The SEC Week That Was: Volume II
Posted by Greg Mitchell on January 13th, 2015For the next 10 weeks or so, we’ll run down a few weekly superlatives from league play, take a look at how conference teams look in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, and anything else that merits discussion. Here is Volume II, including games from January 5-11.
Team of the Week. There were three strong contenders for this award this week, but Arkansas gets the nod on the strength of a 2-0 record that included wins over KenPom top 55 teams Georgia and Vanderbilt. By beating Georgia in Athens, the Razorbacks achieved something that has been a rarity under Mike Anderson: beating a quality team on the road. And it wasn’t easy. Arkansas had to overcome an 11-point deficit against a confident Bulldogs team that was riding a six-game winning streak of its own, but the Razorbacks cut into the lead by imposing their frenetic style on Georgia and forcing 17 turnovers. They had been similarly disruptive in their other road win this season, at SMU (19 TOs), but not as much in losses to Iowa State (11 TOs) and Clemson (14 TOs). We know that Anderson’s press is highly effective in Bud Walton Arena, but whether it works when the Razorbacks are on the road will be something to watch as the season unfolds. Honorable mention this week goes to Florida, which earned a hard-fought win against South Carolina before pummelling Mississippi State.
Bobby Portis tore up the Vanderbilt defense to the tune of 32 points (wholehogsports.com).
Player of the Week. Bobby Portis had his way with the Commodores’ front line on Saturday, scoring 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting and dunking on every other possession (or so it seemed). He might be the most offensively skilled big man in the SEC this season, and his athleticism provides a great asset guarding the in-bounder as the first wave in the Arkansas press. In the Hawg’s win over Georgia, Portis contributed 21 points and even hit a three-pointer during the game. He’s been exceptionally effective from deep, making 9-of-15 three-point attempts on the season, but the fact he’s attempted so few shows that he hasn’t gotten carried away in trying to show NBA scouts that he has range. Where he’s lethal is in using his athleticism around the rim and making himself available on cuts through the lane. If he keeps living in that sweet spot, the Razorbacks will remain very difficult to defend. Florida’s Dorian Finney-Smith also deserves some love this week as he combined for 36 points and 13 rebounds in wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State. Despite playing with an injured non-shooting hand, the senior is shooting very well from three (39%) and grabbing defensive rebounds at a ridiculous rate (22.3%) over the first two conference games. The Gators couldn’t afford to miss a beat from him and they haven’t.
Tournament Chatter. Let’s not dress this week up because it was not a kind week for the SEC’s hopes to get more than two teams into the NCAA Tournament. I thoroughly believe that the overall depth of the conference is better than last year, but if Selection Sunday were held today you might be looking at a two-bid league. Kentucky and Arkansas seem safe, but beyond that is anyone’s guess.
- Kentucky (15-0; beat Ole Miss, beat Texas A&M) is still unbeaten, but just barely. Perhaps you heard. Nevertheless, the Wildcats should still safely have the inside track at the NCAA Tournament’s overall No. 1 seed. And they weren’t alone this week, as Duke’s surprising loss to NC State shows college basketball can be a fickle beast.
- LSU (12-3; lost to Missouri, beat Georgia) has continued to be frustratingly underwhelming under Johnny Jones. Missouri might be improving, but LSU needed to to Columbia and beat the bottom-feeding Tigers. Getting past Georgia in double-overtime was crucial. LSU needs to start taking care of business regularly soon since the Tigers will not get the benefit of the doubt.
- South Carolina (9-5; lost to Florida, lost to Ole Miss) showed us how not to follow up a breakthrough win against Iowa State — by losing to a vulnerable Florida team at home and falling at Ole Miss. Neither loss is a back-breaker, but it seemed as if the Gamecocks had enough momentum to sweep the week. They’ve probably faded from NCAA Tournament consideration at the moment, just one week after being right at the forefront of the discussion.
- Georgia (9-5; lost to Arkansas, lost to LSU) fought hard in two close losses to the league’s most talented teams that are not named Kentucky. The Bulldogs have nothing to be ashamed of, but they need to get on a serious run in order to get themselves back into the discussion.
- Florida (9-6; beat South Carolina, beat Mississippi State) finally brings us some good news. The Gators bounced back very nicely from a two-loss week and showed that they may be able to rack up some wins in league play. That number in the loss column is ugly, but the name on the front of the jersey should help mitigate some of that. For what it’s worth, KenPom is still all about the Gators (#24 overall, 15th best defensive efficiency).
- Alabama (12-3; beat Texas A&M, beat Tennessee) is defending well, has great depth and opened league play with two convincing wins. The Tide’s resume still lacks much weight, but they should be close to getting legitimate consideration soon.
- Texas A&M (9-5; lost to Alabama, lost to Kentucky) and Ole Miss (10-5, lost to Kentucky, beat South Carolina) can be lumped together here. They were both oh-so-close to pulling the amazing shocker on Kentucky and therefore just may be getting onto the brink of the conversation.
Had a rough week. Last edition’s team of the week finds itself on the opposite end of the spectrum this time around. South Carolina’s stout defense had not allowed a team to score over a point per possession since mid-November, but the Gamecocks allowed both Florida (1.04 PPP) and Ole Miss (1.04 PPP) to eclipse that figure. Frank Martin’s team is not the most reliable offensive team in America (145th in offensive efficiency) and could not weather down scoring weeks from Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell (28 points combined in two games). Losses to the Gators and Rebels aren’t something to worry about since both are decent teams, but the Gamecocks missed a golden opportunity to keep Florida down.
Coach Cal and the Wildcats face a road test against a solid Alabama team on Saturday.
Looking ahead. The top three picks this week go to Kentucky at Alabama (January 17, 4:00 PM ET), Alabama at South Carolina (January 13, 9:00 PM ET) and LSU at Ole Miss (January 14, 7:00 PM ET). This isn’t Rush the Gridiron, but Alabama and Oregon are the obvious game of the… oh wait, that’s right. In basketball, Kentucky will not need overtime to beat Missouri, but this weekend’s trip to Tuscaloosa will certainly be a trendy upset pick given last week’s struggles. I tend to think that will work the other way: The Wildcats should be up for a difficult road game after hearing about how vulnerable they’ve suddenly become. The Tide’s tilt with South Carolina before that should be a great defensive battle, giving the winner the quality win it so desperately needs. Finally, LSU can’t afford too many more league losses, but the Tigers will find themselves on the road against an Ole Miss team playing with a lot of confidence.
