It seems impossible, but we’ve already played a quarter of this college basketball season. Most of the Marquee non-conference games are behind us, with league play looming in less than three weeks. The SEC has already seen a number of big wins, mind-boggling losses and significant injuries that have shifted the balance of power in a month.This feels like a good opportunity to revisit our thoughts before the season Reset your expectations before the most important game.
Believe it or not, it looks like we were wrong on some counts. Or at least let the gun fly. Kentucky, our pick to win the SEC, was the last heavy hitter in the league to win a quality win (against Michigan in London last weekend), it remains to be seen how they will score against top competition.The 16th-placed Wildcats are behind 7th TennesseeNo.8 AlabamaNo. 9 Arkansas, No. 11 auburn In the latest AP poll.Texas A&M and florida Much worse than expected Missouri (9-0) and Mississippi (8-0) is much improved. After his 18-16 season without Ben Howland, the Bulldogs are already back in the AP Top 25 under Chris Jans.
They, like most of the top half of the SEC, are doing it for defense. Six league teams ranked in the top 20 nationally Bart Torvik’s Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating: No. 2 Tennessee, No. 4 Auburn, No. 7 Mississippi, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 17 Alabama, No. 20 kentuckyThere’s only one offense in the top 20 right now, and rightly so… No. 9 Missouri. Dennis Gates has breathed new life into the Tigers, with a very weak schedule at the moment (KenPom ranks the schedule his 361st among his 363 Division I teams). tigers.
see in numbers
1⃣2⃣ One of the 12 remaining undefeated national players
3⃣4⃣ in the first NET ranking announced today
3⃣6⃣ inch https://t.co/dV3HSKaXxt power ranking
4⃣5⃣ in the Rothstein 45 power rankings𝟵-𝟬 #Ms 🐯 pic.twitter.com/sypgVnmEXo
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) December 5, 2022
Speaking of which, here’s a quick rundown of all the SEC team’s best wins, assuming there’s one that qualifies: Tennessee (Kansas When USC), Alabama (Michigan When north carolina), Arkansas (San Diego), Kentucky (Michigan), Auburn (St. Louis), Mississippi (Marquette), Missouri (Wichita), ole miss (Stanford), Florida (Florida), vanderbilt (Pittsburgh) When south carolina (Clemson). There is no “best” win LSUsA&M or Georgia.
LSU lost 7-1 by 2 points Kansas Under new coach Matt McMahon, who is doing a very good job, the Tigers haven’t had a single Top 100 win. Aggiesloser malay state, colorado When Boise StateIn the spirit of the holidays, let’s just say: Buzz, your resume, woof. And buddy, we don’t want to hear that on Selection Sunday. But what about the (new) Fighting Mike Whites? UGA lost wake forest, Georgia Tech When UAB (by 14), no top 200 wins. Bad in Athens, not so good in Columbia, SC. Aside from a rather baffling victory over an in-state rival, the Gamecocks have been terrible.they lost Davidson Furman by 9, George Washington by 19, George Washington by 24, Colorado By 32.
Five-star freshman GG Jackson’s talents may be wasted at USC, but he’s still a lot of fun to watch. Let the young man do the cooking. In fact, there are several children in the kitchen around SEC. Blue Chipper is mostly advertised.of Alabama Brandon Miller (19.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3 to 46.6%), Tennessee Julian Phillips (12.5ppg, 5.7rpg, 2.1apg), Arkansas Nick Smith Jr. (38 points, 8 assists, 2 turnovers in 2 games since returning from injury) Anthony Black (13.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.8 spg, 3 to 40.7%), Kentucky’s Kayson Wallace (11.0 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.1 rpg, 2.6 spg, 3 to 50%) are all instant stars.
Deeper
‘Kentucky’s Ceiling Is Caisson:’ Freshman Guard Can Define Path For Wildcats
The transfer market is also good for the SEC. Arkansas guard Rick Council IV (Wichita State University) is second in the league in points. of LSUs Adam Miller (Illinois) is fourth in scoring after missing out on injury last season.co-stars in Baton Rouge KJ Williams (Murray), averaging 16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. He followed his coach to LSU. Domoy Hodge (Cleveland) followed Gates in Missouri, averaging 16.7 points and shooting 40.1%. Antonio Reeves (Illinois) and Alabama Mark Sears (Ohio). Ask a mid-major player who makes a high-major impact. Johnny Bloom (Morehead) lead the league in blocked shots (3.4 per game), with Auburn averaging nearly double-doubles.
