SB Nation - Chandler Parsons

The 'Cuse is loose!

SFBE.NF — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:30:40 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Remember when Syracuse, sans a Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf, began their season with that ugly loss to LeMoyne? The LeMoyne Dolphins, a DII school located just minutes from Syracuse, a city far away from any salt water, and an area uninhabitable by Dolphins.

That debacle was a long time ago. Today Syracuse is making a case for being the top team in the country after last night's 85-73 win over Florida, in which Boeheim's boys were in control of from start to finish. They now sit at 9-0 and look tougher than at least a few of the six teams currently ranked ahead of them.

Wesley Johnson is an absolute stud, one of the few players in the college game who can iso his man and knock down the 15 foot jumper....whenever the hell his team needs a bucket. He finished with 17 and 10 and is slowly garnering more and more attention for not only the Big East, but national POY consideration.

As for Florida, let applaud their effort up to this point of the season. Already this team has overachieved, and boasts a nice duo of Kenny Boynton and Chandler Parsons. But you can't have Alex Tyus flopping around looking like Mikki Moore if you want to be taken seriously. Billy Donovan has a weak frontcourt, and will have to rely on quick hits and high schooting percentages if he expects to be a top 15 mainstay.

College Hoops Go-Round: December 11

Chris Dobbertean — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:14:52 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Syracuse's Rick Jackson (00) celebrates with teammate Wes Johnson (4) were the stars of the Orange's 85-73 win over Florida Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, in Tampa. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Night two of the SEC/Big East Invitational was the main action on a quiet Thursday night. The two leagues split the doubleheader in Tampa, which means there are no bragging rights this year, thanks to a 2-2 overall series mark.

DePaul was no match for Mississippi State in game one, falling 76-45. As I mentioned at SB Nation, it was one of the quietest crowds I've ever seen for a neutral site game.
The crowd was no issue in game two, as plenty of Orange and Gator fans filled the lower tier of the building formerly known as the Ice Palace. They got to see No. 10 Florida give No. 7 Syracuse a fight before falling, 85-73. Rick Jackson and Wes Johnson both had double-doubles for the Orange, while Kenny Boynton had 20 points and 7 assists for the Gators, with Chandler Parsons adding 19.

In other Thursday night action

No. 12 Michigan State blasted Oakland, 88-57, thanks to 19 points and 12 boards from Draymond Green.
No. 19 Cincinnati held off local rivals Miami, 63-59.
Rhode Island knocked off Northeastern, 79-76.
Western Carolina won again, as they knocked off Campbell, 66-59.
Colorado was pounded by Colorado State in Fort Collins, 77-62.
Montana came back to win on the road at Loyola Marymount, 82-73.

Friday is a good night to do your holiday shopping (like I will) as there isn't much available to a national audience.

The only game available nationally via Full Court is Iowa at Iowa State (8 p.m. ET). The Hawkeyes and Cyclones are playing for second (at best) in the Hawkeye State, as both have already lost to UNI.

The big event of the night is the Sun Belt Invitational in Nashville, where two Sun Belt teams face SEC opponents. Unfortunately, this showcase is only on regional television in parts of the Southeast.

No. 9 Tennessee vs. Middle Tennessee (CSS, 7)
Vanderbilt vs. Western Kentucky (CSS, 9:30)

For a full list of televised games, including contests that are only going to be televised regionally (including Old Dominion at Dayton), visit Matt Sarz' College Sports on TV site.

Syracuse Basketball Leaves The State Of New York (Gasp!)

Sean Keeley — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:51:54 -0000

via www.claytravis.net

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"Syracuse never leaves the country of the United States before January and that will hurt them in March."

Okay, Dick Vitale didn't actually say that...but you wouldn't be too shocked if he did...right? For one night, at least, the Orange will play a game outside of New York state and you would think that would quell the naysayers. But in fact, we all know it's just the perfect reason for them to keep harping on the travel thing even more.

(The good news? No Dick Vitale tonight! Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes instead)

The No. 7 Syracuse Orange (8-0) will take on the No. 10 Florida Gators (8-0) tonight in Tampa as part of the Big East/SEC Invitational. With Cal outside the Top 25 and North Carolina down, this game all of a sudden has immediate consequence for the Orange. Win, and you justify the hype, high ranking and Hoops Weiss' first-place vote. Lose and doubts begin to creep in about whether or not SU can beat a truly good team or win away from New York.

