SB Nation - Erving Walker

Tonight's Picks

SFBE.NF — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:40:46 -0000

Lots of credit to St. Joe's for making last night's matchup against crosstown Villanova much closer than it should have been. Despite the lone, we ended up on top yesterday thanks to Blue Jesus. We're finally stacking some ched.

#6 Syracuse (-1) over #11 Florida: Florida and Syracuse have both been top teams this year, defeating quality opponents UNC and MSU, respectively. Sophomore Gator Erving Walker could have a big impact on this game in providing a boost with the dishing of dimes and controlling the speed/tempo of the game. The balanced Orangemen offense should prevail, though, as we think Vegas is hoping betters are put off by the 'Cuse's first real road test.
Miami-OH (+14) over #19 Cincy: I like the Redhawks here on the road against the Cincy. With winter break having already started for the Bearcats, their home court advantage will be largely neutralized. Miami (OH)'s record is only 2-6, but they've got a better squad than their record indicates - just ask Kentucky. Look for Miami (OH)'s senior Kenny Hayes to have a great game against a team that he watched dominate while growing up in Dayton.
#14 Mich. St (-22) over Oakland: Oakland will not be nearly as fierce as the Citadel team the Spartans just put away on the road. At home, Michigan St. should have a field day defensively, which could turn into a lot of fast break points and an early lead. Oakland has few scoring options besides Keith Benson, who rebounds and scores in the low post like there's no tomorrow. Sparty slaughters the Golden Grizzlies.

Yesterday: 2-1

Overall: 12-8

Rutgers Bitten by Gators, Boynton

ibleedscarlet — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:09:48 -0000

More photos » by Tim Larsen - AP

17 days ago: Rutgers' Austin Johnson (21) tries to shoot between Florida's Kenny Boynton (1) and Erik Murphy, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Atlantic City, N.J. on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Tim Larsen)

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After 20 full minutes of play in the final game of the Legends Classic in Atlantic City, Rutgers was thinking Championship. Then Kenny Boynton took over.

Boynton, a freshman guard took it to the Scarlet Knights in the 2nd half of Florida's 73-58 victory over Rutgers in the Championship game of the Legends Classic at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Boynton had a game high 19 points, as Florida jumped off to it's best start (6-0) since the 2006-2007 season.

Rutgers was led in scoring by Mike Rosario who had 14 points (he was also named to the All-Tournament Team), but struggled in the 2nd half as the Gators pulled away. Though Rosario led the team in points, it was Hamady Ndiaye who led the team on the floor, as the senior played inspired basketball swatting anything in his range and throwing down monster dunks which allowed Rutgers to hang around in the 2nd half.

This was my first time seeing Rutgers this season in person, and I came away impressed. After beating UMass on Friday night, my expectation was that they would get run out of the gym by a stronger and more athletic UF team. But to my pleasant surprise, Rutgers actually played with, and at times, outplayed the Gators in the first half. Though they trailed by 5 at the half, most of that deficit could be attributed to the hot shooting of the Gators from beyond the 3 point line, and some fortunate bounces that went the Gators way.

As expected, the Gators pulled away in the 2nd half. Florida is a more complete and talented team than Rutgers, and they wore down the Scarlet Knights down low in the final period. When Rutgers tried to defend inside, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker knocked down open jumpers, and when they defended on the perimeter, Florida dumped it down low to Vernon Macklin who provided some rim-shaking highlights.

I was very impressed with Hamady Ndiaye who provided highlights with his high intensity defensive style, and Ndiaye could be seen talking to the younger Knights and giving them the confidence that they need. He truly was the best Scarlet Knight player on the court Saturday night, despite the fact that he only played 17 minutes.

Rosario started off hot, scoring 11 first half points, but was bottled up by the aggressive zone defense that Florida employed in the 2nd half. He was visibly frustrated and forced many shots that weren't there down the stretch. Rosario needs to trust his teammates a bit more and give Patrick Jackson and Johnathon Mitchell more opportunities by drawing double teams. Center Gregory Echenique was largely ineffective recording 0 points in 21 minutes, and providing porous defense. There was a span in the 2nd half where Florida dumped the ball down low 3 or 4 consecutive times and Macklin was able to exploit Echenique for easy Florida points. For some reason he has shown an inability to catch the ball down low, and is becoming a liability down in the post.