Meanwhile, the most notable intra-league transfers are — Trevon Brazil It’s also the biggest injury news of the season so far, from Missouri to Arkansas. he is out this year The Razorbacks had a torn ACL after a hot start, and their Final Four aspirations were hit hard by the news.Less severely, the injury bug bit a few contenders. Josiah-Jordan James for 4 games Santiago Vescovi Two (and counting). Kentucky started the season without the SEC’s best rebounder. Oskar Zibwetwice assist leader servile wheelerThey’re both back, but Tshiebwe isn’t back to winning the unanimous Player of the Year award.
The only SEC player currently in the top 10 of Ken Pomeroy’s stat-based Player of the Year race is a surprise: Mississippi Senior Toll SmithThe 6-foot-10-inch, 245-pound center is averaging 16.3 points, 10 rebounds and 2.1 assists, perhaps the most surprising team in the league. And where does Bulldog fit in the formidable SEC? A quick summary of the current NCAA Tournament hopefuls in order of their current state (subjective):
Tennessee (8-1)
The Volunteers suffered a bizarre (really bizarre) 12-point loss to Colorado in Nashville, but then they won Butler, Southern Cal and Kansas contiguous in the Bahamas. They held the current national champion Jayhawks to 50 total points, the lowest points per possession during the Bill Self era. It’s very impressive. They rank among the top five nationally in field goal ERA, stolen base percentage, and points allowed (51.5 per game). No, but they still look like a team that could win the league. Plus, he has two big pre-SEC opportunities awaiting him. Maryland (Neutral) on Sunday, December 17 in Arizona.
Alabama (7-1)
The Crimson Tide put the hay in the barn at PK85 in Portland, beating the Spartans and preseason No. 1 UNC in their dumbest game so far this season. Their only loss is against a very good, still undefeated Connecticut team. And Nate Oats’ team continues the non-conference challenge.As of Saturday, Alabama is currently No. 1 houstonat home against Memphis and against Birmingham Gonzaga — All in one week. Oates’ team is focused on offense in his 3s and layups, but he’s also focused on defense, ranking among the top five in blocked shots and the top 20 in D field goal percentage.
Arkansas (8-1)
It’s hard to know where to slot the Razorbacks right now. They played their first six games without Smith, who might be the best freshman in the country, and lost Brazil this season. smoked Louisville The team defeated a quality San Diego State team on Maui, losing in a shootout to Clayton. There, it was easy to squint to see a potential Final Four, but then the 4-6 UNC-Greensboro now stands as his team defeated Arkansas State and Brazil were eliminated. You are in wait-and-see mode. The Hoggs still have the most talented roster in the league.
Kentucky (6-2)
John Calipari’s exceptional run as the Wildcats won National Player of the Year (Tshiebwe), SEC Assist Leader (Wheeler), Missouri Valley’s second-leading scorer (Reeves) and two McDonald’s All-Americans. The hype was understandably high for a veteran player. team. They then missed a chance to defeat Michigan State in the Champions’ Classic, embarrassing Gonzaga, making London’s match against Michigan his best must-win of early December. Kentucky earned it, if not in a completely reassuring way. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but this roster should be enough to challenge his SEC crown. UCLA December 17th at Madison Square Garden is your last chance to win big before the league.
Auburn (8-0)
Who Needs Walker Kessler? Led by Bloom, the Tigers are by a wide margin ranked #1 in the nation for blocked shots per game (8.2). Their best win is pretty underwhelming. Northwest in a neutral court victory over Rock Fight and St. Louis. But we’ll soon find out if Bruce Pearl’s latest team is legal. Until proven otherwise, consider us skeptics of the Wendell Green/KD Johnson backcourt.
Mississippi (8-0)
In addition to quality wins over Marquette, Utah On a neutral court – and acknowledging the fact that the rest of the wins are against really bad competition – it’s wild what the Bulldogs are doing for defense under Jans. 55 points or less, ranking second nationally in scoring defense and fourth in field goal percentage defense. Oregon Migration Dashawn Davis A deadeye shooter and a solid sidekick for Smith, who was a monster in the paint. MSU won’t try again outside of a conference, so Jans could head his 12-0 side to league play, where a rude awakening could be waiting. The Bulldogs begin his SEC schedule in Alabama and Tennessee (Knoxville).
Missouri (9-0)
They are not played by anyone. Wichita State’s win is great, but every other player the Tigers have won so far ranks from his 200s to his 300s. Still, it’s impressive that Gates ranks this team second nationally in points scored (93 ppg) and first in steals per game (14.1). They turn your mistakes into their transitional giveaways, and they also make more of his 3-pointers than anyone in the conference. However, some extensive testing has been done. Kansas on Saturday, Illinois on Dec. 22, and the SEC openers against Kentucky and Arkansas.
(Tennessee photo Tyreek Quay: Randy Sartin / USA Today)