In a way, it's a showdown of two teams on a very similar path.

Neither of these teams were ranked prior to the start of the season, but each program has pushed its way into the Top 10 following similar 8-0 starts. The Orange's most noticeable wins have come over California and North Carolina, while the Gators have earned respect with triumphs over Florida State and Michigan State.

Also, much like the Orange, the Gators lost a lot of talent over the off-season but has retooled with the help of a transfer player:

Like Syracuse, the Gators lost their best player to the NBA draft, and both teams look much better this year with the help of a transfer. In Florida’s case, that transfer is former Hoya Vernon Macklin. Macklin is averaging 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game after sitting out last year due to NCAA eligibility rules. He’s been a big help so far in providing size down low, as Chandler Parsons, despite being a junior, is still somewhat lanky. Macklin got marginal playing time backing up Roy Hibbert, so there’s not much to glean from his 26 minutes played against Syracuse over three games.

The Orange will be counting on folks like Kris Joseph to step up and make an impact in the game:

With increased playing time this season, Joseph has had plenty of chances to connect to his friends at home - and is making the most of the opportunity...Joseph is averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season.

"We think that both Scoop (Jardine) and Kris are good enough to be out there all the time," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said about his top two reserves following Syracuse's 101-55 win over Maine Saturday. "And we think they are starters, and we expect them to play like starters."

Lots of intriguing storylines in this one. Florida is trying to reclaim it's place atop the college basketball heap. This could be the game that determines where highly-coveted recruit Brandon Knight goes to school. Billy Donovan could very well break out the short-shorts as a throwback. Brian Harrison will be ON HAND! It's almost too much.

Break out the scouting report and make sure you're ready. For the game and the back-handed compliments about SU traveling...

Preview: Michigan State Spartans vs. Florida Gators

KJ@theonlycolors — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:01:56 -0000

More photos » by Phil Sandlin - AP

So we meet again.

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Your MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. the FLORIDA GATORS

THE LEGENDS CLASSIC

BOARDWALK HALL, ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

8:00 P.M. (ET), FRIDAY

RADIO: SPARTAN SPORTS NETWORK (list of Michigan affiliates)

TV: HDNET

Gator bullets:

2009 record: 25-11, 9-7 in the SEC, lost to Penn State in NIT quarterfinals to end season.
2009 KenPom ranking: #42. Adjusted offensive efficiency: #24. Adjusted defensive efficiency: #87.
Three of five starters from 2009 return. Leading scorer Nick Calathes departed for Greece.
Undefeated through four games in new season. Defeated Florida State 68-52 at home on Tuesday.

Starter-plus-sixth-man (Parsons) capsule (more stats here):

Pos	Player	Year	Height	Pts/G	Reb/G	Ast/G	2pt%	3pt%	FT%
G	Erving Walker	Soph	5'8"	10.8	3.8	4.8	0.400	0.182	0.733
G	Kenny Boynton	Fresh	6'2"	17.5	4.0	2.3	0.667	0.174	0.759
F	Dan Werner	Senior	6'8"	5.5	3.3	1.5	0.222	0.545	--
F	Chandler Parsons	Junior	6'9"	13.0	8.0	1.8	0.579	0.357	0.714
F	Alex Tyus	Junior	6'8"	9.5	7.5	0.8	0.484	--	0.615
F/C	Vernon Macklin	RS Jun	6'10"	9.0	6.3	0.8	0.630	--	0.286

Boynton is a true freshman who entered the Florida program as a 5-star recruit. Macklin transferred in from Georgetown and is now eligible after sitting out a year. The other four guys in the table all return from last season's team--although Tyus had announced he was transferring out of the program before changing his mind.

Despite a decent amount of stability from last season to this one in terms of their core playing group--essentially swapping out one talented freshman scorer for another--the Gators' strength appears to have shifted from offense to defense, as noted by Mr. Gasaway:

Keep in mind this is a team that for the past two years has had an excellent offense but has been locked out of the NCAA tournament due to shoddy D. And now all the sudden they’re beating Florida State in Gainesville 68-52 in a 71-possession game? The times they are a-changing. No Florida opponent, including and especially the Seminoles, has been able to make any shots against a reconfigured front line that features Alex Tyus at the 4 and Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin in the paint.
Good thing Billy Donovan’s defense has been so outstanding because this group hasn’t been able to make a three to save its life. Note for instance that highly anticipated freshman Kenny Boynton has been fairly efficient in his scoring even though the young man has made just four of the 23 threes he’s launched thus far. Effective exertions inside the arc and frequent trips to the line have enabled Boynton to help his team even amidst all the clangs from the perimeter.

