SB Nation - DeWayne Reed

UK Basketball: A Statistical Look at the SEC

Ken Howlett — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:41:16 -0000

Kentucky coach John Calipari asks, where do my 'Cats stand statistically within the SEC?

Ten games into the season, and the Kentucky Wildcats are sporting a pristine 10-0 record, with two wins against top-15 competition. OK, so you already knew that, but do you know how UK stands within the conference in the many statistical categories? If not, prepare yourself for an onslaught of SEC stats, standings, as well as enough conference information to make one forget about Bob Knight and his "unamusing" musings.

After the jump comes ... the rest of the story.

Conference Standings

East West

1. Kentucky - 10-0 1. Mississippi - 9-1

t2. Tennessee - 8-1 2. Mississippi State - 8-2

t2. Florida - 8-1 3. LSU - 7-2

4. South Carolina - 7-2 4. Alabama - 7-3

5. Vanderbilt - 6-3 t5. Arkansas - 5-5

6. Georgia - 4-4 t5. Auburn - 5-5

Scoring Offense -- 1. Tennessee (84.1) 2. Mississippi (83.1) 3. Kentucky (80.3) 4. Arkansas (80.2) 5. South Carolina (78.1) 6. Mississippi State (76.2) 7. Florida (75.4) 8. Vanderbilt (74.4) 9. Auburn (72.2) 10. Alabama (70.7) 11. LSU (66.1) 12. Georgia (63.5).

Arkansas is averaging over 80 points per game, but is still only 5-5?

Scoring Defense -- 1. Mississippi State (59.5) 2. Tennessee (60.2) 3. Florida (60.9) 4. LSU (62.1) 5. Alabama (63.2) 6. Georgia (63.6) 7. Kentucky (65.5) 8. Auburn (67.7) 9. South Carolina (68.2) t10. Mississippi (68.3) t10. Vanderbilt (68.3) 12. Arkansas (72.6).

Tennessee and Florida, both weak defensively last season, have so far shown a tremendous defensive turnaround. John Pelphrey, on the other hand, needs to instill some of the defensive tenacity at Arkansas he employed while playing for the 'Cats.

Scoring Margin -- 1. Tennessee (+23.9) 2. Mississippi State (+16.7) t3. Mississippi (+14.8) t3. Kentucky (+14.8) 5. Florida (+14.6) 6. South Carolina (+9.9) 7. Arkansas (+7.6) 8. Alabama (+7.5) 9. Vanderbilt (+6.1) 10. Auburn (+4.5) 11. LSU (+4.0) 12. Georgia (-.1).

It looks as if Bruce Pearl has finally reigned in his talented UT squad ... as of now, that is.

Field Goal % -- 1. Tennessee (50.4) 2. Kentucky (49.7) 3. Arkansas (49.0) 4. Mississippi State (47.5) t5. Florida (46.3) t5. Mississippi (46.3) 7. Vanderbilt (46.1) 8. Alabama (45.4) 9. South Carolina (43.9) 10. LSU (43.4) 11. Georgia (42.9) 12. Auburn (42.7).

South Carolina must shoot the ball better if they wish to atone for last year's NCAA Tournament slight. Arkansas, shooting 49% and standing at 5-5? I sense a trend developing.

Field Goal % Defense -- 1. Mississippi State (36.8) 2. Tennessee (37.8) 3. Kentucky (38.6) 4. Arkansas (40.1) 5. Florida (40.3) 6. LSU (41.5) 7. Mississippi (41.6) 8. Auburn (41.8) 9. Georgia (42.0) 10. Vanderbilt (42.1) 11. Alabama (42.2) 12. South Carolina (42.3).

Tennessee once again surprises. What once was holding UT back from fulfilling their promise, may now become the strength of their team ... if they can keep up D-heat.

Three-Point % -- 1. Mississippi State (41.9) 2. Tennessee (40.6) 3. Arkansas (39.3) 4. Kentucky (38.0) 5. Mississippi (36.2) 6. Alabama (34.8) 7. Florida (33.0) 8. Georgia (32.3) 9. South Carolina (32.1) 10. Vanderbilt (31.9) 11. LSU (30.5) 12. Auburn (30.4).

Shooters, shooters, needed in middle Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama.

