By Larry Vaught Tennessee and Auburn, which beat Ohio State by 38 points last week, have been ranked 1-2 in the country but ESPN has projected that both will lose 4.3 conference games. Alabama and Kentucky have been both top 10 teams and ESPN projects Alabama to lose 6.4 conference games and UK 7.3. That’s how difficult league play is going to be with the SEC projected nine league teams to win at least 20 games and two more to win 19. The SEC has had eight teams ranked in the top 25 most of the season, including five in the top 10 recently, and some analysts are predicting already that the SEC will have at least 10n NCAA Tournament teams. “The league from top to bottom is the best conference in college basketball and it is not even close,” ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said. “The league is special this year. “I think Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama have separated themselves. After that I think it is a level playing field and you have to play really well. We saw what Missouri did against (No. 1) Kansas (when it won). There are only three teams in the conference that average less than 80 points. It’s going to be an incredible league.” Kentucky has had two players — Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa — miss games with injuries already. Kentucky has also been less effective in games where opponents used the type of physical play Kentucky will see every game in SEC play. “I think it will be a deal but maybe not a big deal,” former UK guard Cameron Mills said about the physical play. “We are playing very physical teams and have seen our shooting percentage drop and it seems likely that had something to do with it by having offense pushed out more from the basket to get started. “Once we get into SEC play, the physicality will have a consistency to it. You will practice, practice and play a game and half will be on the road. We have gotten at least a wake-up call that physical play is a weakness but I think we have a bunch of fifth-year seniors who can respond to physical play. We beat Gonzaga not only because we out coached them but we were also more physical than them in the second half. “The SEC will be brutal but I don’t think it will be overwhelming for this team. Sure, we’ll lose some games. But so will everybody else because everybody is good.”

SEC is best conference in college basketball this season

By Larry Vaught Tennessee and Auburn, which beat Ohio State by 38 points last week, have been ranked 1-2 in the country but ESPN has projected that both will lose 4.3 conference games. Alabama and Kentucky have been both top 10 teams and ESPN projects Alabama to lose 6.4 conference games and UK 7.3. That’s […]

By Larry Vaught

Tennessee and Auburn, which beat Ohio State by 38 points last week, have been ranked 1-2 in the country but ESPN has projected that both will lose 4.3 conference games. Alabama and Kentucky have been both top 10 teams and ESPN projects Alabama to lose 6.4 conference games and UK 7.3.

That’s how difficult league play is going to be with the SEC projected nine league teams to win at least 20 games and two more to win 19. The SEC has had eight teams ranked in the top 25 most of the season, including five in the top 10 recently, and some analysts are predicting already that the SEC will have at least 10n NCAA Tournament teams.

“The league from top to bottom is the best conference in college basketball and it is not even close,” ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said. “The league is special this year.

“I think Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama have separated themselves. After that I think it is a level playing field and you have to play really well. We saw what Missouri did against (No. 1) Kansas (when it won). There are only three teams in the conference that average less than 80 points. It’s going to be an incredible league.”

Kentucky has had two players — Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa — miss games with injuries already. Kentucky has also been less effective in games where opponents used the type of physical play Kentucky will see every game in SEC play.

“I think it will be a deal but maybe not a big deal,” former UK guard Cameron Mills said about the physical play. “We are playing very physical teams and have seen our shooting percentage drop and it seems likely that had something to do with it by having offense pushed out more from the basket to get started.

“Once we get into SEC play, the physicality will have a consistency to it. You will practice, practice and play a game and half will be on the road. We have gotten at least a wake-up call that physical play is a weakness but I think we have a bunch of fifth-year seniors who can respond to physical play. We beat Gonzaga not only because we out coached them but we were also more physical than them in the second half.

“The SEC will be brutal but I don’t think it will be overwhelming for this team. Sure, we’ll lose some games. But so will everybody else because everybody is good.”