The sub-20% three-point shooting percentages for Walker and Boynton are actually a little scary. If those two players can shoot just a decent percentage from beyond the arc, that'd go along way toward the Gator offense scoring at a clip closer to last season's team (Florida takes a full 37.6% of its FG attempts from beyond the arc). This year's team is shooting the ball pretty well from 2-point range (51.9%) and crashing the offensive glass (40.8% OffReb%).

The Lucas/Lucious/Summers/Allen group will need to play with a lot of energy on defense and keep the Gator guards, Boynton in particular, from getting into a comfortable shooting rhythm. Delvon Roe, Draymond Green, and Raymar Morgan, meanwhile, will need to keep the Gator big men off the offensive glass.

Defensively, Florida has indeed found a level of stinginess--through four games against generally subpar competition, at least--that didn't exist last season. The Gators ranked just 87th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency in 2009, despite the fact their opponents did everything they could to help them out by shooting just 62.5% from the free throw line (lowest in the nation).

This season, Florida has thus far maintained relative strengths in the areas of creating turnovers (24.9% TO%) and avoiding fouls (25.7% FTR) and added tremendous perimeter defense. Opponents are matching Boynton/Walker by shooting under 20% (17.8%, to be exact) from three-point range.

Gator opponents are scoring 60.5% of their points on 2-point FG attempts and have been able to record an assist on only 41.3% of made field goals. MSU will need to beat the Florida pressure defense (they forced 16 turnovers in the first half against FSU) and find ways to score in the lane, kick the ball out to open perimeter shooters, or get fouled. Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, and Draymond Green are the best bets to make those things happen.

Florida deployed a 2-2-1 zone press against Florida State. I have a hard time seeing that working against MSU, with the speed-dribbling abilities of Lucas/Lucious and ball-handling skills of big men Green and Roe. More likely, Billy Donovan mixes up several man-to-man/zone defensive combinations to keep the MSU players off guard.

There's every indication that this Florida team has the talent, experience, and size to go toe to toe with the Spartans for 40 minutes. MSU will need to play intelligently and efficiently to win this game; it won't happen by brute force.

The Legends Classic bracket was set up to ensure this 2000 title game rematch. The winner of the game will be a strong favorite in Saturday's tournament final (8:00) against the Massachusetts-Rutgers winner.

Round Ball Round Up 11.20.09

Year2 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:31:50 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

about 1 month ago: Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins, right, pulls a rebound away from Sam Houston State's Antuan Bootle during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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LAST NIGHT

The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats went north of the century mark to hold off a feisty Sam Houston State team 102-92. DeMarcus Cousins starred for the Cats, leading the team both with 27 points and 18 rebounds. John Wall (21) and Patrick Patterson (20) also got to 20 points for UK, who saw all five starters go in double digits but didn't register a single bench point in the game. A Sea of Blue has the postmortem on the win.

Meanwhile on the Island of Enchantment, Ole Miss picked up a win over a Big Ten squad with its 89-71 victory over Indiana. Murphy Holloway's 26 points was tops among the four Rebels that made it into double figures, while Reginald Buckner hauled in 12 rebounds off the bench. Eniel Polynice once again led the team in assists with seven. Red Cup Rebellion didn't have much to say about the win, but it did notice the bizarre way that ESPN apparently paid tribute to Houston Nutt's favorite offensive series.

UPDATE

Red Cup Rebellion has a full post-game write up now.

Back in Starkville, Mississippi State bounced back from its disappointing season-opening loss to run past Southeastern Louisiana 82-67 for their first win of the year. Jarvis Varnado nearly had a double-double with his 20 points and eight blocks. Nope SEC, he still hasn't graduated yet. Phil Turner did have a double-double, scoring 10 and grabbing 14 boards. Like with Kentucky, all five Bulldog starters reached double digits, but unlike the 'Cats, MSU got 12 points from its reserves.

