By Ken Cross
SEC Basketball is at an all-time high. Saturday’s games marked the halfway point of the conference season, and the sprint toward March continues on Tuesday.
ESPN college basketball analysts Joe Lunardi and Andy Katz have 13 teams in the field, Jerry Palm Show 11 on CBSSports.com, and Ken Pom ranks the SEC at a paltry 21.45 in net rating. The Big Ten (17.86) and Big 12 (17.12) are well behind the SEC in second and third, respectively.
Twelve teams seem certain, but Arkansas, even without freshman leader Boogie Fland, could make a second-half run after John Calipari’s Razorbacks secured an 89-79 victory at Kentucky during Coach Cal’s first trip back to Lexington.
Auburn, Alabama Projected with 1-seeds: In starting February, Auburn and Alabama are easily a pair of one-seeds after the Tigers started 20-1 while the Crimson Tide are 19-2.
Auburn has potentially an 11-man rotation and can wear teams down with their defense which allows only 39.7 percent from the floor and the Tigers outscore opponents by 18 points per game, averaging 84.5 points per game.
Bruce Pearl and his staff have devised a rotation where players achieved when potential National Player of the Year Johni Broome was out with an ankle injury for a pair of games. This team has several players who can step up and lead as Broom finished with a triple-double in a 92-82 win at Ole Miss where Chad Baker-Mazara, the team’s second-leading scorer, netted 18 points.
Point guard Mark Sears is also a solid leader and Alabama coach Nate Oats uses him and 6-10 Grant Nelson as an inside-outside combination that generally causes matchup problems as they are catalysts on offense.
Nine players average double figures in minutes while the Crimson Tide average 90.2 points per game, leading college basketball. The idea of being able to outrun them is a tough assignment, but that track meet still incurs. On defense, the Tide lead the game in allowing 69 shots per game, the most in the game. Alabama while gives up 78.7 points (330th/CBB), but it equates to a 19-2 record.
Vols, Gators in Mix for Top Seeds: Florida handed then-No. 1 Tennessee its first loss in early January in a 73-43 domination, but the Vols returned the favor with a 64-44 win at Tennessee on Saturday. A vintage Rick Barnes defense slowed the Gators running game and held them to 24.5 percent from the floor.
Interestingly, the win came without point guard Zakai Zeigler and power forward Igor Milicic who are two key starters that areout win injuries.
North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier in a sweet shooter who leads Tennessee in scoring at 17.9 ppg.
This defense is impeccably good as it leads the game in only allowing 36.1 percent from the field and it gives up just 58.6 points (3rd/CBB).
The Gators have clearly played as one of the top five teams in college basketball with a three-guard offense that shows point guard Walter Clayton, Jr., with Alijah Martin and Will Richard on the wings.
Several teams have shown defensive actions where they try to pick the Gators’ guards up around the three-point line. This enables one-on-one matchups for Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh inside. Both have solid post moves, can hit the three, and find offensive rebounds. Both excellent passers to find shooters on the opposite side of the floor.
Florida joins Alabama in the track meets as coach Todd Golden has become one of the premiere architects of the dunning game as the Gators offensive tempo sits at 15.9 seconds. The Gators defense has moved forward in pursuing a 37.9 opponents percentage.
Both of the Gators and Vols teams seem to be a 2-seed, but no lower than a 3-seed.
The league generally sees 13 teams able to all of generally follow losses with bounce-back wins.
Aggies, Mizzou Tough Outs: Texas A&M should step in as a 4-seed. The Aggies feel like a sleeper with a strong defense that forces turnovers and leads the nation in offensive rebounding at 16.4 per night.
The return of dramatic guard Wade Taylor from injury alongside Manny Obaseki in the backcourt allows for a tough matchup for opponents.
Missouri should join the Aggies as a 4-seed as the Tigers have erased an 0-18 league record from a season as Coach Dennis Gates remade the team into a contender.
The Tigers are as physical of a team as we see in the college game with Mark Mitchell and Trent Pierce, who can hit three, on the inside. They complement shooters Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill on the perimeter.
Missouri is a solid shooting team, at 48.6 percent in averaging 83 points per night.
Magnolia and Blue Grass: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Kentucky step in as either 5-seeds or 6-seeds.
The Bulldogs have one of the top point guards in Josh Hubbard, who leads MSU in scoring and has found 71 triples so far. He is also an excellent playmaker and defender.
The size of Cam Matthews and KeShawn Murphy allows Chris Jans’ team to be tougher on interior defense although Mississippi State has to be careful about giving up the three.
Chris Beard has done an excellent job rebuilding Ole Miss. Known as a defensive coach, he has led the Rebels to effectively contain their opponents, allowing only 22.7 shots made per game (31st in CBB).
Virginia Tech transfer Sean Pedulla has led the Rebels in scoring (15.9 ppg.) with Matthew Murrell, Jaylen Murray, and Jamey Brakefiel averaging double figures.
At Kentucky, coach Mark Pope has added players who connect as San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler has been injured, but is a difference-maker for the Wildcats.
These ‘Cats are another top-scoring SEC team (87.2 ppg.), but they allow 76.5 points where opponents find 62.4 shots attempts. It’s a challenge for them to defend as we last saw on Saturday night vs. Arkansas.
Kentucky moved into the Top 5, but the Wildcats have lost three out of their last four games. The rigors of the SEC have become an issue, especially in matching up with the versatility of many of these offenses.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State have had a tough stretch. The Bulldogs have lost five of seven, while the Rebs have dropped four of their last five, two of which were possession games.
That means nothing when they match up with teams outside of the league, who may be quality squads, but have not faced this type of competition, night in, night out.
Texas and Oklahoma are in their opening season of SEC play while Vanderbilt has enjoyed a much-needed upgrade across the program as Mark Byington has remade the Commodores.
Drop The Anchor: Vanderbilt had won three of its last five as the Commodores defeated Tennessee and Kentucky at home on back-to-back weekends.
The ‘Dores shoot it well since guard Jason Edwards pairs with Devin McGlockton as the top two scorers. Edwards makes 37 percent of his three-point attempts while McGlockton makes 62.2 percent of his shot attempts.
Vanderbilt values the basketball as an excellent passing team that finds its threes (25.6/game) and has only turned it over ten times (336th/CBB) per game. The ‘Dores should check in as a 6-seed/7-seed.
Texas point guard Tre Johnson is posted assuredly a one-and-done performer while Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears could also fall into that position.
The Longhorns is a strong shooting team that takes care of the ball as well with Arthur Kaluma’s athletic ability in the open floor combined with his rebounding presence.
The Sooners enjoy a surging offense as leading scorer Jalen Moore combines with Fears as a one-two punch for Coach Porter Moser.
Dogs and Hogs: Georgia has opened eyes, winning 14 of its first 15 although the Bulldogs have fallen in five of their last six contests.
Calipari is one of the best coaches in the history of the game and is a majorly tough out when his back is to the wall. The Razorbacks are currently 2-6 in the league and Saturday’s win over Kentucky could start a mid-to-late season roll, even with Fland out of the lineup.