SEC Basketball Report Card:
March 10, 2009
Grading SEC Men’s basketball
By Howard Abrams
Well, the hay is in the barn, so to speak, as far as men’s basketball and the regular season. Of course the tournaments constitute the final exam, so the grades are not complete, but here is how I see it. Note that my grades are based on my perception of each team’s performance as compared with the expectations going into the season.
SEC East
Tennessee: The Vols were highly regarded going into the new season. They lost Chris Lofton and Juwan Smith to graduation, and Duke Crews to discipline, but returned a key nucleus in J P Prince, Tyler Smith and Chism. That combined with a well regarded recruiting class which featured all world high schooler Scotty Hopson had Vol fans dreaming of the final four. They played a brutal pre conference schedule and took some lumps, but most thought this was just growing pains while Coach Pearl put the pieces together. SEC team arrived, however, and the expected dominance never showed up. Gone was last year’s frenzied defense and the 3 point shooting was inconsistent. They did rally to win three in a row down the stretch and gain the number one seed in the SEC East, but lost their regular season finale at home to Alabama. This team should make the big dance, and they did win their division, but compared with expectations, I can’t give them a grade higher than a B.
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South Carolina: Not much was expected from the Gamecocks going into this season. They were a sub .500 SEC team last year, and in their coaching change they ended up not adding any new players. Most picked them to just nose out Georgia for 5th in the East. But new coach Darrin Horne brought an up tempo approach and a lot of energy to the program, and All America candidate Devan Downey, along with solid wing performers Zam Frederick and Dominique Archie led the Gamecocks to a runner up position in the SEC East and a surefire NCAA bid. Give these guys an A.
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Florida: The Gators were still in rebuilding mode this year, as last year’s talented freshmen were a year more mature and another stellar recruiting group had come in. The Gators were the poster boy for inconsistency this year, though. They played very well at times but lost some that they should have won. Led by all star Nick Calathes they were usually strong on offense, but lacked the tough defense that marked their two national championship teams. Their inside players seemed to lack the physical toughness required for the SEC as well. The Gators needed a last day of the season win over Kentucky to edge out the Cats for 3rd in the SEC East. I’ll give Billy D’s boys a C. It’s the NIT for them unless they win the tourney in nearby Tampa.
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Kentucky: Alabama football fans understand Kentucky basketball fans. Expectations are always high for UK in the hoops world, even when they are not justified. This year the Cats featured two all star candidates in Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, a solid citizen in Stephenson, and then a bunch of players you’d never expect to see the floor for a Kentucky team. This team had some great moments led by the heroics of Meeks, such as blowing out Tennessee in Knoxville (as Meeks scored a school record 54) but some dismal ones as well, typified by a season opening home loss to VMI. They contended for the SEC East much of the way, but ultimately they were done in by ball handling problems. Give the Cats a C. They are likely NIT material. No Big Dance for them unless they win in Tampa.
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Vanderbilt: The Commodores lost their great scorer, Shane Foster, as well as several key supporting players off of last year’s Sweet 16 team. Still, expectations were fairly high, as they returned their excellent point guard, Germaine Beall, and their star center, Andrew Ogilvie. They also brought in an excellent recruiting class led by high potential wing players Taylor and Tinsley. This team never really gelled, though, and the Commodores limped to a 5th place finish in the East, though this was brightened by a late season win at LSU. Give Vandy a C- for the year. Any post season play depends on a strong showing in Tampa, but most likely the ‘Dores will be done when they exit the field in Tampa.
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Georgia: Dennis Felton saved his job last year with the Dawgs shocking win of the SEC tournament. There wasn’t much hope for improvement this year, though, and when by midway in the SEC season it became obvious that there had been no improvement, Georgia pulled the trigger and fired Felton. Barring another SEC tournament miracle their season will be over and their search for a new coach can begin in earnest. Give the Dawgs an F.
SEC West
LSU: Newcomer Trent Johnson inherited a veteran team with solid performers everywhere, and scorer deluxe Marcus Thornton. They were considered co-favorites to win the SEC West. No one had much of a feel for how good they were, as they breezed through an easy early schedule, then dropped their SEC opener to Alabama at Tuscaloosa. They then caught on fire, winning 13 straight SEC games and running away with the SEC West. They are currently the only SEC team ranked in the polls, though after dropping two games last week their standing will drop. The Tigers are a lock for an NCAA bid, and will receive anywhere from a 3 to a 5 seed, depending on their SEC tournament. Until last week I had them down for an A+, but they still get an A.
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Auburn: These Tigers were picked for fifth in the SEC East, and many felt that Jeff Lebo would be on the hot seat by season’s end. This time, though, they had a little good luck with injuries, as their dynamo of an inside player, Kovotney Barber, stayed healthy all season and averaged a double-double in SEC play. Newcomers Tai Waller (juco) and Frankie Sullivan also fit in well. The Tigers finished as the hottest team in the SEC, with a 10-6 league record and a second place finish in the west. They have played themselves at least onto the bubble as far as the Big Dance goes. IMO two wins in the SEC tournament would assure them a berth, and if not, the NIT will have a bid for them. Give the boys from Auburn an A.
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Mississippi State: Only Arkansas experienced heavier graduation losses than MSU did. Stansbury’s boys lost two outstanding players, in Gordon and Rhodes, as well as seeing solid wing shooter Hansboro transfer out. Things looked pretty bleak, but Stansbury brought in a stellar group of outside shooters to fill in around rebounding/shot blocking machine Cary Varnado and created problems for a lot of teams. Unfortunately they lived and died with the success of their three point shooters, so they were never consistent. After a pretty good early run they slipped to third in the SEC west. I expect the NIT to come calling on them. Give these Bulldogs a C+.
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Alabama: Expectations were high at the beginning of the season amid reports that Ron Steele’s knees were healthy and that he was approaching his pre-knee injury self. Alas, it became apparent early on that except for brief flashed he was nowhere near his 2006 performance level. Problems with perimeter offense and defense continued, and especially when Steele was not on the floor we were plagued by last year’s bugaboo, turnovers. We began the SEC season with a home win over LSU, but things went downhill from there. When Ron announced that he was leaving the team amidst rumors of disagreement with Coach Gottfried, matters came to a head quickly. CMG followed him in leaving the program, replaced by long time assistant Phillip Pearson. To his credit, Pearson has taken a team that was demoralized and disorganized and instilled it with some desire and confidence, as they finished by winning four of the last five SEC games, including two road wins. We all know that we had to go back to the 2007 season to find an SEC road win for us. It will take some research to find out when we last had two SEC road wins in a row. A month ago I would have given us an F, but the strong finish has earned us a D. A decent run in the SEC tournament could well have us in the NIT.
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Ole Miss: The Rebels were expecting a pretty good year, but then the December injury bug ended the season for three of their backcourt players, including the exciting Chris Warren. At that point the Rebs could have packed it in, but Andy Kennedy pulled them together with what they had and salvaged something from the season. The future looks pretty bright for them, as freshmen White and Holloway emerged as quality SEC performers. I’ll give these guys a C+ for the season.
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Arkansas: The Hogs suffered from graduation losses like no one else in the SEC. That, plus the off season loss of leading scorer Patrick Beverley, left them with only 20% of their scoring and rebounding from 2008. Expectations were low in Fayetteville until the Hogs surprised Big Twelve powers Texas and Oklahoma in December. Reality quickly set in once SEC play started, and the lack of depth, talent and experience led to some pretty dismal results. To Coach Pelphrey’s credit, however, they played hard all year and were in many games late. Still, dismal is dismal. The Hogs get an F for this campaign.
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