South Carolina had little trouble going to 3-0 with its 78-68 win over La Salle. It was close around halftime, but a 13-4 Gamecock run that ended midway through the second half put the game away. Dominique Archie led Carolina with 17 points, while reserve guard Brandis Raley-Ross poured in 16. Seven Gamecocks scored at least six points and four made it to double figures.

WEDNESDAY

The Florida Gators held their second straight opponent under 50 points as Georgia Southern took its second loss to SEC teams of the season with UF's 69-49 win. Kenny Boynton paced the reptilian effort with 22 points, Chandler Parsons had 15 and 12 off the bench, and Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin contributed 15 points. Neither team shot particularly well, as both teams were under 40% from the field.

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.

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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.

Recapping Sunday, Previewing Monday

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:21:29 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

about 1 month ago: Texas forward Damion James works from the line during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against UC Irvine, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in Austin, Texas. James' 21 total points helped the Longhorns to an 89-42 victory. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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The main highlight of Sunday was the start of the "regional" rounds for the CBE Classic. Three of the four regional hosts opened play, and two won easily. Texas blew past overmatched UC Irvine, 89-42. Wichita State defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 80-64, in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates. Things weren't so rosy for the Big Ten's entrant in the event, as Iowa dropped a home game to UT-San Antonio, 62-50.

In other action, sixth-ranked North Carolina had a tougher time than anticipated against Valparaiso, winning by only 11. No. 8 West Virginia had no problem with Loyola (Md.), triumphing 83-60 in Morgantown. Florida defeated Stetson, 74-46, in a game where the only drama involved whether the Gators would keep their three-point streak alive. (They did, just, thanks to Chandler Parsons in the final minute.

In other games of note,

Wake Forest thumped East Carolina 89-58, thanks to 23 from Al-Farouq Aminu.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, who defeated Oregon State Friday night, fell to South Dakota in that same tournament in Lubbock, 76-73.
Texas Tech ended up winning that event by beating the Beavers, 64-60.
Kansas State beat Western Illinois by 32.
Virginia Tech defeated Brown, 69-55, in an early-round Philly Hoop Group Classic contest.
Buffalo was upset by Vermont, 58-57.
IPFW offered little opposition to Wisconsin (link)
Sean Miller was a winner in his Arizona debut, as the Wildcats beat Northern Arizona, 87 to 70.
Oregon swept through their round-robin event, beating Colorado 68-55.
Stanford managed to beat their Sunday mid-major opponent, Cal Poly, 70-53.
Wright State won their second in a row at the round-robin event in Seattle. dropping Belmont 82-73. Quincy Pondexter had 29 and 13 boards as Washington demolished Portland State, 111 to 55.

Monday's TV schedule after the jump.

The big event tomorrow is the start of the regional rounds of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Three of those games will be on the tube tomorrow evening. All times are Eastern.

Coastal Carolina takes on No. 9 Duke in the East Regional. (ESPNU, 7) Charlotte faces Elon in the other game in that region.
No. 12 UConn hosts Colgate in North Region action. (ESPNU, 9) Yale faces Hofstra in the first game of that doubleheader.
Arizona State takes on Texas State in the West Region at 11. (ESPNU). TCU plays Cal State-Northridge in the first game in that pod.

Of course, the most intriguing game of the event isn't on national TV. That one's in the South Region in Baton Rouge, where Wisconsin-Milwaukee takes on Western Kentucky at 5:30. Meanwhile, LSU takes on Indiana State at 8.

In other televised action on Monday,

Georgia Southern visits South Carolina. (SportSouth/FCS Atlantic, 7)
Miami (OH) faces Kentucky, with John Wall making his debut. (Big Blue Sports/FS South/Full Court, 7)
Jacksonville heads to Tallahassee to take on FSU. (Sun Sports, 7)
USF hosts Virginia (Bright House/CSS/SNY/Full Court, 7)
Transitional D-I squad USC Upstate visits Indiana. (Big Ten, 8:30)
Fang Mitchell's Coppin State Eagles do what they do best, hit the road. They visit Colorado tonight. (FSN Rocky Mountain/Full Court, 9)
Finally, Eastern Washington makes the short trip to Pullman to face Washington State. (FSN Northwest/FCS Pacific, 10)

For more TV information (especially for online only games), be sure to visit Matt Sarz's College Sports on TV site.

