The Pinnacle of College Hoops

Second Team
Nick Calathes- Florida
Patrick Patterson- Kentucky
Dwayne Curtis- Ole Miss
Devan Downey- South Carolina
Sonny Weems- Arkansas

Third Team
Jarvis Varnado- Mississippi State
Jajuan Smith- Tennessee
Chris Lofton- Tennessee
Chris Warren- Ole Miss
Marreese Speights- Florida

Honorable Mention
Charles Rhodes- Mississippi State
Ramel Bradley- Kentucky
Patrick Beverly- Arkansas
Michael Thornton- LSU
Sundiata Gaines- Georgia

All Freshmen Team
A.J. Ogilvy- Vanderbilt
Nick Calathes- Florida
Patrick Patterson- Kentucky
Chris Warren- Ole Miss
Anthony Randolph- LSU

All Defensive Team
Jajuan Smith- Tennessee
Sonny Weems- Arkansas
Patrick Beverly- Arkansas
Jarvis Varnado- Mississippi State
Devan Downey- South Carolina

Player of the Year
Jamont Gordon- Mississippi State

Defensive Player of the Year
Jarvis Varnado- Mississippi State

Freshman of the Year
A.J. Ogilvy- Vanderbilt

Most Improved Player of the Year
Marreese Speights- Florida

#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.

West
#1-Arkansas
#2-Mississippi State
#3-Auburn
#4-Alabama
#5-LSU
#6-Ole Miss

1st Team Tier
(Tennessee)

Second Team Tier
(Arkansas, Mississippi State, Kentucky)

Third Team Tier
(Florida)

Fourth Team Tier
(Auburn, Alabama, Vanderbilt, LSU, Georgia)

Fifth Team Tier
(South Carolina, Ole Miss)

First Team All SEC
-Chris Lofton- Tennessee
-Jamont Gordon- Missippi State
-Patrick Beverly- Arkansas
-Tyler Smith- Tennessee
-Richard Hendrix- Alabama

Second Team All SEC
-Tasmin Mitchell- LSU
-Shan Foster- Vanderbilt
-Charles Rhodes- Mississippi State
-Ramel Bradley- Kentucky
-Joe Crawford- Kentucky

Third Team All SEC
-Jujuan Smith- Tennessee
-Sonny Weems- Arkansas
-Nick Calathes- Florida
-Korvotney Barber- Auburn
-Mike Mercer- Georgia

Ten Honorable Mentions
-Dwayne Curtis- Ole Miss
-Devan Downey- South Carolina
-Garrett Temple- LSU
-Jodie Meeks- Kentucky
-Sundiata Gaines- Georgia
-Quan Prowell- Auburn
-Marreese Speights- Florida
-Steven Hill- Arkansas
-Mykel Riley- Alabama
-Alonzo Gee- Alabama

All Freshmen Team
-Andrew Ogilvy- Vanderbilt
-Nick Calathes- Florida
-Chandler Parsons- Florida
-Patrick Patterson- Kentucky
-Anthony Randolph- LSU

All Defensive Team
-Steven Hill- Arkansas
-Sonny Weems- Arkansas
-Garrett Temple- LSU
-Mike Mercer- Georgia
-Walter Hodge- Florida

Player of the Year
-Chris Lofton- Tennessee

Freshman of the Year
-Nick Calathes- Florida

Defensive Player of the Year
-Steven Hill- Arkansas

Most Improved Player
-Marreese Speights-Florida/Jodie Meeks-Kentucky

Most Underrated Team
-Charles Thomas- Arkansas
-Frank Tolbert- Auburn
-Sundiata Gaines- Georgia
-Jodie Meeks- Kentucky
-Ben Hansbrough- Mississipi State

Teams that will make the NCAA Tournament
Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Florida, Auburn

Projected Starting Lineups

Alabama(7th)
C-Richard Hendrix 6′8 265 JR- 14.6ppg 8.7rpg 1.2blk 60%FG
PF-Demetrius Jemison 6′7 225 SO- 2.9ppg 3.3rpg 45%FG
SF-Alonzo Gee 6′6 215 JR- 12.6ppg 5.3rpg 46%FG
SG-Mykel Riley 6′6 185 SR- 12.6ppg 4.6rpg 45%FG 37%3pt
PG-Mickhail Torrance 6′3 185 SO- 3.0ppg 1.3apg 39%FG

