For the second-straight season, the Southeastern Conference finished last amongst BCS leagues and sixth overall in RPI standings in 2008-09.
Just three teams made the NCAA Tournament, none of which made the Sweet Sixteen.
My, how a year can change everything.
While the nation was as experienced and talented as it had ever been, the SEC was struggling to reload and patiently waiting for its younger stars to grow into full-bodied threats.
That day has come for several league teams.
"There are eight teams in the league that return four starters," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl explained. "So the league is going to be a lot better and part of the reason is because of returning players. That experience is going to put us in a position to not get too high when we win and not get too low when we lose, because this league is going to beat up on each other and I think the team that handles adversity and handles success the best is the team that is going to win the championship."
Couldn't say it better myself.
The most well-known example is Kentucky, who let an embattled Billy Gillispie go after just two seasons at the helm and its first NCAA absence in 15 years. In stepped Memphis' John Calipari, and an outrageous recruiting class alongside. Returning Second-Team All-American Patrick Patterson plus adding three five-star along with two four-star recruits means high expectations.
High they are indeed. Many publications have ranked Kentucky second pre-season, and all have them in the Top 10. They have been picked overwhelmingly to win the SEC by the media, though much hinges on the NCAA's verdict of John Wall's elligibility. Wall, the nation's top recruit, could make an immediate impact for the Wildcats at point guard.
"We are very big, athletic and fast," Calipari said. "We don't shoot the ball well, and have a lot of room to grow."
That loss of shooting comes in the form of Jodie Meeks, who bolted to the NBA after leading the team—and the SEC—in scoring. His 23.7 points per game was over 33 percent of Kentucky's scoring last year and with his loss, the team loses more offensive production than any other team in the league.
Often joining the True Blue in top ten lists across the country are the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols looked to bring back every single player on its roster before highly talented forward Emmanuel Negedu went down recently to heart trouble. His future with the team looks dim, though the squad's outlook on this season remains steadfast.
Third-Team All-American Tyler Smith can quite literally do it all, and Kentucky's amount of talent may be matched, or even exceeded, by the team in orange. The Vols are looking to prove the nation wrong and dethrone the Wildcats.
"As far as our team’s chemistry, we are going to learn from last year to play together," Pearl stated.
Yet another national contender resides in Starkville, Mississippi. That town endured a wild off-season, as Fourth-Team All-American Jarvis Varnado—who should become the nation's leading shot-blocker of all time this season—chose to return to the team. Then, a couple of high-profile recruits with elligibility issues signed on.
Sidney, who most consider the most talented player in this year's class, hasn't received his elligibility yet, former Top Five recruit John Riek has, though he will sit out nine games. Riek is 7'2" with a much bigger wingspan and should immediately contribute.
The Bulldogs return every starter and lose a few back-ups, mostly to injury. This team is the prohibitive favorite to win a Western Division which it seemingly owns, and could make a run at the league title.
"It is the most experience I have had in a long time and we only have two seniors coming back," MSU coach Rick Stansbury expressed. "There is no question that we are better off at this point in the year than we were at this point last year."
Four other SEC teams have been ranked in the nation's Top 25 in various preseason selections this season.
Ole Miss has received some increased expectations for a few reasons. Several players, including Second-Team All-SEC point guard Chris Warren, return from season-ending injuries in 2007-08. Much-hyped sophomore Terrico White will look to continue his momentum from last season, as he was selected on the media's First-Team All-SEC list.
South Carolina returns a great deal of power from last year's SEC East co-champion team, including star point-guard and First-Team All-SEC selection Devan Downey.
Florida lost its heart and soul in Nick Calathes, but the amount of pure talent and depth on the team should lend itself to a competitive season.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Kentucky Wildcats Basketball articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
23 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete