Yet another SEC Basketball Preview: Guess who's gonna win?
By Staff
First off, I have to give a big thanks to Tru at www.aseaofblue.com who referred Randy of www.rushthecourt.net to me when Randy was looking for a SEC correspondent for his site. I was more than happy to oblige and my SEC preview just appeared on his page. I will also be doing weekly SEC reports for his site as well as possibly doing some live blogging from the sites of the hottest college basketball games this year. Cross promotion is always great, so thanks to Tru and Randy.
Without any further ado, here is my look at the SEC preview for Rush the Court:
Predicted Order of Finish:
SEC EAST
1. Kentucky (13-3)
2. Tennessee (11-5)
3. South Carolina (10-6)
4. Vanderbilt (10-6)
5. Florida (7-9)
6. Georgia (1-15)
SEC WEST
1. Mississippi State (10-6)
2. Mississippi (9-7)
3. Arkansas (9-7)
4. Alabama (7-9)
5. LSU (6-10)
6. Auburn (4-12)
All-Conference Team:
G: John Wall, Kentucky
G: Devan Downey, South Carolina
F: Tyler Smith, Tennessee
F: Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
F: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State
6th Man: G Terrico White, Mississippi
Impact Newcomer: John Wall, Kentucky
What You Need to Know:
After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years, the Kentucky Wildcats are poised to regain their role at the top of the SEC conference, having added the number one recruiting class and top coach John Calipari. This year looks to be a year of redemption and resurgence not only for UK but for the whole SEC which placed just three teams in the NCAA last year. Tennessee, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt are very strong, experienced teams in the East that should go dancing. Mississippi State hopes to win the West behind Jarvis Varnado and Mississippi and Arkansas look to be much improved and can give any team in the SEC fits.
Predicted Champion:
Kentucky (NCAA Seed: 1) Kentucky returns Patrick Patterson and the core group of the team that won 22 games last season. The main loss for UK was Junior Jodie Meeks who went to the NBA, but in his place, UK added the number one recruiting class and hired head coach John Calipari. Obviously, Calipari faces the task of instilling a new offense with six new faces, but the Cats are so deep that Freshman Daniel Orton, a top 25 player, will have to battle for significant playing time. The Wildcats Achilles heel last year was at PG and UK added 2 of the top 4 freshman PG’s in John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. Talent and depth alone make this a top 10 team and if Calipari can install his DDMO effectively, this is a legitimate final four team.
Other NCAA Teams:
Tennessee (NCAA Seed: 3) Last year’s Volunteer may have underachieved, but they return all 5 seniors and are the SEC’s most experienced team. This team needs to gel defensively and if they can do that, they will be tough to beat. Tyler Smith and JP Prince are the heart and soul of this team and if Scotty Hopson can blossom, the Vols should hover around the top 10 all year.
Mississippi State (NCAA Seed: 4) Even without Renardo Sidney, MSU returns Jarvis Varnardo and four other starters. This may be one of the best defensive ball clubs in the SEC. G Dee Bost will look to establish himself as one of the top guards in the SEC.
South Carolina (NCAA Seed :6) Devan Downey and Dominique Archie are back at USC after their brief flirtation with the NBA and gives Darrin Horn a couple of the best guards in the SEC. Freshman Lakeem Jackson could be the big third option that South Carolina desperately needs.
This is only 4 of the 7 teams I picked for the NCAA tournament. To read the rest of the list, and the rest of my SEC preview article, head over to “Rush the Court” and make sure you bookmark their site as it is a great college hoops site.
http://rushthecourt.net/2009/11/03/2009-10-conference-primers-5-sec/#more-12365
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