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College Basketball Preview - Southeastern Conference

Tue 1st, November 2011

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -

OUTLOOK: Because the SEC is by far and away the best conference in all of college football, some people tend to forget that the league boasts some outstanding basketball programs as well. Since John Calipari took the helm in Lexington, Kentucky has brought in elite talent annually and has been a legitimate national contender. That is again the case for 2011-12, as it should surprise no one if the 'Cats cut down the nets this year.

Kentucky competes in the tougher of the SEC's two divisions, the East, as both Vanderbilt and Florida have the talent to prevent the Wildcats from running away with the title uncontested. Georgia is certainly a team on the rise, but it may be another year or two before the program is ready to challenge for the league crown. Tennessee doesn't figure to be nearly as strong as it was a year ago, as the loss of significant talent and head coach Bruce Pearl will be tough to overcome. Expected to dwell in the basement of the East Division is South Carolina, though the Gamecocks are a scrappy bunch who are good for one or two big home upsets.

Shifting focus to the West, there isn't a great deal of separation between the top three squads. Alabama has an outstanding mix of proven veterans and talented freshman, and head coach Anthony Grant figures to push the right buttons. Mississippi State has two stars and a slew of skilled role players, so it remains to be seen if that mix is one that will be good enough to yield significant victories. As for Arkansas, it will play at a furious pace under Mike Anderson, and the style change alone will be good for a few extra wins. The bottom half of the West Division features Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn, and they appear to be three of the four worst teams in the entire conference.

CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Florida

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: EAST DIVISION: 1. Kentucky, 2. Vanderbilt, 3. Florida, 4. Georgia, 5. Tennessee, 6. South Carolina. WEST DIVISION: 1. Alabama, 2. Mississippi State, 3. Arkansas, 4. Ole Miss, 5. LSU, 6. Auburn.

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

EAST:

KENTUCKY: There are a total of 11 players on the Preseason First and Second Team All-SEC squads, and four of those individuals are Kentucky Wildcats, including the Preseason Player of the Year, Terrence Jones. A 6-9 sophomore with freakish athletic ability, Jones averaged 15.7 ppg last season while pulling down 8.8 rpg, and the fact that he also posted 72 blocks and 43 steals is proof of his defensive prowess. He will be joined up front by 6-10 freshman Anthony Davis, widely considered to be one of the elite recruits in the nation. There is significant strength in the backcourt as well, as both Doron Lamb and Darius Miller are capable of significant contributions. Lamb shot 48.6 percent from three-point range last season and finished with 12.3 ppg, while Miller brings back 10.9 ppg and a wealth of leadership. Calipari has been unable to win the national title despite his enormously talented teams, but this season could finally yield the crown.

VANDERBILT: Like Kentucky, Vanderbilt is absolutely loaded with returning talent. The Commodores possess two of the five players on the Preseason First- Team All-SEC squad in Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins. Last season, Jenkins started 32 games for the 'Dores and scored 19.5 ppg on the strength of his accurate shooting from both three-point range and the foul line. As for Taylor, he brings 14.7 ppg to the mix. Festus Ezeli was recognized as a Preseason Second-Team All-SEC selection on the merit of his 13.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg a year ago. Ezeli is one of the elite shot blockers in the SEC, as he rejected 87 attempts a year ago despite logging fewer than 24 minutes per game, and he will be a force after returning from an early six-game suspension. It can be argued that head coach Kevin Stallings possesses the deepest bench in the SEC, and with Brad Tinsley back to take a run at a second straight league assists title, there is reason for high expectations in Nashville.

FLORIDA: Florida had won a grand total of seven NCAA Tournament games before Billy Donovan took over control of the program, and he has guided the Gators to 25 more. With that in mind, UF fans have complete faith in the successful architect. Significant talent was lost from last year's club, with Alex Tyus, Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin all moving on, so the frontcourt needs a player or two to emerge as consistent performers to replace the 32.0 ppg and 19.4 rpg that those three players brought to the table. Erik Murphy and Patric Young figure to log plenty of minutes, but it remains to be seen if either is a true scorer. Fortunately, plenty of points figure to come from the backcourt duo of Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker. Last season, Walker netted 14.6 ppg to go along with 125 assists and 41 steals, while Boynton pitched in with 14.2 ppg despite his disappointing 38.5 percent field goal efficiency. Florida fans are most excited about the addition of another guard, freshman Bradley Beal, the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year who averaged 32.5 ppg as a high school senior.

GEORGIA: Mark Fox led his Bulldogs to 21 victories last season, including a respectable 9-7 mark versus SEC competition. Duplicating those results will be difficult this season, however, especially since both Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie decided to skip their senior seasons in Athens to enter the NBA Draft. Those two standouts combined for 30.8 ppg and 14.8 rpg, numbers that will be awfully hard to replace. Three players will be counted on from day one to lead the way in regard to production. Dustin Ware and Gerald Robinson will man the backcourt, and both have the ability to be capable scorers. Robinson netted 12.2 pg last season to go along with 133 assists and 42 steals, while Ware added 8.0 ppg with nearly three times more assists than turnovers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a highly regarded freshman who at 6-5, gives the Bulldogs a tremendous trio of guards. The question, of course, is whether the frontcourt will be able to hold its own.

