The SEC, which saw six teams get into the NCAA tournament last year, is having a down year, there's little doubt about that. The perception of this fact is due largely in part to at one point not having a team in the Top 25 for a short span. The reason why the SEC looks so different this year is because it doesn’t have a dominant team in the Top 10 (teams like the Tennessees, Floridas and Kentuckys of the past). That situation is further exacerbated by the depth and quality of the Big East, ACC, Big 10, and even the Big 12. While there is no dominant team on the national level, the SEC is not having an awful year. It’s not having a great year either, or even a good year, but we can expect anywhere from 3-5 teams to get into the tournament depending on how the rest of conference play goes (but most likely just 3 teams). Considering the prominence of the Big East, ACC, and Big 10 this year, who combined could take up 21 at-large bids, 3-5 bids is not bad at all for a conference that barely has Top 25 recognition, never mind a conference without a top tier powerhouse. Now let's take a look at the six SEC teams making a run at a tournament bid:In
Kentucky 16-5 (5-1)
In Billy Gillispie’s second year as head coach, Kentucky struggled to an 0-2 start after losses against VMI and North Carolina. The Wildcats had a respectable non-conference schedule that included a win at West Virginia, and tough losses against Miami (FL) and a heartbreaking 3-point loss at Louisville, a team that is tearing through its Big East schedule. The emergence of Jodie Meeks, who is showing himself to be one of the nation’s top scorers, and Patrick Patterson, who is playing through a badly bruised finger and still averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds, had Kentucky undefeated (until a bad loss last night at Ole Miss, where Meeks shot 4-15, after starting 0-9) in conference play and firmly in the tournament come March.
Florida 17-3 (4-1)
The Gators’ lone hiccups this year have come at Syracuse, in a 2 point loss at Florida St. and a 1 point loss at South Carolina. Billy Donovan, now a year and a half removed from his four day stint with the Magic, had led his team to 10 straight wins before losing to South Carolina (by the way, if you didn’t see the incredibly way that game ended, check it out here). The team quickly rebounded from that loss in Columbia by throttling Vanderbilt by 25 and presumably getting back on track. Led by Nick Calathes’ 17 points a game, Florida looks to contend for the top spot in the SEC East with Kentucky. With a 1-2 record against the RPI Top 25 that includes those losses at formidable opponents like Syracuse and Florida St., Florida will be in good shape come March.
Tennessee 12-6 (3-1)
Tennessee has been the Jekyll and Hyde team in the SEC this season. The Volunteers are 3-1 against the RPI Top 25, and then 0-4 against the RPI 26-50. They still have the strongest RPI of any SEC team (26) and have faced the toughest non-conference schedule of any team I’ve seen so far this year. Their non-conference schedule included wins against two upper-echelon Big East teams in Georgetown and Marquette, and losses to Gonzaga (twice), at Kansas, and most recently a tough two point loss to Memphis. Their lone loss in conference play came from their inability to stop Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks, who put up 54 points against them. The only question with Tennessee is if they will take care of business in SEC conference play. A good indication of that will come when they face a 15-4 (3-1), but mostly unproven LSU squad tonight.
Hovering Near the Bubble
LSU 15-4 (3-1)
Take a look at LSU’s non-conference schedule and you’ll find more cupcakes than at a 5-year-old’s birthday party. They hold an unimpressive 0-3 record against the RPI Top 50 and have only faced one ranked team, losing at home to Xavier on Saturday. That said, the Tigers are still in the drivers seat for a potential fourth SEC tournament spot, meaning that they can control their own destiny. They have wins over both South Carolina and Mississippi St. to their advantage and have yet to face Tennessee (which they do tonight), Kentucky, and Florida, where wins could give them a huge boost in the eyes of the committee.
South Carolina 14-4 (3-2)
The Gamecocks are led by the backcourt duo of Devan Downey and Zam Frederick. They have a fairly unimpressive non-conference schedule, where they lost to Clemson but did win at Baylor. South Carolina came up with a big win over Florida on an amazing last second dunk by Frederick, but were also trounced by LSU prior to that. They are 1-1 against the RPI Top 25 and have the benefit of still playing Kentucky twice, and Florida and Tennessee once each before the end of the regular season. With the loss to LSU, South Carolina will need at least a 2-2 record in those four games, plus they are faced with the potential of a must-win game at Mississippi St. on February 18.
