Big East/SEC Challenge Wish List

The SEC and Big East announced today a two-year agreement to play one another in an annual challenge.  This follows on the heels of back-to-back seasons in which a mini-version of this challenge existed, in which four teams from each conference competed for the challenge bragging rights.  There was enough momentum from this subsample for the conferences to agree on including all members in the SEC (12 teams) against twelve (out of 16) teams from the Big East.  The twelve teams from the Big East will be chosen at a later date.

The fact that we still don’t know which Big East teams will compete makes for a great opportunity to blog.  As with any challenge it’s all about the matchups.  You have to select matchups that will ultimately be competitive but also have as much marketability as possible in order to draw the highest ratings.  I put pen to pad tonight and did my best to break down the matchups I would want to see and some logic behind the choice.  Below is my personal wish list.  The conferences are free to use this in their decision making.

Kentucky vs Syracuse

Hype factors:  Both are perennial power basketball schools; the teams met in the 1996 Championship game; they almost never meet adding to the sexy matchup factor; perhaps most importantly they are #1 or #2 in annual home attendance every year, something the announcers can hype up until you vomit; the famed Syracuse 2-3 zone defense against the Dribble Drive Motion Offense of Kentucky.

Tennessee vs Connecticut

Hype factors: I went with this matchup mainly because Tennessee has already played Pittsburgh and Villanova this year, so I feel like there’s some process of elimination here.  Next year’s matchup should have new blood.  Now that UConn has rebounded from last year’s disappointing campaign this matchup oozes excitement.  Tennessee continues to be a giant-killer with wins over several Top 10 teams in recent years.  Lets throw the Vols another chance to add a feather to the hat.

Florida vs Louisville

Hype factors:  Lock this up.  Done deal.  Ricky P vs Billy D.  Mentor vs Pupil.  Championship winning coaches.  This is long overdue.  Marketing dream.

Vanderbilt vs West Virginia

Hype factors: This is a coaching decision for me.  I appreciate what Stallings and Huggins get out of their players.  The Mountaineers stifling defense pitted against Vanderbilt’s persistent offense.  I really think this could be the best matchup of the entire challenge.  Both coaches are gracious competitors and I think they would provide a great scene for college basketball fans.

SEC East Power Rankings

If you pay any attention to college basketball then you are surely aware of how ultra-competitive the SEC East has become in recent years.  A division that was once Kentucky’s birthright has now become a division of an arms race to win championships.  Florida struck first when Billy Donovan’s teams cut the nets down in 2005 and 2006.  Tennessee struck next in hiring Bruce Pearl, who has proven time and time again since 2007 that the Vols will be one of the nation’s toughest outs.  Kevin Stallings’ Vanderbilt teams are as well coached as any in the nation, leading to unprecedented consistent success by the Commodores in post-season games.  And the old guard, Kentucky, plucked the nation’s most controversial coach from Memphis in order to restore order in the SEC East.  John Calipari did just that in year one at Kentucky last year, thanks in part to one of the greatest recruiting classes in college basketball history.

Still, even if you follow the SEC East closely, you had to be at least mildly surprised to see the most recent RPI statistics for the aforementioned teams.  In terms of Strength of Schedule (SOS) Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky are currently ranked 1, 2 and 3, respectively, in the nation.  Vanderbilt is ranked 19th.  Aggressive scheduling (oh, and winning!) has largely accounted for their current RPI ratings as well with Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida ranked 1, 4 and 6, respectively.  Vanderbilt is ranked 20th.  That’s THREE SEC East teams currently in the top 6 RPI ratings, and FOUR East teams in the Top 20.  This is a division that has been on the rise for several years–slapping conventional football wisdom in the face–which is culminating in some pretty sick national statistics in the early portion of this year’s college basketball season.

It also makes for a competitive and fun power rankings segment!

SEC East Power Rankings as of 12-12-10:

1.  Tennessee–Say what you want about Bruce Pearl’s aversion to truth-telling and the NCAA, but when it comes to his sanctuary on the court the man is getting it done.  He has reinvented Tennessee basketball with an aggressive, confident, attacking system and continues to bring in some of the better athletes around the nation.  His best trait, however, is most likely his motivational skills.  The men’s team has been on the winning end of some high profile games in recent years, including a win @ highly-ranked Memphis in 2008 and a win over #1 Kansas–without key players–last season.  This year, for an encore, Pearl’s Vols have taken down #7 Villanova and #3 Pittsburgh–both Big East contenders–in the early going.  The result thus far is a perfect 7-0 record and a spot in the #1 slot in the first edition of the power rankings.

2.  Kentucky–The Cats are not far behind the Vols, but the influx of several freshmen playing large roles has produced enough inconsistency to post two losses thus far on the season.  The good news for Kentucky is that they have managed a 7-2 record amidst a difficult schedule.  Of their nine games the Cats have played Oklahoma, Washington, Connecticut, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Indiana.  Six of nine games against power conference programs, including four against traditional power programs and/or hated rivals (UConn, UNC, ND and IU).  Calapari’s fearless approach is clearly paying off, however, as boys are turning into men.  The youthful Cats made Notre Dame’s Ben Hansbrough look like Larry Bird for one half, but rallied in the second half to play suffocating defense and pull away from the Fighting Irish.  You get the feeling watching this version of Calapari’s Cats that they are in that transitional mode of really implementing his desired offense and defense strategies.  This team has offered glimpses of greatness on both ends, but lacks the focus and consistent effort to implement it for 40 minutes.

