Kentucky may have some competition in the SEC

Well, if they land John Wall, they probably won't.

But there is a chance that they may not have the best front line anymore.

Two weeks ago, Mississippi State looked like a team that was going to struggle to compete with bigger teams. Their only inside presence from a year ago, Jarvis Varnado, had declared for the NBA Draft and the only big man recruit they had coming in was 6'9" Wendell Lewis, a three-star recruit.

Fast forward to today, and the Bulldogs look they may have not only one of the best front lines in the SEC, but one of the best in the country. This morning, Varnado, who led the team with averages of 12.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and 4.7 bpg, decided that he would be pulling his name out of the draft.

Rick Stansbury also managed to land two of the best big man available late in the recruiting process. Renardo Sidney's story has been well documented (here and here), but the MSU coach also landed John Riek. If you've never heard of Riek, well, you are probably not the only one. In 2007, Riek was considered one of the best recruits big man prospects, and a dark horse to be the first pick in the 2008 draft. But knee problems changed those plans. He declared for the draft, but eventually pulled out. Last year, he committed to Cincinnati, but never became eligible.

Riek still needs to get back to 100% and Sidney needs to be cleared as eligible. But with the Varnado's decision, the Bulldogs now return everyone of significance from last season's team that won the SEC tournament to reach the big dance, including wing players Barry Stewart, Dee Bost, Ravern Johnson, and Phil Turner.

It is still too early in the process to pencil the Bulldogs in as an SEC darkhose, it is safe to say things are looking good right now in Starkville.