Though they weren't able to pull the big upset, I was pleased with what I saw from Rutgers. The team played hard till the end against a superior team, and for a while looked like they had a chance. If they continue to play like they did against Florida, Rutgers should be able to win more than a few games in the Big East.

Rutgers next plays on Thursday night against Princeton at the RAC.

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.

Gator Basketball: Return To Toughness?

mlmintampa — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:37:53 -0000

When you have two season like the Gators had in 2006 and 2007, the hangover can last a while. The Gators were fat and happy following the accomplishments of the Oh Fours, with guys like Nick Calathes and Jai Lucas thinking that the name on the front of the jersey guaranteed success for the name on the back. But two trips to the NIT have lead to a reinvention of the Gators, as dead weight like Calathes, Lucas and Eloy Vargas dropped the program.

In their place, Vernon Macklin, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker are three guys who won't shrink back from pressure. The dark horse in this role would be Israeli Rod Tishman, since the only soft Israelis are supermodels. This isn't a team that needs two balls on the court to play happy. Macklin is still rough on offense, but he is a physical presence inside that has been lacking the past two seasons. Boynton and Walker will score and play off each other.

Alex Tyus needs to grow up and bit and run violence on the SEC with Macklin. Two big bodies inside, with Boynton and Walker, Florida can seriously challenge in the SEC. Maybe not get past Kentucky, but the way John Calipari is, maybe UK is under probation by March. As for Dan Werner, I just hope he doesn't get in the way and get hurt. And also stop chucking crappy threes.

Of course, it all starts and ends with Billy Donovan. He's had to reinvent himself every few years as he is trying to find the right chemistry to win again. The losses in personnel lately fit into Donovan's play to build a starting five, rather than finding individual stars and hoping they can spread the wealth. Donovan has had to do this before. The 2000 Final Four team, which included SEC regular season titles in 2000 and 2001, was built that way. Those teams, while talented, knew how to fight back after getting punched in the face. This team might be just as bad as the previous seasons, but on the surface, that does not appear to be the case this season. As of now, Bracketology puts the Gators as a 9th seed. In an improved SEC, Florida will get smacked around this season, but this team will be able to fight back.

Basketball Finishes Preseason

mlmintampa — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:03:00 -0000

The Gators defeated Webber International 104-53, ending the Gators' preseason schedule. Sunday, the Gators face Stetson in their season opener. UF will have two games before facing Florida State on Tuesday, Nov. 24 rather than the traditional Friday before the FSU-UF football game. That is because UF will get Michigan State and Rutgers/UMass over Thanksgiving weekend.

Monday night, Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker and Ray Shipman were your leading scorers, just as they had done in Florida's first preseason game. The regular season will be a much more accurate test to see if those three are the key guys and if Shipman can crack the starting lineup as a third guard. Florida's two assumed tough guys; Tidewater resident Vernon Macklin and Israeli Nimrod Tishman, are getting time but Tishman is not yet in the rotation. Macklin will be a starter and his success will depend on if the three guards want to share and if Dan Werner will stop chucking threes. (That's right, we're getting our Werner-itis out of the way early.) We will have a complete basketball preview on Friday.

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

The Goodbye Gators

mlmintampa — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:38:53 -0000

I feel bad for Erving Walker. In another time, he would have been a black Lee Humphrey, just with a better free throw percentage. But instead of stabbing people in the chest like Humphrey would do by shooting threes from Archer and Hawthorne, Walker never gets the knife out of the case. When his attempt at a tying 3-point basket was blocked, securing a 61-58 win for Auburn, Walker did everything he was supposed to do. Unfortnately, not everyone on the Gators did the same.

It is still possible UF makes the tournament, but it doesn't look good today. The Gators only have themselves to blame for this; Donovan gets blame for not drawing a play to protect Walker's final shot (a SEC All-Defensive Team selection blocked Walker's attempt). Donovan also gets blame for not realizing until Friday that his best five includes Walker over Chandler Parsons.