3. Vanderbilt–This is a typical start for a Stallings Vandy club.  Very good, but not great.  They only have two losses, both by three points.  One came against a solid West Virginia team on a neutral court.  The other was an overtime loss on the road–in overtime–to #11 Missouri.  You really can’t complain about that.  Their stats across the board are outstanding.  They rank 31st in ppg, 33rd in rpg, 53rd in apg, and 39th in team field goal percentage.  Compiling that consistency against a top 20 SOS is no small feat.  This is a team that will continue to be a ridiculously tough out in Memorial Coliseum and will look to surprise on the road in conference play with a bit more consistency.  With sharp-shooter John Jenkins, they have one piece to deliver big wins this year.

4. Florida–I’ve got to be honest with you, Florida’s current played schedule doesn’t pass the “toughest in the nation” eye test.  Only two games jump out at you–Ohio State and Florida State.  But I won’t argue with the SOS assessors, as they have a lot more information than I do.  Regardless, it’s ranked #1 in the nation and the Gators have started 7-2.  I just wonder in the early going how far Florida can really go without prolific efficiency from their starting guards.  While Erving Walker is shooting at a good clip (and was last year too), he’s not a very big guard and he can easily be defended by a quicker, longer guard.  He’ll get his shots off and hit his share–he’s too good a shooter–but in crunch time can he take a game over?  Off-guard Kenny Boynton is the counter to Walker that makes their backcourt more versatile–a strong, quick guy with excellent athleticism.  So far though, I generalize his career as one in which he has settled as a jump shooter.  The problem is he didn’t shoot well but in spurts last year, and this year he’s off to a concerning start.  He’s shooting 38% overall, and a putrid 25% from three-point range.  I could analyze their front court but I truly feel a Billy Donovan system requires excellent guard play, and I question how good this year’s team can be without a significant improvement by Boynton and a Kemba Walker-like offensive contribution from Erving Walker.  One good stat the Florida team possesses is a 48.2 % team field goal percentage, good for 30th in the nation.  That suggests some good ball movement on offense, even if the long-distance shooting is not there yet.  If the 3’s start falling, look out!

5.  Georgia–I give the nod to the Bulldogs here over the Gamecocks thanks to a win over rival Georgia Tech on the road.  Georgia has started 7-2 only losing in double-overtime to a rock solid Notre Dame squad followed by a loss to a ranked Temple team.  Georgia has proven to be past disappointing losses, but without putting away the Notre Dame’s and Temple’s of the world, they remain to be noticed nationally or warrant serious consideration as a higher ranked power rankings team.  For those that predicted a breakout year from this Georgia team, the Bulldogs haven’t done anything to prove or disprove those beliefs.  Unfortunately their schedule is chalk-full of cupcakes from now until conference play begins, so gauging their competitiveness against the nation’s best will be difficult.

6.  South Carolina–The Gamecocks, impressively, are the 5th best rebounding team in the nation as of this morning.  And that includes competing against notoriously interior-tough Michigan State.  Despite that awesome stat, the Gamecocks have lost their only truly difficult test, against the Spartans.  They did, however, beat rival Clemson.  The rest of their contests have resulted in just the 90th toughest schedule in the nation, by far the worst SOS in this division. With the way the team has won rather easily against inferior competition I tend to believe that this Gamecock team is in fact dangerous, with the rebounding stat proof of a good team.  On December 18th the Gamecocks take on #2 Ohio State.  I’ll be tuning in to see how well the Gamecocks rebound against the likes of superfrosh Jared Sullinger.  The Gamecocks will certainly have their chance to impress and prove their status in the insanely competitive SEC East.

SEC East Power Rankings

Only two games left for most SEC teams in conference play.  As always Selection Sunday should be very interesting for a handful of teams hoping to hear their names called for the Big Dance.

1. Kentucky–The Cats exacted revenge on South Carolina this week before the “upset” to Tennessee in Knoxville yesterday.  Although the Cats lost, this was hardly a bad loss.  Tennessee, in the underdog role at home, plays like the Connecticut women’s team.  Also, Kentucky had a late Thursday turn around to play in a noon game Saturday–not the kind of circumstances you want walking into a death trap.  How many teams can be 19 down with 14:00 to play and come back to tie it with 2:00 remaining–on the road?  Not many.  It was a remarkable effort by the Wildcats, but not enough when Tennessee made the plays to win the game.  I see this as the proverbial “good loss” where Kentucky will use this as a wake up call.  Time to start shooting the deep ball better fellas.  By the way, I was glad to see just as many threads on messageboards making fun of the Kentucky fans that started a thread blaming the referees.  Normally, it wouldn’t be so even as most fans prefer to blame the refs for absolutely everything.  When your own coach says after the game “we had two players that were asleep out there,” you have less fouls called against you than the opponent (18 to 24), and you shoot 2-22 from 3 point range–you need to attempt to put your emotions on hold and watch the game with at least a pinch of objectivity.  Referees played a miniscule part in determining this game.

2. Vanderbilt–I’m starting to equate Vanderbilt as the SEC’s version of Syracuse.  Just without the army of bigs coming at you.  Seriously though, I think Vanderbilt is the most complete team with the best balance in this league right now.  You get consistency with Vandy.  Beal shows up and leads this team well, and they have the confident 3 point shooters that Kentucky lacks at the moment.  Ogilvy is someone that I don’t particularly care for, but he still “gets his” in this offense.  And what’s not to like about Jeffrey Taylor, the athletic wing that serves as Vandy’s Wes Johnson of Syracuse.  Call Vandy mini-Syracuse.  They can’t bring in a guy off the bench like Kris Joseph, but they play a wicked 2-3 zone like the Big Orange and they are sure to threaten the field in the NCAA tournament.

