Kentucky Wildcats
NCAA Tourney Contenders and Pretenders
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NCAA tournament begins this week. This is the biggest sporting event other than the Super Bowl. Let’s take a look at some of the teams from around the Southeast that made it in.
The Pretenders…
Georgia State: The Panthers (24-10) won the Sun Belt conference tournament. Coach Ron Hunter also led GSU to the tournament in 2015. GA State is the No. 15 seed in the South bracket and they play No. 2 seed Cincinnati. This would be a huge upset but I don’t see that happening.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide (19-15) snuck in the tournament. They finished 9th in a pretty weak conference. Advancing to the SEC Championship game is why they are in.
Freshman sensation Collin Sexton will be an NBA lottery pick in this year’s draft. Bama is the No.9 seed in the East and they face No. 8 Virginia Tech in the first round. I think they will win that game but they would play No. 1 Villanova in the next round. Their dreams will end after that game.
Arkansas: It must seem like I’m just picking on the SEC. The Razorbacks (23-11) finished fourth in the SEC. They are also in the East region and the No. 7 seed. They face No. 10 Butler and that will be a tough game. If they win they should face No. 2 Purdue in the second round. That means exit stage left.
Florida State: Another football school is having a resurgent year on the court. The Seminoles (20-11) are No. 9 in the West and take on No. 8 Mizzou. Talented freshman Michael Porter Jr. is returning from injury so I’m not sure if he will be rusty. The 6’10 forward was the top recruit in the country for the class of 2018 so he will give Missouri a great chance to win the game.
Clemson: honestly if this was a team with a winning history I would be more confident. The Tigers (23-9) had a very good year and finished third in the ACC. In the Midwest region they are the dreaded fifth seed. The twelve versus five game typically has several upsets each year. They will play New Mexico State. If they win they face the winner of No. 4 Auburn and No. 13 Charleston. I actually like their chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen but not beyond that.
The contenders…
Kentucky: The Wildcats (24-10) had a very inconsistent. They finished the regular season fourth in the conference but won the SEC tournament. Coach Cal always complains about seeding but he actually has a point this year. Kentucky is the fifth seed in the South and play No. 12 Davidson in the opening round. Round 2 should be against No. 4 Arizona.
The Wildcats recruit so well that they are more talented than most teams they play.
Duke: The Blue Devils are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest and they play No. 15 Iona in the first round. They would get the Oklahoma/Rhode Island match up in the second round. This is another blue blood program that has top 3 recruiting classes every year.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are the defending national champions. They have the No. 2 seed in the West and take on No. 15 Lipscomb. They will get the Texas A&M/Providence winner.
UNC isn’t as good they were last year but they have upperclassman leadership. They advanced to the national championship the past two years and look to make a new dynasty.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When people bring up “March Madness” they’re generally talking about the NCAA Tournament; no groundbreaking news there.
However, with the way this season has played out, the “madness” part may begin a week earlier with the conference tournaments, especially in the SEC.
Over the past 8 seasons, the tournament has basically belonged to Kentucky. They’ve won five titles within that time frame (including the last three) and have made it to the finals in two of the three years they didn’t win it all.
Certainly, the Wildcats have as good a chance as anyone to extend their streak of conference titles to four; the main difference being there are six or seven other teams who have just as good a chance to win.
Currently, the eight teams that are ranked 3-11 are within two games of each other heading down the stretch. The four teams tied for third are only one game out of second. Basically, it’s about as evenly matched as it’s been in years.
Auburn has been the best and most complete team throughout the year. They lead the conference in scoring and have been tremendous on the road and in neutral site games. Their defense and focus has been a little suspect at times, but when they are engaged, they’re good enough to beat anyone.
Tennessee, with Rick Barnes and his desire to only coach teams with orange color jerseys, have struggled a little bit of late, but are arguably the best defensive team in the conference. If they can find some rhythm on the offensive end, they’ll be a tough out.
Arkansas is pretty much what you would expect; they’re going to score a lot of points and odds are, they’ll allow a lot of scoring, too. The question is can they work out their defensive issues between now and the tournament.
Missouri and Alabama are kind of in the same boat, in the sense that both teams have some really impressive wins- especially Alabama- but then they’ll both inexcusably lay an egg against a less talented team. As weird as it may sound, if I’m a fan of either team, I’d be more worried about their opening round game than anything.