BtB 2009-10 Southeastern Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:27:31 -0000

During the two weeks before Selection Sunday last March, I frequently heard these words (or something close) in conversation, "The SEC is going to get more than two or three bids to the Tourney. How can we not? We're the SEC." Of course, it took another surprising run through the SEC Tournament by a team nicknamed the Bulldogs to keep the Southeastern Conference from becoming (gasp) a two bid league. But Mississippi State became the league's second straight surprise auto bid winner. However, just like Georgia in 2008, the boys from Starkville also lost in the first round after getting a low seed.

But it's not like the two SEC teams who earned at-large bids did much better. Ninth seeded Tennessee fell to Oklahoma State in a tight first round contest, while eighth seeded LSU reached round two, where they were outclassed by North Carolina. Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, and South Carolina all ended up in the NIT, where none of the four managed to make it to New York. Vanderbilt won 19 games and didn't even get a postseason bid. All in all, it was a disappointing 2008-09 for a conference used to postseason success.

The good news for the SEC is that the league should be far better this year, thanks to a couple of major coaching hires (as explained in my Coaching Carousel column) and an infusion of new talent (some of whom are listed in my All-Transfer and All-Freshman team columns). But there's a lot more going on in the league than what happened in Lexington and Tuscaloosa this offseason, which I'll explain after the jump.

Let's first take a look at last season's SEC standings.

Southeastern Conference Standings

(updated 3.25.2009 at 10:42 PM EDT)

East	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
South Carolina Gamecocks	10	6	21	10
Tennessee Volunteers	10	6	21	13
Florida Gators	9	7	25	11
Kentucky Wildcats	8	8	22	14
Vanderbilt Commodores	8	8	19	12
Georgia Bulldogs	3	13	12	20

West	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
LSU Tigers	13	3	27	8
Auburn Tigers	10	6	24	12
Mississippi St. Bulldogs	9	7	23	13
Alabama Crimson Tide	7	9	18	14
Mississippi Rebels	7	9	16	15
Arkansas Razorbacks	2	14	14	16

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a school's name appears in red, that's a link to its SBNation site. You can go there for more detailed analysis throughout the season.

West Division

Auburn (last NCAA: 2003) The Tigers fell to Baylor in the NIT quarterfinals last season, a disappointing end to a good season that could've ended in the NCAA Tournament with a marquee win or two. It's going to take a lot for Jeff Lebo's team to reach that level of success this season. Even with the graduation of Rasheem Barrett (9.9 ppg) and Quantez Robertson (6.0 ppg, 3.2 apg), DeWayne Reed (13.2 ppg, 3.7 apg) and Tay Waller (12.1 ppg) anchor a solid backcourt that will give the opposition fits. However, Korvotney Barber and his contributions of nearly 13 points and 10 rebounds a game will be severely missed in the frontcourt, even in Lebo's guard-oriented system. Seniors Brendan Knox and Johnnie Lett will have to step up to fill the void left by Barber's departure, and freshmen Rob Chubb and Ty Armstrong can expect to see playing time as well. Junior college transfer Kenny Gabriel should also see significant time, as he can be a true inside/outside threat for Auburn.

LSU (last NCAA: 2009) Expect the Tigers, last year's SEC regular season champs, to take a step back after the loss of three key starters. F Marcus Thornton and his 21 points per game are gone, so is C Chris Johnson, and the team's heart and soul, PG Garrett Temple. However, LSU still has Tasmin Mitchell, who averaged 16.3 points and 7.2 rebounds last season, while spending time at both small forward and power forward. Guard Bo Spencer is the other returning starter. He's a good shooter (averaging 11.4 ppg while shooting 40% from beyond the arc), but is coming off wrist surgery. Beyond those two, head coach Trent Johnson has his work cut out for him, as none of the other returnees averaged more than 2 points per contest. Expect the newcomers, like G Aaron Dotson (coming off a patellar tendon injury) and Fs Eddie Ludwig and Garrett Green (a medical redshirt last year), to see significant time during the rebuilding process.