3.  Tennessee–Enter the team that could be anywhere from #1 to #4 in these power rankings.  If Tennessee could camp out on Rocky Top and play all their games they would be in business.  As is, they have suffered enough setbacks to make you question their ability to win big come tourney time.  If Tennessee is sent out to the Western bracket will they pull a no-show like they did playing @ Southern Cal this year?  I think if the Vols finish the regular season strong and either win the SEC tournament or have one those inspiring losses–like being up 12 and dominating Kentucky with 8:00 to play only to lose by a bucket at the buzzer–they will enter the NCAA tournament on a great high and a very dangerous final four sleeper.  But we just have to wait and see what this team does.  Hell, maybe they’d feel better losing their last three games and playing the tournament as a 9 seed.  Brucie knows how to play up the underdog role!

4.  Florida–I know Florida was nipped by Georgia yesterday but almost nobody escapes Athens this year with a W.  In addition, the Gators were lackluster in the first half to build a 15 pt halftime deficit only to charge back and lose by one.  I’ve been very impressed with Chandler Parsons all year.  He went from the guy who makes miraculous buzzer beaters to the do-it-all wing man that can drain 3’s on a regular basis.  In addition, I really like what Erving Walker brings to the table.  He’s fearless and he hits 3’s at a good clip.  Both 49ways and I had to disagree with an SEC coach that dismissed Walker as a guard he wouldn’t want running his team.  I totally understand the size argument, but the rest of his opinions?  I think we’ve been watching two different players.  Florida is one freakshow athlete (Corey Brewer?) away from having a much scarier, I-don’t-want-to-play-Florida type of team.

5. Georgia–In the latest edition of “who finishes next-to-last between Georgia and South Carolina?,” this decision was made easy with Georgia’s win over Florida.  I’m telling you man, you don’t want to play these Bulldogs in Stegeman.  They get all funky on you and start getting double-digit leads.  I fear for my Wildcats this week.  If you think Florida gets a big crowd turnout in Athens, wait till you see the standing room only isht when Kentucky visits.  Travis Leslie will be licking his chops to thunderdunk on someone’s head, and Patterson will be asked again to display his improved flexibility on perimeter defense by guarding talented and smooth big man Trey Thompkins.  Georgia may have caught Kentucky at a bad time–a bit grumpy coming off a loss–but if they Wildcats keep clanging long balls Georgia will pull this one out.  I suggested Mark Fox was a better coach than Kevin Stallings and 49ways completely agreed (this is not true, but it’s the only way to check and see if 49ways still reads my posts).

6.  South Carolina–Unless there is an SEC tournament miracle, the post-season Devan Downey show will have to be seen in the NIT.  IF they are invited.  After the circus called and took all of Downey’s Kentucky shots back, South Carolina hasn’t been the same team.  Maybe it was their superbowl and it felt like the team had reached the pinnacle a bit.  Or maybe it was South Carolina’s cocky student government that brought on bad karma.  Either way overcoming the loss of two starters and the obscene points per game of Downey has proven to be too much for this gritty, relentless Darrin Horn team.  When you have a guy like Downey anything can happen in the SEC tournament.  Let’s wait and see who they draw in the first round.

SEC East Power Rankings

We’re over the midway hump in conference play now, so teams that find themselves 2 or 3 games back in the standings better start reeling off the W’s. Here are the latest power rankings.

1. Kentucky–The story of Kentucky’s team hasn’t really changed.  Most of us know they are loaded with talent, and most of us understand that the talent are freshmen.  So what you get is mind-boggling turnovers followed by athletic moves that many teams can’t make.  Tennessee’s zone took DeMarcus Cousins out of his offensive game and the Cats struggled for more than 30 minutes to find a way to get some offense.  Only when Wall got loose on a couple of fast breaks late–finally–did UK put together a knockout run.  In this week’s action Kentucky did not do enough to convince me or America they are as close to their full potential as Kansas but you watch Kentucky because you understand that if it all comes together it could be frighteningly good.

2. Vanderbilt–The race for the SEC East title is shaping up to be a very good one.  Vandy sits one game back of Kentucky as I type, and has an upcoming home contest against the Cats’ to get even on the season.  Vandy’s final stretch is tough–probably tougher than any stretch of the year–but Kentucky’s seems tougher.  That is mucho gusto for Vandy and their fanbase, and it certainly gives them plenty of hope they can catch the Wildcats.  So this stretch run is compelling because it pits experience vs raw talent, Vandy vs Kentucky, Memorial Magic vs Blue Mist.  While Vandy struggled to put away a horrible LSU team yesterday, they did pummel Tennessee earlier in the week.  Not much to complain about if you’re 8-2 in league play and 1 game out of first place.

3. Tennessee–The Vols jump ahead of the Gators once again, thanks in large part to a hearty effort in Lexington for Gameday last night.  There is no doubt this team plays better when the chips are against them as evidenced by their efforts against Kansas (suspensions) and Kentucky (injuries and sickness).  Pearl got his team to play a very active zone last night that had UK’s players confused and silenced Rupp Arena.  I have never seen Pearl want a game as bad as he wanted the game last night against UK.  He was as intense as I’ve ever seen him.  At one point I thought he turned into his alter ego the Incredible Hulk, but even a highlighter orange blazer can stop a muscle building contraction in its tracks.

