1 Tennessee
-As of right now there is no question who is the best team in the SEC. That title easily belongs to the Volunteers. They work harder than just about any other team in the country. They’re loaded in the back court and have athleticism in the front court. Tennessee wins with their pressure defense and perimeter shooting. It’s a formula that Bruce Pearl has effectively mastered.
Chris Lofton, JuJuan Smith, Ramar Smith and J.P. Prince give Tennessee athleticism, ball handling, shooting and experience on the perimeter. It’s one of the most complete back courts in the country. Chris Lofton has been the star of this team for the past three years but thus far this season he’s really struggled hitting from the outside. Fortunetly, JuJuan Smith has picked up his slack this year and he gives Tennessee another viable perimeter shooting threat. Lofton will not continue to struggle this badly all year and when he gets hot again that only make this team that much more deadly. Ramar Smith and J.P. Prince are not good shooters but they’re the teams playmakers and are quite effective in Pearls uptempo and fastbreaking scheme.
The front court is not as talented as the back court but it does consist of the teams best all around player in sophomore Tyler Smith. Smith is a do it all forward that can shoot from the outside, post up and score inside, slash to the hoop, run the court and finish, rebound the basketball and create shots for teammates off the bounce. He’s one of the most complete players in all of college basketball. Wayne Chism is the teams only true post threat, however, he tends to float around the perimeter too much and is not a consistent interior scoring threat. Nonetheless, he’s an athletic presence on the interior.
This is one of the best offensive scoring teams in the country. Teams will be lucky to hold Tennessee under 80 points per game this year. The thing that seperates this Tennessee team from last years team though is their defense. They’re not a great defense team but they’re a good defense team. They’re a good enough defense team to get them to the final four with their offensive firepower. Unfortunetly, this is a team that will likely live and die with the three point shot and if they have a poor shooting performance in the NCAA Tournament they’ll get knocked much more easily than the other top teams in the country.
#2 Ole Miss
-I have to be honest with you I didn’t have Ole Miss anywhere near the top of the Sec in the preaseason. They’ve been a pleasant suprise under second year head coach Andy Kennedy who deserves serious consideration for the Coach of the Year honors. This probably is not the second most talented team in the Sec but they’re a very smart team that plays directly to their strengths better than any other team in the Sec right now.
They’re led by their senior center Dwayne Curtis who is an absolute beast on the interior and one of the better interior scorers you will find in college basketball this season. He’s the teams only real interior scoring threat though so the rest of the offense comes from the perimeter. Guard Chris Warren has been one of the best freshman players in the country this year. He’s a combo guard that can play either back court position and is a capable but streaky perimeter shooter with above average playmaking abilities and very good court awareness. He’s been the key to the Rebels success this year. Guards Eniel Polynice, David Huertas and Trevor Gaskins have been solid in their supporting roles this year but I am not sure if they’re capable of being consistent enought role players on the perimeter all year in case one of their big two has an off night in a critical game.
Defensively, Ole Miss still has a lot to prove. They’ve been winning games this year mostly because of a very efficient offensive attack that takes care of the basketball but they’re not a dominant good team by any means. They may actually be more of an average defensive team when it’s all said and done this year. Ole Mis is certainly a team worth watching this season though. They rely heavily on both Curtis and Warren to score from but they have decent depth behind those two that know their roles can can contribute effectively towards the teams success. In the end though I don’t think this team will be explosive enough offensively or good enough defensively to do too much damage in the NCAA Tournament.
#3 Vanderbilt
-If you like watching good offensive basketball than Vanderbilt is the team for you. They play an intelligent style of basketball that involves a lot of finesse, crisp passing and plently of perimeter shooting. Vanderbilt is truly one of the best offensive basketball teams in the country and a joy to watch. When they’re hitting their shots from the outside this team is without a doubt good enough to beat any team in the country. The problem with Vanderbilt is their defense and the fact that they’re not always going to be hitting from the perimeter.
What this Vanderbilt team has that they haven’t really had in a long time is a true low post scorer with back to the basket skills. Freshman A.J. Ogilvy is one of the best kept secrets in college basketball. The Australian is a big guy at 6′10 260lbs and he has a very polished offensive game. He’s currently averaging a double doubt at 19 points and 10 boards per game and probably the most efficient scoring big man in the SEC. Vanderbilt is a more balanced offensive team than they’ve been in the past this season because of Ogilvy’s strong interior play.
