SB Nation - Dominique Archie

Western Kentucky at South Carolina: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:43:11 -0000

Well, maybe we can play basketball without two of our best players in the lineup, after all: after losing Dominique Archie, struggling against Jacksonville in his absence, and then losing Mike Holmes, the Gamecocks turned in a solid performance tonight against Western Kentucky, winning 74-56. Devan Downey led Carolina with 15 points, while A. J. Slaughter led the Hilltoppers with 12. Darrin Horn got the satisfaction of not losing to his old team.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

Defense. After giving up 93 points, .500 shooting, and 27 FTAs to Jacksonville, I thought we might be lost defensively without Archie in the lineup. Tonight, though, we buckled down a bit, holding the Toppers to 56, .34 from the field, and an abysmal .17 from beyond the arc. The Toppers don't appear to be a good shooting team, but the fact still stands that you did something right anytime you hold an opponent to those numbers. Two of the big names here are Sam Muldrow with a whopping six blocks and Devan Downey with his standard three steals.
Getting the young guys involved. Lakeem Jackson had a full stat line with nine points, ten rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Ramon Galloway had eleven points. Jhondre Jefferson was less prominent on the box score but did lend a hand on the boards. It's important for these guys to contribute like this with the two starters out. That's particularly true for Jackson, who is going to be required to fill multiple roles.
Everyone contributing. We had eight players who played at least 13 minutes. WKU, on the other hand, had seven players that played at least 14 minutes, and all of their starters played at least 30, with leading scorer Slaughter playing almost the entire game. As you can see, our improved depth is paying off for us even with two of our stars out. We had five players in double figures scoring; that's again important with two double-figure scorers out and with teams continuing to try to limit Downey's effectiveness by running zones to keep him out of the lane.
The Toppers aren't as good as they were the past two years. Before you go getting excited about beating a team that has advanced two straight years in the NCAAs, you should know that WKU has already lost to both LSU (who is rebuilding this year) and Indiana State. The Toppers have four of five starters back, but the one they lost is a doozy: Sun Belt POY Orlando Mendez-Valdes. Apparently they're missing him. I have no doubt the Toppers will do well in the Sun Belt, where they usually only get consistent competition from a couple of programs. (One is my South Alabama Jaguars, who whopped Arkansas the other day.) However, so far, this year's WKU doesn't look like a mid-major power, so don't expect this to be one of those elusive "quality OOC wins" come tourney time.

That's a wrap on this win, folks. While WKU may be struggling, I'll take this win. In fact, I'll take just about any win we can get with Archie and Holmes out and then hope we can make our run when they return. We can hopefully make our run at the NCAAs when they come back by storming the SEC. Now, it's on to the Upstate this weekend. Can we hang with the Tigers? It looks doubtful, but anything's possible.

Dominique Archie "Out Indefinitely"; MRIs Reveal No Major Tear

Gamecock Man — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:18:12 -0000

Good news, Gamecocks fans: Dominique Archie's injury has been tentatively ruled a minor strain rather than a major tear. Archie is "out indefinitely," but if this MRI is accurate, I'd say he'll be out for a few weeks, in time for the beginning of conference play. This is essentially the injury that Brandis Raley-Ross had last year, and Raley-Ross was able to come back and contribute.

I'm really happy for Archie, as I would have hated to see him go out like this. I also think this leaves our chances at the NCAAs intact. We won't have Archie for the next few non-conference games, at the very least, and that means we'll have to take on good teams like Western Kentucky, Clemson, Baylor, and Boston College without him. With Archie in the lineup, I would have given us a decided edge over WKU, Baylor, and at Boston College (as well as Miami last night) and a slight chance at Clemson. Now, I doubt we can hang with Clemson without our team really shooting lights out, and our chances against the 'Toppers, Bears, and Golden Eagles are lower, too. However, if we can split the winnable non-con games and not drop any to the lesser opponents, we'll be in position to make a tourney run when Archie gets back.

Charleston Classic Finals, South Carolina vs. Miami: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:28:47 -0000

My congratulations to the Miami Hurricanes, who just took the Charleston Classic with an 85-70 victory over the Gamecocks. Miami guard James Dews turned in an epic performance, scoring 22 points on 8-11 shooting. Devan Downey led the Gamecocks with 20 points.

