Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: Cats are team to beat in a way too early look at SEC East
By Paul Jordan
1. KENTUCKY WILDCATS
Last season: 29-9 (10-6)
SEC Tournament Champions, NCAA Final Four
Who did they lose? Brandon Knight (17.5ppg), Josh Harrellson (7.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg), DeAndre Liggins (8.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Key returnees: Terrence Jones (15.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg), Doron Lamb (12.3 ppg), Darius Miller (10.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
New on campus (all ratings per Rivals): #2 Anthony Davis, #3 Michael Gilchrist, #5 Marquis Teague, #22 Kyle Wiltjer, Twany Beckham
In John Calipari’s third season in Lexington, he combines his best returning cast with his best recruiting class and expectations are sky high. Kentucky has more experience to battle the road woes that plagued this last year and it is hard to see an Achilles heel on this team. Kentucky will enter the 2011-2012 season as the overwhelming SEC favorite and one of the co-favories to win the National Title.
2. VANDERBILT COMMODORES
Last season: 23-11 (9-7)
NCAA Tournament
Who did they lose? Chris Meriwether (0.2 ppg), Joe Duffy (1.8 ppg)
Key returnees: John Jenkins (19.5 ppg), Jeffrey Taylor (14.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Festus Ezeli (13.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Brad Tinsley (10.6 ppg, 4.6 apg)
New on campus (all ratings per Rivals): #63 Dai-Jon Parker, #80 Kedren Johnson, Shelby Moats
Last season ended with frustration for the Commodores, but look for them to grow on that frustration this season and become a contender for the SEC East Title yet again. Vanderbilt returns virtually the same team that won 23 games last season. minus two seniors that rarely played, and they replace those seniors wih two of the top 80 recruits in the country. Vandy is solid inside. They are slid outside. Beware the Commodores this year.
3. FLORIDA GATORS
Last season: 29-8 (13-3)
SEC Champions, NCAA Elite Eight
Who did they lose? Alex Tyus (9.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Vernon Macklin (11.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Chandler Parsons (11.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Key returnees: Erving Walker (14.6 ppg), Kenny Boynton (14.2 ppg)
New on campus (all ratings per Rivals): #4 Bradley Beal, PF Walter Pitchford, Mike Rosario
It’s going to be a new look Gators team this year as they lost their entire frontcourt to graduation. Patric Young and Erik Murphy will be expected to grow up quickly and fill the void. Mike Rosario will add some stability to an erratic backcourt and the Gators are stacked at the guard position with Bradley Beal coming to Gainesville. They Gators have lots of young talent that will need to step up, but that does not always equal success. I’m not as high on UF nationally as some, but they should give Vandy a very good run for second in the East.
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4. GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Last season: 21-12 (9-7)
NCAA Tournament
Who did they lose? Travis Leslie (14.4ppg, 7.2 rpg), Trey Thompkins (16.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg), Jeremy Price (9.3 ppg 5 rpg), Chris Barnes (3.3 ppg),
Key returnees: Gerald Robinson (12.2ppg), Dustin Ware (8.0 ppg)
New on campus (all ratings per Rivals): #12 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tim Dixon, Nemanja Djurisic, John Cannon, John Florveus
Mark Fox has his work cut out this season if the Bulldogs are to make the NCAA Tournament again. He was hit hard by the NBA defections of Leslie and Thompkins, but he has a very solid recruiting class to build around. Gerald Robinson is a solid PG to rebuild around but the Bulldogs can not afford a slow learning curve by the freshmen.
5. SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Last season: 14-16 (5-11)
Who did they lose? Sam Muldrow (11.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Johndre Jefferson (1.7 ppg)
Key returnees: Bruce Ellington (12.8 ppg), Ramon Galloway (10.7 ppg) Malik Cooke (9.4 ppg), Lakeem Jackson (7.8 ppg)
New on campus (all ratings per Rivals): #85 Damien Leonard, #144 Anthony Gill, Brenton Williams
If you are looking for a darkhorse team in the East, look no further than the Gamecocks. They return four of their top five players and have a solid young nucleus. Also Anthony Gill is rated as a top 100 recruit by ESPN, so it is a pretty solid incoming class.
6. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Last season: 19-15 (8-8)
NCAA Tournament
Who did they lose? Scotty Hopson (17 ppg), Tobias Harris (15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Melvin Goins (7.9 ppg), Michael Hubert (0.3 ppg), Brian Williams (6.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Josh Bone (3.2 ppg), John Fields (2.6 ppg), Steven Pearl (1.9 ppg)
Key returnees: Cameron Tatum (8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), Skylar McBee (3.0 ppg)
New on campus (all ratings per Rivals): #47 Chris Jones, #124 Josh Richardson, Wesley Washpun, Quinton Chievous
It’s going to be a looooong season in Knoxville as anyone who was anyon left Knoxville via graduation or NBA desertion. It’s a bad thing when Skylar McBee is your second leading scorer returning. Jones and Richardson will have to grow up in a hurry, but this could be a bad season of historic proportions for the Vols.
That’s it for the East. We w
ill take a look at the West in a week or so.
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