Conference Tournament Preview: The SEC

Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

When: March 11th-14th

Final: 1:00 pm ABC




Favorite: Kentucky Wildcats

There shouldn't be any argument. John Wall. DeMarcus Cousins. Patrick Patterson. John Calipari. 29-2, 14-2. My work is done here. Moving on.


And if they lose?: Tennessee Volunteers

The Vols are an interesting team. For starters, there is the whole drugs-and-guns-in-a-rental-car story. Then there are the wins over two of the three No. 1 seeds in Kansas and Kentucky. But there are also the losses to Georgia and USC. This a tough team to figure out. What we do know is that Scotty Hopson is fast-developing into a certified star in the SEC. Wayne Chism has developed into one of the better low-post scorers in the SEC. Guys like Bobby Maze and JP Prince have stepped up their games in the absence of Tyler Smith, while the Tennessee bench -- full of walk-ons and freshman -- has been tremendous. It will be interesting to see which Tennessee team shows up.

Scotty Hopson is a blossoming star.
(photo credit: Go Vols Xtra)

The one difference with UT this season, however, has been that they are pressing a lot less and playing a more controlled game, especially on the defensive end of the floor. While they still run -- we aren't quite talking about Northern Iowa -- its just a different system than we have seen from the Vols the last few seasons.


Don't count out: Vanderbilt Commodores and Florida Gators

I like Vandy this season, and have all season long. This is an experienced group with a quality point guard in Jermaine Beal, good size and athleticism along their front line, a couple shooters around the perimeter, and one of the best coaches in the game in Kevin Stallings. They have quite a few good wins as well, picking up 12 RPI top 100 wins and sweeping Tennessee. The issue for Vanderbilt is consistency. Lets assume for a second that Illinois loses their opener to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament and that Cincinnati doesn't make a run through the Big East. Neither of those are outlandish occurrences, and if that is how it plays out, then Vandy will have lost all but two of their games to teams outside the NCAA Tournament, with Kentcuky's sweep being the exception.


Sleeper: Florida Gators

Yes, the Gators are a sleeper in this league. Florida is very much in danger of missing the NCAA tournament this season after losing their last three games of the regular season. They have lost 11 games on the year, and while they do have three solid wins -- Michigan State, Florida State, Tennessee -- they have just as many questionable losses. Florida's issue is that they are a flawed team. They don't have a true point guard, and their big men are not all that strong in the paint. Having said all that, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker can both shoot the ball very well, Chandler Parsons (and to a point Vernon Macklin as well) is starting to come into his own as a player, and the Gators got a good draw in the tournament. They get Auburn and Mississippi State in the first two rounds before potentially taking on Vandy, a team they played tough twice this season.


Names you need to know

• Devan Downey, South Carolina: We all saw the Kentucky game. We all know what the mighty mite is capable of when he gets hot.
  
• Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt: There are so many good point guards in this conference - Downey, Wall, Courtney Fortson, Chris Warren. But despite all that talent, Beal may actually be the best of that group. A big, strong guy, he doesn't do anything spectacular, but he doesn't turn the ball over, he plays under control, and he's a knockdown shooter, especially in the clutch.
• Chris Warren and Terrico White, Ole Miss: The Rebels finished in second place in the SEC West, but the SEC West may as well be the Sun Belt conference this season. Of the Rebels nine conference wins, the only team they beat with a winning record overall (everyone had losing SEC marks) was Alabama at 16-14. While wins over K-State and UTEP are nice, that is it for Ole Miss. They have a nice draw to bolster their resume -- Tennessee and then Kentucky -- but that means they need to win those games.
  
• Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs struggled this season, losing five games to team with sub-100 RPI's and beating, well, Old Dominion. They have a lot of work to do if they are going to play their way into the NCAA Tournament. That takes nothing away from the player that Varnado is, however. The NCAA's leading career shot blocker, Varnado can change the feel on a game on the defensive end of the floor.