TENNESSEE: In late March, Cuonzo Martin was selected as the 18th head basketball coach at Tennessee. Bruce Pearl achieved significant success during his tenure with the Vols, but he left amid controversy, leaving Martin to clean up UT's hoops image. Tobias Harris, Scotty Hopson and many other talented players are gone, and the new coach will count on senior guard Cameron Tatum to provide leadership, both on the court and in the lockerroom. Tatum averaged 8.8 ppg last season, but his 37.5 percent shooting from the field was disappointing to say the least. It isn't as if an incoming freshman will elevate the projected finish of the Vols, as not a single McDonald's All- American committed to Tennessee. Martin will need a few years to build a consistent winner, and more losses than victories figure to occur once SEC play begins.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Last season, point guard Bruce Ellington led the Gamecocks in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and assists (3.2 apg). The talented athlete decided to play football for South Carolina this season, so he won't be back on the hardwood until after the New Year in all likelihood. Ramon Galloway, a solid performer from a year ago, is gone, as is frontcourt standout Sam Muldrow. With the absences in mind, expect prized recruit Damien Leonard to be thrown into the fire immediately. The 6-5 shooting guard has tremendous range on his jumper and possesses the size and athleticism to guard three positions. Expect leadership to come from Malik Cooke, a senior forward who is far more tough than talented. Lakeem Jackson averaged 7.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 2.5 apg as a sophomore and figures to take a step forward as a junior. Still, it is hard to get excited about a team that seems to lack a go-to scorer.

WEST:

ALABAMA: There is a good reason why Alabama is the favorite to win the SEC West, as the three top players from a year ago are all back in place. Forward JaMychal Green is a Preseason First-Team All-SEC selection, while Trevor Releford and Tony Mitchell have impressive credentials as well. Green netted 15.5 ppg in 2010-11 to go along with 7.5 rpg, and his 70 blocked shots paced the club as well. Mitchell finished a close second in both scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg), and his 52.2 percent shooting from the floor was highly impressive. As for Releford, who brings back 11.0 ppg, and the scoring output is in addition to his team-best assist and steal totals. Strong defense was key to Alabama's 25-win campaign a year ago, as the squad limited foes to 59.4 ppg on 38.6 percent shooting from the field. Expect more of the same this time around.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: It is obvious that the Bulldogs will go as far as Dee Bost and Renardo Sidney take them this season. Bost was given the ultimate sign of respect by being named to the Preseason First-Team All-SEC squad, an exclusive five-player group of stars. The guard played in only 17 games last season and scored 15.3 ppg while handing out 106 assists. Still, he didn't play lights- out ball by any means, shooting a disappointing 38.6 percent from the field. Sidney was far more efficient offensively, connecting on 51.7 percent of his field goal attempts en route to 14.2 ppg. More than just a scorer, Sidney also pulled down 7.6 rpg. MSU finished three games above .500 overall last season, including a 9-7 mark in SEC play, but they were outscored on average. With two double-digit scorers gone from the 2010-11 club, expectations are cautiously optimistic at best.

ARKANSAS: Last season, Rotnei Clarke performed admirably as the go-to guy at the offensive end for Arkansas, netting 15.2 ppg on the strength of his 43.8 percent shooting from the floor. Clarke is now gone, leaving a gaping hole in the Razorbacks' lineup. Marshawn Powell is the leading returning scorer with his 10.8 ppg, and he will clearly log more minutes than the 22.4 mpg he played a year ago. Julysses Nobles will have to play a bigger role as well, as he will need to be a consistent double-digit scorer after posting 8.4 ppg a year ago. Arkansas struggled on the boards last season and didn't shoot free throws particularly well either, but it did limit opponents to 66.7 ppg on 41.2 percent shooting from the floor. The strong defense will have to continue in order for this squad to avoid a finish near the bottom of the SEC's West Division standings.

OLE MISS: The bad news for head coach Andy Kennedy is that the two best players from a year ago, Chris Warren and Zach Graham, have moved on. Warren poured in 19.1 ppg to go along with 128 assists, and Graham added 14.2 ppg, so 33.3 ppg have exited in just two roster spots. Fortunately, the trio of Terrence Henry, Dundrecous Nelson and Reginald Buckner is back. Henry scored 9.7 ppg in 2010-11 while ripping down 6.0 rpg, placing second on the boards behind Buckner (6.4 rpg). Nelson netted 7.2 ppg last season and can be a double-digit performer if he improves his field goal efficiency (.389). The Rebels open the season with three consecutive home games against weak non- conference opponents before heading to St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam. Coach Kennedy will find out on that trip what type of team he has.

LSU: Considering the fact that LSU won only 11 of its 32 games last season, including just three of its 16 SEC contests, the program may very well have hit rock bottom. Trent Johnson needs to turn things around in Baton Rouge, but there may not be enough talent in place to make a major leap this year. The good news is that there were no major departures after last season, as the young nucleus returns. Ralston Turner and Andre Stringer are back from a freshman campaign in which they averaged 12.3 ppg and 11.2 ppg, respectively. Turner shot just 36.9 percent from the floor, however, while Stringer connected on a horrific 33.4 percent of his attempts. Storm Warren scored 7.7 ppg while pulling down 5.7 rpg, and he needs to play more than the 21.7 mpg he logged last season. LSU scored just 62.2 ppg on 40 percent shooting from the field in 2010-11, and a far better offensive effort will be needed for the Tigers to exceed what amount to rather low expectations for this season.

AUBURN: The Tigers won the national championship in football last season, but the basketball team is a far cry from reaching that level of success. Auburn posted an 11-20 overall record in 2010-11, including a 4-12 showing against SEC competition, and two of the three double-digit scorers from that squad are gone. Kenny Gabriel is the top returning scorer on the roster with his 10.3 ppg, and he is tops on the boards as well with 5.8 rpg. Frankie Sullivan is certainly capable of joining the double-figure ranks if he can improve his 36.1 percent shooting from a year ago. There is no question that Auburn plays hard at the defensive end of the floor, as the squad limited foes to 66.2 ppg last season on 42.6 percent field goal efficiency. Offensively, however, the Tigers managed only 62.4 ppg on 39.8 percent shooting, and a similar effort in 2011-12 will yield another 20-loss campaign.