As great as Nick Calathes has been this season, is he becoming our A-Rod? (The first comment on this story.) He had 11 rebounds, but was 3-13 shooting. That seems a bit unfair to Alex Rodriguez; he's been on the doorstep of the World Series three times. Calathes can't get past Tennessee or the SEC Quarters. I think Calathes' breakdown is more of a result of the rest of his teammates not picking up the pace. Walker can only do so much because of his size and youth. Alex Tyus has improved, but the right guys can shove him around (see Patrick Patterson). Tyus played well last night (21 pts, 11 rebs) because Auburn plays with a small lineup, giving Tyus mismatches about half the time. I'll do my best to not rip on Dan Werner, but should he be shooting 7 of 10 shots from 3-point range? This game was pretty even. It's not like they needed to be chucking to keep up.

Walker spent his time after the game in tears. If he's that sick about it, we should be happy he is coming back. That's the only bright spot in another disappointing season.

Nick Calathes' Last Stand?

mlmintampa — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:01:43 -0000

The Gators are concerned with making the NCAA Tournament, but the elephant in the room is wearing a 33 jersey.

It does not matter much if the Gators make the tournament this year and die quickly. The common thought is that next season, UF will return to the caliber of play that this program expects. With Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin entering the lineup with an older Alex Tyus and Kenny Kadji, UF will have a front line to match Nick Calathes and Erving Walker. But is there any guarantee Calathes will be there?

Last summer, Calathes worked out with the Greek National Team and received offers to play professionally there. In February, ESPN's Chad Ford said this about Calathes;

He's not the quickest guy nor is he a great on-the-ball defender -- and he'll probably never be -- but I've heard more and more NBA scouts talking about him as a steal in the late first round or early second round if he declares.

That backhanded compliment came at the end of February. Since then, Calathes has broken down a bit (averaging 12 points, had 7 turnovers against Kentucky) but he is finding ways to contribute (averaging 6 assists per game). He was also named to the SEC Coaches' All-SEC Team.

Without Calathes, Florida would still be hoping for a big SEC Tournament run. To qualify for the NIT. He has carried a team that really has no business being on the bubble. Calathes is not just playing for the Gators anymore. He is playing for himself because Calathes knows if he fails, Florida loses.

Responding to that pressure is what turns a 2010 first round pick into a 2009 first round pick. No matter what happens, Florida needs Calathes to put the team on his back for at least three games to secure a spot in the brackets. If that happens, don't be surprised if Calathes has had enough and decides to go pro.

Gators Finally Show Up

mlmintampa — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:46:49 -0000

The Gators did something they have not done all season; in a game where Nick Calathes struggled (2-9 shooting, 5 pts), people stepped up. Today it was Walt Hodge (18 pts), Alex Tyus (11 pts) and Erving Walker (10 pts) pushing the Gators to a 60-53 win over Kentucky. Florida (22-9, 9-7) keeps alive hope for a NCAA bid, while Kentucky (19-12, 9-7) is in a pile of poop as big as Secretariat. (You know, because UK wears jerseys like Secretariat's silks? Nevermind.)

Despite shooting 39%, Florida won because they played good enough defense (UK shot 43% from the field, 18% from three), forcing 23 turnovers. Patrick Patterson was great (16 pts, 13 rebounds) but with the exception of Jodie Meeks and Ramon Harris, Kentucky could not find a contributor. For the Gators, at least Dan Werner had 8 points, but had to take 9 shots to get there.

Florida is now locked in to play Arkansas Thursday night, the best possible matchup because Arkansas is the worst team in the SEC West (2-13) and it is the 9:45pm game. Every Gator fan in Tampa will have plenty of time to leave their job at the bank or law firm and get to the game.

Kentucky Wildcats @ Florida: Gameday Breakdown

Ken Howlett — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:24:02 -0000

A regular season once filled with promise and optimism comes to a close today as the 'Cats take on their bitter rivals, the Florida Gators. The 2:00 EST (CBS) contest will determine the 3rd and 4th place finishers in the SEC East. If UK pulls out the road victory, by virtue of their 3rd place finish, they would meet up with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Thursday in the SEC Tournament. If Kentucky loses today, they most likely would then play Alabama in an opening round SEC Tourney tilt.