Three-Point % Defense -- 1. Florida (21.5) 2. Tennessee (27.5) 3. Mississippi (31.3) 4. Auburn (34.0) 5. Alabama (34.1) 6. South Carolina (34.8) 7. Mississippi State (35.1) 8. Vanderbilt (35.2) 9. LSU (35.4) 10. Kentucky (36.1) 11. Georgia (36.4) 12. Arkansas (38.4).

Allowing 38.4% shooting from beyond the three-point line isn't defense, it's indifferent defense, and also the reason Arkansas may have a new head coach next year. UT and Florida continue to impress.

Free Throw % -- 1. Mississippi State (70.7) 2. Georgia (70.6) 3. Florida (70.1) 4. Tennessee (69.6) 5. Alabama (69.2) 6. Vanderbilt (67.4) 7. LSU (67.4) 8. South Carolina (67.0) 9. Mississippi (66.9) 10. Kentucky (66.0) 11. Arkansas (64.6) 12. Auburn (62.1).

The relative weak conference free throw shooting may render UK's poor average inconsequential.

Rebound Average -- 1. Kentucky (42.1) 2. Mississippi State (40.6) 3. Mississippi (39.6) 4. LSU (39.4) 5. South Carolina (38.0) 6. Florida (37.8) 7. Tennessee (37.1) 8. Vanderbilt (36.7) 9. Auburn (36.6) 10. Georgia (34.5) 11. Alabama (34.3) 12. Arkansas (34.1).

Kentucky should win a number of SEC games based strictly on their ability to hit the boards with a vengeance.

Rebounding Defense -- 1. LSU (30.9) 2. Kentucky (31.5) 3. Georgia (32.2) t4. Tennessee (32.6) t4. Mississippi State (32.6) 6. Alabama (34.1) t7. Florida (36.0) t7. Arkansas (36.0) 9. Auburn (36.2) 10. Vanderbilt (37.8) 11. Mississippi (39.1) South Carolina (39.6).

Rebounding Margin -- 1. Kentucky (+10.6) 2. LSU (+8.6) 3. Mississippi State (+8.0) 4. Tennessee (+4.6) 5. Georgia (+2.2) 6. Florida (+1.8) 7. Mississippi (+.5) 8. Auburn (+.4) 9. Alabama (+.2) 10. Vanderbilt (-1.1) 11. South Carolina (-1.6) 12. Arkansas (-1.9).

Offensive Rebounds -- 1. Kentucky (15.4) 2. South Carolina (14.7) 3. LSU (14.6) 4. Mississippi (13.8) 5. Auburn (13.6) 6. Florida (13.3) 7. Alabama (12.6) 8. Vanderbilt (11.8) 9. Tennessee (11.7) 10. Georgia (11.6) 11. Mississippi State (10.4) 12. Arkansas (10.0).

Offensive rebounds equals a gained possession, something UK has been lacking in to a great degree the last four years.

Offensive Rebound % -- 1. Kentucky (44.8) 2. LSU (40.8) 3. Florida (37.5) 4. Alabama (37.0) 5. South Carolina (36.6) 6. Mississippi (35.8) 7. Auburn (35.4) 8. Georgia (34.7) 9. Tennessee (34.5) 10. Vanderbilt (33.2) 11. Mississippi State (32.2) 12. Arkansas (29.9).

Surprisingly low number for Mississippi State. UK at nearly 45.0% is remarkable.

Defensive Rebounds -- 1. Mississippi State (30.2) 2. Kentucky (26.7) 3. Mississippi (25.8) 4. Tennessee (25.4) t5. Vanderbilt (24.9) t5. LSU (24.9) 7. Florida (24.4) 8. Arkansas (24.1) 9. South Carolina (23.3) 10. Auburn (23.0) 11. Georgia (22.9) 12. Alabama (21.7)

Defensive Rebound % -- 1. Mississippi State (73.8) 2. LSU (71.8) 3. Tennessee (70.9) 4. Georgia (68.8) 5. Kentucky (68.1) 6. Auburn (66.9) 7. Arkansas (65.8) 8. Mississippi (64.2) 9. Florida (64.0) 10. Vanderbilt (63.8) 11. Alabama (63.3) 12. South Carolina (62.3).

How can MSU be so strong on the defensive boards, and so bad on the offensive glass?

