MISS

vs. Mississippi Valley State
vs. South Alabama
vs. Lamar
vs. Louisiana-Monroe
vs. Troy
vs. New Mexico
@ UCF
vs. Winthrop - In Jackson, Miss.
@ New Orleans
San Juan Shootout
vs. Southern Miss
vs. Alabama A&M
——————————-
vs. Florida - Home
vs. South Carolina - Home
vs. Vanderbilt - Home
@ Kentucky
@ Georgia
@ Tennessee

Ole Miss’ non-conference schedule is a complete joke. With only two true road-games versus nobodys, their only challenge will be against Winthrop and at the San Juan Shootout. Their schedule versus the East is brutal, however. All three teams they must travel to should be the top 3 teams from the division. Look for the Rebels to have a gaudy record approaching conference play before slamming back down to Earth come January.

These are the only two teams to release their schedules at the moment. Look for updates throughout the off-season.