Another page turns in the SEC Men’s basketball season…
We are heading into the third full week of SEC Men’s basketball and here is a quick synopsis of what we know:
The “Have Nots”
- Ole Miss is really bad and Andy Kennedy needs to be comparing notes with Houston Nutt regarding buyout suggestions.
- Darrin Horne has the same fate in front of him at South Carolina
- Auburn is not great, but they beat Ole Miss, better known as Ole Misery
- Tennessee is down, but the addition of the Jarnell Stokes should make the Vols a decent team
- Georgia has a long rebuilding process in front of them, but they have senior Gerald Robinson and freshman Kentavius Caldwell-Pope to build around
The “Haves”
- Kentucky is loaded again, but most of the talent is green with the exception of Darius Miller, Doron Lamb and Terence Jones
- Florida is like a donut; strong around the outside, but weak in the middle. Boynton and Erving Walker give the Gators a strong perimeter presence
- Alabama is just the opposite of Florida; weak in perimeter shooting, but strong in the middle with Jamychal Green and Tony Mitchell
- Mississippi State is a strong, balanced club led by Dee Bost, Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sydney
- Vanderbilt has a starting lineup with 4 seniors and a junior; they have considerable experience, but questionable ability to “close out” close games
To be determined
- Arkansas is in a transition stage with new coach Mike Anderson and they feature freshman phenom BJ Young of St. Louis
- LSU has shown signs of promise, especially their win over Marquette, and they are led by junior, Iowa State transfer Justin Hamilton and sophomore Andre Stringer.
So there you have it, the Haves, the Have Nots, and the to be determined pieces of the SEC men’s basketball puzzle.
My prediction is that all of the Haves will make the NCAA tournament and that LSU and Arkansas will make the NIT.
I’ll be back in future editions to revisit this early prediction and to see if I have to eat any crow.
I doubt that will happen. 
It is early Sunday morning and here are a few thoughts after the first day of conference play for the SEC men:
Vandy has picked up their game, but Auburn looks really bad right now. The Tigers played a cupcake pre-conference schedule and that was apparent after the beating they took in Nashville yesterday.
Kentucky is, well, Kentucky. They won again at home, but we will see how the road treats them soon. USC is not strong again this year and I suspect that Darrin Horne will be looking for a new role after this season.
LSU is still a work in progress. I was shocked when they defeated Marquette last month and the Tigers handled the Rebs from Ole Miss quite handily yesterday. I believe that Andy Kennedy could share some resume tips with the aforementioned Darrin Horne after this season, even sooner.
Alabama is a team in search of a perimeter game and when it appears, consistently, they will be a bona fide Top 20 program. Yesterday may have been that day. Georgia may have peaked under Mark Fox and the future there looks murky.
Florida came to Knoxville and expected their newspaper clippings to win the game for them. The pesky Vols had a different outcome in mind and Cuonzo Martin’s crew played hard and spanked the Gators. Florida is the flip of Bama; the Gators are searching for an inside game and they should look up the word defense in the dictionary while looking.
Mississippi State learned the challenges of the road in league play as they went down to the Hogs in Fayetteville. Mike Anderson was the perfect fit for the Razorbacks and I suspect they will be a surprise team this year in conference play.
More next weekend. Be sure to tune in for the second LSU win over Alabama tomorrow in the SEC playoff, also known as the BCS National Championship.
In 2012, James Franklin will meet James Franklin; really!
Depending upon your allegiance and your geography, this post title will make complete sense or no sense whatsoever. Let me take a moment to explain.
For those who know me best you will think of Vanderbilt head football coach James Franklin, 
the man who has helped lead one of the biggest turnarounds in college football in 2011. The Commodores won two games in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but then changed course to have a stunning 6 win season in 2011. Coach Franklin’s success is still being felt as many teams continue to poach his coaching staff. Having others recruit your coaches is a sure sign that you are headed in the right direction.
The “Other James Franklin” is a newcomer to the SEC, but he has already made a name for himself in college football. James Franklin, the quarterback of the Missouri Tigers, will line up against the Commodores in Columbia, MO on October 6 as the Tigers begin their inaugural season of SEC football competition.
This James Franklin started all 13 games for Mizzou in 2011 and threw for 2865 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns. I suspect he will be a handful for many teams because of his dual-threat capability.
So there you have it-James Franklin will meet James Franklin in 2012. The victor will be determined on the field, but both of these gentlemen are well respected and successful in their careers.
SEC sports in review-2011 was another very good year!
I know many of you have your calendar’s marked for the BCS National Championship game on January 9 between LSU and Alabama, but I thought there would be value in looking back over the past 12 months at the highlights of SEC sports for this past calendar year. The highlights are many and I’ll do my best to not miss anything of importance.
1. The sun rises in the east, Democrats want to raise taxes, and the SEC wins the BCS National Championship as the Auburn Tigers defeat the Oregon Ducks on a last second field goal by Wes Byrum.
The Tigers were a dream team in 2011, led by the Heisman Trophy winning Cam Newton on offense and spearheaded by Nick Fairly on defense.
2. Florida won the Men’s Indoor Track and Field championship in College Station, TX
3. South Carolina won their second consecutive baseball championship by sweeping a two-game series over arch-rival Florida in the finals in the “new” Rosenblatt” stadium in Omaha, NE. Fellow SEC rival Vanderbilt joined the top two in the final four.