Blocked Shots -- 1. Mississippi State (8.6) 2. Kentucky (8.1) 3. South Carolina (7.8) 4. Mississippi (6.0) 5. Georgia (5.6) 6. Vanderbilt (5.0) 7. Alabama (4.6) 8. Arkansas (4.1) t9. Tennessee (3.2) t9. LSU (3.2) t11. Florida (3.0) t11. Auburn (3.0).

Raise your hand if you think John Calipari will have his players drive directly into the path of MSU's Jarvis Varnado, continuing an unpleasant Billy Gillespie tradition, which resulted in nearly 30 blocked shots in two games.

Assists -- 1. Tennessee (18.2) 2. Arkansas (16.3) 3. Kentucky (15.6) 4. Florida (15.4) 5. Mississippi (14.3) 6. Alabama (14.1) 7. Mississippi State (13.6) 8. Auburn (13.1) 9. LSU (12.4) 10. Georgia (12.3) 11. Vanderbilt (11.2) 12. South Carolina (10.7).

I expect UK's assist numbers to rise, as the team continues to gel. Does UT's 18 dimes per game signal an end to the alleged chemistry issues which plagued the team last season?

Steals -- 1. Auburn (9.5) 2. South Carolina (9.1) 3. Tennessee (8.9) 4. Alabama (8.4) 5. Mississippi (8.3) 6. Florida (7.8) 7. Georgia (7.7) 8. Kentucky (7.6) 9. Vanderbilt (6.7) 10. Arkansas (6.5) 11. LSU (5.8) 12. Mississippi State (5.3).

Strong numbers at the top the conference.

Turnover Margin -- 1. Tennessee (+6.9) 2. South Carolina (+5.1) 3. Mississippi (+4.7) 4. Alabama (+3.6) 5. Florida (+2.3) 6. Auburn (+2.0) 7. Arkansas (+1.6) 8. Vanderbilt (-.33) 9. LSU (-.56) 10. Georgia (-1.4) 11. Kentucky (-1.9) 12. Mississippi State (-2.6).

If UK hopes to race to Indianapolis as a Final Four participant, this number has to improve.

Assist/Turnover Ratio -- 1. Tennessee (1.4) 2. Arkansas (1.2) 3. Alabama (1.2) 4. Mississippi (1.1) t5. Florida (1.0) t5. Mississippi State (1.0) 7. LSU (.96) 8. Kentucky (.93) 9. Auburn (.86) 10. Georgia (.84) 11. Vanderbilt (.75) 12. South Carolina (.74).

Top Individual SEC Performers

Scoring -- 1. Rotnei Clarke (ARK) - 21.1 2. Chris Warren (UM) - 19.2 3. John Wall (UK) - 18.1 4. Tasmin Mitchell (LSU) - 18.0 5. Devan Downey (SC) - 17.7 6. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 16.8.

Now we see why Clarke was a hard target recruit for Billy Gillespie.

Rebounding -- 1. Storm Warren (LSU) - 11.4 2. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 10.1 3. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 9.6 4. Tasmin Mitchell (LSU) - 8.4 5. DeMarcus Cousins (UK) - 8.3.

Field Goal % -- 1. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 67.5 2. Storm Warren (LSU) - 64.3 3. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 62.5 4. Murphy Holloway (UM) - 59.5 5. Ravern Johnson (MSU) - 56.0.

Coming in at No. 7 is UK's John Wall at 54.0%, and at No. 8 UK's DeMarcus Cousins (52.9%).

Three-Point FG % (min. 2.5 made per game) -- 1. Rotnei Clarke (ARK) - 53.9 2. Ravern Johnson (MSU) - 50.0 3. Frankie Sullivan (AU) - 41.3 4. Chris Warren (UM) - 39.8.

Somebody get a hand in Clarke's face.

Assists Per Game -- 1. John Wall (UK) - 7.1 2. Mikhail Torrance (UA) - 5.5 t3. Dee Bost (MSU) - 5.4 t3. Julysses Nobles (ARK) - 5.4 5. Erving Walker (UF) - 5.1.

Steals Per Game -- 1. John Wall (UK) - 2.8 2. Devan Downey (SC) - 2.4 3. Ricky McPhee (UGA) - 2.1 4. DeWayne Reed (AU) - 2.0 5. Eniel Polynice (UM) - 1.9.

Free Throw % (min. 2.5 made per game) -- 1. Frankie Sullivan (AU) - 93.3 2. Mikhail Torrance (UA) - 90.9 3. Kodi Augustus (MSU) - 87.1 t4. Dustin Ware (UGA) - 82.8 t4. Trey Thompkins (UGA) - 82.8.

