DAY ONE GAMES
Kessens still not near 100%
Slaughter is better...
Day one of the SEC is about as interesting as watching paint dry. The only purpose of Wednesday is to give a little TV time to the bottom four teams. The real purpose is a place for more Kentucky fans to buy a ticket. I think that maybe the first day could be eliminated but that would break the magic slipper of Cinderella. In basketball everyone loves the Cinderella story. This season there are actually 13 Cinderellas and the professional troll who lives under a bridge somewhere. That is how much the Wildcats are favored to win. It's hard to argue otherwise. For someone to beat Kentucky, the Cats will have to play the worst game of the season, and the other team is going to have to play an almost perfect game. I just don't see anyone who can do that.
Another thing that I noticed about the four teams is that all have new coaches in their first or second year. I'm just saying.that's not a coincidence. Remember when Pearl was hired? He got all these recruits in his program. He had JUCOs and transfers. He might have had a couple of freshman. I don't know. But the Pearl plan to greatness was a monumental failure. You have to have a foundation that will support long term success. I'm not suggesting that these four coaches can't turn their schools into winners. But it takes some real time. Anyone who thinks hiring a new coach will be quick success is going to be wrong 9 out of 10 times. Pearl loses Harrell and Mason. I'd bet that Bowers is going to leave as well. He could stay but he seems to think he's too cool for school. Of all the jobs that Pearl would have liked to have landed,I bet he took his only offer. There is a plus side. The Tigers have built a good place to play, and anyone who hires a coach with a show cause charge is serious about basketball. Or stupid. Never underestimate stupid.
What about the games on Wednesday? Things "kick" off with Mississippi State playing Auburn. I'm not sure that gifted guard Antoine Mason is going to play. State made some improvement throughout the year. Auburn's season is disappointing in more ways that one. About the only two things I can say is they didn't finish last and they played hard.
Ricky Ray is under-considerable pressure to improve. The Bulldogs did have some nice games, but how happy are State fans that Rick Stansbury got fired? Something else to thing about. The game itself should be an all time yawner.Two teams headed to nowhere. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first tie game in the history of basketball. Who has the home court advantage. I'll go with empty seat tech. If I was forced to actually pick a team I'd go with Auburn if Mason is back.Reports from the Birmingham News said he is at practice. I bet his teammates will rally round Mason and try to win one for him after the passing of his father. This kid is a baller and he could stop the Tigers six game losing streak.
The second features Missouri and South Carolina. The Tide lost a heartbreaker in Columbia early in the when the Gamecocks were playing pretty darn good. They seem to have lost momentum as the season wore own. Heck, I'd be afraid not to play hard for Frank Martin. Missouri is just a horrible team this year. To see Missouri at the bottom of the league is surprising. Most people thought they would carry their own weight in SEC basketball and it would be the football team who was iffy. I like South Carolina in this game, and watching Frank Martin is fun itself. He is the polar opposite of his best friend Anthony Grant. Man, I'd love to play golf with those two guys.
Word is out of Tuscaloosa that Michael Kessens knee is progressing but he is nowhere near well. If the Tide could get a solid 20 minutes out of him it will help. I'm not overly concerned with Billy beating Anthony like a dog, but the match-ups kill us. I think we match up with Florida worse than any team except Kentucky. The Heat would have some match up problems with Kentucky.
Kessens still not near 100%
Slaughter is better...
 |
| Cinderella won't be found out of Wednesday bracket |
Another thing that I noticed about the four teams is that all have new coaches in their first or second year. I'm just saying.that's not a coincidence. Remember when Pearl was hired? He got all these recruits in his program. He had JUCOs and transfers. He might have had a couple of freshman. I don't know. But the Pearl plan to greatness was a monumental failure. You have to have a foundation that will support long term success. I'm not suggesting that these four coaches can't turn their schools into winners. But it takes some real time. Anyone who thinks hiring a new coach will be quick success is going to be wrong 9 out of 10 times. Pearl loses Harrell and Mason. I'd bet that Bowers is going to leave as well. He could stay but he seems to think he's too cool for school. Of all the jobs that Pearl would have liked to have landed,I bet he took his only offer. There is a plus side. The Tigers have built a good place to play, and anyone who hires a coach with a show cause charge is serious about basketball. Or stupid. Never underestimate stupid.
What about the games on Wednesday? Things "kick" off with Mississippi State playing Auburn. I'm not sure that gifted guard Antoine Mason is going to play. State made some improvement throughout the year. Auburn's season is disappointing in more ways that one. About the only two things I can say is they didn't finish last and they played hard.
Ricky Ray is under-considerable pressure to improve. The Bulldogs did have some nice games, but how happy are State fans that Rick Stansbury got fired? Something else to thing about. The game itself should be an all time yawner.Two teams headed to nowhere. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first tie game in the history of basketball. Who has the home court advantage. I'll go with empty seat tech. If I was forced to actually pick a team I'd go with Auburn if Mason is back.Reports from the Birmingham News said he is at practice. I bet his teammates will rally round Mason and try to win one for him after the passing of his father. This kid is a baller and he could stop the Tigers six game losing streak.
The second features Missouri and South Carolina. The Tide lost a heartbreaker in Columbia early in the when the Gamecocks were playing pretty darn good. They seem to have lost momentum as the season wore own. Heck, I'd be afraid not to play hard for Frank Martin. Missouri is just a horrible team this year. To see Missouri at the bottom of the league is surprising. Most people thought they would carry their own weight in SEC basketball and it would be the football team who was iffy. I like South Carolina in this game, and watching Frank Martin is fun itself. He is the polar opposite of his best friend Anthony Grant. Man, I'd love to play golf with those two guys.
Word is out of Tuscaloosa that Michael Kessens knee is progressing but he is nowhere near well. If the Tide could get a solid 20 minutes out of him it will help. I'm not overly concerned with Billy beating Anthony like a dog, but the match-ups kill us. I think we match up with Florida worse than any team except Kentucky. The Heat would have some match up problems with Kentucky.
No comments:
Post a Comment