4. Vanderbilt ended up as the runner-up in Women’s Bowling in 2011. The Commodores won the national championship in 2007.
5. Alabama won the Women’s Gymnastics national championship in Cleveland, OH.
6. Kentucky won the Women’s rifle championship.
7. Florida finished as the runner-up in Women’s softball.
8. Georgia finished as the runner-up in Women’s Swimming & Diving.
9. Florida won the Women’s Tennis national championship
As you can see, it was a great year for the league and the best keep getting better. With the Tigers playing the Tide in January we are guaranteed our 6th consecutive BCS football championship and the Gators are ranked #1 in baseball in many preseason polls.
Congratulations to all of the athletes of the SEC. We are proud of you!
As we enter the last days of December it is becoming quite apparent that a few SEC Basketball coaches might be looking for very specific presents under their trees this weekend.
Here are a few thoughts about what some of them might be looking for:
A shooting guard, maybe two
Respect and a fan base that cares about something other than football
More hell, such as the 40 minute variety
An inside presence to go with the strong complement of guards they have
Consistency
Mental toughness for Terrance Jones-they have everything else…
See Auburn
Anything will do, because the cupboard is bare
Crossed fingers and toes that this team will not implode like they did last year
See Ole Miss
Christmas came early with the addition of Stokes
Mental toughness for Festus Ezeli and consistency from John Jenkins-a little bench scoring would help
I hope you and your family have a great Christmas!
Welcome to our 2012 additions to the SEC, Texas A&M and Missouri.
Lee Corso puts more than his foot in his mouth
I didn’t watch ESPN’s Gameday today, but the fallout was fast and furious.
Lee Corso dropped an F-bomb when he picked the Houston Cougars to win and he followed up quickly with an online, video apology.
Here is the original post and the apology is below it.
Our lives move to quickly sometimes and he was wise to respond so quickly and in this manner.
Now we do know he is a real human being…
Who will win the SEC in Men’s Basketball for the 2011-12 season?
SEC Pigskin Prognostication (This is not a medical procedure)
Rather than the regular, ho-hum, prediction of the next week I am going to look at the rest of the year for all 12 teams in the SEC and throw in our newbies, Texas A&M and Missouri also. My opinions are my own and you should feel free to disagree. Here goes…
As of today the Tide is undefeated and this will hold true as they defeat LSU, Mississippi State and Georgia Southern. The bloom will fall from the Tide rose as they lose at Jordan Hare on November 26 to the upstart Auburn Tigers.
The Hogs have more lives than a cat, having survived scares at Ole Miss and at Vandy. They will win against South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi State, but lose the season finale at LSU in Death Valley.
Auburn 
Auburn will win out by defeating the Georgia Dawgs in Athens, Samford at home and then enjoy a great dessert two days after thanksgiving when they upset undefeated Alabama in the Loveliest Village on the Plains.
The Gators are staring a losing season squarely in the eyes as they will lose to Vandy at home, South Carolina in Columbia and also lose to Florida State at home. They will salvage a win at home versus the Furman Paladins.
Georgia 
Georgia will be the “little engine that almost could” as they split their last four games, winning versus New Mexico State and Kentucky and losing to Auburn and Georgia Tech in the annual rivalry game.
Kentucky 
Cat Fans are so ready for basketball. Nothing much will change for this team as they lose to Vandy, Georgia, and Tennessee, but they will get that only conference win versus Ole Miss on the Houston Nutt Farewell Tour.
LSU 
The Bengal Tigers will go from rupture to rapture in the last month as they lose to Bama in Tuscaloosa, but win out versus Western Kentucky, Ole Miss and Arkansas.
Mississippi State 
The Bullies will end the season with two conference wins total as they win the Poached Egg bowl over the hapless Rebels. They will also defeat UT Martin, but will lose to Bama and Arkansas during this same stretch.
Ole Miss 
The Rebels/Black Bears will become better known as the “Doormats” as the again end up in the basement of the SEC west. The final chapter of the Houston Nutt Farewell tour will include losses to Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, LSU and Miscopy State. Best wishes to Coach Nutt as he heads back into coaching obscurity after this season.
South Carolina 
The Ole’ Ball Coach will play in December, but there will be potholes along the way. The Gamecocks will lose to Arkansas and Clemson, but will win against Florida and the Citadel. This, coupled with UGA’s loss to Auburn, will put the Cocks back in Atlanta in December where they will be manhandled by Alabama.
Tennessee 
The Vols will have a mixed bag in the final month as they defeat the Blue Raiders of MTSU and the hapless Wildcats of Kentucky. The orange-pant led team will lose to Arkansas and Vanderbilt to dampen the mood in November.
Vanderbilt 
Vandy will qualify to play in their second bowl game in four years by defeating Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee in the final month, but they will stub their toe when they lose to the well-coached Deacons of Wake Forest in their final game. Coach James Franklin will gain many votes as SEC coach of the year for the Commodores 7-5 season in his first year at the helm.
Texas A&M 
The Aggies will play out the string in the “Big 12 and shrinking fast” by losing to Oklahoma and Kansas State, but they will savor victory over Kansas and their hated rival Texas at home in Kyle Field.
Missouri 
The “Yankee Tigers” from Columbia will finish out their final season in the Big 12 by defeating Kansas and Baylor, but they will lose to Texas and Texas Tech.