Arkansas(2nd)
C-Steven Hill 7′0 250 SR- 6.2ppg 4.4rpg 2.8blk 64%FG
PF-Charles Thomas 6′8 235 SR- 10.7ppg 5.7rpg 44%FG
SF-Sonny Weems 6′6 200 SO- 11.8ppg 4.8rpg 49%FG
SG-Patrick Beverly 6′2 175 SO- 13.9ppg 3.1apg 43%FG 39%3pt
PG-Gary Ervin 5′11 175 SR- 9.9ppg 4.8apg 46%FG

Auburn(6th)
C-Korvotney Barber 6′7 220 JR- 11.2ppg 6.6rpg 1.8blk 61%FG
PF-Quan Prowell 6′8 210 SR- 12.0ppg 5.3rpg 50%FG 43%3pt
SF-Rasheem Barrett 6′5 215 JR- 11.0ppg
SG-Frank Tolbert 6′3 205 SR- 11.8ppg 4.8rpg 48%FG
PG-Quantez Robertson 6′3 190 JR- 8.2ppg 5.1apg 1.7stl 44%FG

Florida(5th)
C-Marreese Speights 6′10 250 SO- 4.1ppg 2.6rpg 67%FG
PF-Jonathon Mitchell 6′7 245 SO- Played Sparingly
SF-Chandler Parsons 6′9 200 FR- Top 50 Recruit
SG-Walter Hodge 6′1 170 JR- 5.7ppg 1.5apg 55%FG 50%3pt
PG-Nick Calathes 6′5 185 FR- Top 25 Recruit

Georgia(10th)
C-Dave Bliss 6′10 255 SR- 4.0ppg 3.2rpg 54%FG
PF-Albert Jackson 6′10 250 SO- 2.2ppg 2.2rpg 64%FG
SF-Terrance Woodbury 6′7 210 JR- 7.3ppg 3.4rpg 45%FG 41%3pt
SG-Mike Mercer 6′4 185 JR- 13.6ppg 3.3apg 1.8slt 41%FG
PG-Sundiata Gaines 6′1 205 SR- 10.5ppg 4.8apg 41%FG

Kentucky(4th)
C-Patrick Patterson 6′9 220 FR- Top 35 Recruit
PF-Perry Stevenson 6′9 195 SO- 2.9ppg 2.2rpg 66%FG
SF-Joe Crawford 6′4 220 SR- 14.0ppg 2.4apg 44%FG
SG-Jodie Meeks 6′5 205 SO- 8.7ppg 2.8rpg 42%FG
PG-Ramel Bradley 6′2 190 SR- 13.4ppg 3.8apg 42%FG

LSU(8th)
C-Anthony Randolph 6′10 210 FR- Top 20 Recruit
PF-Tasmin Mitchell 6′7 230 JR- 14.5ppg 5.9rpg 47%FG
SF-Terry Martin 6′6 205 JR- 10.5ppg 41%FG 39%3pt
SG-Marcus Thornton 6′4 195 JR- JUCO AA
PG-Garrett Temple 6′5 180 JR- 8.6ppg 4.3apg 40%FG

Ole Miss(12th)
C-Dwayne Curtis 6′8 280 SR- 12.2ppg 8.3rpg 54%FG
PF-Kenny Williams 6′8 240 SR- 7.1ppg 5.7rpg 54%FG
SF-Wesley Jones 6′7 220 JR- JUCO Transfer
SG-David Huertas 6′4 195 SO- Transfer from Florida
PG-Eniel Polynice 6′5 200 SO- 3.9ppg 1.5apg 37%FG

Mississippi State(3rd)
C-Brian Johnson 6′9 240 SO- Transfer from Louisville
PF-Charles Rhodes 6′8 245 SR- 13.7ppg 6.2rpg 1.9blk 55%FG
SF-Ben Hansbrough 6′3 205 SO- 7.3ppg 3.2apg 43%FG 41%3pt
SG-Barry Stewart 6′2 170 SO- 9.7ppg 40%FG 39%3pt
PG-Jamont Gordon 6′4 225 SR- 16.0ppg 7.1rpg 5.3apg 42%FG

