rfc17
12-18-2002, 08:53 PM
It’s been an interesting first six weeks of basketball in the SEC East, with no team emerging as the clear favorite. Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky have all looked worthy of top- ten rankings at times, and teams barely worthy of NIT bids at other times. South Carolina and Vanderbilt have played well at times but faltered against top- level teams, and Tennessee has alternated between respectability and ineptitude so far. Here’s a rundown on each team and what to expect the remainder of the season.
Florida Gators, 7- 2
Key wins: at Maryland, Kansas (neutral site), at Florida State, South Florida
Losses: at West Virginia, Stanford (neutral court)
Season summary: It’s hard to get a handle on the Gators. Are they the team that snapped Maryland’s thirteen- year non- conference home court winning streak, or the team that lost to West Virginia in what Dick Vitale called the “upset of the year” so far? Coach Billy Donovan has gotten tremendous performances from highly- regarded freshmen Matt Walsh, who leads the team in scoring at 14.6 ppg and hitting over 50% of his shots, and Anthony Roberson, who is third at 14.1 ppg. Matt Bonner has had his usual solid year and David Lee has continued to improve and will be one of the league’s premier players by this time next year. Donovan should get a huge boost from Christian Drejer, the Danish freshman who might have been a lottery pick had he not opted for Gainseville instead. Drejer has missed the entire season but the Gators expect him to return when the conference season begins. Perhaps the key to this team is Brett Nelson, once thought to be a legitimate NBA prospect. His performance has been awful so far as evidenced by his 27% shooting from the field and more turnovers than assists. Fortunately for Donovan, Justin Hamilton has been everything at the point position that Nelson’s not been.
Looking ahead: Drejer’s return and Nelson’s return to form would make the Gators one of the nation’s most dangerous teams and a legitimate Final Four threat. However, consistency has not been a hallmark of Donovan’s teams, and it will be difficult to find enough basketballs to keep all those McDonald’s All- Americans happy. Still, this is the most talented team in the league, so the bet here is that the Gators finish closer to the team that was the NCAA runner- up only three years ago than the team that was ousted in last year’s first round.
Georgia Bulldogs, 4-3
Key wins: at California, Gonzaga (neutral court), at Colorado
Losses: Texas (neutral court), at Georgia Tech, at Minnesota
Season summary: Like Florida, the Bulldogs have been maddeningly inconsistent but have played well of late with three consecutive quality wins after a last- second loss at Minnesota. Jim Harrick has primarily played six guys and has gotten his usual solid performances from Jarvis Hayes and Ezra Williams. Newcomers Damien Wilkins and Wayne Arnold have not contributed as expected. Defense has been somewhat of a concern, as the ‘Dawgs have allowed no less than 69 points in any game so far.
Looking ahead: Depth could be a huge problem, but never underestimate a Harrick team as UGA has exceeded expectations in each of the past two seasons. Hayes is arguably the league’s best player and if Georgia gets the expected contribution from Wilkins, they will be a factor in the SEC race.
Kentucky Wildcats, 5- 2
Key wins: Arizona State (neutral court), at Gonzaga, at North Carolina, at Tulane
Losses: Michigan State, Virginia (neutral court)
Season summary: Perhaps no SEC player has been more valuable to his team thus far than Keith Bogans. Bogans has looked more like the All- American candidate of two years ago than the guy who couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean most of last year’s second half. Bogans has hit 55% of his field goal attempts and almost half his three- point shots. Gerald Fitch and Marquis Estill have averaged double- figures in scoring and both have shot well from the field. The trio of Jules Camara, Eric Daniels, and Chuck Hayes have been solid but not spectacular. Antwain Barbour, the Wildcats’ highly- touted JUCO recruit, has not performed to expectations, and will miss a month or more with a broken hand.
Looking ahead: The Wildcats are hard to figure. They’ve had a decent start despite the loss of two major contributions (starting point guard Cliff Hawkins has been academically ineligible in addition to Barbour’s injury). Both are expected to return and if this happens, Kentucky will be perhaps the league’s deepest team, and Tubby Smith‘s teams always play hard on the defensive end. The bottom line: the Wildcats will probably go as far as Bogans carries them. If the first seven games are no fluke, expect a return to the Sweet Sixteen or perhaps further.
