Rush The Court

The week before Christmas provided stocking stuffers for fans of SEC teams, as the league picked up a number of wins against power conference competition. But there was some coal too, highlighted by Kentucky‘s buzzed-about loss to an underwhelming-to-this-point Ohio State team. Here’s the rundown of the SEC’s penultimate non-conference week of action.

Team of the Week — Texas A&M has had a good time playing old Big 12 foes this year. The Aggies had wins against Texas (doesn’t that look better now?) and Kansas State under their belt, and then went and handled a good Baylor team at home this past week. Texas A&M did what Vanderbilt couldn’t a few weeks ago and controlled Taurean Prince, holding the versatile senior to just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting. In all, Texas A&M continued defending at the level it has all season, keeping an efficient Bears offense to 0.90 points per possession. On an individual level, this was a nice game for Danuel House. He helped the Aggies build an early lead and drilled a couple of three’s in the process. He’s a far better shooter than his numbers this year suggest (32.5 percent from three), but a lot of that is due to a dreadful 3-of-15 three-point shooting night against Arizona State. We’re talking about a potential future NBA wing, so confidence shouldn’t be an issue, but Billy Kennedy has to be pleased seeing House trend back up from distance.

Player of the Week — For all that Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines have accomplished at Georgia, J.J. Frazier is the Bulldog most likely to drop 30 points on a given night. The junior guard did just that in a big rivalry win over Georgia Tech with 35 points, including six three pointers. He was instrumental in keeping the Bulldogs close towards the end of the first half, and then allowing them to pull away in a dominant second half. Like House, Frazier is a great three-point shooter off to an uncharacteristic start, so this game could be a building block. It sounds like a broken record, but the challenge for Georgia this year is that extraordinary efforts like this are almost required for the Bulldogs to win against quality competition.

Had a Rough Week — We promise, every time the Wildcats lose they won’t end up in this space. Losing to Ohio State on a neutral court isn’t unforgivable, even if the Buckeyes came in with five losses. But there continue to be red flags that raise questions over how high Kentucky’s ceiling is, and that’s always the ultimate barometer for Coach Cal’s program. Skal Labissiere struggled again (1-of-7 FG, five rebounds), and unlike against Duke, the Wildcats didn’t make “winning plays” as Jamal Murray was trying to will them back in the game — be it Tyler Ulis‘ intentional foul or a few fumbled rebounds. “These guys have played basketball in the past,” Cal told the Lexington Herald-Leader after the game. “Now we’ve got to teach them how to win.” The win over Duke suggests this team isn’t headed to a 2012-13 fate, but there is plenty of room to grow.

Video of the Week — Sindarius Thornwell wasn’t shy knifing through the Clemson defense in the clip below as he put the Gamecocks’ biggest rival on a poster.

1. Texas A&M (9-2) – The Aggies roster is deep enough that the loss of Elijah Thomas shouldn’t cause too many ripples this season, barring injury. Thomas’ decision is certainly understandable as the elite recruit had clearly fallen behind Tyler Davis in the rotation and the Aggies have highly-touted big man Robert Williams coming in next year.
2. Kentucky (9-2) – The Wildcats can wash the bad taste out of their mouths with a win over Louisville the day after Christmas. It would also be great for the resume, as Kentucky only has three top-100 KenPom wins thus far (Albany, Duke and Arizona State).
3. South Carolina (10-0) – There isn’t a much sweeter way for the Gamecocks to cap off their best start since 1933 than by beating Clemson. South Carolina still doesn’t have any truly impressive wins, but beating a power conference team on the road is a nice addition to the resume. The Gamecocks let Clemson back in the game after a 20-point halftime lead, but it was P.J. Dozier making tough shots down the stretch as the offense stalled. The talented freshman may be the key to how good this team can eventually be.
4. Vanderbilt (7-3) – The Commodores let games against Baylor and Dayton slip away largely because of turnovers late in each contest. After the blowout win over Wofford, Vanderbilt now gets put to the test against a great Purdue team coming off its first loss of the year. In general the Commodores have taken good care of the ball this year, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can play smarter should the game against the Boilermakers be close late.
5. Florida (7-3) – The Gators followed up a closer-than-expected loss to Michigan State by squeaking by an Oklahoma State team playing without Phil Forte. Florida’s offense struggled yet again, but at this point we may need to accept the Gators for what they are: a good defensive team that will always struggle to score. That type of team can win a lot of games in a mediocre SEC, and unlike last year, Florida hasn’t put itself behind the eight ball with a ton of non-conference losses.

