Basketball Preview: SEC East predictions
October 27, 2009 by Metz Camfield · Leave a Comment
1. Kentucky Wildcats
Head coach: John Calipari (445-140 career record; first season at UK)
Last season’s record: 22-14 (8-8 Southeastern Conference)
Returning starters: 3
Newcomers: 6
The Buzz: A return to glory? That’s what UK fans are thinking right now. The Cats welcome in a new head coach in John Calipari and a recruiting class second to none. Last year the Cats struggled without an established point guard to distribute the ball to Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks. Meeks has gone to the NBA, but with freshman point guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe bringing the ball down court, the Cats could be playing deep into March and possibly early April.
The Scare: Good luck in finding any experience on this roster. The two seniors on the team have played in a total of three NCAA Tournament games. In their freshman years, Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris played six minutes and change combined in two NCAA Tournament games. Patterson has still yet to play in a tournament game and the Cats didn’t make the Big Dance last season. If they make it this year, it will be a near-anomaly to every player involved.
2. Tennessee Volunteers
Head coach: Bruce Pearl (415-121; 98-37 at Tennessee)
Last season’s record: 21-13 (10-6 SEC)
Returning starters: 5
Newcomers: 3
The Buzz: With five starters returning, the Vols will know how to win and will know how to play together. All-American candidate Tyler Smith leads a team that will start four seniors. If Tennessee can take every game seriously, and not play down to their level of competition, they can challenge for the SEC crown. If they continue to be the sporadic team they’ve been in years past, they will have yet another 20-24-win season and a mid-level seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Scare: Tennessee hasn’t been able to take every team seriously like premier teams do. Ever since Chris Lofton graduated, the Vols haven’t been the same. Tennessee hasn’t had a leader like Lofton since, and unless someone steps up in the 2009-10 season, they won’t this year. With that can come frustration for a senior-laden team that hasn’t yet propelled the Vols to elite program status.
3. Vanderbilt Commodores
Head coach: Kevin Stallings (312-191; 189-128 at Vanderbilt)
Last season’s record: 19-12 (8-8 SEC)
Returning starters: 5
Newcomers: 2
The Buzz: Junior center A.J. Ogilvy is one of the best big men in the SEC. Senior guard Jermaine Beal can distribute the ball as well as anyone and sophomore guard Brad Tinsley of Oregon City, Ore., is one of the best shooters in the conference. Add in highly touted freshman John Jenkins and the Commodores have a team that can really put up some points. Also, playing at Memorial Gym is an advantage in and of itself. Vanderbilt is a team that could come up to surprise a lot of teams and challenge for the SEC crown.
The Scare: Do the Commodores know how to win? After missing the Big Dance in ’09, the Commodores enter the new season with loads of potential, but still haven’t had that winning mentality yet. Ogilvy is a star but has only played in one NCAA Tournament game.
4. South Carolina Gamecocks
Head coach: Darrin Horn (132-58; 21-10 at South Carolina)
Last season’s record: 21-10 (10-6 SEC)
Returning starters: 4
Newcomers: 4
The Buzz: South Carolina won’t win the SEC, but they have the potential to wreak havoc throughout the entire conference, again. Senior guard Devan Downey may be the best player in the conference. Put him alongside senior forward Dominique Archie and the Gamecocks have a solid inside-outside combo that combined to average over 30 points a game under a new coach. In Horn’s second year the Gamecocks won’t sneak up on anybody, but could still pull off multiple upsets.
The Scare: Suffice it to say, the Gamecocks benefitted by flying under the radar last season. Without any sort of winning tradition, South Carolina entered the season with a new head coach and no expectations last year. In the 2009-10 season, teams will be wary of the Gamecocks, and Downey, though very good, will certainly miss the presence of his backcourt mate, Zam Fredrick.
5. Florida Gators
Head coach: Billy Donovan (345-146; 310-126 at Florida)
Last season’s record: 25-11 (9-7 SEC)
Returning starters: 3
Newcomers: 4
The Buzz: For Florida, times have been rough since the departure of Joakim Noah and company. It was believed Nick Calathes would be the guard of the future, but after two seasons, Calathes had enough of Gainesville, Fla., and left to play in Greece. Now, with three starters returning in Dan Werner, Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons, the Gators will have an opportunity to fly under the radar. Freshman guard Kenny Boynton is one of the best freshmen in the country and should provide some help for the Gators.
The Scare: No matter what you think of Calathes, he was one of the best players in the SEC and leaves Florida very thin at the point guard position. If they get in foul trouble, or if 5-foot-8 Erving Walker gets injured, the Gators will be forced to move Boynton from the shooting guard spot, or bring on a guard from the bench with zero experience. The Gators have struggled in recent years because they haven’t had a leader like they did in their championship years. Until they find that player, they will continue to struggle.
6. Georgia Bulldogs
Head coach: Mark Fox (123-43; first season at Georgia)
Last season’s record: 12-20 (3-13 SEC)
Returning starters: 3
Newcomers: 4
The Buzz: For Georgia, a new head coach means the potential for a new era in a basketball program that’s been stale of late. Two years ago, the Bulldogs rode a Cinderella run to the SEC Tournament title and a birth into the Big Dance. What Mark Fox brings to the Bulldogs is a winning mentality. Fox, who was head coach at Nevada last year, took the Wolfpack to three NCAA Tournament births in five years.
The Scare: Where’s the talent? Terrance Woodbury was the heart and soul of the Georgia attack last year. With Woodbury gone, Georgia will have to find somebody to step up to fill his shoes. It could be a long season for the Bulldogs.
See more from the Kernel’s 2009 Basketball Preview:
Degree, NCAA tournament keep Patterson from NBA
Recruits aim to revive program
SEC rebounds from bad reputation
New coach gives sophomore a second chance at UK
The third time’s the charm: Harris, Stevenson cope with third coach in four years
UK Hoops looks to avoid injuries
Dunlap finds her voice as a leader
