Georgia guard Jeremiah Wilkinson is one of the top scorers in the SEC, averaging 17.3 ppg for the 12-1 Bulldogs. This post features all 16 teams and quotes from each of the coaches. Photo by Georgia Athletics.
It has been half of a season already since the SEC placed an unprecedented 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament. In total, the 16 teams scheduled consistently tough pre-conference dates, which became one of the variables contributing to why the league didn’t fall from No. 1 in the KenPom.com ratings as it started atop the KenPom analytics and hasn’t fallen.
The following is a look at the teams and their rankings from www.kenpom.com.
Vanderbilt (12-0) – (8) 125.4 – Coach Mark Byington rebuilt Georgia Southern and James Madison, and now it seems that “Anchor Down” will be more than a simile for the Commodores with Coach Mark Byington in charge. The undefeated team has already earned its respect with wins over Saint Mary’s, SMU, VCU, Memphis, and the ‘Dores defeated Wake Forest, 98-67, before Christmas break. Vandy averages 94 ppg, seventh in CBB, and the Commodores hold opponents to 39 percent from the floor. Duke Miles leads four players in double figures, as he averages 17.1 ppg, and eight players average between 17.1 and 7.8 points per game.
“We were trying to find another combo-guard, and we had some analytics that said he could be better for us,” Byington said on the signing of Duke Miles.
Florida (8-4) – (24) 121.2 – The Gators may be lying in the salty SEC waters waiting after their four combined losses were by 15 points to Arizona, UConn, Duke, and TCU. Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland and Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee are establishing themselves at guard, while Florida boasts the deepest post game in the nation with Thomas Hough, Alex Condon, Rueben Chuinyelu, and Micah Handlogten inside. Haugh is a swingman who can play any of the five positions on the floor and is a tough matchup, night after night. Like Alabama, the Gators look to force more turnovers, but Florida averages 46 rebounds per game and outrebounds its opponents by 16 per evening.
“Multiple guys are getting more comfortable,” Florida coach Todd Golden noted. “Looking forward to coming back, playing Dartmouth, and then getting into SEC play and seeing how we look against some better competition.”
Tennessee (9-3) – (15) 25.41 – The Volunteers once again have a defensive squad that can lead to a potential SEC title and a Top 10 position, which will give them a huge opportunity for another deep March run. Guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie and freshman Nate Ament are currently the key scorers. Coach Rick Barnes is an excellent recruiter who has fit a collective group in the post led by JP Estrella, Vandy transfer Jalen Carey, and Felix Okpara, who have different strengths and abilities to make a tough matchup in the post. Bishop Boswell, Amari Evans, and Amaree Abram fit well as shooting guards, while Ament is the consummate swingman. Tennessee leads the nation in offensive rebound percentage, as the Vols find 44.6 percent per game.
Coach Barnes on the entry of Clarence Massamba and his opportunities to play: “I stand there every day and watch him start practicing, just the short shooting or whatever drill we’re in, he just goes at it maybe harder than anybody on the team. When you got a guy like that, just there’s something in your gut that says we’ve got to give him a chance to get out there.”
Alabama (9-3) – (17) 24.36 – The Crimson Tide is again one of the top offensive teams in CBB as Alabama averages 77 possessions per game while consuming 14.5 seconds per possession. The Tide looks to force more than 11.1 turnovers per game. Alabama shoots 12-of-35 from three during each game. Labaron Philon (21.9 ppg, 5.6 apg) and Aden Holloway (16.7 ppg, 3.7 apg) are Coach Nate Oats’ top scorers and top assist men. Alabama has an impressive win over St. John’s in MSG, while suffering losses at Arizona and vs. Gonzaga at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Oats, after the 95-75 loss to Arizona: “We’ve got rebounding issues. Until we fix them, we’re not really gonna be able to beat a good team. We lost the rebounds by 20 again. This has been a recurring issue with us.”
Kentucky (9-4) – (19) 22.99 – Getting Jayden Quaintenance into the middle may change the matchups and make Kentucky a tougher team, game by game. Getting Quaintenance into the power forward slot with Kam Williams and Mouhamed Dioubate brings more depth to the position. These are three differently skilled players who may have given Coach Mark Pope’s team a chance to finish in the league’s Top 4. Otega Oweh continues to lead the Wildcats in scoring with 14.2 ppg. Kentucky shoots 59 percent from the two-point range while outrebounding opponents by 5.6 per night.