The big story is that Dominique Archie went down with a knee injury early in the game. When he left the game, my first thought was that we'd have to shoot extremely well to win, as our defense would suffer with Archie out. Our defense did suffer, but we didn't step up to the plate and make our shots, and the result was predictable.

Now we get to sweat out a few hours before we learn some definites on Archie's status. Unfortunately, the early word is that this is a torn ACL, which means that Archie is done for the year. It's possible, though, that it's just a hyperextension, which would put Archie out for two or three weeks and have him back for SEC play. Archie injured the knee coming down hard on it after a dunk, and it looked more like the kind of thing that could lead to a hyperextension than a tear, but we'll have to wait and see.

It's going to really be a tragedy if Archie is done for the year. I would hate to see such a great Gamecock miss the majority of his senior season with a knee injury, especially considering that he passed up on making some bucks in Europe to come back and try to make a run at the NCAAs. We're also going to have to adjust expectations for the team if Archie is done. While I'm confident that Coach Horn and our players can play better without Archie in the lineup than they did tonight, they'll still hardly be the team they were with him.

A few more thoughts:

We continue to shoot the ball horribly; only Ramon Galloway, Evaldas Baniulus, and Archie finished above .500 from the field, and many players had abysmal percentages. We also shot 45% from the line tonight. We've gotta get it together in these areas or it could be a long year. With teams choosing to play zone against us, we're going to have to make shots to be productive offensively.
Lakeem Jackson struggled mightily tonight. So far, I'm more impressed with Ramon Galloway. Both, though, will improve over the course of the year. That's the way it is with freshmen. If Archie is indeed done, Jackson will need to fill his role eventually.
Devan Downey did what he could to get us back into the game, but his shots weren't falling. So far this year, he hasn't looked like the inhuman player he was at times last year. This is partially because teams are taking him out of the game with zones, but it's also because he hasn't been able to figure out a way to counter. I have faith he'll get it together, though.
It's really a shame we didn't get a win tonight. A win over a middle-tier ACC team would have been good for our tourney resume if we make it that far.

Well that's a wrap for tonight. Hopefully we can iron out some of the wrinkles before we take on Western Kentucky after Thanksgiving.

Charleston Classic Round Two, South Carolina vs. South Florida: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:56:07 -0000

The Court Cocks won another game last night, beating South Florida 69-66. Devan Downey led the way with 17 points, while Dominique Archie put in 15 with 6 rebounds. Augustus Gilchrist led the Bulls with 19. As in the past few games, we struggled early but came out playing well in the second. This game was tight throughout, though.

Here are some thoughts on the game:

The turnover differential was much better in this game, with the 'Cocks leading 16-9. We also tallied 16 offensive rebounds. The turnovers and offensive boards led to us taking 62 shots to South Florida's 48. The extra attempts allowed us to survive a poor night from the field.
We shot very well from the charity stripe, at least by our standards, going 21-30 for 70%. We also made our free throws down the stretch, preventing the Bulls from making a comeback.
The Bulls have some talented players, but depth was a major issue for them. They basically ran a six-man rotation for most of the game, and fatigue caught up to them in the second half. We, on the other hand, are now running nine- and ten-men rotations, which is benefiting us late in games.
The Bulls are considered a sleeper in the Big East, and if they can manage to have a decent season, this win could end up looking nice on our resume. I'm really glad we're playing some real competition out-of-conference this year.

That wraps this one up. Next is Miami on Sunday for the tournament championship. Go 'Cocks!

Round Ball Round Up 11.20.09

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

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

29 days 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.

Tennessee Basketball Season Preview: The SEC

Will — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:00:38 -0000

More photos » by James Crisp - AP

Elvis is just as popular in Lexington.

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Part Three of our weeklong preview of the upcoming Tennessee Basketball season, which tips off Friday, November 13. Part One - Last Year Part Two - The Roster

The SEC struggled through its worst overall basketball season in the modern era in 2008-09: only three teams made the NCAA Tournament, and it would've been only two had the Vols gotten the best of Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament finals, where the Bulldogs secured an automatic bid. Regular season champion LSU was the league's highest seed - at an 8 - and was the only SEC team in the final Top 25 poll of the regular season, at #17. The league placed no teams in the tournament's second weekend, and no players in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft (though Jodie Meeks, Marcus Thornton and Nick Calathes were all taken in the second).