Arkansas (last NCAA: 2008) It hasn't been the greatest of offseasons in Fayetteville, where head coach John Pelphrey will suspend at least one player after an offseason rape investigation that resulted in no charges. The possibility of suspensions will make the Razorbacks task of recovering from last season a bit more difficult. The Hogs were in full rebuilding mode last year, but managed to get off to a 12-1 start, featuring wins over regional rivals Oklahoma and Texas. It didn't last, and Arkansas finished bottom of the SEC West with a ghastly 2-14 record. This season, the Razorbacks will again roll out a three-guard lineup in their search for more consistency. That quest starts at point guard, where sophomore Courtney Fortson did a great job of distributing the ball (nearly 6 assists per game), while turning it over far too often (4.4 per game). Rotnei Clark led the nation's freshmen in three point shooting (39.3%), and Stefan Welsh contributed 11.5 oints per game. PF Michael Washington decided to stay in school, which means the Hogs keep their leading scorer (15.5) and conference-leading rebounder (9.8). The biggest reason Arkansas is this low is depth, with only six returning players from last season, Pelphrey will need a lot out of his newcomers to move up the SEC ladder.

Alabama (last NCAA: 2006) Bama alum Mark Gottfried resigned as head coach last January, when it was clear that the Tide would spend a third straight year outside of the NCAAs. Anthony Grant left a good gig at VCU to take the head job, and he's going to try to implement a more up-tempo style in Tuscaloosa. Alabama's biggest issue over the past few seasons has been inconsistent point guard play, especially with Ronald Steele's injuries and eventual departure from the program. Senior Mikhail Torrance (10 ppg, 2.3 apg) moved to the 1 slot after Steele left the program and performed well, though he's more of a natural shooting guard. As Grant implements his offense, watch for 5-9 Anthony Brock and Andrew Steele, Ronald's brother, to get time at the point, so Torrance can move over to his natural position. In the frontcourt, Grant has two 6-9 guys who will need to step it up. JaMychal Green had a decent freshman season, but will need to better his averages of 10.6 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Justin Knox, who averaged 5.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg, should be able to increase both those numbers with more time on the court.

Mississippi (last NCAA: 2002) Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy made headlines for all the wrong reasons last season, when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a cab driver the night before the Rebels faced his former employer, Cincinnati, in the SEC/Big East Invitational. Things only got worse from there, as Miss lost All-SEC guard Chris Warren to a knee injury during that outing. Add in the fact that the Rebels had already lost Eniel Polynice and Trevor Gaskins to injuries, and it's amazing that they managed 16 wins last year. This season, all three guards are back, making the loss of Florida transfer David Huertas almost inconsequential. Zach Graham, the team's best three point shooter, is also back, giving the Rebels perhaps the best backcourt in the league. Kennedy's frontcourt isn't quite as strong. Sophomore Murphy Holloway will have to improve on his 8.4 points and 6.6 boards per game, while 6-8 freshman Reginald Bucker and 6-9 JC transfer DeAngelo Riley will have to contribute immediately. The fact the Rebels don't quite have the inside force to match Miss State's Varnado means they should finish behind their in-state rivals in the standings.

Mississippi State (last NCAA: 2009) Rick Stansbury recruited Renardo Sidney to provide some support for C Jarvis Varnado inside. However, it doesn't look like the NCAA is going to rule Sidney eligible. Stansbury also got a commitment from 7-2 Sudanese C John Riek, who was finally ruled eligible, but will have to sit out the first 9 games of the season. That means Varnado, who fell ill at one point this summer, will likely see some time as the lone big man on the court if Stansbury runs out a four-guard offense, as he did frequently last season. When you have guards like Dee Bost, Ravern Johnson, Barry Stewart, and Phil Turner who can shoot the three well, that offensive strategy isn't a bad idea. However, with the development of 6-8 Fs Kodi Augustus and Romero Osby (and Riek's eventual eligibility), you can expect to see Varnado get far more frontcourt help. Additionally, Varnado only needs 19 blocks to pass Shaquille O'Neal as the SEC's all-time leader in that category (though Shaq did it in fewer games).