When it comes to Florida it’s pretty simple; are they hitting their outside shots? If so, they are one of the better teams in the conference. When they’re not, they’re basically Ole Miss, but with a coach.
If the conference tournament were played in Starkville, I’d probably give Mississippi State the edge to win the whole damn thing; they’ve only lost once at home all season.
Unfortunately for Bulldog fans, the tournament isn’t even in the state of Mississippi and MSU has been down right abysmal away from home. Maybe someone will spray paint the Scottrade Center maroon and white?
Of course, this leads us to Kentucky. On one hand, you have to respect Calipari and his ability to get the most out of his teams come tournament time. On the other hand, I’m just not sure there’s enough talent on this team to run the table.
Combine all these things and the SEC tournament should be one of the more interesting and unpredictable conference tournaments.
For a league that has been dominated by one team in recent years, and plays second fiddle to their football programs, this type of excitement may just be what’s needed.
Then again, if it doesn’t have quite the drama I’m expecting, spring football is just a little more than a month away.
SEC Hardwood
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re starting to get close to conference play in college basketball.
The SEC is the deepest it has been in years. There are currently four teams ranked in the top 25 and at least two more that may join them. I’m going to take a look at these teams.
#8 Kentucky: The Wildcats (8-1) have the same story year after year. They’ve been the gold standard in the conference since the 1920’s. Ever since coach John Calipari came to Lexington in 2009 they’ve been the poster child for the ‘one and done’ players. They reload every season with a top 5 recruiting class and this year is no different.
The 2017 recruiting class was ranked second in the nation with six 5 star recruits. The only loss was to #12 Kansas by four points. The next three games are against Virginia Tech, UCLA and in-state rival Louisville.
SEC play begins December 31st at home against Georgia. I expect Kentucky to be the best team in the SEC again. They should make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
#9 Texas A&M: The Aggies (8-1) are off to their best start since the 2006-07 season.
They have some pretty impressive wins thus far. They beat #11 West Virginia 88-65 and #10 USC 75-59.
The only loss was against Arizona by three points. The Wildcats were ranked in the top five earlier in the season. They begin conference play Dec. 30th at Alabama.
The remaining non-conference games are easy wins against Savannah State, Northern Kentucky and Buffalo. A&M should be the best team in the SEC West.
#20 Tennessee: The Vols (7-1) had a well-documented awful football season. Fans in Knoxville need something to cheer about so it’s good to see the basketball team playing well. They beat #17 Purdue in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
The lone loss came against top ranked Villanova. Other than those two games the schedule has been pretty weak. They’ve played Mercer, Clemson, High Point and Presbyterian to name a few.
I think they may not be as good as the schedule suggests. We will get an idea of how good they really are when they play #7 North Carolina at home Sunday December 17th. I expect them to lose that game but they should handle Furman and Wake Forest. Then the Vols will play at Arkansas to open conference play.
#22 Florida: The Gators (6-3) were ranked as high as fifth before going on a three game losing streak. It’s hard to tell if they were overrated or just inconsistent. Their best win is against #12 Gonzaga.
They lost to #4 Duke by three points, which is respectable. But they followed that with loses to Florida State and Loyola Chicago.
They snapped the losing streak by beating Cincinnati. We won’t learn much about them before SEC play begins because they play Clemson, James Madison and Incarnate Word. I’m curious to see how Florida will develop as the season progresses.
There are a few teams right outside of being ranked in the top 25. They are: Arkansas (7-2), Miss State (8-0) and Mizzou (8-2). Missouri signed the #2 recruit in the 2017 class; 6’10 forward Michael Porter Jr.
Alabama (6-3) signed the #7 recruit in the 2017 class, guard Collin Sexton. The Crimson Tide lost to #14 Minnesota by five points. They played with three players, which makes that more impressive. Teams like that with future lottery picks are dangerous because they have a chance to beat anybody.
Making The Grade In The SEC
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The regular season is over in the SEC for the 2017 football season. Nine SEC teams are going to bowl games, and two are going into the college football playoff.
Overall Conference grade: C
Ole Miss tried to cheat their way to a title and big 6 members Florida and Tennessee are dumpster fires is ultimately what kept this grade from being higher.