“They’ve been through a lot emotionally,” Pope said after the Wildcats’ 99-85 win over Bellarmine. “They’ve taken some hits, and they’ve responded really, really well. I’m really proud of this group in the sense of how they responded over the last three weeks.”
Georgia (11-1) – (25) – 21.61 – Coach Mike White has turned the Bulldogs into an offensive juggernaut that scores 99.1 ppg to lead college basketball while capitalizing on 68.2 shots. White’s teams are known for defense, and their opponents average just 39.1 percent from the floor. Jeremiah Wilkinson has played as a first-team all-SEC performer by averaging 18 ppg. Shooter Blue Cain is a defense’s responsibility in posting 16 ppg. The Bulldogs have won five in a row by going over 100 points in three of the matchups.
“Until we get to the point where I feel like we need to shorten it to nine or 10 guys, or eight or nine guys, we’re going to continue to play the way we’re playing,” explained White. “I like the 11 we’re playing a lot. They all have bright futures.”
Arkansas (9-3) – (28) 20.80 – Coach John Calipari was able to keep Billy Richmond, III, Trevon Brazile, and DJ Wagner, giving the Razorbacks a nice nucleus of returnees. At the same time, the addition of stellar true freshman Darius Acuff, Jr., (18.9 ppg) leads the Hogs in scoring, while freshman and another valiant frosh Meleek Thomas (14.2 ppg) joins Brazile (14.2 ppg) as the second leading scorers. Arkansas’ defense would look to force more turnovers (11.9 ppg) to keep the pace and tempo at a high level.
“In that first 10 minutes, we had more turnovers than the average, and for the last 30 minutes, we only had three, commented Coach Cal. “But by that time, we were down 18, and we were missing free throws.”
Auburn (8-4) – (37) – 18.82 – Point guard Tahaad Pettiford is the lone returnee in last season’s rotation, where Keyshawn Hall and Kevin Overton transferred from UCF and Texas Tech, respectively, to form a dynamic Tigers backcourt. Defending will need to be where the Tigers make the most progress, since opponents score 76.8 ppg and find 61.8 field goal attempts. The Tigers have three losses to top-rated Arizona, Michigan, and Purdue by an average of 29 ppg.
“He can be that third scorer for us,” said coach Steven Pearl on Overton’s impact. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. If he can see it, he can make it, which is great. I don’t know how many threes he made against NC State, but I think he’s made 10-12 threes in his last few games in Neville.”
LSU (12-1) – (38) – 18.69 – The Tigers get those 12 quick wins with a remade roster that includes transfer guard Dedan Thomas, Jr., (16.2 ppg) from UNLV and 6-11 Mississippi State transfer Michael Nwoko (16.1 ppg) at center. The Tigers shoot 51.2 percent from the field and outrebound their opponents by 9.1 per game.
“I thought our guys came back from Christmas break hungry,” said coach Matt McMahon, after LSU’s 90-62 mastery of Southern Miss. “There was some disappointment and some things that happened on the defensive side of the ball in our last game before the break, and our guys did a good job of taking that challenge tonight to hold Southern Miss to 30 percent from the floor and 20% from three.
Texas (9-4) – (47) +16.07 – New coach Sean Miller has Texas playing at a fast pace by supplementing the tempo with 7-0, 245, Lithuanian center Matas Vokietaitis as a major inside threat. Vokietaitis leads in scoring with 15.8 ppg as he makes 66.7 percent of his shots. Forward Dailyn Swain and guard Jordan Pope find the most shots per game, as Pope makes 38.8 percent of his threes and Swain uses his athleticism to invent shots inside. Miller will look for the Longhorns’ guards to force more turnovers as Texas is responsible for only 11.3 per game, 285th in college basketball.
“We have to be able to be better,” said Coach Miller about the Longhorns’ defense after their 94-71 over Maryland-Eastern Shore. “We have to be able to guard the ball. We have to be able to guard the low post at both the four and the five position. I thought they were the bigger, stronger team, the more physical team.”