4. Florida–Sadly, the Xavier win in Gainesville yesterday put some perspective on the quality of the SEC this year.  It wasn’t that Xavier won–it’s the fact that they were up big in the first half and then, when challenged and tied late, still had more than enough to pull ahead and squash the Gators.  I consider this to be a setback for not only the Gators but the league as a whole.  You just can’t get punched in the face in a home game against an Atlantic 10 team at a time during the season when you should be clicking as we build towards tournament time.  Xavier impressed me big time.  I immediately put them on the list with Texas A&M of teams that are dangerous come tourney time that nobody seems to notice.

5. Georgia–I jumped Georgia ahead of South Carolina last week and they went ahead and proved me right by defeating the ‘Cocks in Athens yesterday.  I don’t have a whole lot to say even though I watched this game.  49ways will tell you that this one was a pretty good snoozer.  Leslie added another thunderdunk to his C/V, and the announcers were touting him as a more complete player–something College Courtside has noticed for quite some time now.  I will say this (and I said it yesterday to 49 ways):  I love watching this Georgia team compete.  They work very well together and play with a lot of heart.  Georgia will continue to be very tough to beat in Athens.

6. South Carolina–When you’re in 6th place in the power rankings and you lose to #5–yeah, you pretty much sit your butt back down in #6.  They did beat Florida at home before the loss to Georgia on the road, so this was a 50/50 week for USC.  This pretty much emphasizes what I wrote about both Georgia and South Carolina last week–they can win at home but they aint got the goods on the road.  So I kept UGA ahead of South Carolina because of a win in their head to head match up.

Thoughts on Kentucky/Tennessee

We got a gut check game last night from a Kentucky team that has seen some big victories in the past couple of weeks.  You have to give credit to Pearl for having his team ready for the hoopla in Lexington with GameDay in town.  Some random thoughts from the game:

–Pearl had his team more than ready for this one.  I have not seen a Tennessee team play that hard on defense since someone tried to steal Brian Williams’ bag of weed. Seriously though, there were some quick feet in UT orange tonight and there was definitely no backing down in a hostile crowd. It was obvious that Pearl had a gameplan he felt could work and his team was executing it at a very high level. Credit Pearl for some good coaching. That 3-2 zone was a beast.
–Watching UK’s freshmen: one play you’re frustrated and the next you’re excited out of your seat. It’s pure madness on the heart and I fully expect a heart attack in the next three weeks.
–Perhaps no freshman inspires that last comment quite like Eric Bledsoe. I texted 49ways in the first half complaining that Bledsoe looks like he’s trying to bounce a basketball while on a horse, and in the second half he has sealed player of the game with clutch three balls. Maddening. Plain and simple. But I’ll take maddening with a W all day.
–Kentucky fans need to be careful calling North Carolina’s Dean Dome a “wine and cheese crowd.” If you’ve done that you may want to look in the mirror. Kentucky has two phases of bedlam. 1.) UK is on a double-digit run that ranks high in the “I can’t believe I’m seeing this” way or 2.) UK is down big and makes a sensational play to get a bucket. That is somewhat overgeneralizing but it’s close. The reality is that Rupp Arena does not have a student section that has taken it upon themselves to lead the charge in 40 minute madness, and the administration hasn’t given them the correct set up to see that through. It’s on both parties. You can have all the student seats in the world around the court, but you’ve got to have creative students that want to go insane. Still, the moments that do get loud get VERY loud. It’s just that it requires a specific set of circumstances and I find it a bit disappointing.
–For everything I just said Kentucky had by far and away the best 11:00 am GameDay atmosphere in the show’s history. It seems if you take the nerves of the game out of the equation Kentucky most definitely has the best atmosphere.
–I thought at one point J.P. Prince could be the first player in basketball history to foul out on five charges.
–I think UK got it’s fair share of home-cooking calls (a bogus charge, some shuffling of the feet that could have been walks). Specifically in the first half. Honestly, I think UT outplayed UK in the first half on offense and defense–all while getting short-handed on a couple of whistles. Pretty impressive from the Vols to be a point down at halftime.
–I wonder if Bobby Maze still feels like Kentucky’s program is a Honda, while Tennessee is a ferrari?
–Teams might start implementing the Hack-a-Shaq concept on DeMarcus Cousins after tonight’s 1-8 showing from the charity stripe. If I’m an opposing coach, why not? Test his psyche and see if this becomes a trend, you know? If the zone on him isn’t working put him on the line.

This was a strange one where the game was very tight for 33 minutes, but out of hand for about the last 4 minutes. Midway thru the second half I would not have expected to blog about a pull away cruise control victory by Kentucky. Bizarre. Bledsoe just got hot for UK and Wall’s fast break opportunities towards the end proved to be too much. Give Tennessee credit for having a great strategy in place and executing it well. In the end UK was too much. We’ll see what happens in Knoxville in two weeks.

SEC East Power Rankings

Some interesting developments in the division this past week.  However, one team continues to put a stamp on #1.