For the first time in the new playoff format two teams from same conference, Alabama and Georgia made the final four while the Big 10 and PAC 12 champions got passed over.
Individual Team Grades:
Alabama: B+. The loss at Auburn kept the Tide out of the SEC title game but sitting at 11-1 Alabama will play Clemson in the Sugar Bowl in a national semifinal game.
The LB corps have been decimated by injuries, and Jalen Hurts needs to throw the ball better. Nick Saban is still the best coach in football.
Arkansas: D-. Bret got fired and the Hogs looked awful for most of the season. No bowl and a 1-7 record in the conference and 4-8 overall. Enter Chad Morris to fix this mess.
Auburn: B+. The Tigers beat two number one teams Georgia and Alabama at home in November, but blew a 20-point lead at LSU who lost to Troy.
Kerryon Johnson was the SEC Offensive player of the year and the defense played well all season. The blowout loss to UGA in the SEC Title game kept this from being an A grade.
Florida: F. Worst Florida team I have seen since the late 70’s. The offense was offensive with no QB play and this team mailed it in after the LSU game. Dan Mullen has been hired to fix this huge mess. Mullen has to change the culture in Gainesville.
Georgia: A. 2017 SEC Champions. Roquan Smith is SEC Defensive Player of the year, Kirby is SEC Coach of the year, and Jake Fromm is SEC Freshman of the year. In year two Kirby has won a title and gotten a Rose Bowl against Oklahoma in National Semifinal on NYD. Could be a really special year in Athens.
Kentucky: B. A seven win football season in Lexington does not come often. The Music City Bowl game against Northwestern upcoming. Nice season for the Cats.
LSU: B-. A loss to Troy and getting blown out in Starkville won’t cut it in Red Stick but the season turned with the Auburn win and the Tigers outplayed Alabama everywhere but the scoreboard in Tuscaloosa.
A win over Notre Dame in Citrus Bowl would get the Tigers to 10 wins and set them up for an SEC title run in 2018.
Mississippi State: B: Nice season in Starkville. The loss to Ole Miss was a fluke with the Nick Fitzgerald injury 5 minutes into the ball game.
Missouri: B. Most improved team in the SEC in the last half of the season and a Bowl game against Texas. Drew Lock throws the best deep ball in the league.
Ole Miss: F. Matt Luke will clean up that stinking cheating culture in Oxford.
South Carolina: B+. I like where Coach Muschamp is taking this program. The Gamecocks will beat Michigan in the Outback Bowl to get to 9 wins.
Tennessee: F-. 0-8 in the SEC and it has taken almost a month to find a coach. This program has hit rock bottom. May take 3-4 years to recover from this train wreck. Phil Fulmer is on the job as AD now and that is good unless Steve Spurrier takes an AD job in the conference. Spurrier owns Fulmer.
Texas A&M: C. Kevin Sumlin got fired with a 51-26 record in College Station. Enter Jimbo Fisher at a price tag of $75 million.
Vanderbilt: C. About what I expect from Vandy. Derek Mason is a very good coach who deserves a better opportunity to win at a bigger program.
What if we have a Bama/UGA national title game? The national media will want to blow up this current playoff format.
SEC East Report Card
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Going into the season we had a pretty good idea of who should win each conference. We had favorites to win the different divisions so we might know what the conference championship matchup might be.
One of the most unpredictable divisions had to be the SEC East. I’m going to give my report card for the division.
Georgia (4-0): It pains me as a Georgia Tech fan to praise UGA. They look head and shoulders above everyone else in the division.
Kirby Smart has the defense playing fast and physical mirroring Alabama (which is why he was hired). You know about the two beasts at running back, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
True freshman quarterback Jake Fromm is the real deal. My only concern is he’s experiencing everything for the first time so I don’t know how he’ll react. For instance, playing in front of over 100,000 fans at Neyland Stadium next week. Grade: A+
Florida (2-1): Since Tim Tebow left Gainesville the Gators have struggled on offense.
They were manhandled on both sides of the ball in the first game against No. 7 Michigan. Since then they have started to have a little more success moving the ball with freshman QB Felipe Franks.