Texas A&M – (10-3) – (50) +15.90 – Coach Bucky McMillan moved into College Statikon from Samford, where he brought the Bulldogs to the top of the Southern Conference. McMillan features an attacking offensive approach where the Aggies’ average 14.7 seconds per possession (4th/CBB), which leads the college basketball at 22.1 apg. Rashaun Agee is the primary playmaker with 8.2 apg, while Ruben Dominguez makes 47 percent of his three-point field goals, leading the Aggies in scoring with 13.7 ppg. Indiana transfer Mackenzie Mgbako has a fractured footand is out for the season.
“It won’t affect his career, but he’ll be out the rest of the season,” said McMillan, on Mgbako’s injury. “What a soldier fighting through that for this team. We’re going to miss him; he makes a huge impact. We’ve got to step it up.”
Oklahoma – (10-3) – (53) + 15.07 – Porter Moser has the Sooners back in the mix despite losing Jeremiah Fears to the first round draft pick of the New Orleans Pelicans. Former Miami guard Nijel Pack (16.3 ppg) leads the Sooners in scoring, with St. Joseph’s transfer Xzaivier Brown (15.4 ppg) beside him on the perimeter. The Rebs have one of the top offensive teams in the nation, but defensively, Oklahoma has allowed only 42 percent from the field. Oklahoma opens SEC play against Ole Miss before roadies at Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
Moser on signing Russian power forward Kirilli Elatontsev: “He gives us depth at the five-spot, which is key since the SEC is one of the best rebounding leagues in the country. He’s older and has played against really good competition, which will also help us in league play.”
Ole Miss – (8-5) – (57) + 13.58 – Coach Chris Beard lost a plethora of players from last season’s Sweet 16 team, which dropped a 73-70 loss to Michigan State in overtime as they were close to meeting Auburn in Atlanta in the Elite Eight. The Rebs attack with a slower tempo, which allows Malik Dia to score on the boxes or in the paint as a top option. Ole Miss looks for Kansas transfer AJ Storr to pick up his offensive play as he is second in scoring at 11.8 per game, but has made only 6-of-18 field goal attempts with 17 points in the OM’s last three games.
“When we won the second half by seven points, we could play different players,” said Beard on the lackadaisical play from his team in a recent 76-62 loss to NC State. “We can fix the effort, and it will be fixed.”
Missouri – (10-3) – (64) +12.43 – The Tigers are a tough matchup with Mark Mitchell commanding the paint, as Mizzou shoots at 60.7 percent from inside the three-point line. Anthony Robinson, II, and Jacob Crews join Michell in averaging 42 points and 18 rebounds per game. The Tigers can improve at defending the three since opponents make 36.8 percent of their shots.
“Our entire team has been put together a certain way,” said coach Dennis Gates. “When you lose a guy (Trent Pierce) that has not played this season, and he’s a starter in the SEC, that’s an advantage with length, shooting ability,” he said, “Jayden Stone, the same way. Look at his shooting percentage; you have to have both Stone and (Jacob Crews) in the game to open up things.”
Mississippi State (8-5) – (82) +10.50 – The Bulldogs have been unpredictable, but they may have been able to improve during Christmas break, including in a 71-66 win over Memphis. The backcourt of Josh Hubbard (21.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.8 apg) and Jayden Epps (15.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.6 apg) must score consistently and efficiently to compensate for the Bulldogs’ struggle in forcing turnovers, and Mississippi State outrebounds opponents by just 2.2 per contest.
Coach Chris Jans on entering SEC play: “It’s going to be hard, and we’re going to play against the best of the best, but it’s time. I know our guys are excited, and we’re going to have to play our best every single opportunity, but it’s that time of year, and here we go.”
South Carolina (9-5) – (85) +10.09 – The Gamecocks’ nine wins have been against one-bid league programs, as Butler, Northwestern, Clemson, and Virginia Tech squeaked by South Carolina. Guard Meechie Johnson transferred back to Columbia from Ohio State, leading with 14.6 ppg while facilitating the offense and 3.8 assists per game.
“The real growth for us, minus the offensive rebounds, was on the defensive side,” said coach Lamont Paris. “We had some real growth; mistakes were still made, but some things we were trying to get guys to do, they really worked hard over the Christmas break to try to improve and commit to doing the things that make them uncomfortable.”
‘