UK's John Wall checks in at No. 8, making 78.7% of his free throws.

Blocked Shots -- 1. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 5.3 2. Sam Muldrow (SC) - 3.3 3. Reginald Buckner (UM) - 2.4 4. JaMychal Green (UA) - 2.3 5. DeMarcus Cousins (UK) - 2.2.

Cousins is averaging less than 20 minutes per game!

Offensive Rebounds -- 1. Storm Warren (LSU) - 5.1 2. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 4.2 3. DeMarcus Cousins (UK) - 3.6 4. Murphy Holloway (UM) - 3.3 t5. JaMychal Green (UA) - 3.0 t5. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 3.0.

Patterson and Cousins average nearly as many offensive boards per game as the entire South Carolina team. Paying attention, Darren Horn?

Defensive Rebounds -- 1. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 7.1 2. Tasmin Mitchell (LSU) - 6.4 3. Storm Warren (LSU) - 6.3 4. Lucas Hargrove (AU) - 5.6 5. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 5.4.

UK's DeMarcus Cousins comes in at No. 8 with 4.7 defensive rebounds per game.

Assist/TO Ratio -- 1. Tyler Smith (UT) - 4.1 2. Chris Bass (LSU) - 2.9 3. Kenny Boynton (UF) - 2.3 4. Bobby Maze (UT) - 2.3 5. Erving Walker (UF) - 2.2.

John Wall is ranked No. 10 at 1.6. Very impressive number for Tyler Smith, and it may be indicative of the focus he has this season.

Bad Conference Losses -- Alabama (Cornell), Arkansas (Morgan State, East Tennessee State, and South Alabama), Auburn (Missouri State, Central Florida, and Troy), Georgia (Wofford and UAB), Mississippi State (Rider and Richmond), Vanderbilt (Western Kentucky).

Good Conference Wins -- Alabama (Michigan), Auburn (Virginia), Florida (Michigan State), Kentucky (Stanford, North Carolina, and UConn), Mississippi State (UCLA ... kind of), Mississippi (Kansas State), Vanderbilt (Arizona and Missouri).

Individual and Team Points of Interest

Rotnei Clarke scored 51 points versus Alcorn State ... In that game he made 13 three-point shots ... Clarke made 10 threes in a game versus East Tennessee State ... Devan Downey dropped 34 points on Jacksonville ... DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Tasmin Mitchell have all corralled 18 rebounds in a game this year ... John Wall dished out 14 dimes against UNC Asheville, and 11 versus Rider ... Dee Bost and Julysses Nobles each handed out 11 assists in games this year ... Jarvis Varnado has twice blocked eight shots this season ... Arkansas scored 130 points against Alcorn State ... Tennessee scored 124 points against UNC Asheville ... Arkansas shot 65.9% from the field against Delaware State ... Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi State have all made 16 three-pointers in games this year ... Arkansas made 35-45 free throws against Morgan State and still lost ... Auburn pulled down 52 rebounds versus Alabama A&M ... Florida and Vanderbilt both have games where they recorded 51 rebounds ... Tennessee dished out an astounding 34 assists in their contest with UNC Asheville ... UK handed out 28 dimes versus the same club ... Mississippi and Tennessee have both recorded 17 steals in games this year.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

Tonight's Picks by Luckey

SFBE.NF — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:02:51 -0000

Per our resident Atlantic City Aficionado...

Florida St. (-13) over Auburn: The Seminoles' team defense has been holding opponents to under 57 points a game, so look for them to clamp down on the Tigers' guard oriented offense. If Auburn's trio of DeWayne Reed, Frankie Sullivan and Tay Waller shoot a great percentage, they just might survive. On the other hand, watch FSU's Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton should have a field day in the low post with any and all missed shot opportunities.
Elon College (+21) over NC St.: Normally I'd never give Elon a prayer in this matchup because they're a poor team (3-7) against a power conference rival, NC State, who is having a pretty solid season (7-1). However, Elon fans will only have to travel an hour east on I-40 to neutralize the home court advantage and fewer places hold basketball more sacredly than the state of North Carolina. The game shouldn't go into overtime, but Elon will make it competitive enough to come within 20.
UNLV (-16) over Weber St.: UNLV has been on a tear lately, starting the season with an outstanding 8-1 record. They distribute scoring quite well, with 9 players averaging more than 5 ppg and only 2 averaging more than 10 ppg. Weber State's inside-outside combination of Damian Lilliard and Steve Panos may score some points, but Tre'Von Willis and the rest of the Rebels will rip the Wildcats to shreds.