South Carolina Gamecocks, 5-2
Key wins: East Tennessee State, Temple
Losses: at Georgetown, at North Carolina State
Season summary: Carlos Powell is having a breakout season in his senior year, leading the Gamecocks in scoring and field- goal percentage. Chuck Eidson , perhaps the league’s most versatile player, has handled the full- time point guard position admirably, leading the team in assists and rebounds. However, Eidson will have to cut down on turnovers (almost five per game) in order for the Gamecocks to thrive. Much was expected of Rolando Howell this season but so far he’s shown no improvement over last season. The Gamecocks must find some scoring from the two- guard position, as Michael Boyton has managed fewer than three points an outing despite seeing an average of 22 minutes per game. As poor as the offense has been, the Gamecocks defense has been excellent, allowing more than 66 points only twice.
Looking ahead: The Gamecocks are arguably the East’s worst offensive team. Fortunately for USC fans, the offensive disadvantage will be somewhat neutralized by three things: 1. A bigger home-court advantage than in past years with the opening of the Carolina Center; 2. Dave Odom, one of the league’s better coaches; and, 3. One of the league’s better defenses. An NCAA bid is probably a longshot, but if Eidson can improve his shooting and avoid the turnovers and Odom can find another scorer, a bid would not be out of the question.
Tennessee Volunteers, 4-1
Key wins: at Georgia Tech
Loss: at Texas A&M
Season summary: As expected, Ron Slay has carried the Volunteers. Slay has led the Vols in scoring in four of the five outings and twice had games of a dozen rebounds. Freshman point guard C. J. Watson has proven capable of his starting role and has averaged over two assists for every turnover. Athletic Brandon Crump has shot and rebounded very well. Jon Higgins has provided the Vols with a legitimate three- point threat, including an impossible 55- foot buzzer- beater than defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Depth appears to be a problem for the Vols, who go eight- deep with no one player outside of the aforementioned players averaging more than five points per contest, although Elgrace Wilborn has almost averaged one rebound per two minutes played.
Looking ahead: Buzz Peterson has done a respectable job in Knoxville; unfortunately, the program was on the way down when Jerry Green left two years ago. Slay is an NBA talent and Watson appears on his way to becoming a good point guard, but it’s not realistic to expect the Vols to escape the cellar given that the Vols have less depth and experience than the rest of their SEC East brethren.
Vanderbilt Commodores, 6-2
Key wins: Tulane, East Tennessee State, Georgia Southern
Losses: Connecticut, at Indiana
Season summary: Junior Matt Freije, on pace to become Vandy’s all- time leading scorer, leads the way with a 17- point average. Brian Thornton has been steady in shooting 60% from the field and leads the Commodores in rebounding while doing a better job of avoiding the foul trouble which plagued him last year. Corey Smith has been one of the league’s more versatile players and has played tremendous defense at times. David Przybszewski has provided a consistent scoring threat off the bench and has improved his defense and rebounding. Russell Lakey has provided solid leadership and defense at the point position but has struggled to shoot well. For the first time in twenty years, the Commodores do not have a consistent outside threat, going a combined 3-30 from three-point range in losses to Indiana and UConn. Jason Holwerda appears capable of providing the Commodores with that threat but appears reluctant to shoot. However, the Commodores have offset their deficiencies with much-improved defense and a bench that’s much deeper than any of Kevin Stallings’ previous three years as VU’s head coach. Note: The Commodores received a double-dose of bad news as the season began, with the defection of assistant coach Tim Jankovich to Illinois and the transfer of freshman Bryson Krueger, who was expected to provide Vandy with an outside threat.
Looking ahead: Stallings has been optimistic about this team because for the first time, the Commodores appear to have the athletes to play the aggressive, pressing defensive style that he prefers. The Commodores can also legitimately go ten deep, a huge improvement over past years when the bench was so shallow that Stallings had assistant coaches don uniforms and participate in practice. The Commodores look like a much better team than the past two years, however, they’ve come up short in their two chances to beat ranked teams and struggled offensively at times in those games. As with USC, a tournament bid is a possibility, but only if Holwerda or someone else can provide some firepower from the shooting guard spot.