East Division

Georgia (last NCAA: 2008) For some reason, Mark Fox decided to leave a Nevada program he (along with LSU head man Trent Johnson) made into a national name. Fox now replaces Dennis Felton at the helm of a Georgia program that has never fully recovered from the Jim Harrick era, which is now six years in the past. After the graduation of G/F Terrance Woodbury (14.0 ppg), Fox is left with only one double-digit scorer from last season. However, 6-9 F Howard Thompkins is a pretty good player to have on your roster. Thompkins averaged 12.6 points and 7.4 boards per game, and should be even better after an offseason spent on the USA's Under-19 World Championship-winning team. In the backcourt, Dustin Ware should start at point guard, as he averaged 7.2 points and 3.4 dimes per game in 2008-09. After that, Fox has a lot of decisions to make, and that means the Bulldogs will probably be rooted to the bottom of the SEC standings yet again.

South Carolina (last NCAA: 2004) In Darrin Horn's first year at the helm, the Gamecocks managed to tie Tennessee atop the SEC East. Even though they only lost guard Zam Fredrick and his 15.5 points per game, Carolina probably won't reach such heights this season. That's not to say that the Gamecocks won't manage to get back to the NCAAs, something they failed to do last year. Thanks to the return of G Devan Downey (19.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, SEC leading 89 steals) and F Dominique Archie (10.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the Gamecocks still have some real star power in the lineup. Returning starters Mike Holmes (10.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Sam Muldrow (5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) should provide even more help to Archie in the frontcourt this season, while JC transfer Johndre Jefferson will be expected to spend time at both small and power forward. In the backcourt, Evaldas Baniulis, after averaging a bit more than 6 points a game while shooting 48 percent from behind the arc, is expected to take a more active role in the offense with the graduation of Fredrick, as is 6-5 swingman Lakeem Jackson, a heralded recruit from Charlotte.

Florida (last NCAA: 2007) Has it really been over two years since the Gators last featured in an NCAA Tournament game? While the days of back-to-back championships may be in the rear-view mirror, Billy Donovan's latest group has the chance to finally get off the bubble. Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin will be eligible this season, and he'll slide into the center position. That will allow Alex Tyus to move back to his natural position, power forward, which will allow Dan Werner to move to small forward. Kenny Kadji should be better in his sophomore year as well, giving the Gators more of a presence inside. More consistency is expected out of swingman Chandler Parsons, whose performances alternate between brilliant and frustrating. In the backcourt, Erving Walker (10.1 ppg, 2.4 apg) will lead the offense after Nick Calathes' departure for Greece. Israeli newcomer Nimrod Tishman could also see time at the point if the NCAA rules him eligible. Impact freshman Kenny Boynton will start at shooting guard. He's expected to be the Gators new three-point threat, though he can also really drive to the hoop.

Vanderbilt (last NCAA: 2008) The Commodores sat at home last postseason, despite finishing the regular season with 7 wins in their last 10. Vandy shouldn't be so unlucky this season. Chemistry should be good, as head coach Kevin Stallings gave up a $100,000 raise so the team could take a scheduled trip to Australia, home country of star C A.J. Ogilvy. Ogilvy averaged 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and those numbers should improve if he stays healthier this season. The 'Dores frontcourt boasts an international flavor beyond their Aussie star with Swede Jeffery Taylor (12.2 ppg. 6.2 rpg) a fixture at small forward, 6-9 Cameroonian PF Steve Tchiengang (3.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) expected to spend more time in the 4 spot, and 6-11 Nigerian C Festus Ezeli (3.8 ppg. 2.6 rpg) expected to both backup and spend time on the floor with Ogilvy. 6-7 Andre Walker may also return to the starting lineup, after suffering an ACL tear early last season. The backcourt may be more US-centric, but it's still talented. Jermaine Beal (12.5 ppg, 3.2 apg) amd Brad Tinsley (11.0 ppg, 2.8 apg) will take turns running the offense, but 6-4 John Jenkins, the USA's highest scoring high school player last season, will get plenty of opportunities to showcase his inside/outside game. Even if he only manages 25 percent of his senior year average, Jenkins should provide plenty of scoring punch for the Commodores.

