SEC: Youth movement
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The SEC has 44 freshmen on its rosters this season, and more than half play significant roles for their teams. As a result, the pain of inexperience will undoubtedly rear its head across the conference.
But don't confuse youth with untalented. The future is bright for the SEC – barring a mass exodus of young players to the NBA.
As it stands today, I would rank this league a notch above the Pac-10 and Big 12. Florida and LSU give it two very good teams, and I think Kentucky and Tennessee could be dangerous come tournament time. The rest will struggle for postseason bids.
Alabama Crimson Tide
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How about the Crimson Tide? Since losing leading scorer Chuck Davis they've gone 3-0, with two of the wins coming on the road. Impressive to say the least.
Teams usually rally when a top player goes down, but after a few games reality sets in. Not so for Alabama. Coach Mark Gottried's squad has handled adversity well, showing tremendous resolve over the last 10 days, and that should buoy its confidence the rest of the season.
But for the surge of winning to continue, point guard Ronald Steele and forward Jermareo Davidson must continue to lead the way. This is not a deep team, but it is athletic and "together." It is playing hard, defending well and enjoying increased offensive production from Steele and Davidson, as well as from freshmen Alonzo Gee and Richard Hendrix.
Arkansas Razorbacks
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In Ronnie Brewer, the Razorbacks have one of the league's best players who can really do it all – score, rebound, defend and pass. He's a stat sheet stuffer averaging 18 points per game and is joined in double figures by Jonathon Modica and Darian Townes.
Stan Heath uses nine-to-10 players in his rotation and only three are seniors. The Hogs utilize their quickness to apply pressure on defense and, in 7-foot sophomore Steven Hill, have one of the league's best shot-blockers.
They also do a good job on the offensive glass. But turnovers and shot selection have been a problem – the result of playing out of control at times. With added poise, however, this is a team that could finally be ready to win a few league games on the road.
Auburn Tigers
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With just one senior on the roster and not much size, Auburn is having a hard time producing points. The Tigers are last in the league in scoring and free-throw percentage, and second to last in field-goal percentage.
Only two players average double figures – senior Ronny LeMelle and freshman Rasheem Barrett. The Tigers do a decent job controlling the tempo, defending and shooting the three, but the inability to score consistently will be a problem all season.
Florida Gators
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The Gators appear to be the class of the SEC and their numbers are impressive: 52 percent on field-goals, 41 percent behind the arc and 19 assists per game. All five starters average double figures and the team enjoys plus-5 turnover and plus-6 rebounding margins.
But more impressive to me than the numbers is the way this team plays – hard, smart and unselfishly at both ends. With size, athleticism, skill and focus I expect Florida to be a top-10 team all season.
So far, they haven't faced much adversity, but at some point they will. How the Gators handle that will determine their postseason success.
Georgia Bulldogs
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Dennis Felton has done a nice job with a talented, young and undersized team. The Bulldogs work hard on defense, give excellent effort on the glass and have a number of good scorers and shooters.
Five players score in double figures, and eight of the players in the 10-man rotation are freshmen and sophomores. Without much inside scoring, Georgia is a team that relies heavily on dribble penetration and the three-point shot.
The Bulldogs will get some wins because they can shoot and can be difficult to defend when holding a lead. But inexperience and the lack of an inside game will keep them in the bottom half of the conference.
Kentucky Wildcats
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Don't abandon the Wildcats yet. I saw signs of life in their Jan. 17 win at Georgia – a game in which they defended aggressively and rebounded with force. The result was easier scoring opportunities, and that will be the recipe for success.
This team has excellent speed and much better perimeter shooting than it has shown lately. But with just one proven low-post scorer (Randolph Morris) and small perimeter players, the Wildcats are a team that needs to score as much as possible off defense and in transition.
They also need everyone to accept their roles. I spent some time with the team last month and got the feeling that this task was still a work in progress. But rest assured, Tubby Smith will keep working on that progress.
Louisiana State Tigers
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A lack of consistent point guard play and the need for one more perimeter shooter are all that keeps the Tigers from being on par with the Gators. They are as talented any team in the country, but also are very young.
Six freshmen and sophomores make up John Brady's eight-man rotation. Senior Darrel Mitchell is the team's second leading scorer and its only consistent outside shooting threat. Sophomore Glen Davis anchors an imposing front line that includes freshmen Tasmin Mitchell and Tyrus Thomas (one of the most electrifying players in college hoops right now).
One of the best rebounding and defensive teams in the country, the Tigers could be a very dangerous tournament team if they minimize the turnovers.
Mississippi Rebels
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The Rebels are deep and, in Auburn transfer Dwayne Curtis, have a low-post go-to guy who leads the team in scoring and rebounding while helping open things up for the three-point shooting of Todd Abernethy. Bam Doyne is the other double-figure scorer.
This is a solid team with a nice blend of youth and experience, as well as inside/outside scoring and good depth. The team's assist-to-turnover ratio needs to improve, but it's off to to a good start and finishing with an above-.500 record is a definite possibility.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
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A pair of talented underclassmen gives coach Rick Stansbury optimism about his team's potential – freshman Jamont Gordon and sophomore Charles Rhodes are both having strong seasons. Senior Jamall Edmondson and junior Dietric Slater are also turning it on.
The Bulldogs can score, but have short circuited their offensive prowess by averaging 19 turnovers per game. They defend well and are competitive on the glass, but because they're not particularly deep or proficient from the perimeter, taking better care of the ball would lead to more wins.
South Carolina Gamecocks
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On the heels of winning the NIT championship last year, much was expected of the Gamecocks. But the team, primarily made up of upperclassmen with good athleticism and depth, has struggled.
In conference games to date, South Carolina is shooting just 42 percent from the field and scoring 64 points per game. Tarence Kinsey and Tre Kelley provide the bulk of the offense and both are good three-point shooters.
Inside scoring has been inconsistent, but juniors Brandon Wallace and Renaldo Balkman are both capable of doing more. This team is better than its record and could be dangerous once clear roles are established and accepted.
Tennessee Volunteers
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Bruce Pearl likes his team to play at full-throttle – forcing turnovers, shooting threes and keeping the pace fast – and it's paying dividends.
One of the league leaders in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and turnover margin, Tennessee is likely to finish in the upper-division of the conference. Nine players get playing time, and three average double figures. C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton are lethal three-point shooters, while Major Wingate does his work inside.
Because of their style, the Vols sometimes shoot too many threes – but threes and D is how they win. And when they're rolling, they can beat anybody.
Vanderbilt Commodores
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Kevin Stallings has a tight, eight-man rotation, and his team relies on efficient offensive execution and a fairly conservative defensive approach to get wins.
The Commodores average just 12 turnovers per game and make good use of the three-point shot – making eight per game on 40 percent shooting. Defensively they don't gamble much, but do a good job positioning and challenging shots.
Shan Foster, a very impressive all-around player, is the leading scorer and is effective shooting the three or going off the dribble. This is a solid team and could be tournament-worthy in March, but I think the play of senior guard Mario Moore will be an integral factor in how successful Vandy is this season.