Mississippi St. 14-6 (4-1)
While the Mississippi St. non-conference schedule was not as easy as South Carolina's and LSU's, they did lose to a handful of seemingly non-tournament teams including Cincinnati, San Diego, Texas Tech, UNC Charlotte, and Washington State. They still manage to sit atop the SEC West by taking care of the likes of Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Alabama, but still have to travel to Tennessee and Kentucky. A February 11 matchup with LSU could make things interesting, or seal their fate, when it comes to edging out the Tigers for the fourth conference at-large bid, if the SEC is to get one.
The SEC finds itself in unknown waters. The conference is not nearly as impressive as it has been in years past. Outside of Jodie Meeks, who really just emerged almost out of nowhere after a mediocre Freshman year and an injury plagued Sophomore season, there are few nationally recognized stars in the conference. They sit sixth in conference RPI, the worst of the power conferences, edging out the Mountain West by a measly .005. Look for three teams to get in the tournament, but I’m not convinced that any team outside of the Meeks-Patterson duo at Kentucky is really capable of making a dent in March. If you’re an SEC fan I’d suggest you look forward more to this and this than to this.
Kentucky 16-5 (5-1)
In Billy Gillispie’s second year as head coach, Kentucky struggled to an 0-2 start after losses against VMI and North Carolina. The Wildcats had a respectable non-conference schedule that included a win at West Virginia, and tough losses against Miami (FL) and a heartbreaking 3-point loss at Louisville, a team that is tearing through its Big East schedule. The emergence of Jodie Meeks, who is showing himself to be one of the nation’s top scorers, and Patrick Patterson, who is playing through a badly bruised finger and still averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds, had Kentucky undefeated (until a bad loss last night at Ole Miss, where Meeks shot 4-15, after starting 0-9) in conference play and firmly in the tournament come March.
Florida 17-3 (4-1)
The Gators’ lone hiccups this year have come at Syracuse, in a 2 point loss at Florida St. and a 1 point loss at South Carolina. Billy Donovan, now a year and a half removed from his four day stint with the Magic, had led his team to 10 straight wins before losing to South Carolina (by the way, if you didn’t see the incredibly way that game ended, check it out here). The team quickly rebounded from that loss in Columbia by throttling Vanderbilt by 25 and presumably getting back on track. Led by Nick Calathes’ 17 points a game, Florida looks to contend for the top spot in the SEC East with Kentucky. With a 1-2 record against the RPI Top 25 that includes those losses at formidable opponents like Syracuse and Florida St., Florida will be in good shape come March.
Tennessee 12-6 (3-1)
Tennessee has been the Jekyll and Hyde team in the SEC this season. The Volunteers are 3-1 against the RPI Top 25, and then 0-4 against the RPI 26-50. They still have the strongest RPI of any SEC team (26) and have faced the toughest non-conference schedule of any team I’ve seen so far this year. Their non-conference schedule included wins against two upper-echelon Big East teams in Georgetown and Marquette, and losses to Gonzaga (twice), at Kansas, and most recently a tough two point loss to Memphis. Their lone loss in conference play came from their inability to stop Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks, who put up 54 points against them. The only question with Tennessee is if they will take care of business in SEC conference play. A good indication of that will come when they face a 15-4 (3-1), but mostly unproven LSU squad tonight.
Hovering Near the Bubble
LSU 15-4 (3-1)
Take a look at LSU’s non-conference schedule and you’ll find more cupcakes than at a 5-year-old’s birthday party. They hold an unimpressive 0-3 record against the RPI Top 50 and have only faced one ranked team, losing at home to Xavier on Saturday. That said, the Tigers are still in the drivers seat for a potential fourth SEC tournament spot, meaning that they can control their own destiny. They have wins over both South Carolina and Mississippi St. to their advantage and have yet to face Tennessee (which they do tonight), Kentucky, and Florida, where wins could give them a huge boost in the eyes of the committee.