There may be a quarterback controversy brewing because Luke Del Rio has been named the starter against Vanderbilt. They also have nine players facing felony fraud charges including WR Antonio Callaway and RB Jordan Scarlett.
We’re used to the annual beat down they give Georgia every year in Jacksonville but this can change everything if these players are suspended or dismissed. Grade: C
Kentucky (3-1): The Wildcats are coming off of a tough 28-27 loss to Florida over the weekend. So far, they look like the second most consistent team in the division. Senior QB Stephen Johnson is completing 64% of his passes and the offense has several playmakers. Mark Stoops is looking to keep his job and lead Kentucky to their second consecutive bowl appearance. Grade: B
South Carolina (3-1): The Gamecocks had an impressive win over NC State to begin the season. The lone loss was by ten points to Kentucky. They struggled to beat Louisiana Tech over the weekend 17-16. It looks like Will Muschamp has finally gotten a team that can play some offense. As a team, they are inconsistent so we aren’t sure if they will play to the level of competition from week to week. Grade: B-
Vanderbilt (3-1): Vandy had an impressive win at home over No. 18 Kansas State a couple of weeks ago. Then they got destroyed 59-0 by Alabama the following week.
The Commodores aren’t as talented as the rest of the division but they play hard and disciplined.
They should play solid enough to win three more games but they don’t match up well with Georgia, Florida or Tennessee. Grade: B
Tennessee (3-1): We knew the Vols would have a tough time replacing QB Joshua Dobbs. Quinten Dormady has struggled, only completing 58% of his passes and throwing 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Running back John Kelly is the focal point of the offense averaging 112 rushing yards per game with 6 TD’s.
The Vols beat Ga Tech by one point in their first game and honestly should have lost. Florida beat them on the last play of the game with a Hail Mary. There coming off of a lackluster 17-13 win over U Mass. Grade: C-
Missouri (1-3): Their record says it all. The loan win was against an FCS team. They’ve been blown out in every other game. Grade: F
ACC Is Better Than SEC
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start by saying I picked North Carolina to cut down the nets this past Monday night and I have the SSE article from a couple of weeks ago to prove it.
I have been mulling this article over on my mind for a few weeks now. Folks that know me know that I am a die-hard SEC supporter and I make no bones about it.
So, take notice when I type this this next sentence. The ACC is better right now than the SEC. Yes, I said it. Now that I have that out of the way here is why.
NCAA One and Done Working?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When a team makes it to their first Final Four in school history, defeating the 2,3, and 4 seeds to get there, it seems pretty obvious that’s what you should write about.
South Carolina will have plenty of stories documenting their improbable run that will be much more succinct than anything I could say, so I’m going in a little different route today.
With both Duke and Kentucky missing the Final Four, the talk concerning them ultimately turns to one and done players. More specifically, is it working?
Georgia Teams’ Road To March Madness
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are well into the college basketball conference schedule and that is when teams play their way into or out of March Madness.
At this point in time, there are a few schools who are virtually guaranteed a spot, but the interesting teams are the ones who are on the proverbial bubble.
The conferences of most interest in our area, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference have multiple teams involved in the tournament. Plus, the Sun Belt Conference will have at least one team with a chance to be the “Cinderella” of March.
There are a handful of teams in those conferences that are true blue bloods of the sport of college basketball, and several have played up to that reputation this season. Those would be North Carolina, Duke, and Kentucky. Plus, we have schools in the state of Georgia vying for a spot among the field of 68.
The Tar Heels of North Carolina came up ever so close to a national championship last season, as they suffered a heartbreaker at the buzzer against the Villanova Wildcats.
North Carolina is positioning itself for yet another run to the Final Four. The Tar Heels may well have the deepest roster in the country, and legendary coach Roy Williams will rely on his team’s experience from last season to try and finish the deal this year.
A team that no one is really sure what kind of team they are right now, is the Duke Blue Devils. While there is no coach better, possibly ever, than Coach Mike Krzyzewski, his squad this season has appeared distracted, may be the best word to use.
This is a team that was predicted to win the ACC in the preseason, but has not been able to live up to such lofty expectations. Whether it is injuries, not only to players, but even to Coach Krzyzewski as he will be sidelined with back surgery; or the antics of hot tempered guard Grayson Allen, this season has been different for the Blue Devils.