Yesterday 1-2
Overall 24-13

Previewing Auburn

Akula Wolf — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:14 -0000

2009 Scouting Report / 2009 Game Plan
2009 Stats
2010 Roster
2010 Schedule

Auburn Offense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	50.4	110
Turnover Rate	18.5	61
Off Reb Rate	31.7	217
FTA/FGA	37.6	147

Auburn's surprisingly successful '09 campaign (24-12, 10-6), coming as it did on the heels of a terrible '08 season (14-16, 4-12), made for one of the bigger turnarounds in college basketball. But they lost three key contributors to graduation during the off-season--most notably forward Korvotney Barber--and the early returns suggest they may be heading back to the drawing board in '09-'10.

The Tigers head to Daytona with a narrow win over Niagara and an 11-point loss to a bad Missouri State team (which they beat by 15 last year). So far, the offense has been a complete disaster: they're shooting below 42%, turning the ball over nearly 27% of the time, and rebounding less than 30% of their missed shots. Like Akron, Auburn likes to shoot lots of threes despite the fact that they don't make very many of them. They've hit more than half of their twos this season, but 41.4% of their attempts have come from outside, and they've hit less than 20% of those. Their 3FG% is certain to work its way back up eventually, but considering that they shot just 33.5% from three last year, I'm not sure the ceiling is particularly high. Might be a good idea for the Tigers to attack the rim a little more often.

Making matters worse offensively, the Tigers will be without juco transfer Kenny Gabriel, a "swingman with range," indefinitely. Their most prolific and effective three-point shooter, Tay Waller, is nursing a sore quad--his status for the weekend is in doubt. Backup PG Tony Neysmith has been limited by a bum ankle.

Starters:

DeWayne Reed (6-1, 175) -- So the team's leading scorer is back, but that's good and bad. He's taken 32 shots through two games this season. Problem is, the dude can't shoot. From anywhere. He hit 61.8% of his FTs, 44.6% of his twos, and 32.7% of his (numerous) threes last season. Those were not aberrations. He did a good job distributing from the point while keeping the turnovers down, and his quick hands spearheaded a vastly improved defense, but that 46.8 eFG is evidence that he bit off more than he could chew at the offensive end. I'm not sure Auburn has a choice in the matter, though.

Frankie Sullivan (6-1, 185) -- A three-point specialist; good steal percentage last year.

Earnest Ross (6-5, 215) -- A freshman who by the looks of it fits right into the team's three-firing vibe. Unfortunately he's off to a 37.5% start from the field and has hit just one of his six 3FGAs.

Lucas Hargrove (6-6, 205) -- He was a secondary option last season, but an effective and versatile one. Turnovers were a problem, but he rebounded well at the defensive end for a guy his size, and he shot the ball well both inside and out.

Brendon Knox (6-10, 220) -- Hit 66% of his twos in very limited playing time last season. He's an extremely light-usage guy, probably because he's a foul-prone turnover machine. That's too bad, because this team could really use a reliable low-post scorer.

Bench:

Three guys have been getting double digit minutes off the bench: Kenny Gabriel (out), Andre Malone (6-5, 202), and Johnnie Lett (6-8, 210). Malone is a freshman. Lett profiles similarly to Knox--less effective from the field but a better rebounder. Bench production looks like a serious problem for the Tigers.

Auburn Defense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	48.0	119
Turnover Rate	23.0	42
Off Reb Rate	30.8	92
FTA/FGA	37.0	192

Auburn's '09 rebound was made possible by its defense. As John Gasaway notes in College Basketball Prospectus, "In fact no major-conference team over the past three seasons has improved its D in league play as much as Auburn did last year." They allowed 1.14 points per possession in SEC play two years ago and somehow managed to cut that down to 0.98 last year. That's insane.

Auburn D	2008	2009
Opp 2FG%	55.4	46.5
Opp 3FG%	37.5	33.5

The really odd thing is that they were undersized both years: 241st nationally in effective height in '08, 258th in '09. Jeff Lebo did more with fewer inches in 2009 than anybody in America (call him, ladies). Could be that it was a fluke.