My, how the recently and once-mighty, have fallen. UK, losers of three games in a row (and seven of their last 10), and Florida, also losers of three in a row (and six of nine), will not be playing for banners, but rather their NCAA Tournament lives. Both teams, clinging to the slightest of hope ... hope that they won't be slighted on Selection Sunday.

I wrote in my Georgia pre-game that if the 'Cats lost to the Dawgs their NCAA hopes went with the wind, but Bracketology guru Joe Lunardi disagrees, so I won't give up until I fail to hear UK's name called out by Jim Nantz ... but, hey, that's just me.

So, it's on to the Gators.

Florida Personnel

Nick Calathes: 6'6" 194 lb sophomore guard -- On the season Calathes is averaging 18.2 points (6th in the SEC), 6.4 assists (1st in the SEC), 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game (2nd in the SEC). He's shooting 49.6% from the field (8th in the SEC), 41.3% from beyond the arc (64-155), and 71.0% from the free throw line.

In SEC play he's averaging 19.3 points, 6.1 assist, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He's shooting 47.7% from the floor, 43.2% from the three-point line (38-88), and 71.3% from the free throw line -- Over his last four games Calathes is averaging 14.3 points per game (versus Miss. St. last game, he scored only 11 points). In that span he's shooting only 40.4% from the field. Over the last eight games he's shooting only 35.7% from the three-point line. Since recording 14 steals in a four game stretch, in his last two games Calathes has zero steals. Calathes is the only player in the country who is averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He also leads the SEC is A/TO ratio at 2.04. Last time out versus UK Calathes scored a season high 33 points on 10-20 shooting (2-7 threes), grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists, had two steals and two turnovers. The 20 shots he took represents a season high.

Alex Tyus: 6'8" 220 lb sophomore forward -- On the year Tyus is averaging 12.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (2.0 off. reb). He's shooting 59.5% from the field (2nd in the SEC), and 65.0% from the free throw line.

In league play he's averaging 11.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game (1.9 off. reb). He's shooting 54.3% from the floor, and 63.4% from the charity stripe -- Tyus has scored in double-digits in eight of his last 10 games. He's made only four of is last 10 free throw attempts. His last double-digit rebound game was January 14 versus Auburn, when he had 14. Tyus has committed zero turnovers his last two games. Against UK on February 10, he scored 14 points on 7-11 shooting, grabbed only two rebounds, but recorded three blocks (season high), two steals and one assist. The two rebounds he nabbed were the fewest he's had in a game this year (along with the Longwood, and Toledo games).

Chandler Parsons: 6'9" 213 lb sophomore forward -- Parsons is averaging 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, on the year. He shoots 47.1% from the floor, 30.3% from the thee-point line (33-109), and 55.7% from the free throw line.

In conference play he's averaging 11.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He shooting an even 50.0% from the field, 32.1% from behind the arc (18-56), and 47.1% from the free throw line -- Since making 7-8 threes versus Vandy on January 25, Parsons has made only 7-30 (23.3%) in his last 10 games. He's taken only one free throw in his last three games. Since recording three blocks versus South Carolina on February 3, in the seven games since, he's blocked only one shot. In Florida's last game, versus Mississippi State, Parsons played only 17 minutes. Earlier versus UK, Parsons played 24 minutes, scored two points on 0-4 shooting (0-1 threes), grabbed six rebounds, and dished out one assist.

Erving Walker: 5'8" 161 lb freshman guard -- For the year, Walker is averaging 9.8 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game. He's making 43.4% of his shots, 41.4% of his three-point attempts (55-133), and 83.1% of his free throws.

In SEC play he's averaging 10.9 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game. He's shooting 43.2% from the field, 43.2% from beyond the arc (32-74), and 82.9% from the free throw line -- Wednesday versus Mississippi State Walker made only 1-6 threes. In the Brooklyn natives four previous games he made 13-27 trey attempts (48.1). He's recorded only one steal in his last five games. Since committing five turnovers versus South Carolina on January 21, he's averaged only 1.0 turnovers in his last 11 games. He made 4-8 three-point attempts last Saturday against Tennessee. Versus UK last time out Walker played 27 minutes, scored seven points on 2-6 shooting (1-2 threes), two rebounds, one assist one steal and two turnovers.