1.  Kentucky–Someone check the SEC West’s pulse and see if they are on life support.  The SEC East has largely owned the SEC West this year, and nowhere was this more apparent than UK’s demolition of Ole Miss and LSU this past week.  Granted, Ole Miss cut into two large UK leads putting the game’s outcome in some jeopardy.  But the Cats’ always had an answer to stretch the lead back out to double digits.  The winning margin was 15.  The question in the LSU game was not if UK would win but by how much?  The Cats’ finished the first half on a 37-6 run to take a 28 point halftime lead.  From there the second half was cruise control.  If you want to be truly considered a title contender you have to be able to take on a putrid LSU squad and leave no doubt about who the better team is.  Kentucky did just that.  UK battles Tennessee this Saturday in front of ESPN’s College Gameday.  Look for complete crowd insanity and a better grasp of the SEC East pecking order when this one is in the book.

2.  Florida–There’s a new no. 2 in town and it’s those pesky Florida Gators.  There comes a point where you reward winning streaks, and Florida has now won 6 of their last 7 with the only setback a one point loss @ Tennessee.  In the past week Florida escaped Tuscaloosa with a one point win, then pulled away from Mississippi State late for a seven point win (Note: another SEC East school dispatching two SEC West schools).  If you followed this blog as recently as a month ago you would have noticed that I was critical of Florida’s interior presence.  They just weren’t getting much from the 3-5 positions.  Outside of perhaps Erving Walker’s development, the most obvious improvement for Florida has been along that frontline where Tyus, Macklin and Parsons have each elevated their play considerably in the past three weeks.  Macklin’s scoring is still inconsistent, but against MSU on Saturday he owned the paint to the tune of 20 pts and 6 rbs.  At his size (6’10, 240 lbs), Macklin’s continued development is the big storyline in Gainesville and his play will most likely dictate how far the Gators can go this season.  After a game @ USC on Wednesday, Florida goes non-conference in a tilt against Xavier on the weekend.

3.  Tennessee–In the past few weeks Tennessee took some punches but they gave a few right back this past week.  They took care of business with a relatively easy road win @ LSU (it got close late, but never was nail-biting).  Then they get perhaps the most impressive SEC win of the week by pummeling South Carolina from start to finish.  In fact, I had to adjust my television screen to make sure Tennessee wasn’t facing LSU again.  Was Tennessee’s 79-53 win over the ‘Cocks a reflection of a Tennessee squad coming around on defense or a South Carolina team that is proving to be highly underwhelming in road games?  Either way, UT dominated and opened some eyes around the league with this one.  If you haven’t heard UT lifted the suspension off of Brian Williams, meaning all players involved in the joyride over a month ago have now been kicked off the team (Tyler Smith) or completed their punishments.  We can always question the timing of this, but did Pearl bring back Williams in time for the contest against Kentucky?  Afterall, Williams was a load on Patrick Patterson last year and the Vols are a game back on the Wildcats in the current standings.  If I know that Williams gave Patterson all he could handle then you have to believe Pearl knows that, right?  Just sayin’….(**UK has Cousins and Orton now to help Patterson, and Williams can’t guard all three, so it’s a much different scenario than last year.  But that may underscore my point that Tennessee NEEDS at least one big body to throw at UK’s frontline for sure)

4. Vanderbilt–I’m not sure Vandy is fully recovered mentally from the loss in Lexington one week ago.  Yes they beat Mississippi State in Nashville this week, but they didn’t have the poise that an experienced team should have down the stretch.  They let the Bulldogs right back in the game late before fending them off.  Inexplicably, for a team that has been so good for most of this season in charging ahead late, the Commodores fell flat yesterday against Georgia coming down the wire.  Vandy was in great position (a small lead) with about 8 minutes remaining, and in just a couple of minutes the Bulldogs had taken a double digit lead.  My point:  this week’s Vanderbilt team, as far as late game elevated play, is not this SEASON’S Vandy team.  I think the punch they took in Lexington has them reeling just a little bit, but I also think they have the experience to overcome it.  Watching the game against UGA last night I felt like A.J. Ogilvy had at least 16 fouls.  He also missed some chippy layups.  Can this guy carry the load in the paint for a team trying to finish strong in the Eastern division?

5. Georgia–Georgia and South Carolina are caught in a similar pattern–they can beat folks at home but they aren’t getting it done on the road.  Neither team separated themselves from a power rankings standpoint this week, but I bumped UGA ahead of USC b/c of the results on Saturday.  The Bulldogs pulled away late (something they have NOT been doing (AKA improvement)) against Vandy for a great division win, while the Gamecocks were completely inept in pretty much every way in Knoxville.  The fact that Georgia as a team improved, yet South Carolina as a team receded, gives the Dawgs the nod.  And you can’t knock Georgia too much for their home loss against Arkansas.  With Courtney Fortson’s return, the Razorbacks are on a roll and playing like a completely different team.

6.  South Carolina–I can’t figure out how USC had the entire week off to prepare for the Vols yesterday, but just couldn’t make a game of it.  Fresh legs, plenty of game-tape time, etc.  What happened??!  I know this team has more competitive fire than that!  The fact that this team had so much time to prepare mentally and physically for this game and yet could barely muster up a fighter’s chance….back to the bottom of the division power rankings.  Downey is special, and he had a few late first half moments with some patented step-back jumpers, but this team literally missed everything last night.  Probably one of the most lopsided SEC games of the season (outside of UK/Arkansas).

Ranking next week’s Rivalry Week games

ESPN brings us Rivalry Week next week, the annual week-long event showcasing some of our favorite in-conference showdowns.  Some years the Duke/Carolina tussle is worth the hype, and some years the attention deserves to be squarely on another dynamic rivalry.  Based on what we’ve seen this year, with some additional factors in play, I have decided to rank the following seven ESPN televised rivalry games in order of least intriguing to “can’t miss.”  Really, none are worth missing, but you know what I mean.  Someone has to dwell in the cellar when rankings are involved.