Regardless, Auburn's D is going to make for an interesting battle of wills. They want to keep opponents out of the paint and they've done a fine job clogging the lane and making foes look to the perimeter for scoring. In each of the last two years, over 40% of their opponents' field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. Zone defense alert.

Can we get it inside the way we want to, or will we end up settling for a lot of jumpers? If we get frustrated and start heaving, this game could be a hideous low-scoring affair.

Early Round Ball Season Round Up

Year2 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:25:53 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Tennessee's Scotty Hopson.

Browse more photos »

LAST NIGHT

As we mentioned in Sprints this morning, points were raining down in Knoxville as No. 11 Tennessee set a school scoring record in its 124-49 pummeling of UNC-Asheville. Scotty Hopson led the Vols with 25 points. Rocky Top Talk has a wrap up of the romp.

Meanwhile in Baton Rouge, a Tiger set a career high as Bo Spencer's 28 points led LSU to a 71-60 win over Western Kentucky. Storm Warren also had a great night with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his third straight double-double. And the Valley Shook has game coverage and a look ahead at LSU's upcoming games in Madison Square Garden.

Staying in the SEC West, Alabama picked up the first win of the Anthony Grant era with an 86-69 laugher over Jackson State. Four Tide ballers went into double figures, with freshman Tony Mitchell setting the standard with 23 and Mikhail Torrance distributing eight assists with his 13 points.

It was not as nice a night in Athens for new coach Mark Fox as Georgia fell to 1-1 on the season with a 60-57 loss to Wofford. Trey Thompkins registered a double-double for the Bulldogs with 14 points and a manly 16 rebounds, while Travis Leslie led the team with 17 points.

It was an even rougher night in Papa John City for John Pelphrey's Arkansas squad as they were overmatched and overpowered by No. 22 Louisville, 96-66. Marshawn Powell got a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards, and Rotnei Clarke paced the Hogs with 16 points. Arkansas Expats says it was about what they expected, but the goal of finding a way into the NIT is still on the table.

MONDAY

The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats needed a last-second jumper from freshman John Wall to pull out a 72-70 squeaker over Miami University. Wall had 19 points on the game, and both Patrick Patterson (17 and 10) and DeMarcus Cousins (10 and 10) put up double-doubles for the Cats. A Sea of Blue of course has an excellent wrap up of the night's action.

Ole Miss had no such trouble in putting away Alabama State to the tune of 90-53. Four Rebels broke into double digits in scoring. Terrico White had the most points with 19, but Eniel Polynice had the best line of the night with 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Polynice was one of three Ole Miss players with eight or more boards. Red Cup Rebellion had some quick thoughts about the game.

Also hitting the 90 point mark was South Carolina, as the Gamecocks blew out Georgia Southern 90-66. Dominque Archie was the man of the night for Carolina, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while stud Devan Downey chipped in 14 points and a team-high six assists. The Gamecocks put the game away by scoring the final five points of the first half and opening the second half with a 16-0 run, a combined 21 unanswered points.

Not to be outdone, the Vanderbilt Commodores went for 95 while holding Lipscomb to just 73 in their season opener. Star center A.J. Ogilvy came off the bench for the 'Dores thanks to a concussion sustained in practice last month, but that didn't stop him from scoring 13 points and leading the team with nine boards and three blocks. Jeffery Taylor led the way with 20 points.

On the other end of the spectrum, LSU eeked out a 55-45 win over Indiana State in the first round of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Tipoff. Despite the low scoring output, three Tigers went into double digits. And the Valley Shook was impressed by the defense, but was decidedly underwhelmed by LSU's shooting.

Still in the West, Auburn ended up with a disappointing 73-62 loss to the MVC's Missouri State. You can't blame the Tigers' Lucas Hargrove, who put up 24 points and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Unfortunately the effort was in vain as his only teammate to break into double digits was DeWayne Reed with 12. Auburn got a paltry five points off the bench in the game.

SUNDAY

The Florida Gators got off to a rousing start with a 74-46 start over in-state foe Stetson. The 46 that the Hatters scored is the lowest point total any opponent has scored in the Billy Donovan era. The Gators nearly snapped a streak though, waiting until the final minute of the game to make a three point shot to extend the school's record of 579 games with at least one trey made. Chandler Parsons, author of the one made three, led the team with 14 points, Alex Tyus put in 12 while snaring 13 rebounds, and hyped freshman Kenny Boynton scored 12 though only on 5-11 shooting. Alligator Army hopes for a return to toughness out of the team.