South Carolina(11th)
C-Sam Mudrow 6′9 210 FR- Top 100 Recruit
PF-Dominique Archie 6′7 200 SO- 8.8ppg 5.0rpg 55%FG
SF-Dwayne Day 6′6 185 SR- 7.3ppg 2.7rpg 36%FG
SG-Zam Frederick 6′0 210 JR- Transfer from Georgia Tech
PG-Devan Downey 5′10 175 SO- Transfer from Cincinnati

Tennessee(1st)
C-Wayne Chism 6′9 240 SO- 9.1ppg 5.2rpg 44%FG
PF-Tyler Smith 6′7 210 SO- Transfer from Iowa
SF-Jujuan Smith 6′2 190 SR- 15.3ppg 4.5rpg 46%FG 37%3pt
SG-Chris Lofton 6′2 195 SR- 20.9ppg 48%FG 42%3pt
PG-Ramar Smith 6′2 200 SO- 10.8ppg 3.1apg 44%FG

#2 Kentucky
It appears as though Kentucy is back to their winning ways after taking last season off.  They’re winning with defense and balance offensively.  This is a team that likes to slow the game down and force to teams to score on them in the half court setting.  They have a much improved interior defender in Randolph Morris and their guards are really getting after it defensively and forcing teams into difficult shot attempts.
Offensively, this team has three players that have really picked up their play from last year in Randolph Morris, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford.  Morris has become a true low post scorer that can be relied upon consistely to score on the interior.  Having that consistent interior scoring threat has opened up the perimeter for Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley and both have responded by having nice offensive seasons thus far.  Bradley has been key because he’s been able to hit shots from the outside while also being a driving threat.  His improved play has probably been just as valuable as the improved play from Morris.  Crawford gives Kentucky a third scorer that can shoot from the outside but also is an athletic finisher around the rim.
Kentucky is a half court basketball team.  They defend at a very high level in the half court setting and that has been the main reason for their success this year.  However, their half court offense has also been fairly efficient and with their ability to score inside and outside they have the type of offensive balanced to make a serious run in March.
The way to beat Kentucky is very similiar in the way to beat Florida.  You’re going to want to make it a full court game because Kentucky is too good defensively in the half cour setting and Kentucky’s guards are not the best ball handling guards and they’re likely to turn the ball over if pressed effectively.

#3 Alabama
-The Crimson Tide’s two best players have had extremely rough and difficult years but for completely different reasons.  Center Jermareo Davidson had his girlfriend and brother die in the span of a week this  year and point guard Ronald Steele has been nagged by injuries all year.  However, with everything that has happened to Alabama this year they’re still 18-5 overall and a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament right now.
Alabama is another half court team that needs to play at a slower pace in order for them to achieve success.  Defensively, they’re solid because of their size and shot blockers on the interior and they’re also a very good rebounding team.  If you’re unable to get Alabama out of a half court game it’s very unlikely that you will stand much of a chance of beating them. 
The problem with Alabama though is that their best guard and arguably best player, Ronald Steele, has been injured all year and has been playing well below his potential.  Steele has been playing at 50% right now and has been nowhere near 100% all year.  Without his ability to handle and take care of the basketball as well generate offense teams have been to do whatever they want against Alabama at times this year.   While Alabama may only have five losses, all five of them have been blowouts.
The good news though is that this team is a good defensive team, that rebounds the ball very effectively and they can go to either one of their post players in Davidson and Hendrix and get consistent production offensively.  They also have two athletic 6′6 wing players in Alonzo Gee and Mykel Riley that can score from the perimeter.  The key for this team will be the health of Ronald Steele because when he’s healthy he’s as good as any lead guard in the country and he’s good enough to make Alabama a final four contender.

