SEC Notebook
by Ryan Glenn
A few weeks into the season, I must admit, I was a little worried about the SEC. The so-called “top teams” in the conference had met some stiff competition and for the most part, did not fare too well. Florida lost a close one to a very good Kansas team, but then also fell to their in-state rival Florida State. LSU quietly lost to Wichita State and Tennessee lost to Butler and North Carolina in the NIT Season Tip-Off. Kentucky, who would also fall to the Tar Heels, also found disappointment in losses to UCLA and Memphis in the Maui Invitational.
Is the underrated power conference from last year going to fall into a slump this season? The answer is definitely not. The SEC has just been playing so many talented teams early in the season. The losses for many were inevitable and the wins that the some of the teams pulled off were definitely a good sign. If you look at the conference as a whole, it is one of the strongest in the country.
Perhaps the biggest win for the SEC, other than Florida beating Ohio State, was Georgia coming out on top against Gonzaga in the “Battle of the Bulldogs”. Levi Stukes led the team with 25 points, including four three-pointers. Sundiata Gaines shot an outstanding 9 for 13 from the field and added 21. Georgia was able to force nine more turnovers than the Zags en route to a 96-83 win.
How the SEC fared against common opponents in the past few weeks:
Texas
Tennessee was the only team to come away with a victory against the Longhorns, but Arkansas and LSU came up just short. Tennessee was helped by Chris Lofton’s career-high 35 points, but the key to victory was three freshmen who were on the floor. Wayne Chism finished with 18, and Duke Crews and Ramar Smith each had 16 points. The trio that some said still lacked experience sure did not look like it in this game. It took a last-second shot from Kevin Durant for Texas to send the game to overtime, but it was all Vols in the extra period as they came away with the 111-105 win.
Arkansas hung with the Longhorns early in the game, but had no answer for Durant and his 28 points. The Razorbacks led in the closing seconds, but Justin Mason drove in and was fouled as he made the basket to give Texas the lead. Gary Ervin was able to draw a foul in the final seconds, but failed to hit the free throws to tie the game.
In a rematch of an Elite Eight game from last season, LSU took Texas into overtime once again, but this year, it would be the Longhorns who came out on top. With the two teams going back and forth in the extra session, A.J. Abrams hit a three with just over a minute left that ultimately gave Texas the 76-75 victory.
The Tigers also fell to Washington before a nice-looking win against UConn. In the next game, the conference opener, they met up with their SEC rival in Alabama. For about the first ten minutes, they controlled the game and had the crowd in Tuscaloosa silent. Then, with the help of a 19-4 run, the Tide completely turned the game around and did not look back on route to a 71-61 win.
Ohio State
Much like the game against Ohio State in the National Championship game in football, Florida did not have much trouble with Ohio State. The Gators were able to control Greg Oden, as their size in the frontcourt was too much for the freshman sensation.
Tennessee, on the other hand, had no answer for Oden down low. They were able to stay in the game with their fast-paced style and perimeter shooting. The Vols were able to climb back from early second-half run from the Buckeyes, but would not quite make it as Ramar Smith and Chris Lofton both missed the front ends of a one-and-one. Ohio State came away with the 68-66 win, but the team from Knoxville showed they definitely deserve to be in the national spotlight.
SEC Tidbits
- Arkansas is possibly the best looking 1-2 team in the conference. The Razorbacks opened the conference slate with an 88-61 blowout of Alabama. Up next, they faced the beast from the east in Florida, and had a hard-fought 79-72 loss. In their most recent contest, a road trip to Oxford, they were very turnover-prone and could not take control of the game in a 74-72 defeat to Ole Miss.
- Vanderbilt is another team to watch for a big turn around. Their loss to Auburn was close and they met up with a very underrated Georgia team in Athens. The win over Tennessee showed everyone that they will definitely be competing with the big boys in the conference this year.
- Chris Lofton – Don’t blame him for the loss at Ohio State. He obviously can make shots in the clutch, and everybody misses sometime. Lofton has carried this team. He shouldn’t have to lead the team in scoring (practically) every game for Vols to win. JaJuan Smith is the only teammate to lead the team in scoring in a game this year. He has taken the leading scoring award away from Lofton four times this year, but only the game against Butler actually meant much. Smith, along with the three freshmen starters, are going to have to contribute in those big games for Tennessee to have much success in March.
- Kentucky and Florida are the only teams that remain undefeated in the conference. The Wildcats have won eleven straight and are 4-0 in the conference after losing three games (to quality opponents) early in the season. Though there is still much to be done, this Kentucky team is looking very good early on. Randolph Morris is continuing his production down low. Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford have stepped in to much bigger roles and have been filling them nicely. Bradley has moved to shooting guard recently with the outstanding play of Derrick Jasper at point. Jasper has not been high on the stat sheet every night, but from the looks of the freshman, he has no where to go but up.
