If we can talk about how great the conference is for football, then surely we can talk about how BAD the conference is for basketball.


For example:

Louisville beats Arkansas 96-66

Wofford beats Georgia 60-57

Missouri St. beats Auburn 73-62

Rider beats Mississippi St. 88-74

This is a conference that only sent THREE teams to the NCAA tournament last season.

The re-emergence of Kentucky will definitely help, though they have to avoid let downs like they had against a tough Miami (OH) squad. Tennessee will have it's moment, but ultimately drop off again...

So, who will step up in this weak conference and challenge Kentucky?

I guess the season will have to play out.

Georgia is awful. Arkansas is average and severely undermanned. Auburn had their best year in 9 years last year and didn't even make the NCAA Tournament.

I'll give you the Mississippi State loss, that was bad, but the others (especially UGA and Auburn) were two teams who will do a lot of losing starting a bit early.

Then again, it's pretty clear that MSU without Sidney and Riek eligible aren't nearly as good as their ranking. If those guys suit up, it will be a different story.

How do you feel about a team like LSU?

I know they gave Carolina a tough 1st half last year in the tourney...

Florida could be solid too, but after that great class with Horford and Noah, I feel like they have/will fall back to nothing more than a consistent top 25 team..

LSU beat Western Kentucky tonight by 11. Nothing big, but WKU has a very good team and has done damage in the NCAA's the last 2 years. I expect them to be back this year.

LSU still has Tasmin Mitchell, and both Bo Spencer and Storm Warren are good players. They lost a LOT from a veteran team, and they will likely finish outside of the NCAA picture. However, Trent Johnson is a very good coach and LSU will continue to be solid.

Florida is probably the toughest team to pick. It's between them and South Carolina for 4th in the East and likely the 6th NCAA spot for the conference. Right now I'd give the edge to Florida if their big guys continue to develop. Tyus is a beast inside, and both Macklin and Kadji give them legit centers. South Carolina has the advantage in the backcourt, but with Walker/Boynton/Parsons and company, Florida COULD make some noise.

Here's a short preview of how I see it. I may do a more in-depth one as the season unfolds and I get bored just watching games

SEC Overall
1. Kentucky***
2. Tennessee***
3. Vanderbilt***
4. Mississippi State*** (could be higher if those guys get eligible)
5. Mississippi***
6. Florida**
7. South Carolina**
8. Arkansas**
9. LSU*
10. Alabama*
11. Auburn
12. Georgia

***NCAA Team
**Possible NCAA Team/NIT Team
*Possible Post-season Team

You may have seen me reference it all year, but the team I REALLY like is Vanderbilt. They are flying under the radar, but they have all the pieces in place, a GREAT homecourt advantage and a very quality coach. Tennessee and Kentucky will get all the headlines, but don't be surprised if Vandy is sitting with 10+ SEC wins when March comes around.

As for the SEC West, I think it's a mess right now and definitely could go in many directions. If MSU is at 100%, they are the clear favorites. If not, we might have another situation where the winner of the West wins 10 and things are really bunched up. Ole Miss and MSU should fight for the top spot, but LSU and Alabama are capable of winning against anyone, especially at home. Arkansas is a wild card team. If Fortson and Welsh are back, and Michael Sanchez can get healthy, the Hogs have the talent to make the NCAA's. They also could falter like a year ago and finish at the very bottom.

Bottom line for the SEC is that the East is going to be very strong. You might possibly have the top 5 in the conference in the East. The West has issues, most notably with Arkansas and Mississippi State. Lots of upside there, but too many ifs to make any bold predictions right now.

I will say that it's going to be a good year for the league, better than it has been for a little while, but like anything, it will take time for the national respect to return.

Azubuike24 wrote:
You may have seen me reference it all year, but the team I REALLY like is Vanderbilt. They are flying under the radar, but they have all the pieces in place, a GREAT homecourt advantage and a very quality coach. Tennessee and Kentucky will get all the headlines, but don't be surprised if Vandy is sitting with 10+ SEC wins when March comes around.

I was just getting ready to ask you what you thought about Vandy. Apparently they looked pretty good in a scrimmage against Carolina. The Heels are pretty inconsistent right now, but that still impresses me. I'm with you...I think they should have a pretty good season.

Yeah, I also agree about Vandy. Almost forgot about them.

I love their homecourt. One of the best homecourt advantages when that place is packed and the crowd is right there on you.

They have a solid head coach who has done some great things with that program in Kevin Stallings.

Big 10 fans try to find any way to bash the SEC because of how good they are in football. How convenient.

cats gone wild wrote: Big 10 fans try to find any way to bash the SEC because of how good they are in football. How convenient.

Big Ten?

I'm a UNC fan in basketball..

Nice try though.

It was obviously lighthearted, but if you can dish it, you can take it.