#4 Tennessee
-The Vols may have the best player and best coach in the conference.  Chris Lofton has arguably become the best shooting guard in the nation and Bruce Pearl is arguably the hottest coaches in the country.  However, Lofton is currently banged up and it’s obvious that Tennessee needs his services in order to make the NCAA Tournament.  This is not a team that is likely to make a run for the final four but they’re a team that can create match-up problems and take just about any team out of their comfort zone with their pressure defense and perimeter shooting.
Obvioiusly, when Lofton is healthy this is a very dangerous offensive team because they have a player that can score from literally anywhere on the court but they also have scorers in the back court with Jujuan Smith and freshman Ramar Smith, both of of whom have really picked up their play when Lofton was out.  They also have two freshman on the interior that are starting to develop into decent post options in Duke Crews and Wayne Chism.  However, in the end this is a team that relies very heavily on their pressure defense to score points because they just do not have enough offense balanced to be able to effectively score in the half court setting.
Anytime you have a team that needs to play such a fast pace and needs to force turnovers in order to score points you’re going to have a team that will allow a lot points from to time as well as easy buckets in transition defensively.  It’s also typical for a full court team to be a rather smallish team that struggles rebounding the basketball.  These are perfect examples and weakenesses of this Tennessee team.

#5 Arkansas
-This is one of the more inconsistent teams in the country.  They’ve beaten good teams like West Virginia, Alabama(twice) and Southern Illinois but have also lost to teams like Ole Miss and South Carolina.  One of the main problems this team has had this year is winning basketball games on their opponents home court.  They seem to play great at home but then struggle on the road which is not an uncommon thing in college basketball these days but it’s also not a sign of a team is ready to be considered a top 25 caliber team.
What this Arkansas team can do though is they can play at different tempos and with different styles depending on match-ups.  They do not need to slow the game down or rely on forcing turnovers to win basketball games because they have the ability to defend in the half court setting but also the ability to score in transition.  They also have the best freshman in the SEC in Patrick Beverely.  Beverely is a very intelligent combo guard that is extremely versatile and capable of doing a number of different things.  He’s good defensively, he can handle the rock, he can run the offense, he score in transition, he can shoot from the outside and he’s Arkansas best all around player.  The fact that Arkansas’ best player is a freshman maybe a reason as to why they’re inconsistent.
As stated earlier this is a good half court defensive team but not a great half court defensive team.  They do rebound the basketball at a high level and they do have the ability to pressure the basketball and force turnovers if needed.  They also have two of the very best individual defensive players in the SEC in Steven Hill and Sonny Weems.  Hill is one of the most underrated post defenders in the country and Weems is an absolute lock down perimeter defender.
Offensively, this team relies a lot on Beverely to makes things happen for them but they also have two solid post scores in Charles Thomas and Darian Townes.  Neither player is a dominant low post scorer but they do give Arkansas balance offensively to even out Beverely on the perimeter.
The way to beat this Arkansas team though is to attack their point guard Gary Ervin because he’s known for his erratic play and poor decision making.  He’s a very talented guard but he’s also a very volatile guard that at times can take his team out of the game.  As long as you can pressure Ervin and force Arkansas to become a perimeter shooting team and take away Thomas, Townes and Hill on the interior you have a very good shot at beating Arkansas.

#6 Vanderbilt
-This is your Dr. Jeckle and Dr. Hyde of the SEC.  When this team is hitting shots from the outside and actually attempting to play defense they’re good enough to beat anyone in the conference.  However, this is a team that relies too heavily on perimeter shooting and are not a consistent defensive team. 
One of the main reasons why Vandy is off to a hot start in the SEC is the much improved all around player of forward Derrick Byars.  Byars is an athletic 6′7 forward that can handle the rock and shoot from the outside but this year he’s also defending and rebounding the basketball.  He’s developed himself into a possible first team All Sec player this year.  The other key player for Vandy is their 6′6 shooting guard, Shan Foster.  He’s been a little inconsistent this year but he’s a very dangerous scorer and shooter.
This is truly one of the best perimeter shooting teams in the country and unless you’re able to get out on their perimeter defenders and force them into putting the ball on the floor they’re likely to get hot from the outside and when that happens they’re a very difficult team to beat.  They have four players that start for them in Byars, Foster, Cage and Gordon that are all threats to score from the outside.
The problem with Vanderbilt is that they don’t get a lot of scoring on the interior and they tend to live and die by the long ball.  They’re also a very inconsistent defensive team and they don’t rebound the basketball at all.  If you want to beat Vanderbilt you simply need to beat them up inside, dominant the glass and defend the perimeter.