Dan Werner: 6'8" 230 lb junior forward -- Werner is averaging 8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He's shooting 43.9% from the floor, 36.0% from the three-point line (40-111), and 76.3% from the free throw line.

In league play he's averaging 7.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Werner is shooting 36.9% from the floor, 37.5% from behind the arc, and 86.7% from the free throw line -- Werner hasn't taken a free throw in seven games. He's made 10 of his last 21 three-point attempts. He's recorded zero steals in his last three games. He's averaging 6.7 rebounds over his last three games. In the earlier game versus UK, he scored four points, and had three rebounds, steals and turnovers.

Walter Hodge: 6'0" 170 lb senior guard -- Hodge is averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game. He's shooting 45.3% from the floor, 39.2% from the three-point line (51-130), and 80.6% from the charity stripe.

In SEC play he's averaging 9.8 points, 2.3 assists, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. He's shooting 45.2% from the field, 36.6% from the three-point line (26-71), and 81.0% from the free throw line -- Since making only one of nine threes versus Alabama on February 18, Hodge has made 10-24 in his last four games (41.7%). He is averaging 13.8 points per game over his last six. In that span he's made 31-60 field goal attempts (51.7%). The diminutive guard has grabbed nine offensive rebounds in his last six games (the previous eight games he had zero). After recording only one steal in his previous five games, versus Mississippi State on Wednesday he had three steals. He committed four turnovers versus Vandy, in the three games since he has zero miscues. Earlier versus UK, Hodge played 20 minutes, scored two points on 1-5 shooting (0-1 threes), he also had three assists, two steals and two turnovers.

Kenny Kadji: 6'10" 245 lb freshman F/C -- Kadji is averaging 4.7 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game. He's shooting 48.7% from the field, and 51.2% from the free throw line (22-43).

In conference play he's averaging 4.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and .9 blocks per game. He's making 48.2% of his shots, and 59.1% of his free throws. Kadji had eight rebounds in only 14 minutes versus Alabama on February 18. He recorded four blocks versus Vanderbilt on February 21. He hasn't scored in double-figures since netting 10 points versus Arkansas back in January (which was also the most minutes he's played all year, 23). He's made only 1-5 shots in his last three games, after making 9-18 in the three previous contests. Versus UK last time out he played 12 minutes and scored one point, grabbed three rebounds, and had one block and one turnover.

Ray Shipman: 6'5" 212 lb freshman G/F -- Shipman is averaging 3.8 points, and 2.2 rebounds per game. He's shooting 50.0% from the floor, 18.8% from beyond the arc (3-16), and 67.6% from the charity stripe.

In league play he averages 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He's making 57.1% of his shots, 40.0% of his threes (2-5), and 71.4% of his free throws -- Versus Mississippi State Wednesday night, he played a season high 24 minutes. He hasn't recorded an offensive rebound since January 31 (an eight game span). He's made 7-11 field goal attempts over his last four games. Versus UK last time out he played 16 minutes, scored two points (1-1 FG's) and grabbed two rebounds.

Florida Team Stats -- Overall (SEC rank in parenthesis)

Florida Opponents

Points Per Game -- 78.8 (2) 68.7 (5)

Field Goal% -- 48.4 (t1) 44.8 (12)

Free Throw% -- 68.5 (7) 62.4 (1)

3-Point% -- 37.3 (2) 36.5 (11)

Rebound Margin -- +.4 (9)

Off. Rebounds Per Game -- 11.1 (9) 11.0 (2)

Off. Rebound% -- 32.6 (10) 32.0 (7)

Def. Rebound% -- 68.0 (7) 67.4 (10)

Assists Per Game -- 17.0 (1) 13.3 (8)

Steals Per Game -- 8.2 (3) 6.2 (4)

Turnovers Per Game -- 12.0 (1) 15.2 (8)

Blocks Per Game -- 2.8 (12) 3.4 (5)

Florida Team Stats -- Conference Games Only (SEC rank in parenthesis)

