WINNERS AND LOSERS IN THE SEC
THE LOSERS:
1. The SEC got only two bids to the NCAA and fell short of anything noteworthy in the NIT; and
2. Bruce Pearl took a massive hit in my eyes. His team was full of selfish players, and most played very me-first basketball. Losing twenty games is pretty tough to do. Pearl pulled it off in a weak league. Bonus points for doing that. Pearl will return next year, in large part due to a buy-out clause that is just short of the national budget for many small countries.
3. Auburn was horrible. Pearl didn't take his team a step closer from last season. He has signed some great players, but I'm not convinced that Pearl's heart is in the rebuilding job. At one point the Tigers had their best inside player playing point guard. Their best player quit. In fact, the entire team took a sabbatical.
4. LSU had the best player in America in Ben Simmons. Despite his presence on the court, the Tigers turned down the NIT after a totalling embarrassing loss in the SEC Tournament. The Tigers had the second best talent in the SEC in my opinion, at least on paper. While we are naming potential losers, the name Johnny Jones can't be left out. He's number 5 on my list.
5. South Carolina started 15-0. If you look at those wins most were against lesser opponents. It's tough putting them in the losers league in some ways, but their end of the season wasn't due to lack of talent like Alabama. They finished the season 10-9 and lost big games when wins mattered most. It's hard calling a team with a 25-9 record, but winning and winning big games are different things. The Gamecocks lost a chance to prove they belonged with the big boys.
6. The SEC MEDIA once again proved they don't care about basketball and their coverage is bargain basement leftovers. No real depth coverage about games, game previews, recruiting, and injuries left the SEC MEDIA in a league of their own. SEC coverage for hoops is a big joke and is laughable from start to finish. You get a commitment article regarding football recruits instead of basketball news. Shame on you guys.
8. Vanderbilt is next on my list. Kevin Stallings (#9) took a talented bunch of players and found ways to lose close games. The have the league's best inside player, and he looked persona non grata in a dozen games. One of the most talented teams in the conference was anchored in the bay far too often.
10. The SEC schedule makers need to rethink what they are doing. Moving away from the East and West Divisions was supposed to help the SEC get more teams into the NCAA field. I rest my case. If you have to play Kentucky twice, you have a terrible time in your quest to make that Tournament. Home and Home is the fairest way to determine the champion. That won't happen because when a league is as weak as the SEC beating each other up won't help. Maybe go back to the East and West format might be better. At least, that gives you a chance to schedule some good teams like Bama did this season.
THE WINNERS:
1. Texas A&M entered the SEC as a football school. They won the SEC as co-champions with Kentucky and ended up a number 3 seed in the NCAA. They were the highest seeded SEC school. Billy Kennedy announced that it was his intention to make TAM a basketball powerhouse. In talent-rich Texas, he'll find plenty of recruits to make that possible.
2. Ben Simmons had a banner year despite poor coaching and questionable decisions on the part of Coach Johnson. Granted, Simmons didn't lead LSU to any pos season glory, but he killed whoever he played. Simmons is the best prospect I've seen for a couple of decades in the SEC. He almost averaged a double-double while being one of the most unselfish players in the NCAA. The young man is a player. He could have been the next Pete Maravich, or as close as anyone might come
3. Alabama Crimson Tide had a great run with very limited talent. They lost their top recruit early on in the season. They did have the best guard in the league in Retin Obasohan. The fifth-year senior was First-Team All-SEC on offense and defense. He also was the Scholar of the Year. Avery Johnson Retin Obasohan our number four winner brought some fire and enthusiasm to the Crimson Tide this year. Some close losses in the late season kept the Tide out of the NCAA. That Bama was even talked about for the Dance was beyond the wildest dreams of Bama fans. The future seems bright for the Tide in the next few years.
4. Retin Obasohan - The Belgium Bulldog is how Joe Dean, Jr. describes him. I have seen two senior seasons by guards that separate themselves from the others. Gary Waites senior season was a production of leadership and deadly outside shooting. Obasohan won all the laurels an SEC player might like. The media got only one wrong. We should have been named Player of the Year.
5. Ben Howland seemed like an odd fit at Mississippi State when named head coach. The Ex-UCLA head coach, winner of one national championship, and the best coach at Westwood since John Wooden is turning Mississippi State into a winner. I suspect they will be a power to be reckoned with shortly.
6. Tyler Ulis of Kentucky was named the SEC Player of the Year. Like Obasohan, he was also first-team All-SEC on offense and defense. The 5-9 inch point guard was the sparkplug of the Wildcat team and always seemed to have an answer for the 'Cats when things turned tough. He wasn't a one and done, but is a two and through taking his game to the NBA.