But if it's always darkest before the dawn, prepare for the bounceback in 2009-10.

This time around, the league has three teams in the preseason polls, two in the top ten, and four others receiving votes. Aside from the three names taken in the NBA Draft, almost every major player from last season is back, joined by superstar recruits and a couple of new head coaches you might have heard of. Just one year after being the worst of the major conferences in college basketball, the SEC will have a chance to be one of the best.

A quick preview of Tennessee's competition:

The once and future king of the SEC is back to lead the conversation: Kentucky had the most productive and most celebrated offseason of any team in college basketball, replacing Billy Gillispie with John Calipari. Calipari proceeded to convince Patrick Patterson to stay in school, and then cleaned up on the recruiting front. The Cats pulled in Rivals' #1 recruiting class in 2009 by getting the two best players in the nation - G John Wall and F DeMarcus Cousins - who join additional five-star freshmen Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe, plus in-state star Jon Hood and juco transfer Darnell Dodson. Kentucky could put those five freshmen on the floor, and if they're as good as their recruiting rankings suggest, the Cats could be better than most of the nation with their presence alone.

Jodie Meeks may be gone, which is good news for us...but aside from all the newcomers and PatPat, Kentucky also returns all their role players from last year - Perry Stevenson, Darius Miller, Ramon Harris, DeAndre Liggins - meaning there is no more talented team in the conference, or maybe even the nation. The key to UK's season is how quickly Calipari can get this team to play together, how well he develops the talented freshmen and how quickly they stop playing like freshmen, and how well the Dribble-Drive-Motion offense works in the Bluegrass. If you believe the hype surrounding the coach and the freshmen, this team might win it all. And even if you're skeptical...well, it's a good thing Tennessee is talented this season too.

The Cats and Vols look like the clear-cut class of the SEC, which we think will make for a very interesting season as Pearl and Calipari continue their rivalry. Behind those two, there are three other teams in the SEC East that should be improved and are thinking about March right now: Florida hasn't played in the NCAA Tournament since they won it all in 2007, but bolstered by their own freshman in stud guard Kenny Boynton (22 points in Florida's first exhibition game) and the return of Alex Tyus and Erving Walker, Billy Donovan looks to get this team back where it belongs. On the opposite end of Kentucky's spectrum is South Carolina, joining the Vols in fully relying on veterans: Devan Downey and Dominique Archie both elected to return for their senior seasons, and Darrin Horn looks to get Carolina into the dance in his second season. And our old friend Kevin Stallings returns AJ Ogilvy and Jermaine Beal at Vanderbilt, with all three teams receiving votes in the early polls.

Will the SEC East get five teams in the NCAA Tournament? Probably not, meaning if form holds, one of the Florida/Carolina/Vanderbilt group will be left out in the cold. They'll have company there, as Georgia looks like they'll continue to get comfortable in the basement.

In the SEC West, Mississippi State looks like the third best team in the conference, as Rick Stansbury just keeps doing a good job down in Starkville. The Bulldogs are ranked 18th in the preseason AP poll, and while Jarvis Varnado will get most of MSU's publicity, plenty of other veterans like Ravern Johnson and Dee Bost are still around, joined by a solid recruiting class. And the other team in the state may not be far behind: last year, no team faced adversity the way Ole Miss did, between injuries and off-court incidents. This year, Chris Warren and Eniel Polynice are healthy, and last year's SEC Freshman of the Year Terrico White returns. If the SEC gets six or seven teams in the NCAA Tournament, look for the Rebels to be among them.

Rounding out the rest of the West, Alabama welcomes ex-VCU coach Anthony Grant into the fold, and he'll work with Mikhail Torrance, JaMychal Green and pieces from other talented recruiting classes left behind in his first year. No team started faster and finished flatter than Arkansas last season, but they get almost everyone back, including Michael Washington and Courtney Fortson. Defending champs LSU return Tasmin Mitchell but lost a lot, and are not projected to repeat last year's success. Same goes for Auburn, who surprised by coming on strong late last season.