Florida Gators, 7- 2
Key wins: at Maryland, Kansas (neutral site), at Florida State, South Florida
Losses: at West Virginia, Stanford (neutral court)
Season summary: It’s hard to get a handle on the Gators. Are they the team that snapped Maryland’s thirteen- year non- conference home court winning streak, or the team that lost to West Virginia in what Dick Vitale called the “upset of the year” so far? Coach Billy Donovan has gotten tremendous performances from highly- regarded freshmen Matt Walsh, who leads the team in scoring at 14.6 ppg and hitting over 50% of his shots, and Anthony Roberson, who is third at 14.1 ppg. Matt Bonner has had his usual solid year and David Lee has continued to improve and will be one of the league’s premier players by this time next year. Donovan should get a huge boost from Christian Drejer, the Danish freshman who might have been a lottery pick had he not opted for Gainseville instead. Drejer has missed the entire season but the Gators expect him to return when the conference season begins. Perhaps the key to this team is Brett Nelson, once thought to be a legitimate NBA prospect. His performance has been awful so far as evidenced by his 27% shooting from the field and more turnovers than assists. Fortunately for Donovan, Justin Hamilton has been everything at the point position that Nelson’s not been.
Looking ahead: Drejer’s return and Nelson’s return to form would make the Gators one of the nation’s most dangerous teams and a legitimate Final Four threat. However, consistency has not been a hallmark of Donovan’s teams, and it will be difficult to find enough basketballs to keep all those McDonald’s All- Americans happy. Still, this is the most talented team in the league, so the bet here is that the Gators finish closer to the team that was the NCAA runner- up only three years ago than the team that was ousted in last year’s first round.
Georgia Bulldogs, 4-3
Key wins: at California, Gonzaga (neutral court), at Colorado
Losses: Texas (neutral court), at Georgia Tech, at Minnesota
Season summary: Like Florida, the Bulldogs have been maddeningly inconsistent but have played well of late with three consecutive quality wins after a last- second loss at Minnesota. Jim Harrick has primarily played six guys and has gotten his usual solid performances from Jarvis Hayes and Ezra Williams. Newcomers Damien Wilkins and Wayne Arnold have not contributed as expected. Defense has been somewhat of a concern, as the ‘Dawgs have allowed no less than 69 points in any game so far.
Looking ahead: Depth could be a huge problem, but never underestimate a Harrick team as UGA has exceeded expectations in each of the past two seasons. Hayes is arguably the league’s best player and if Georgia gets the expected contribution from Wilkins, they will be a factor in the SEC race.
Kentucky Wildcats, 5- 2
Key wins: Arizona State (neutral court), at Gonzaga, at North Carolina, at Tulane
Losses: Michigan State, Virginia (neutral court)
Season summary: Perhaps no SEC player has been more valuable to his team thus far than Keith Bogans. Bogans has looked more like the All- American candidate of two years ago than the guy who couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean most of last year’s second half. Bogans has hit 55% of his field goal attempts and almost half his three- point shots. Gerald Fitch and Marquis Estill have averaged double- figures in scoring and both have shot well from the field. The trio of Jules Camara, Eric Daniels, and Chuck Hayes have been solid but not spectacular. Antwain Barbour, the Wildcats’ highly- touted JUCO recruit, has not performed to expectations, and will miss a month or more with a broken hand.
Looking ahead: The Wildcats are hard to figure. They’ve had a decent start despite the loss of two major contributions (starting point guard Cliff Hawkins has been academically ineligible in addition to Barbour’s injury). Both are expected to return and if this happens, Kentucky will be perhaps the league’s deepest team, and Tubby Smith‘s teams always play hard on the defensive end. The bottom line: the Wildcats will probably go as far as Bogans carries them. If the first seven games are no fluke, expect a return to the Sweet Sixteen or perhaps further.