Tennessee (last NCAA: 2009) The Volunteers return all five starters in their quest to improve on last year's NCAA first round exit. The best news for the Vols this offseason was Tyler Smith's decision to skip the NBA Draft and return for his senior season. Bruce Pearl is glad he doesn't have to replace Smith's 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Wayne Chism (13.7 ppg, 8 rpg) will continue to be a force inside, while 6-10 C Brian Williams will need to improve his scoring (5 ppg) to match his rebounding (5.6 rpg). Bobby Maze (8.2 ppg, 3.2 apg) will run the offense, while J.P. Prince and Scotty Hopson, who were forces at both ends of the floor last year, are expected to continue their strong two-way play. Cameron Tatum (7.6 ppg) and Renaldo Woolridge, son of former NBA star Orlando, are going to be Bruce Pearl's key swingmen this season.. Woolridge, who only managed 2.6 points in a little more than 8 minutes a contest, should be improved in his sophomore season. The Vols only personnel loss is a sad story, as Nigerian F Emmanuel Negedu, as he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest last month.

Kentucky (last NCAA: 2008) During my Season Preview series, I've written a fair amount about John Calipari's arrival in Lexington and his stellar recruiting class. Patrick Patterson (17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) will lead a strong frontcourt that already features senior Perry Stevenson (7.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg), and will be bolstered by the arrival of the 6-11 DeMarcus Cousins and 6-10 Daniel Orton, two highly coveted recruits. And the backcourt will feature the most highly coveted recruit for this season, 6-4 point guard John Wall, who will be responsible for running Calipari's dribble drive offense. If the chemistry works, the Wildcats will quickly be on their way, and the blue half of the Commonwealth will quickly forget about the Gillispie period.

I'm picking Kentucky to win the overall SEC title, so they'll take the league's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-SEC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-SEC Team

Player of the Year: Tyler Smith, 6-7 F, Sr. (Tennessee)

Remainder of the Team
Devan Downey, 5-9 G, Sr. (South Carolina)
Tasmin Mitchell, 6-7 F, Sr. (LSU)
Patrick Patterson, 6-9 F, Jr. (Kentucky)
Jarvis Varnado, 6-9 F/C, Sr. (Mississippi State)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the SEC this season?

Alabama

9 votes

Arkansas

9 votes

Auburn

3 votes

Florida

14 votes

Georgia

2 votes

Kentucky

213 votes

LSU

3 votes

Ole Miss

7 votes

Mississippi State

57 votes

South Carolina

5 votes

Tennessee

68 votes

Vanderbilt

17 votes

407 votes | Poll has closed

Gators End Season With Same Problems

mlmintampa — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:45:05 -0000

It was really no different than previous Gator losses this season. But Florida's 71-62 loss to Penn State in the NIT Quarterfinals ended the Gators' season. In UF's 11 losses, there are been several themes. Among them; a shorthanded lineup, poor shooting, and being shoved around by a tougher team. All of those factors killed UF last night and every night.

Next season, Florida should have Kenny Kadji (out with a concussion Tuesday), Eloy Vargas (out with fitness), Allan Chaney (out with suspension), Adam Allen (out with a knee) and Vernon Macklin (out with a transfer) all on opening night. Florida's front court consisted of Alex Tyus and two guys who never belonged there; Dan Werner and Chandler Parsons. Maybe that is what Billy Donovan meant after saying UF overachieved. He realizes the quality of his bigs never matched Calathes-Hodge-Walker. The man won two National Championships with a front line of three first round draft picks. He knows what the recipe is, but doesn't have the ingredients.

It will be decision time now for Nick Calathes. He can roll the dice and enter the draft or roll the dice and hope Florida's big men will contribute next season. He can only go as far as the other four guys on the floor.

This team finished one game worse than last year's team that got to Madison Square Garden. Hopefully, next year's team won't finish the same way.

Chandler Parsons Plays His Best Game. In Game 34.

mlmintampa — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:58:39 -0000

The Gators defeated Jacksonville 84-62 in the first round of the Not Invited Tournament. In front of a rousing crowd of 4,350, the Gators dominated, shooting 63% in the first half and 56% in the game. One of the players who contributed to that was Chandler Parsons, who came off the bench and played 31 minutes. He had 17 points on only 9 shots, and added 14 rebounds, 12 on defense. It was Parsons' second double-double this season (Feb. 3 vs. South Carolina, 14/10). With his efficency and defensive output, you could make the case Parsons had his best game Wednesday night. Nick Calathes looks to have snapped out of his funk, scoring 19 points on 8-10 shooting with 6 assists and 6 rebounds.

Next, Florida gets Miami Friday night at 7pm in Gainesville.