On paper, Kentucky and Tennessee look like locks for the NCAA Tournament, with Mississippi State not far behind. From there, how deep can the SEC go? Six teams is the league's usual average, and if form holds, that should be an attainable goal. And really, the league could go as deep as seven or eight teams.

All in all, this should be an incredibly exciting year for SEC Basketball. The league has the veterans, the rookies, and the coaching personalities to make a huge splash in the national landscape, and hopefully send several teams on deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. There will be few easy nights come January.

For more, check out Pat Forde's SEC preview column at ESPN.com.

Poll

How many teams from the SEC will make the NCAA Tournament?

3 or less

5 votes

4

14 votes

5

30 votes

6

21 votes

7

3 votes

8

1 votes

74 votes | Poll has closed

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

So What Does Success Look Like for Calipari's First Year as UK Coach?

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:12:08 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

John Calipari might be illustrating the distance between success and disappointment for his first season and UK Head Men's Basketball Coach.

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There have been uncounted trillions of pixels darkened across the Bluegrass State and beyond talking about the excitement and expectations of John Calipari's ascension to the throne of the most storied college basketball program in America. But as we have seen with the last two coaches, and as William Shakespeare so eloquently put it, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."

So what would success look like for John Calipari next year? While it is true that he is bringing in arguably the best recruiting class in modern college basketball history and returns some senior leadership as well as the mighty Patrick Patterson, the expectations for Calipari's first year as coach are pretty much of the charts high. But we have seen as recently as 2004-2005 that great recruiting classes don't always turn into what we hope they will, and that a surfeit of young but talented players do not ensure success.

I think what the Big Blue Nation should consider is what kind of season would qualify as a success for UK next season. Obviously, with the huge influx of talent and return of Patrick Patterson, it would be hard to stomach anything less than a regular-season SEC championship or a second-place finish followed by an SEC tournament championship. But then what? With pundits placing Kentucky in various places from second to the high twenties in the land pre-season, there is a lot of variation of opinion about where UK ranks on the national scale.

But no matter where the pundits come in, the real opinions that matter are those of a Kentucky fan base who has suffered through four consecutive years of up-and-down expectations and disappointment after disappointment. In fact, discounting the Las Vegas Invitational championship of last year, it has been five years this March since UK celebrated a tournament championship of any kind, the longest such strech since before Adolph Rupp coached the team. From 1993 to 2005, UK enjoyed great success in the SEC and NCAA tournaments, but those years now seem very far in the rear-view mirror.

UK seems poised to compete for the SEC championship this year as it has not in recent years, but there are plenty of obstacles in their way, from a Tyler Smith-led Tennessee Volunteers team to a stronger Florida team to a returning Devan Downey and Dominique Archie at South Carolina, not to mention a resurgent Ole Miss, solid LSU and a dangerous-looking Mississippi State team. No matter how good the Wildcats look on paper, they will be the least-experienced team from top to bottom that UK has fielded in many years. Combine that with sky-high expectations with John Calipari as the head coach, and you can see why I wonder where the combination of fan's heads in the clouds and young, inexperienced but supremely talented feet on the court will lead.

While I doubt that UK fans will turn on and rend Calipari should the Wildcats come up short of whatever their expectations are this year, there is a danger that fans could fall prey to nation media naysaying if UK has some unexpected losses. The unacceptable early-season losses to Gardener-Webb and VMI all but doomed the two seasons of Billy Gillispie, as those types of miscues simply cannot be forgiven a UK coach versus such poor competition at home. I don't expect that to happen under Calipari, but there will likely be some surprises and disappointments along the way to whatever fate awaits next year's team -- glory, ignominy, or something in-between.

In the end, calling for tempering of expectations is not something that would work right now. Kentucky fans fully qualify, by UK historical standards at least, of being considred long-sufferening and hungry for the excitement to return to the UK program. John Calipari has unquestionably accomplished that with his stellar recruiting class and complete domination of the local "buzz" via the magic of Twitter and his sheer energy and willingness to be seen and interviewed by media of all stripes. Intentional or not, Calipari has been a major part of raising the expectations of UK fans and has done precious little to allow reality to intrude. Of course, the coach still has plenty of time to do that as the season approaches in earnest, and generating all this excitement and elevated hopes now will be easier to manage later after the initial euphoria has begun to wear off a bit.