South Carolina 14-4 (3-2)
The Gamecocks are led by the backcourt duo of Devan Downey and Zam Frederick. They have a fairly unimpressive non-conference schedule, where they lost to Clemson but did win at Baylor. South Carolina came up with a big win over Florida on an amazing last second dunk by Frederick, but were also trounced by LSU prior to that. They are 1-1 against the RPI Top 25 and have the benefit of still playing Kentucky twice, and Florida and Tennessee once each before the end of the regular season. With the loss to LSU, South Carolina will need at least a 2-2 record in those four games, plus they are faced with the potential of a must-win game at Mississippi St. on February 18.
Mississippi St. 14-6 (4-1)
While the Mississippi St. non-conference schedule was not as easy as South Carolina's and LSU's, they did lose to a handful of seemingly non-tournament teams including Cincinnati, San Diego, Texas Tech, UNC Charlotte, and Washington State. They still manage to sit atop the SEC West by taking care of the likes of Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Alabama, but still have to travel to Tennessee and Kentucky. A February 11 matchup with LSU could make things interesting, or seal their fate, when it comes to edging out the Tigers for the fourth conference at-large bid, if the SEC is to get one.
The SEC finds itself in unknown waters. The conference is not nearly as impressive as it has been in years past. Outside of Jodie Meeks, who really just emerged almost out of nowhere after a mediocre Freshman year and an injury plagued Sophomore season, there are few nationally recognized stars in the conference. They sit sixth in conference RPI, the worst of the power conferences, edging out the Mountain West by a measly .005. Look for three teams to get in the tournament, but I’m not convinced that any team outside of the Meeks-Patterson duo at Kentucky is really capable of making a dent in March. If you’re an SEC fan I’d suggest you look forward more to this and this than to this.
The 'Gody v. Griffin Battle - Luke Harangody and Blake Griffin could both be in this space every week, but that's just boring. So instead of being compared to the rest of college basketball, they'll go head to head every week and only one will appear in this slot. This week?
Griffin - In three games this week, Griffin averaged 24 points and 18 rebounds. Harangody only chimes in with 26.5 points and 16 rebounds against two measly top ten teams. Griffin gets the nod with Oklahoma's 3-0 record, sorry that Kyle McAlarney hasn't shown up in a while there Luke.
Jordan Hill (Arizona) - Hill had 30 points and 18 rebounds in an overtime win over Houston on Saturday. Spurred by teammate Chase Budinger getting his face stomped on, Hill led the Wildcats, who came back from 8 points down with under two minutes remaining to force the extra period.
Derrick Brown (Xavier) - Xavier came out of Baton Rouge with a solid win over an LSU squad that had yet to lose at home. Brown led the way with 22 points and 9 rebounds, including an efficient 7-11 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc.
Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia) - His 27 points and 8 boards helped take down Georgetown and give the Mountaineers a big road win in the Big East.
Griffin - In three games this week, Griffin averaged 24 points and 18 rebounds. Harangody only chimes in with 26.5 points and 16 rebounds against two measly top ten teams. Griffin gets the nod with Oklahoma's 3-0 record, sorry that Kyle McAlarney hasn't shown up in a while there Luke.
Jordan Hill (Arizona) - Hill had 30 points and 18 rebounds in an overtime win over Houston on Saturday. Spurred by teammate Chase Budinger getting his face stomped on, Hill led the Wildcats, who came back from 8 points down with under two minutes remaining to force the extra period.
Derrick Brown (Xavier) - Xavier came out of Baton Rouge with a solid win over an LSU squad that had yet to lose at home. Brown led the way with 22 points and 9 rebounds, including an efficient 7-11 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc.
Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia) - His 27 points and 8 boards helped take down Georgetown and give the Mountaineers a big road win in the Big East.
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1 comments:
I feel like that one of your bubble SEC teams will step up and join the other three in the tournament. I think they might only get 3 at-large bids only if one of the bubble teams takes the conference tourney.
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