7.) UConn @ Syracuse (Wednesday, 7 pm, ESPN)–This is normally a titanic matchup but UConn’s struggles are well-documented this year.  Two different circumstances would make this much higher on this list.  1.) UConn coach Jim Calhoun back on the sidelines (he might be back, but it’s still unlikely) and 2.) the game being in Storrs, Connecticut instead of Syracuse.  If this were a home game for UConn it would give the casual viewer of this rivalry (myself) more reason to tune in and see if the home crowd could carry UConn to victory.  As it is now though this is all set up for Syracuse to continue their assault on the Big East.

6.) Tennessee @ Vanderbilt (Tuesday, 7 pm, ESPN)–Most people around the country probably don’t realize A.) that the state of Tennessee actually really likes basketball (UT women…) and B.) Vanderbilt, particularly, takes their basketball team seriously.  Vanderbilt is currently tied with Kentucky for 1st place in the East, and Tennessee is just one game back.  While some of the other rivalries on this list are out of state, this rivalry is an intrastate bragging rights battle.  The heat in this rivalry has been cranked up since Bruce Pearl and Kevin Stallings began squaring off against one another.  Let’s see if UT can dust off Memorial’s Magic.

5.) Duke @ North Carolina (Wednesday, 9pm, ESPN)–A Duke or North Carolina fan will probably try to sell you “this is why it’s the best rivalry” no matter what happens in this contest next week.  But on paper here is what this rivalry is this season: A second-tier Duke team facing a below vintage North Carolina team (that was nice on my part).  You will have to watch this game with one earplug in to keep yourself from believing that the winner of this game will use it to fuel a late-season charge towards the national championship.  But, with all my caveats said, this is a rivalry game worth watching to see if a near lifeless UNC squad can play with an intensity that has so far lacked this season.  You can bet the UNC fanbase is hoping this is the game that rallies all their talent.  If Carolina pulls it out in dramatic fashion UNC will remember this game in a way in which Duke views the Jeff Capel memories of 1995–so that in itself creates a nice storyline for the game.

4.) Purdue @ Michigan State (Tuesday, 9pm, ESPN)–Purdue is dominated with experience in the starting lineup, so nerves in hostile territory do not apply here–one reason this should be an excellent game.  The Breslin Center is one of america’s best venues, so the “Izzone” student section will no doubt be rocking.  You have to expect this veteran Purdue squad to be licking their chops to tackle the beast that is Sparty in East Lansing, and thus cut into MSU’s lead in the Big 10 standings.  There is plenty of motivation for Purdue, and time is running out to make a move to the top of the standings.  The one drawback to this game is the potential absence of MSU point guard Kalin Lucas, but news out of Lansing this morning is that his ankle injury is not serious and he may even play this weekend.  That sounds pretty good for his chances to play in this rivalry game Tuesday night.  The Big 10 offers up low-scoring games far too often, but a Purdue/MSU matchup is still very much a marquee attraction.

3.) Kansas @ Texas (Monday, 9pm, ESPN)–Reason #1 to watch this game?  How about because both teams have been ranked #1 this season and both teams have been on the short-list as national championship contenders all season long.  Texas’ recent “slump,” losing three out four games, kept this from being a bit higher.  What Texas team are we going to see?  Still, there is plenty of NBA talent on the floor in this one and if Texas has any hope of winning the Big 12 this is a must win game.  With a Kansas win the Jayhawks will have a stranglehold on the #1 national ranking and make it clear that they are the team to beat in the NCAA tournament.  We should expect to see lots of intensity in this game….from players and fans.

2.)  Tennessee @ Kentucky (College Gameday) (Saturday, 9pm, ESPN)–Kentucky sold out all available tickets for the Gameday event nearly two weeks ago.  Tennessee may not care though.  This is the same program that has finished ahead of Kentucky in the Eastern division for four straight years.  It seems that when you put John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins on the national stage they do something special.  They play better.  So it will be interesting to see if the highlight reel plays are once again on display when the lights shine bright on Rupp Arena.  You can’t watch Kentucky and not feel like you’re watching a college version of the Laker’s “showtime” era.  At any moment a freakish athletic feat could invade your television screen.  With the division lead possibly on the line, and ghosts of SEC East past in need of slaying, this game should needle past insanity on the crowd decibel meter.

1.)  Villanova @ West Virginia (Monday, 7pm, ESPN)–The first game of the Rivalry Week lineup is my vote for game of the week.  Which is the nation’s best basketball conference?  The Big East.  Which teams sit atop the Big East standings?  Villanova is perfect at 9-0, while West Virginia is 7-2.  If Villanova can keep from being hit with batteries or lead-weighted frisbies, this has all the makings of a great rivalry game.  Seriously WVU fans, control yourselves.  It’s embarassing.  Outside of fan madness and standings within the conference, I am interested in this game for one real reason: just how good is Villanova?  At the midway point of the college season we have identified four teams that would easily warrant the four number one seeds in the NCAA tournament if it started today: Kansas, Syracuse, Villanova and Kentucky.  That really isn’t debatable.  I’ve heard and seen much more about the other three than I have Villanova, who is quietly pasting people while flying at least a little bit under the “stud” radar.  I want to know if the Wildcats can go into the heart of the West Virginia mountains, face an unruly (and semi-moronic) WVU crowd, and come out of the game pooping gold.  We will all have an idea of how lethal Villanova is on Monday night!