Tennessee Volunteers 77, Auburn Tigers 78: shooting improves, rebounding breaks

Joel — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:50:21 -0000

Well, well. What do you say about a 78-77 loss to Auburn that we really should have won? Auburn got off to a great start, but once their shooting cooled off (from about 75%) Tennessee caught up and they seemed like they were on the verge of seizing control of the game.

For the entire game.

Until the final buzzer.

The Vols shot well most of the game and finished 29-49 for a 59.2%. In the first half, they shot 58.3% from behind the arc, and although they didn't do quite so well in the second, they still finished with a respectable 39.1%.

What they couldn't do was stop Auburn. Rasheem Barrett, who averages 8.4 points per game, finished with 27, and Korvotney Barber, who averages 12.6 PPG finished with 21. Two other Tigers (DeWayne Reed and Lucas Hargrove) also finished in double figures.

At no time was this more evident than the last series. With Tennessee up 77-76 with :16 to go, Cameron Tatum fouled Hargrove. The good news was that Hargrove somehow missed both attempts. The bad news, of course, was that Barrett got the rebound. After dueling timeouts, Auburn finally inbounded the ball with a long pass into the backcourt. Wayne Chism stretched out and got finger on the ball, but Auburn got possession, and Chism was on the floor. With five-on-four and Tennessee scrambling on defense, Auburn found an open man under the basket, and the guy got an easy bucket and the lead. J.P. Prince drove down the floor in the five or so remaining seconds, but his desperation three-pointer was off the mark.

This team can be very frustrating. Just when you think things are coming together, something else goes wrong. Tennessee, who ranks 42nd in the nation in rebounding margin, simply could not come down with the boards and was outrebounded by Auburn, who's not even ranked in that category, 34-21. This is just another loss, and it doesn't necessarily mean that the Vols have no shot to make it to March, but every loss is making it more and more difficult.

Georgia is up Wednesday. What weakness will we have fixed by then? And what strength will we have broken?

Half-time and final stats after the jump.

Half-time stats:


41	Points	43
15-25 (60%)	Field Goals	17-34 (50%)
7-12 (58.3%)	3-Point FGs	2-11 (18.2%)
4-8 (50%)	Free Throws	7-9 (77.8%)
14 (2-12)	Rebounds (Off-Def)	17 (7-10)
5	Turnovers	2

Final stats


77	Points	78
29-49 (59.2%)	Field Goals	29-54 (53.7%)
9-23 (39.1%)	3-Point FGs	5-19 (26.3%)
10-17 (58.8%)	Free Throws	15-24 (62.5%)
21 (4-17)	Rebounds (Off-Def)	34 (14-20)
11	Turnovers	11

Auburn at South Carolina: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:39:43 -0000

The Gamecocks opened SEC play with a 68-56 win over Auburn. The Tigers played us tough during the first half, but we built a commanding lead early in the second to put the game out of reach. Zam Fredrick led all scorers with 27 points. DeWayne Reed had 21 for the Tigers. Devan Downey had a bit of an off-night, scoring less than 10 points for the first time this season. Downey did lend a hand in a solid defensive effort by tallying three steals.

There's a lot to like about this victory. First of all, a double-digit win margin is always a good thing in conference play. Second of all, we played a great game defensively, forcing 24 turnovers and holding the Tigers to only 56 points. Finally, we responded well when Auburn forced us out of our comfort zone. Auburn's strategy, as usual under Jeff Lebo, was to slow the game down and beat us with efficient half-court play. While Darrin Horn prefers a full-court style, our guys played great half-court defense when Auburn forced us to slow down. We also played an efficient game offensively, shooting a solid 46% from the field.

All of that said, Auburn is not one of the better teams in the SEC, so we shouldn't get too giddy about this win. Our next two games, which are at LSU and at Tennessee, will be much tougher. The Tigers and especially the Vols are significantly better than Auburn and it's always tough to win on the road. Additionally, both teams present front-court matchup problems that we'll have to contend with. However, neither game is unwinnable; the Tigers lost today to an average Alabama team, and the Vols, while likely the best team in the SEC, aren't as strong this year as they were last year. Moreover, we've proven that we can beat good teams on the road by winning at Baylor. If we can split these two road games, I'll be happy.