South Carolina Gamecocks, 5-2
Key wins: East Tennessee State, Temple
Losses: at Georgetown, at North Carolina State
Season summary: Carlos Powell is having a breakout season in his senior year, leading the Gamecocks in scoring and field- goal percentage. Chuck Eidson , perhaps the league’s most versatile player, has handled the full- time point guard position admirably, leading the team in assists and rebounds. However, Eidson will have to cut down on turnovers (almost five per game) in order for the Gamecocks to thrive. Much was expected of Rolando Howell this season but so far he’s shown no improvement over last season. The Gamecocks must find some scoring from the two- guard position, as Michael Boyton has managed fewer than three points an outing despite seeing an average of 22 minutes per game. As poor as the offense has been, the Gamecocks defense has been excellent, allowing more than 66 points only twice.
Looking ahead: The Gamecocks are arguably the East’s worst offensive team. Fortunately for USC fans, the offensive disadvantage will be somewhat neutralized by three things: 1. A bigger home-court advantage than in past years with the opening of the Carolina Center; 2. Dave Odom, one of the league’s better coaches; and, 3. One of the league’s better defenses. An NCAA bid is probably a longshot, but if Eidson can improve his shooting and avoid the turnovers and Odom can find another scorer, a bid would not be out of the question.
Tennessee Volunteers, 4-1
Key wins: at Georgia Tech
Loss: at Texas A&M
Season summary: As expected, Ron Slay has carried the Volunteers. Slay has led the Vols in scoring in four of the five outings and twice had games of a dozen rebounds. Freshman point guard C. J. Watson has proven capable of his starting role and has averaged over two assists for every turnover. Athletic Brandon Crump has shot and rebounded very well. Jon Higgins has provided the Vols with a legitimate three- point threat, including an impossible 55- foot buzzer- beater than defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Depth appears to be a problem for the Vols, who go eight- deep with no one player outside of the aforementioned players averaging more than five points per contest, although Elgrace Wilborn has almost averaged one rebound per two minutes played.
Looking ahead: Buzz Peterson has done a respectable job in Knoxville; unfortunately, the program was on the way down when Jerry Green left two years ago. Slay is an NBA talent and Watson appears on his way to becoming a good point guard, but it’s not realistic to expect the Vols to escape the cellar given that the Vols have less depth and experience than the rest of their SEC East brethren.
Vanderbilt Commodores, 6-2
Key wins: Tulane, East Tennessee State, Georgia Southern
Losses: Connecticut, at Indiana
Season summary: Junior Matt Freije, on pace to become Vandy’s all- time leading scorer, leads the way with a 17- point average. Brian Thornton has been steady in shooting 60% from the field and leads the Commodores in rebounding while doing a better job of avoiding the foul trouble which plagued him last year. Corey Smith has been one of the league’s more versatile players and has played tremendous defense at times. David Przybszewski has provided a consistent scoring threat off the bench and has improved his defense and rebounding. Russell Lakey has provided solid leadership and defense at the point position but has struggled to shoot well. For the first time in twenty years, the Commodores do not have a consistent outside threat, going a combined 3-30 from three-point range in losses to Indiana and UConn. Jason Holwerda appears capable of providing the Commodores with that threat but appears reluctant to shoot. However, the Commodores have offset their deficiencies with much-improved defense and a bench that’s much deeper than any of Kevin Stallings’ previous three years as VU’s head coach. Note: The Commodores received a double-dose of bad news as the season began, with the defection of assistant coach Tim Jankovich to Illinois and the transfer of freshman Bryson Krueger, who was expected to provide Vandy with an outside threat.
Looking ahead: Stallings has been optimistic about this team because for the first time, the Commodores appear to have the athletes to play the aggressive, pressing defensive style that he prefers. The Commodores can also legitimately go ten deep, a huge improvement over past years when the bench was so shallow that Stallings had assistant coaches don uniforms and participate in practice. The Commodores look like a much better team than the past two years, however, they’ve come up short in their two chances to beat ranked teams and struggled offensively at times in those games. As with USC, a tournament bid is a possibility, but only if Holwerda or someone else can provide some firepower from the shooting guard spot.