7. Billy Kennedy of Texas A&M took a fairly average bunch of players and won the SEC. If Kennedy can continue to recruit Texas, and only Texas, he will keep the Aggies near the top for years to come.
8. Aggie comeback against Northern Iowa was the game of the year. Down 12 points with 30.2 seconds in the second round of the NCAA, the Aggies put on a full court press for the ages. The Aggies tied the game and eventually won in double overtime. You will never see a comeback like this in your life again.
9. The Florida Gators minus Billy Donovan had a twenty plus win season and made the NIT. While the Gators weren't great they beat some highly regarded teams and seemed to be on track to an NCAA bid.
10. Stephan Moody of the Ole Miss Rebels was the energizer bunny of the SEC. This 5-10 shooting guard had no peer when shooting the ball. He never saw a shot he didn't like, and he made more than he missed. Moodie was a joy to watch, and I have to admit feeling a little sad when he fouled out in his last game. He epitomized what college basketball is all about. It also helps to have a 42-inch vertical leap. You gotta love the dreadlocks dipped in red dye for the Rebels.
10. The SEC schedule makers need to rethink what they are doing. Moving away from the East and West Divisions was supposed to help the SEC get more teams into the NCAA field. I rest my case. If you have to play Kentucky twice, you have a terrible time in your quest to make that Tournament. Home and Home is the fairest way to determine the champion. That won't happen because when a league is as weak as the SEC beating each other up won't help. Maybe go back to the East and West format might be better. At least, that gives you a chance to schedule some good teams like Bama did this season.
THE WINNERS:
1. Texas A&M entered the SEC as a football school. They won the SEC as co-champions with Kentucky and ended up a number 3 seed in the NCAA. They were the highest seeded SEC school. Billy Kennedy announced that it was his intention to make TAM a basketball powerhouse. In talent-rich Texas, he'll find plenty of recruits to make that possible.
2. Ben Simmons had a banner year despite poor coaching and questionable decisions on the part of Coach Johnson. Granted, Simmons didn't lead LSU to any pos season glory, but he killed whoever he played. Simmons is the best prospect I've seen for a couple of decades in the SEC. He almost averaged a double-double while being one of the most unselfish players in the NCAA. The young man is a player. He could have been the next Pete Maravich, or as close as anyone might come
3. Alabama Crimson Tide had a great run with very limited talent. They lost their top recruit early on in the season. They did have the best guard in the league in Retin Obasohan. The fifth-year senior was First-Team All-SEC on offense and defense. He also was the Scholar of the Year. Avery Johnson Retin Obasohan our number four winner brought some fire and enthusiasm to the Crimson Tide this year. Some close losses in the late season kept the Tide out of the NCAA. That Bama was even talked about for the Dance was beyond the wildest dreams of Bama fans. The future seems bright for the Tide in the next few years.
4. Retin Obasohan - The Belgium Bulldog is how Joe Dean, Jr. describes him. I have seen two senior seasons by guards that separate themselves from the others. Gary Waites senior season was a production of leadership and deadly outside shooting. Obasohan won all the laurels an SEC player might like. The media got only one wrong. We should have been named Player of the Year.
5. Ben Howland seemed like an odd fit at Mississippi State when named head coach. The Ex-UCLA head coach, winner of one national championship, and the best coach at Westwood since John Wooden is turning Mississippi State into a winner. I suspect they will be a power to be reckoned with shortly.
6. Tyler Ulis of Kentucky was named the SEC Player of the Year. Like Obasohan, he was also first-team All-SEC on offense and defense. The 5-9 inch point guard was the sparkplug of the Wildcat team and always seemed to have an answer for the 'Cats when things turned tough. He wasn't a one and done, but is a two and through taking his game to the NBA.
7. Billy Kennedy of Texas A&M took a fairly average bunch of players and won the SEC. If Kennedy can continue to recruit Texas, and only Texas, he will keep the Aggies near the top for years to come.
8. Aggie comeback against Northern Iowa was the game of the year. Down 12 points with 30.2 seconds in the second round of the NCAA, the Aggies put on a full court press for the ages. The Aggies tied the game and eventually won in double overtime. You will never see a comeback like this in your life again.
9. The Florida Gators minus Billy Donovan had a twenty plus win season and made the NIT. While the Gators weren't great they beat some highly regarded teams and seemed to be on track to an NCAA bid.
10. Stephan Moody of the Ole Miss Rebels was the energizer bunny of the SEC. This 5-10 shooting guard had no peer when shooting the ball. He never saw a shot he didn't like, and he made more than he missed. Moodie was a joy to watch, and I have to admit feeling a little sad when he fouled out in his last game. He epitomized what college basketball is all about. It also helps to have a 42-inch vertical leap. You gotta love the dreadlocks dipped in red dye for the Rebels.
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