We are now nearly two weeks into conference play, so let’s take a hard look at which teams, players and other things are heading in the right direction, stuck in neutral or on the decline. This is SEC Stock Watch.
Trending Up
- Florida. Perhaps all it took was conference play for the Gators to right the ship. After opening SEC play with a solid win at upstart South Carolina, the Gators easily dispatched conference lightweights Mississippi State and Auburn in Gainesville. Things get tougher on Saturday when they travel to Georgia, but Billy Donovan’s team is doing what it takes to tidy up its shaky resume for March.
- Dominique Hawkins. The Kentucky guard went from not being part of either five-man platoon to starting against Missouri, and in his 20 minutes of action he gave John Calipari the perimeter defense the Wildcats needed. His entry into the starting lineup in place of Tyler Ulis was a bit of a surprise, but it obviously got the team’s attention as the Wildcats cruised to an 86-47 win over the Tigers, eradicating some of the bad vibe left over from last week’s overtime wins against Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
- Robert Hubbs. Anyone who saw Hubbs play earlier this year wouldn’t believe that the freshman would ever make a Stock Watch list, although there was clearly nowhere for him to go than up. The former five-star recruit was way overrated coming out of high school, but Hubbs needed to find a way to contribute for Tennessee to have any success this season. He has done just that, and his career-high 16 points against Arkansas was a huge reason the Vols were able to upset the Hogs earlier this week.
- Alabama. Sure, the Crimson Tide lost at South Carolina on Tuesday night, but there is no shame in dropping a two-point contest to one of the league’s most improved teams on the road. Alabama clearly has moved on from last year’s disaster, and with two of its next five games against Kentucky, Anthony Grant’s team has a chance to really get things moving (finally) in the right direction.
- LSU Recruiting. Johnny Jones has not only signed two of the nation’s top 15 seniors in Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney, but he also recently able to nab New Orleans native Craig Victor. The Arizona transfer will be eligible at mid-semester next year and his addition should beef up a front line that might lose Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey to the pros.
Flat
- Arkansas. A few days ago,it was impossible to argue that Mike Anderson’s squad wasn’t trending in the right direction, and in a big way. The Hawgs won at Georgia and then beat a solid Vanderbilt team before heading to Knoxville and getting upset by an undermanned group of Volunteers. They showed fight in coming back from a 15-point second half deficit to cut the lead to one, but it’s the kind of game a quality team needs to win.
- Willie Cauley-Stein. Earlier this season, Cauley-Stein was being mentioned as a possible National Player of the Year candidate. And while it’s hard to pay too much attention to any single Kentucky player’s numbers, he clearly has not been as productive as he was in the season’s first month or so. His 13-point performance against Missouri was the first time he had scored in double figures in six games, although he remains a force as a rebounder and shot-blocker.
- Georgia. The Bulldogs avoided a catastrophic SEC start and got the ship turned around by winning at Vanderbilt on Wednesday, but that doesn’t completely erase the Arkansas loss (in which they blew a 13-point lead), or the LSU double-overtime defeat (in which they somehow lost a nine-point lead in the first overtime). This is an NCAA Tournament-caliber roster, but it needs to show that more consistently.
Trending Down
- Rick Ray. It’s getting harder to imagine how the Mississippi State administration brings Ray back for a fourth season, as this is a team that will struggle to win more than a couple of conference games. The Bulldogs have lost nine of their last 11, and KenPom projects his team to lose the rest of its games. Under that scenario or anything close to it, Ray could be shown the door.
- Missouri. The Tigers are very limited in personnel and were the unlucky ones to face Kentucky with the Wildcats coming off two sketchy performances. Things turned out predictably in that regard as the Wildcats won by 49 points. Things will get better under Kim Anderson, but probably not this year.
- Jordan Green. After scoring in double figures in five of the Aggies’ first 10 games, the Texas A&M starting guard has gone scoreless in three of his last five. For a team that struggles to score from the perimeter, it could use some more production from him that does not appear to be forthcoming.
- Foreign trips. It was revealed earlier this week that Kentucky’s offseason trip to the Bahamas cost nearly $800,000, and while the story will likely be forgotten in a few days, it’s fair to assume that a bit more scrutiny will be placed on these kinds of costly trips in the future.
- Ole Miss’ momentum. After nearly pulling off the impossible by winning in Rupp Arena, Ole Miss avoided the letdown by going home and taking care of South Carolina. A vulnerable LSU team that had already lost at Missouri came to town on Wednesday, though, and Andy Kennedy’s team let the Tigers walk away with the road win. The Rebels now have to head to Arkansas on Saturday, staring a 1-3 SEC start right in the face.