We have reached the end of the regular season in the SEC, and this is our final look at who is trending up, down, and who is flat. This is SEC Stock Watch.
Trending Up
- Upsets over Bubble Teams. First, it was Florida beating Texas A&M at home, handing the Aggies a crucial loss as they seek to secure an NCAA Tournament bid. Then, on Wednesday, Tennessee went into Baton Rouge and beat LSU by 15 points. This was the same group of Tigers that led the Vols by 27 points at the half in Knoxville 18 days earlier. Neither of these underdogs had as much to play for as their opponents, and they both deserve credit for not quitting. But for the Aggies and especially the Tigers, they will have to sweat these and other losses on Selection Sunday.
- Undefeated Kentucky. It is a mere formality now that the Wildcats will finish the regular season a remarkable 31-0 when they dispatch Florida on Saturday in Lexington (the term “Senior Day” doesn’t mean much there, so we have forgone its use). Many would argue that it’s a formality that the Wildcats will finish the deal and run through the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville to finish 34-0 going into the NCAA Tournament. Given the way they have dominated league play, that is very likely.
- Comebacks. Kentucky trailed Georgia by nine points with less than eight minutes to play on Tuesday in Athens. The Wildcats then turned the burners on and put away a game Bulldogs team. Last night, on senior night in Columbia, South Carolina overcame a 20-point first half deficit to take an 11-point lead of its own with less than six minutes to play. Arkansas then finished the game on an 18-3 run to steal the win. The Kentucky comeback was unsurprising, but the Razorbacks’ effort is further evidence that Mike Anderson’s team has turned a corner from its old disappointing ways.
- Mark Fox. The sixth-year Georgia coach got to showcase his team in front of the entire nation on Tuesday night, and although it didn’t pull off the enormous upset, the Bulldogs acquitted themselves well. In staying competitive throughout, Fox once again showed why he is so well-respected among those in the game. He has done enough, though, to keep the Georgia administration believing in him, as he was awarded a two-year contract extension through 2018 earlier this week.
Flat
- Six Bids for the SEC. Kentucky and Arkansas clearly are in. Georgia and Ole Miss appear to be in good shape. Texas A&M and LSU, though still likely in the field, did not do themselves any favors with losses earlier this week. The bottom half of the field appears to be weak, but any team other than the Wildcats or Razorbacks should play as though they have not yet locked up anything yet, as a loss this weekend and an early exit from the SEC Tournament could place their positions in peril as bid-stealers develop during Championship Week.
- Kevin Stallings. Stallings was at the center of the sports world last Friday after being caught telling freshman guard Wade Baldwin IV that he would “f***ing kill” him after the team’s big win at Tennessee, but the 16th-year Vanderbilt coach appears to have weathered that storm. It doesn’t hurt that his team has won seven of nine games and that another win at Ole Miss on Saturday would get the Commodores to 9-9 in league play. That would be a remarkable accomplishment for a team that started the conference season at 1-7.
Trending Down
- SEC Tournament Fans of Schools other than Kentucky. Kentucky fans took over Nashville for the SEC Tournament two years ago when the Wildcats were destined for a first-round exit from the NIT. In fact, they have owned the tournament pretty much for as long as it has existed, winning the event a whopping 27 times in its history. Likewise, their fans have dominated ticket allotments for decades. So for a team looking to finish out an undefeated season, it is hard to even imagine what Big Blue Nation will do next week when the event returns to the Music City. It is safe to say that the other 13 schools won’t send anywhere near as many fans, combined, as Kentucky will.
- Faith in Johnny Jones. LSU still has a very good chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Given that the Tigers have now lost to Missouri, Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee, though — four of the five worst teams in the league — getting there would be an even more impressive accomplishment. After Wednesday night’s dreadful performance against the Volunteers, Johnny Jones’s reputation as a coach who may be somewhat over his head was enhanced. Next year will be the real test of his coaching ability, though, as the Tigers bring in a big haul of blue-chip talent to go with — assuming no early defections — future NBA players in Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey.
- Bruce Pearl’s Miracle Working. When he got to Tennessee in 2005, Pearl immediately took the Volunteers to an SEC East title and a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If his team loses at home to Georgia on Saturday, the Tigers would be guaranteed to lose 20 games this season. Auburn was absurdly picked to finish eighth in the SEC prior to the season because of the confidence many had in Pearl’s coaching ability, but his first year on the Plains has been much more frustrating than anyone may have anticipated.