   Andy Kennedy’s bunch extended a six-game winning streak by beating Memphis on the road. (USA TODAY Sports)

6. Ole Miss (9-2) – Andy Kennedy‘s bunch extended a six-game winning streak by beating Memphis on the road, which is Ole Miss’ first truly quality win of the season. The Rebels have all the marks of a team that’ll be a tough out in SEC play: they don’t turn the ball over, they make free throws and they’re experienced. Marcanvis Hymon has had three straight good games and has added some much-needed depth down low.
7. Alabama (7-2) – It’s time to give the Tide the credit they deserve. Their current five-game winning streak includes four wins by four points or less and unlike other teams in the league, Alabama is simply finding ways to win. The streak also includes wins over two then-ranked teams and a road win over Clemson. Watching Memphis guard Ricky Tarrant drop 29 points on Ole Miss makes one wonder what could have been had he stayed in Tuscaloosa.
8. Tennessee (5-5) – This may be a stretch but it’s looking like the Vols have the potential to surge to more SEC wins than many would expect. They’ve had a sneakily difficult non-conference schedule, and have played Gonzaga, Butler, Georgia Tech and George Washington close in losses. Tennessee does not turn the ball over and has a player in Kevin Punter that can carry an offense. This isn’t a team many coaches will be eager to play the rest of the way.
9. Georgia (5-3) – Freshman big Derek Ogbeide had his first career basket against Georgia Tech and played double digit minutes for the first time. Any kind of addition to the Bulldogs’ rotation is important, and it’ll be interesting to see if Mark Fox continues to trust him going forward since he has the body to make a difference.
10. LSU (6-4) – The Tigers, mainly because of a guy that you may have heard of named Ben Simmons, are simply a matchup nightmare for mid-majors that are at a disadvantage athletically. Simmons has shined against better competition, but the Tigers have wilted as a team in each game where the opponents’ team athleticism is in the same ballpark as theirs. If you’re looking for signs this will change, Antonio Blakeney finally hit some three’s over the past two games (6-of-12) and Keith Hornsby has been great since returning.
11. Auburn (5-3) – The Tigers continued an uninspiring run through the non-conference with a loss at Xavier. Clearly, there is nothing wrong with that since the Musketeers might be one of the best teams in the country, but it’s impossible to get a read on what exactly Auburn is at this point. The Tigers have no top-100 KenPom wins and lost a winnable game against Middle Tennessee State late. Auburn has been miserable on the glass this season and Cinmeon Bowers was essentially a one-man rebounding option against Xavier.
12. Arkansas (5-5) – A loss to Mercer in Little Rock was a disappointing end to a two-game winning streak that included a quality win over Evansville. A Tuesday matchup against North Florida could be an under-the-radar thriller since the Ospreys aren’t shy chucking up three’s and will have plenty of opportunities against the Razorbacks.
13. Mississippi State (5-5) – The Bulldogs had to come from behind at home against Tulane after being blown out midweek at Florida State. It’s scary to think where this team would be without Malik Newman, who has become the team’s most consistent source of offense.
14. Mizzou (5-5) – Any goodwill built up by the Tigers three-game winning streak has vanished after they were blown out by North Carolina State at home. Mizzou was dominated in the interior in that loss and the previous week’s blowout loss at Arizona. This should be the chief concern for Kim Anderson as the team enters conference play, but there isn’t much he can do about it with a front line that is more athletic than big-bodied.