Duke will be in the tournament, and have the talent as well as the pedigree to get things turned around. However, if they do not, it will be a quick out for them come March.
With Kentucky, the stalwart of the SEC, Coach John Calipari will yet again rely on a bevy of freshmen All-Americans to lead his Wildcats to a title. Kentucky likely has the highest ceiling of any team in the country, but when it comes to crunch time, can the freshmen handle that pressure? That has been the Cats downfall in previous years, great regular seasons, but fall short in the tournament.
In state, Georgia Southern may be the best shot for a tournament team from the Peach state. The Eagles of Coach Mark Byington have a great shot to win the Sun Belt. The difficulty comes in the conference tournament, it is an absolute must win situation. If the Eagles falter, then there will be no Cinderella opportunity.
Georgia and Georgia Tech may play in post season, but without SEC and ACC conference tournament wins it may prove a difficult task.
The Bulldogs have positioned themselves with the best chance for an at large bid with a solid resume, but they must keep winning. The Bulldogs do not really have a strong win, but the strength of their schedule is that they have “quality losses”, and that won’t get it done for March.
The Yellow Jackets, under first year coach Josh Pastner, need some big wins down the stretch to fortify their record. The Jackets most likely will receive an NIT bid to extend their season. However, that should be considered a solid season for what the Jackets had coming into the season.
As we just now are hitting the stretch run, college basketball will hold its share of upsets and buzzer beaters. The fun part is, we get to sit back and watch it all unfold!
2016 SEC Rankings
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Now that college football season is over and we must wait another 9 months for the joy of fall to arrive back in God’s Country also known as the SEC. Here are my final 2016 SEC power rankings.
14. Missouri: The Tigers finished the season with the worst overall record in the SEC, but closed with a big win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. Mizzou will always be decent on defense, but must find a way to score points in 2017.
13. Ole Miss: Yes, the soon to be NCAA poster child for sanctions finished at 5-7 with all of that talent. The Bears/Rebels will bounce back hopefully in next 5 years after sanctions beat them to a pulp.
12. South Carolina: The Gamecocks will get better under Muschamp. The Ole Ball Coach left a mess behind for will to clean up. A loss to a directional Florida school during the bowl season lands South Carolina here.
11. Mississippi State: Tough year in Stark Vegas, but a bowl win and winning the Egg Bowl helped the Bulldogs stay out of the number 13 spot in these rankings.
10. Vanderbilt: Wins over UGA and Tennessee and a trip to Shreveport made the season one to remember in Nashville. I like Derek Mason and think he will continue to do a fine job in the Music City.
9. Arkansas: How do you blow a 24-point lead at the half in a bowl game? Well the Piggies did, and this team is hard to figure so they land here.
8. Kentucky: The season was a success for the Wildcats. The Cats made a bowl. Now just go do your job its basketball season.
7. Texas A&M: Start fast and finish slow is the Aggie blueprint. Top 5 in October and unranked in the final polls. Kevin Sumlin’s seat is red hot going into 2017.
6. Auburn: You finish the season with a loss to UGA, Alabama, and Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl a place you had no business being at. Florida should have received the Sugar Bowl bid.
5. Georgia: A nice win over TCU in the Liberty Bowl. But 8-5 with home losses to UT, Vandy, and GT just will not cut it moving forward Kirby. Help is on the way with this monster recruiting class. This is a team on the rise.
4. Tennessee: Who did less with more than the Vols in 2016? The jury is out on Butch Jones. 2017 will be a make or break year for Butch.
3. LSU: Coach O turned it around down the stretch and the Tigers looked great in their bowl game in Orlando. A team to watch in 2017. I like the Coach O hire.
2. Florida: Back to back East titles and a nice win in Tampa during Bowl season. I think the Gators drop back a little next year.
1. Alabama: The gold standard of the SEC. The Tide just keeps on winning. The title game loss to Clemson which I predicted in the preseason by the way does not tarnish a great season. Alabama is not going anywhere soon. The rest of the Sec must catch up.
The SEC was down in football in 2016. It was Alabama and the 11 Dwarfs. The rest of the SEC must pick up its game in 2017.
The ACC from top to bottom was the best football conference in America in 2016. Ouch!!!!