#7 Georgia
-Even thoug the Bulldogs may not have the most impressive record at 13-9, none of their nine losses can be considered bad losses and they have decent wins over Gonzaga, Kentucky and Arkansas.  They’re still very much in the thick of things for an NCAA Tournament birth and certainly have the players to finish the year strong. 
This is one of the deepest teams in the Sec and their guards are as good as just about anyones guard in the Sec.  The development of Takais Brown on the interior has been key because that gives Georgia an interior post option that they haven’t in a long, long time.  With Brown on the interior that opens up things for their guards and they have good guards in Mike Mercer, Sundiata Gaines, Levi Stukes and Billy Humphrey.  All four of those guards are capable of hitting shots from the outside, especially Stukes.  Their best guards though are Mercer and Gaines but neither of them are consistent enough to be considered reliable scoring threats.  Mercer got off to a hot start in non conference play but hasn’t been nearly as effective in SEC play.
This is a rare team in the fact that they really like to get after you defensively with their guards but they’re also athletic enough to be able to hold on their own on the boards.  Surprisingly, Georgia is one of the best rebounding teams in the SEC which is odd for a team that is considered to beat guard dominated.  The fact of the matter though is that they have guards that can rebound the basketball as well as pressure the basketball. 
The problem for Georgia is that they don’t have a shot blocker on the interior and they’re suspect defensively on the interior because of that.  They’re a also a very turnover prone team.  In the end, this is a borderline NCAA Tournament team.  They’re certainly good enough and talented enough to make the NCAA Tournament and if they do get into the Tournament they’re a team that needs to be taken seriously.

#8 LSU
-I realize that they’re tied for last place in the SEC but I just can come to the conlusion that teams such as Ole Miss, Auburn, Mississippi State and South Carolina are better teams.  Last year this team had a very successful season and made it all the way to final four.  They did it with defense and balanced offense.  This year they’re still playing decent defense but they’re without a true playmaker this year, they don’t have any consistent perimeter scoring options, they turn the ball over too much and they’re extremely inefficient offensively. 
It’s not that this team is voild of talent.  They have talent, it’s just that the pieces do not fit together.  They’re stockpiled with 6′6 underachieving wing players that all want do to the same thing.  Their point guard is Garrett Temple but he is far from a true point guard.  Their shooting guards are both incoming transfers that are new to the program and have struggled finding themselves within the offense.  Their center position has been a complete mess all year and none of their starters have been to even come close to making up for the loss of Tyrus Thomas.
They do have two of the best players in the SEC though in Glen Davis and Tasmin Mitchell but without any sort of chemistry offensively neither player has been to play up to his potential this year.  Davis is still having an All Sec type of year but he cannot do it alone.
This team is probably going to have to win the Sec tournament in order to get in the NCAA Tournament and they have a shot at winning the Sec Tournament because they do rebound and defend the basketball at a high level and they do still have arguably the best player in the conference in Glen Davis.

Second Team
Corey Brewer, Florida- Junior
Jamon Gordon, Mississippi State- Sophomore
Al Horford, Florida- Junior
Patrick Beverely, Arkansas- Freshman
Trey Kelley, South Carolina- Senior

Third Team
Taurean Green, Florida- Junior
Richard Hendrix, Alabama- Sophomore
Jermareo Davidson, Alabama- Senior
Ramel Bradley, Kentucky- Junior
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt- Junior

All Freshman Team
Patrick Beverely- Arkansas
Ramar Smith- Tennessee
Barry Stewart- Mississippi State
Duke Crews- Tennessee
Dominique Archie- South Carolina

Player of the Year
Chris Lofton

Freshman of the Year
Patrick Beverely

Coach of the Year
Kevin Stallings- Vanderbilt

*There were a lot of worthy players in the SEC this year that I was forced leave off my teams but do feel the need to mention their names.