The perimeter attack consists of three players that have really stood out this year in Shan Foster, Alex Gordon and Jermaine Beal. Foster is a well known commodity in the SEC as he has been one of the most consistent and deadly scorers in the conference over the past two seasons. He’s currently leading Vanderbilt in scoring at 20.6 per game. He’s a big and athletic guard who has one of the sweetest jump shots in all of college basketball. Gordon is a trustworhty point guard that also has range on his perimeter shot that effectively keeps defenses honest and out of the painted area. Jermaine Beal has been sort of a surprise this year. He fits perfectly into Kevin Stallings offensive attack because of his intelligence, court sense and shooting ability. He’s also a rather strong guard that is not afraid to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim.
Tennessee might lead the Sec in scoring this year but Vanderbilt is just as good of an offensive team and more balanced because of Ogilvy inside. The main difference between the two teams though is that Tennessee is deeper, more athletic and quite a bit better on the defensive end. Vanderbilt is not an elite college basketball team because they simply do not defend at a high enough level. They’re a below average to average defensive team and that’s just not gonna hack it if you want to be considered one of the elite teams in the country. As I said earlier though if Vanderbilt gets hot they’re good enough to beat literally any team in the country and if they get hot in March they could do some serious damage in the Tournament but more than likely they won’t get past the sweet 16.
#4 Arkansas
-In terms of overall talent, experience, depth and athleticism no team in the Sec outside of Tennesee is more equiped than that of Arkansas. The Razorbacks have just about all the tools that a team could wish for. They have size up front, scorers inside and outside, plenty of athletes that can defend inside and outside, a lot of experience and a lot of depth. Clearly though this team does have some issues. They’ve really struggled shooting the basketball from the perimeter this season. The only player on the team who seems capable of consistently hitting from the outside is guard Patrick Beverely. The team also has some ball handling issues as they tend to play out of control and struggled taking care of the basketball as well as simply setting up the half court offense at times.
Scoring wise this team is extremely balanced though. They five to six players that could easily lead them in scoring from game to game. On the inside they have seniors Charles Thomas and Darian Townes. Both are proven interior scorers but not overly consistent interior scorers. On the perimeter Arkansas has arguably it’s two best players in Patrick Beverely and Sonny Weems. Weems is a very athletic 6′6 guard that is the teams best defensive player, best slasher and current leading scorer. Beverely has sort of digressed from his freshman season in which he lead the Razorbacks in the scoring department. He’s a very talented guard that has an uncanny ability to rebound the basketball and defend passing lanes but he’s also the teams only consistent perimeter shooting threat and probably their best playmaker. They may be asking a little bit too much out of Beverly right now and they’ll need senior lead guard Gary Ervin to become a more reliable ball handler and shooter. Unfortunetly, that is not likely to happen.
The thing that I most like about Arkansas though is their defense. Offensively, this team is not on the same level with Tennnesse and Vanderbilt and probably a step below Ole Miss and Florida but defensively, they’re right there with Tennesse and close to Mississippi State in the SEC. Anytime you can defend and rebound the basketball like Arkansas can you’re going to be able to play with just about any team in the country. However, unless this teams starts playing much more intelligent basketball they’re not going to make it out of the first weekend in the March.
#5 Florida
-It’s really close between Florida and Mississippi State right now. I like Florida better because they’re a much more versatile offensive team than that of Mississippi State and I think this team has the potential be a fairly solid defensive team. However, as of right now Mississippi State is much better defensively. How much better Florida gets on the defensive end will determine what kind of season these young Gators will end up having. Offensively, they’re good, deep and versatile.
They’re led by freshman guard Nick Calathes who is without a doubt one of the best guards in the SEC and one of the best freshmen in the country. He’s very intelligent and poised for such a young player. His ability to handle and shoot the basketball as well as run an offense is remarkable. He’s the Gators best scorer and playmaker and this team will only go as far as he is capable of leading them. The other two guards that start are Walter Hodge and Jai Lucas. Hodge is the teams most experienced player and best on ball defender. Offensively, he’s rather average but he does have the ability to finish around the hoop and is a capable but not great perimeter shooter. Lucas came in as the teams future point guard but he’s found his role this season playing more off the ball than with it. He has a nice stroke from the outside but is also extremely quick and can get to the rack just about whenever he wants to. All three of these guards can handle the basketball and shoot the basketball which makes Florida a difficult team to defend.