So what say you, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation? What does a successful first season look like for John Calipari and the new-look Wildcats? An SEC championship and a Sweet Sixteen? A Great Eight? A Final Four? Where do you draw the line between success and disappointment?

Poll

What does success look like for Kentucky next year?

NCAA Championship

109 votes

NCAA Final Four

400 votes

NCAA Great Eight

363 votes

NCAA Sweet Sixteen

189 votes

SEC championship and at least sweet sixteen

220 votes

SEC championship and at least Great Eight

251 votes

SEC championship and at least Final Four

109 votes

1641 votes | Poll has closed

The Big Blue Daily Mail Welcomes Arkansas Expats to SB Nation and Hopes for the Renewal of a Rivalry

Truzenzuzex — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:31:22 -0000

More photos » by April L. Brown - AP

Just one more time since we are talking about the Razorbacks, to celebrate his 45 point effort in Fayetteville last year.

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I'm sure most of the readers of A Sea of Blue remember those halcyon days back in the early 1990's when Arkansas and Kentucky developed what was then the best rivalry UK has perhaps ever had in the SEC. Rick Pitino and Nolan Richardson went after each other tooth and nail, as did the players, and treated fans of college basketball to some of the most epic games ever. Every season since 1995 I have hoped for the resurgence of that rivalry, and even when both teams tumbled into the pit of irrelevance over the last few years, I was denied.

Even if the rivalry has not yet been renewed, the Razorbacks have finally made it to SB Nation's family of blogs in the form of Arkansas Expats. If the name sounds somewhat familiar, it is because the bloggers that formed Razorback Expats are in charge of this shiny new home for Arkansas fans. You may remember John and Stephen from frequent Q & A's we have had over the years with them here, and we at A Sea of Blue want to welcome them to their new digs.

And now, the news:

UK Basketball News

More John Wall video from The Dagger
Rod Strickland Talks Wall, Bledsoe; Joe Jackson ‘Wide Open’
Rod Strickland talks about the possibility of Bledsoe and John Wall playing together.
UK reports minor NCAA violation.
Hopefully this will not result in disciplinary action by the NCAA. This kind of thing really seems like overkill to me, though. But the rules is the rules. I don't think he should have to suffer a suspension if he had nothing to do with the actual brochure that created the violation.
Q&A: Jaylen Beckham
The Lexington Catholic point guard wants to play at UK, but I don't know if he can get there under Coach Cal.
Calipari visits Big Blue faithful in northern Kentucky.
"What I have found out in a short period of time is the program is pretty important to the people of the Commonwealth – people that really care about this basketball program. We’ve got a lot to do to bring everybody back in and that’s what we’re trying to do." Gee, ya think?
[UPDATE1] The Miller Violation
I totally agree with Chris Diggs on this.

UK Football News

Talk UK Sports talks football
Schedule toughness and offense are the two main obstacles he sees toward a fourth straight bowl. That's pretty much how I see it, too.

Other UK Sports News

None today.

NCAA Sports News

Will Joe Jackson Visit Duke?
You never know.
Things are not going great for Dominique Ferguson.
Injuries, recruiting pressure and rumors have the summer off to a slow start for the former UK commit.
Dominique Archie and Devan Downey return to lead the Gamecocks.
South Carolina looks like an NCAA tournament team to me at this early point.
Hoops on Campus - NY Daily News
Dick "Hoops" Weiss looks at who would likely be in the draft if the one-and-done rule were gone. He also likes Michael Gilchrist, who UK is recruiting hard.
[UPDATE1] Sherman, set the WayBack Machine for 1981...
I like it when a team comes back from a 21-7 deficit to score 70 points. In football.
[UPDATE1] Ten Questions for 2009 SEC football
[UPDATE1] Miles And Richt Sit On The SEC’s Hottest Seats
Miles, maybe. Richt? I can't see it.
[UPDATE1] NCAA Basketball: Preseason Top 25 (really, really early)
No real surprises here.

Other News of Interest

Andy Katz has the latest buzz in college and NBA basketball
Understandably, most of the news is draft-related, but Lance Stephenson's window to get into a college seems to be rapidly closing.

The Daily Schadenfreude

Is Harrison Barnes Backing Away From Duke?
He seems to be backing away from everybody right now.