When Kentucky is up, the SEC is better. Even Cats haters will have to concede that. I see five teams (Tenn, Miss. State, Vandy, UK and South Carolina) that should definitely make an inarguable run for the postseason. With Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas and LSU also in the mix. A lot of athletes and a lot of potential for this conference this year, no doubt about it.
Who’s in the Top 25: Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi State.
Last three regular-season champions: LSU, Tennessee, Florida.
2009 Tournament record: 7-7.
Five best players:
• Senior Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State). The man who broke Shaq’s single-season blocks record in the conference has developed into such a force. He doesn’t foul out like he used to and is developing Emeka Okafor-like instincts for swatting the ball.
• Junior Patrick Patterson (Kansas). If you gave Patterson truth serum, he would admit he planned on staying just one year and bolting for The League. But injuries and playing below what he’s capable of have kept the big man on campus. The last thing teams will want to do is give him any sort of space in the lane. That’s going to be tough now that UK will have plenty of action around the perimeter. Patterson should have career highs in blocks and rebounds this iyear.
• Sophomore Courtney Fortson (Arkansas). The Hogs were below .500 last year, but Fortson always seemed to have a game worth watching. Remember how he had a triple double just seven games into last season? He’s one of the quickest guys on the floor in every game and will get to just about any loose ball. His team will keep his talent under the radar.
• Sophomore JaMychal Green (Alabama). Perhaps the definition of a raw player in his freshman year. Barring an injury, he’s gone after his year. Heck, he’s gone maybe even with an injury. Green reminds me a lot of Tyrus Thomas, except maybe not as elegant.
• Senior Devan Downey (South Carolina). Downey is so fast, plays you so close and makes life hell. For his never-ending commitment to defense and how much that charges the Gamecocks, I put him just barely above Tennessee’s Tyler Smith here.
Freshmen to watch:
• John Wall (Kentucky). If you’ve seen any of the well-circulated video on Wall then little needs to be said here. He’s only going to be at Kentucky this season, so the Bluegrass Nation should savor every second of him.
• DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky). The other ridiculously talented newcomer for the Cats. Cousins will complement Patterson down low. If he has an immediate impact, UK may never fall out of the top 10 this year.
• Renardo Sidney (Mississippi State). Sidney is a wild card. He doesn’t have a defined position yet. Should be a joy to watch blossom. Plenty of drama over his actual eligibility, but he seems good to go. Nothing to see here, folks!
Coaching changes: Anthony Grant comes to Alabama from VCU. Who doesn’t like that hire? Mark Fox takes over for Dennis Felton at Georgia. Fox was at Nevada for more than a decade. Oh, yeah, didn’t Kentucky hire somebody new?
Five storylines to follow:
1) All Kentucky all the time. The team is loaded, ranked No. 4 and already has hopes of winning a national title this season. Well, let’s pump the breaks a bit. We haven’t seen them play yet, and it’s a long, long stretch. John Calipari hasn’t lost much in the regular season in the past five years — you wonder if he’ll get his comeuppance with his group of kittens. But this team, after a three-year break, will again be the focal point, nationally, of the conference. Pat Forde throws another dart at the John Calipari picture that hangs in his office.
2) Stark contrast. The Bulldogs of Mississippi State should have a lot of national relevance this season. With a lot of power in the frontcourt and the perennially underrated Dee Bost and Barry Stewart in the backcourt. You will not find two more conflicting names sharing the same position. Once center John Riek gets back from a nine-game suspension, the Dogs can make their case as a top-four seed.
3) Volunteers not needed. One refreshing thing about Vols fans, I’ve noticed, is that they seldom make excuses. So with J.P. Prince, Scotty Hopson, Tyler Smith and Bobby Maze all back, Tennessee should see continued success. Bruce Pearl may have to win three Tournament games this year, too, as the expectations are slowly but surely rising in Knoxville. Can they shoot the ball effectively? The question that doesn’t go away.
4) Forgetting about Florida. The Gators have taken the swan dive everybody expected following the back-to-back titles. Some believe they’ll contend for a Tournament berth. I think that question will be a definitive “no” come Valentine’s Day. Nick Calathes is gone to the NBA. Thought he should have stayed, myself. I think Calathes was worth three or four victories last year. Let’s see how the new guy, Kenny Boynton, plays with high expectations and plenty of minutes in store.
5) The OOC. The SEC has played some pretty weak teams, collectively, in the out-of-conference. New coaches and rebuilding programs were the excuses in year’s past. The league has got to win a bunch of its preseason tournament games if it wants to be respected beyond Kentucky and Tennessee, because that’s all anyone will give them in the first two months. I think the league has the potential to be the second-best in the nation.
Calendars circled:
— Jan. 23: South Carolina @ Florida
— Feb. 13: Tennessee @ Kentucky
— Feb. 16: Kentucky @ Mississippi State
— Feb. 27: Kentucky @ Tennessee
— Feb. 27: Mississippi State @ South Carolina
— March 3: Arkansas @ Tennessee