On the interior Florida is lead by sophomore big man Marreese Speights. Speights has a world of potential but he’s still rather raw right now and is not a consistent low post scoring threat. Florida does not have a reliable low post scoring threat and that has made them a less than balanced offensive team this year. However, Florida has plenty of depth and athleticism at the forward spots with Dan Werner, Chandler Parsons, Jonathon Mitchell and Alex Tyrus. Both Werner and Parsons give this team extra perimeter shooting and offensive firepower.
What will likely end up doing this team in though is their youth and lack of toughness. Sec basketball is very physical and I am not sure if this Florida team has enough strength and toughness to compete at this level. They’re a very finesse and skilled offensive basketball team that should be able to outscore some of their opponents but I expect them to struggle defensively as well as on the boards this season. Florida is an NCAA Tournament team in terms of talent but they’re not talented enough to do a lot of damage come March.
#6 Mississippi State
-Welcome to what is probably the best defensive team in all of the SEC and one of the best defensive teams in all of the country. With Jarvis Varnado and Charles Rhodes on the interior teams have a very difficult time scoring anywhere near to the hoop. This is a very athletic team with a lot of length. Thus far they’ve won games this season without much of an offensive attack at all. The Bulldogs are a slow tempo team that likes to play in the half court setting which makes it not only very difficult for teams to score on them but also for them to score themselves.
There is just not a lot of offensive firepower on this team outside of Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes. Gordon is one of the best all around offensive players in the country. The only thing really missing from his game this season has been perimeter shooting. He’s a very strong guard with good size, athleticism, quickness and ball handling skills. He can create his shot just about whenever he wants to and that’s something that only the truly elite college basketball players can do. He’s in that class. Rhodes is a reliable interior scorer that gives the Bulldogs some offensive balance. Unfortunetly, he’s their only interior option and he’s been banged up all year. Guards Barry Stewart and Ben Hansbrough need to be much more consistent. Both have the ability to shoot from the outside as well as run the offense but neither has shown the ability to do it game in and game out.
Unless this team improves it’s offense drastically they’re going to likely be a bubble team come March. They don’t shoot well from the outside at all, they don’t take care of the basketball and they just simply do not play well together as a team. This is truly one of the elite defensive teams in the country though and Jarvis Varndado could possibly be the best defensive player in the country right now but that is not going to be enough come March.
#7 Alabama
-After the top six teams in this conference there is a drastic drop off. This Alabama team has not been very good at all this year and most of that can be contributed to their poor guard play and horrible team defense. This might be the worst defensive team in the SEC. They have very little athleticism or defensive stoppers on their roster and teams can and will score on them throughout the course of this season. They do have some nice offensive players though in Hendrix, Gee and Riley but only Hendrix is a consistent offensive force for them. Without ball handling or leadership in the back court to set up and run the offense and with streaky and inconsistent perimeter shooters and god awful team defense this Alabama team would be fortunate to make the NIT.
#8 Kentucky
-I don’t think the Wildcats are as bad as their record indicates. It’s obviously been a rough year for Kentucky but this has been a banged up team all season and they do actually have a quaity victory on their resume in an overtime win over Vanderbilt. Guards Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley clearly have never understood the concept of team basketball and even though they’re seniors they continue to play like freshmen and offer very little leadersihp. They are talented offensive players though and with Patrick Patterson on the interior Kentucky does have some sort of offensive balance at their disposal. The main problem with this team is their ball handling and control issues. They don’t take care of the basketball, they lack a floor general and they lack leadership and until they get Derrick Jasper back at a full 100% they’re not going to have that. Luckily for Kentucky the SEC is pretty pitiful this year and they should be able to finish the year right around .500 if not even higher in conference play. It’s doubtful that will be enough to get them in the NCAA Tournament though.
#9-South Carolina
#10-Auburn
#11-Georgia
#12-LSU
