2007-2008 Preseason All-SEC First Team

Now we move on to the A-listers…

All-SEC First Team

Chris Lofton (Tennessee - Shot Guard - Senior - 20.8ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.4spg) - Lofton is easily the best pure shooter in the nation, and a contender for National Player of the Year. The SEC Player of the Year and an All-American a year ago, there is no reason why Lofton shouldn’t continue to improve both his shot and all-around game during his last year as a Volunteer. Despite suffering a short-lived ankle sprain last season, Lofton shot an SEC-leading 41.9% from behind the arc and also added the drive-and-dish to his arsenal. The only negative concerning Lofton is the Vols’ reliance upon him. If the team can avoid becoming too uni-dimensional, Lofton could shoot Tennessee to a National Championship.

Jamont Gordon (Miss. State - Point Guard - Junior - 16.0ppg, 7.1rpg, 5.3apg) - Not many point guards in the nation average 7.1 rebounds per game. The question is, are the Bulldogs relying too heavily on Gordon to supply them or does it come natural? Regardless, Gordon is built like a power forward but has the passing and dribbling abilities of a point. Because of his size, athleticism, and talent, Gordon is a mis-match against both guards and forwards. If the Tennessee-native can continue to improve his assist-to-turnover ratio as he did late last season, Gordon could very well make a case for National Player of the Year.

Shan Foster (Vanderbilt - Power Forward - Senior - 15.6ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.2apg) - Foster is a stereotypical do-everything power guard. He shoots decently from behind the arc (34.6%), but his jumpers are almost impossible to defend with his hands-behind-the-head release. His rebounding numbers will need to improve to truly step up and be the go-to guy the Commodores will need him to be, but Foster has more than enough ability to do it.

Richard Hendrix (Alabama - Power Forward - Junior - 14.6ppg, 8.7rpg, 1.2bpg) - The fact that Hendrix is only a junior is nothing short of scary. One of the most overlooked big men in the country, Hendrix averaged 14.6ppg last season despite playing behind fellow Tide standout Jermareo Davidson. Hendrix will be forced to make up for a lack of experienced inside depth this season, and thus his numbers should explode. If Hendrix can maintain his SEC-best 60.2% field goal percentage and avoid injury, he should be recognized by season’s end as one of the best under-the-basket players in the nation.

Patrick Beverly (Arkansas - Shot Guard - Sophomore - 13.9ppg, 4.5rpg, 3.1apg) - The lone underclassman to make first team, Beverly earned it - and a reputation as an unstoppable shooter - by shooting 38.6% from behind the arc to average nearly 14ppg to lead all SEC freshmen in scoring . One of the best pure shooters in his class, and last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year, Beverly must now focus on improving his already-impressive ball-handling abilities and become more accurate on his shot. Also wise would be to leave the rebounds to Arkansas’ stable of great big men and instead get down-court for the quick transition basket…something I’m sure Pelphrey has mentioned to him. Beverly is a fierce competitor and looks to be one of the conference’s best shooters both this coming season and two to come.

But which wins the coveted SEC:GBD 2007-2008 SEC Player of the Year? Stay tuned…

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…

Schedule Breakdown: Vanderbilt

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

vs. Austin Peay
@ Toledo
vs. Valparaiso
vs. Utah State - South Padre Island Shootout
vs. Iowa or Bradley - South Padre Island Shootout
vs. South Alabama
vs. Georgia Tech
vs. Wake Forest
vs. Lipscomb
@ DePaul
vs. Tennessee State
vs. Tennessee-Martin
vs. Iona
vs. Rice
vs. Massachusetts
————————-
vs. South Carolina
@ Kentucky
@ Tennessee
vs. LSU
@ Florida
@ Ole Miss
vs. Auburn
@ Georgia
@ South Carolina
vs. Kentucky
vs. Florida
vs. Georgia
vs. Tennessee
@ Arkansas
vs. Mississippi State
@ Alabama

This would put the Commodores at (19-12) and (7-9) on the year, good enough for a high NIT bid, around a 1 or 2. With a win in the SEC tournament, Vandy could squeak into the NCAA’s.

So, there ya have it - preseason predictions for every SEC team and every game. Once the season blesses us with its coming, I will be making weekly predictions on every game (along with scores and spread coverage) and tallying my results.

There’s much more to come, so stay tuned!

Vanderbilt releases schedule…

Here is the Commodores’ schedule this season.

vs. Austin Peay
@ Toledo
vs. Utah State - South Padre Island Shootout (South Padre Island)
vs. Iowa or Bradley - South Padre Island Shootout (South Padre Island)
vs. South Alabama
vs. Georgia Tech
vs. Wake Forest
vs. Lipscomb
@ DePaul
vs. Tennessee State
vs. Tennessee-Martin
vs. Iona
vs. Rice
vs. Massachusetts
———————–
vs. LSU
vs. Auburn
vs. Mississippi State
@ Alabama
@ Arkansas
@ Ole Miss

The Commodores will face a relatively challenging non-conference schedule, highlighted by assumed match-up versus either Iowa or Bradley. A trip to DePaul will prove difficult, and Georgia Tech could be Top 25 by game-time. This pre-conference slate should be a great measure of how deep Stallings’ crew can run into the SEC schedule.

The matchups versus the West will also challenge the ‘Dores, with trips to both Alabama and Arkansas looming on the horizon. Auburn and Mississippi State at home helps a bit, but how much is yet to be seen.

Now waiting for Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi State.

Thunder Down Under?

I know; it’s a tired cliche’, but it’s all I had.

Back to the topic at hand: Just how good is Andrew Ogilvy? Hailing from the great continent of Australia, Ogilvy is a signed 2007 freshman at Vanderbilt University who has been receiving an enormous amount of pre-season buzz, despite his 3-star ranking by Rivals.

Ogilvy was a member of the New South Wales team in the Under-20 National Tournament held this past February, and helped his team to a gold-medal finish while achieving First-Team All-Tournament status by averaging 17.7 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks during the tournament.

 NBADraft.net lists Ogilvy, the 6′10″ 250lb. 20th-ranked center in the class of 2007, as the 15th overall selection in a Mock NBA draft for 2008, listing the Australian standout as the top SEC pick this coming season.

With all of that said…forgive me if I’m not sold.

Ogilvy seems a decent pick-up for a team lacking in interior size, but 15th overall?!? Achieving that kind of success will effectively require the Commodore-to-be to replicate his tournament performance every single game in his freshman season, and that still likely wouldn’t be enough.

Not to be pessimistic, but I find it difficult to believe a true center who can only manage 9 rebounds, less than 18 points, and not block two shots per game versus high-school competition of any level will have what it takes to dominate as a starting inside-man in a conference with the caliber of talent as the Southeastern Conference.

Will he be a solid role-player? Sure. Will he be ready for the NBA after one year? Extremely doubtful. Will he be the 15th overall pick this coming year? Absolutely not.