SEC East Power Rankings Update

1. Kentucky–Most people understand that going undefeated for an entire season is next to impossible.  So the real question for Kentucky was how would they respond in their next game?  They could either let the loss to South Carolina carry over or they could come out with a purpose.  They chose the latter, dominated a streaking Vanderbilt team from start to finish and maintained their #1 power rankings position because of it.  Yes, Devan Downey is the headline of the week because of his performance against the Cats.  But Kentucky showed they have an extra gear that not many schools in the nation posess by controlling a hot Vandy team for 40 minutes.  Freshman DeMarcus Cousins might be the most dominant big man in the country, but he’s also most likely to be ejected from a game.  Kentucky can win the national championship with Cousins on the court.  They have little chance without him.  You can bet the six teams waiting for a crack at Kentucky in the NCAA tournament are already planning on getting in his head any way possible.  Will he ever learn to handle it?

2. Vanderbilt–Prior to Vandy’s burnout in Lexington they went into Knoxville and buried the Volunteers.  A very impressive road win to say the least.  Vandy continues to use their parts wisely and efficiently, and point guard Jermaine Beal has performed extremely well of late.  Against the Vols they followed their typical routine of getting behind early but storming ahead late.  The game was tied with about eight minutes to play, and by the 5 minute mark Vandy had taken a 14 point lead.  On the road that is something special.  Vandy is too experienced and too balanced to fall to far in this division but it will be interesting to see how A.J. Oglivy bounces back from a dismal performance against Kentucky.  From the opening tip he struggled to contain DeMarcus Cousins, got in foul trouble trying to guard him, and was virtually a non-factor the entire game.  Will this hurt his confidence or will he come back strong?

3.  Florida–It starts to get tricky with the rankings at this point.  I first noticed the Gators improvements a couple of weeks ago, when guard Erving Walker clearly established himself as the floor general.  The kid is absolutely fearless and he’s a great shooter.  I ranked Florida ahead of Tennessee, even though UT just beat them, because of the roll Florida is on.  Consider that the Gators had won their past four games and only lost today, in Knoxville, by one point on a long jumper.  When you start going into hostile territory, against a rival, and you are dictating the game most of the way only to lose by a great shot at the end….that’s pretty good stuff.  The big men are playing better–both Macklin and Tyus–and Parsons is still hitting clutch shots (he hit a go ahead three with 29 seconds left).  Based on the directions of the teams–with Florida on an upswing and Tenneseee on a slight decline–I gave Florida the nod this week.  It also helps that Florida pounded a game Georgia squad by 16 earlier in the week.

4.  Tennessee–Had Tennessee not been throttled late in the game–a home game–against Vanderbilt earlier in the week I would have had more reason to keep them on top of Florida.  But the Vandy game showed that when punched in the face by an experienced team the Vols could not respond.  Today, the Vols dug deep and found a way to come back on Florida.  Scotty Hopson was the hero with a winning jumper with just seconds remaining.  Make no mistake, this was a very gutsy win from Tennessee who found themselves behind for most of the game.  Tennessee is finding out what most teams find out–when conference play starts the grind can really be tough.  They’ve already dropped two division games to Georgia and Vanderbilt in the past 8 days, and nearly got nipped by Florida in a home game today.  If there was ever a good time for a bye week this would be it.  Luckily, the Vols have until Thursday to rest up and get ready for their next contest @ LSU

5.  South Carolina–South Carolina moves out of the bottom thanks to a great week in which the Gamecocks toppled #1 Kentucky and escaped Georgia with a one point victory.  So much has already been said about Devan Downey and his performance against UK.  He backed it up with 33 points on 12-20 shooting to stave off the Bulldogs.  The formula is in place for USC.  Downey creates his own shots and draws enough attention to open up his teammates for rebounds.  When you have a great player that commands that much respect you can stay in a lot of basketball games.  Go Downey go.

6.  Georgia–The Bulldogs were throttled in Gainesville by an improving Florida team.  Fair enough.  It’s a tough place to get a victory.  But then the same concerns popped up on the road against South Carolina.  The chance to win the game but failing to do so.  Georgia is trying to learn how to rise up and finish out game.  Once again, against USC this time, Georgia built a nice lead and in many ways controlled the scoreboard throughout.  But they don’t give you trophies for competing.  You have to close these things out.  There is still time but they will need to get that process rolling–stat–to have any chance of finishing away from the cellar in the East division.  Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie continue to be excellent producers, with Leslie throwing down enough highlight reel dunks to make LeBron James blush.  Yesterday he added five more to his season tally, with two dunks earning #2 and #3 on Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays of the day.  He’s ridiculous.  Truly.

Two technical fouls and you’re still playing–who knew?

This is a little late considering Tennessee played two nights ago, but I was a bit distracted yesterday and couldn’t get this one published.  If you missed Tennessee’s loss to Vanderbilt Wednesday night then you missed J.P. Prince receiving two technical fouls in the game.  Yet he wasn’t ejected.  When I grew up on the game it was real simple.  “Two technical fouls and you are gone.”  Somewhere along the line a scale has been designed to differentiate grade levels of technicals.  I consulted the NCAA rule book to find some answers.  Here’s the deal.

The NCAA generally has three categories of technical fouls: 1.) Flagrant technical foul, 2.) Class A technical foul and 3.) Class B technical foul.