Florida Opponents

Points Per Game -- 77.9 (1) 73.6 (7)

Field Goal% -- 46.8 (1) 47.0 (11)

Free Throw% -- 69.4 (5) 59.8 (1)

3-Point% -- 38.9 (1) 37.7 (11)

Rebound Margin -- - 2.3

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 9.6 (12) 10.6 (2)

Off. Reb.% -- 27.6 (12) 30.8 (3)

Def. Reb.% -- 69.2 (3) 72.4 (12)

Assists Per Game -- 15.8 (1) 13.3 (6)

Steals Per Game -- 6.9 (7) 6.5 (3)

Turnovers Per Game -- 11.3 (12) 13.5 (5)

Blocks Per Game -- 2.6 (11) 3.8 (5)

UK 68, UF 65

In the February 10 contest, Jodie Meeks was the big 'Cat of the day. With only five seconds remaining the Kentucky junior drilled a three-pointer putting UK up by two. Nick Calathes was then fouled by Kevin Galloway on his three-point try, with less than a second remaining. Calathes missed his first two free throws, and intentionally missed his third, but to no avail.

Meeks led the way for UK with 23 points, Perry Stevenson scored 10. They were the only two Wildcats in double figures. Patrick Patterson, who played 30 minutes, but had to sit the last nine minutes of the game because of a severely sprained ankle, scored only 7. Michael Porter pitched in by making 3-4 trey attempts. As a team UK made seven of 17 three-pointers (41.2%), but only 9-16 free throws (56.3%). Kentucky also committed 19 turnovers; Stevenson led the way with six.

Nick Calathes led Florida with a season high 33 points, and Alex Tyus scored 14. Calathes was 10-20 from the floor, while the rest of the Gators could only muster 12-34 shooting (35.3%). Florida only corralled six offensive boards, for an 18.8% conversion rate. As a team the Gators made only 4-14 three-point tries (28.6%).

Florida guard Walter Hodge missed the final 16 minutes of the game, due to a dead-ball flagrant foul call against him.

For a complete boxscore go here.

Gator Tails

In Florida's three game losing streak they are giving up 80.0 points per game ... Over the last three games Florida is giving up 50.9% field goal shooting ... Over the last three games the Gators are giving up 48.3% three-point shooting ... Florida lost to Georgia, in Athens, 88-86 ... Florida has given up 18 offensive rebounds to Mississippi, 17 to South Carolina, and 15 to Alabama ... The Gators have made over 40.0% of their three-point attempts in 12 games this year ... Gator opponents have shot over 40.0% from beyond the arc a total of 10 times ... Six Gator opponents have made over 50.0% of their three attempts ... Florida has made over 50.0% of their field goal attempts 12 times this season ... In their last three games (all losses) the Gators have made an average of only seven free throws per game, while shooting 55.3% from the line ... Eight of Florida's last nine opponents have shot at least 47.3% from the field ... At home, Florida averages 82.6 points per game in the SEC ... In their last three games the Gators have forced only 25 turnovers (8.3 per game) ... Florida made 13-28 (46.2%) trey attempts versus Tennessee last Saturday, but still lost the game, 79-75 ... They made 15-25 threes (60.0%) versus Vandy on February 17.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Florida and UK are similar in at least one area -- They are both struggling defensively. Both teams give up too many points, and both teams are allergic to guarding the perimeter. The team that amps up their defensive effort will probably win this game.

UK's best chance at that is to bottle-up Calathes, because if he's let loose as he was in Lexington, UK will be staring at a season-ending four game losing streak. I expect to see a rotation of Galloway, Porter, DeAndre Liggins (if he plays), Meeks and maybe a little Ramon Harris attempting to put the kibosh on the Gator's great guard.

But this game boils down to which team perimeter-pass denies the best, mans-up on the shooter, and makes the most three-pointers. UK has lost every game this year in which they are out-scored from the three-point line. I expect that trend to continue.

How much do the 'Cats want it? They've been blasted and questioned, berated and belittled over the last few weeks ... it's time they got mad, and played like a team that wants to win.

There is still pride waiting to be salvaged.

Happy Birthday

I want to wish my sister-in-law, and U of L grad, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!