If you get a Flagrant, you are gone.  So one flagrant and you are toast.  One of the words the NCAA has used to separate a flagrant from the other two classes is “extreme.”  In general, an extreme act of violence or going into the stands to incite a riot.  In the case of J.P. Prince the other night, the elbow that he threw at his opponent during play was not deemed to be flagrant.  It was, however, a Class A technical foul.

If you receive two Class A technical fouls in the same game, you’re gone.  Here’s where the shades of unsportsmanlike conduct come into play.  Class A tech’s are reserved for those moments that are less “extreme.”  Two good examples the NCAA points out are inciting a crowd in unnecessary fashion or taunting.  Again, in Prince’s case, he was given a Class A tech for an elbow in what I interpret as “contacting an opponent in an excessive manner.”  So at this point Prince has one Class A technical to his name.

A few minutes later in the game Prince dunked, but held onto the rim too long.  We’ve all watched enough basketball to know that hanging on the rim excessively can warrant a technical foul.  He got one.  This time, though, he received a Class B technical foul.  The NCAA lists numerous violations that warrant a Class B technical foul (they are lettered a. to p., so 16 in all) and two examples include 1.) “purposefully obstructing an opponent’s vision by waving or placing hand(s) near his eyes” and 2.) grabbing the basket in an excessive manner and it’s obvious you aren’t trying to prevent an injury by doing so.  So Prince was hit with a Class B technical.

So here are four technical foul scenarios that warrant an ejection from the game:

1.) One Flagrant Foul
2.) Two Class A Technical fouls
3.) One Class A and two Class B technical fouls
4.) Three Class B technical fouls

Prince finished the game with one Class A and one Class B. Thus, no ejection. So if Prince had only been caught with a Class B demeanor of “possessing or using tobacco” during the game he would have had his ejection.

Hopefully this clears up your understanding of technical fouls.

Give it up for SEC coaching

SEC East coaches are building some special resumes this year.  Let us take a look at some of the accomplishments.

John Calapari—Say what you want about the strength of schedule or the RPI compared to the national Top 10.  Kentucky’s record is 19-1 following an NIT season.  Calapari has been profiled ad nauseam this year, so why not have one more blog to give the man some love?  Numerous media outlets have pegged him the frontrunner for coach of the year.  He has masterfully worked in three freshmen starters with an array of holdovers.  His toughest job remains ahead of him–get his freshmen to rebound from their first loss of the season.  Considering we are 20 games into the season, that’s not too shabby.  (**Let’s not forget Calapari’s work with Hoops for Haiti, and the latest on this story from Gregg Doyel is an eye-opener)

Bruce Pearl—Regardless of where you stand on his disciplinary decisions for the suspended players (was the suspension long enough?), he suspended them immediately and kicked their best all-around player off the team.  The coaching job he did in their absence was nothing short of spectacular.  He inspired walk-ons to take the court and play with enough poise to defeat Kansas, still the Jayhawks only loss of the year.  Motivational coaching job of the year so far.

Kevin Stallings—Stallings has received exactly ZERO national publicity, yet he still trucks on and has his team undefeated in conference play.  Nine wins in a row now for Vanderbilt.  49ways is a former college basketball player, he knows more basketball than I’ll ever dream of knowing, and he chooses Stallings constantly whenever we talk about our favorite or most underrated coaches.  That’s good enough for me.  Let’s not forget about his unselfish sacrifice to help his team travel abroad prior to the start of the season.

Billy Donovan—You can scream “what has Billy Donovan done lately?!” until you’re blue in the face, but this is still the guy that is on pace (at his young age) to challenge all-time winning records and he’s still the guy that won back-to-back national championships.  As for this year, the Gators are quietly climbing the conference standings and the team development has been obvious in recent weeks.  While everyone is focusing on Kentucky and Tennessee, this is yet another division school that is quietly improving while nobody seems to notice.

Darrin Horn—Think about what this man has done this year.  His team had every single reason to mentally fold and give this season away following a dismissal and a season-ending injury to two starters.  With Kentucky the national storyline and a host of other teams more equipped on paper to challenge Kentucky, why not use all of that as an excuse to just accept mediocrity?  Nonsense.  Horn has asked his supernatural point guard Devan Downey to carry an elephant sized load and the senior has responded.  Better still, the team has rallied their play around Horn and Downey.  The upset of Kentucky last night was the culmination of extreme hard work in getting your team to believe they can compete with anyone despite in-season hardships.  It is absolutely incredible what Horn did with his team last night.

Mark Fox—Raise your hand if you thought Georgia had any chance of a national sports writer to write a featured column about the Bulldogs this year?  It took Mark Fox until January 12th of his first year for at least one media member to take notice.  Since then Georgia manhandled Tennessee from start to finish–the same Tennessee that upset Kansas.  Georgia has made it clear that their intent is to win games, on the road or at home, this year.  They do not fear anybody.  Credit Fox for changing the culture around almost overnight.

I look at the above list and I’m floored at the high level of coaching going on right now in this division.  The SEC East is absolute murder right now.  There isn’t a single team you look at and say “no chance tonight.”  South Carolina and Georgia have proved that they are up to the task of the other four, and they’ve made that statement in a big way.  Even though the SEC did not turn national heads in the non-conference slate, the brutality towards each other on the football field has made its way to the basketball court where each game is an honest to God battle to the finish.  Credit these six coaches for making this a division worth watching every single time the teams take the court.