SEC Basketball: Preview and Predictions for 2014-15 Season

Scott PolacekNov 4, 2014

The SEC may be known as a football conference, but half of last season’s Final Four hailed from the league.

Kentucky and Florida will once again pace the SEC in 2014-15, and there is a chance this turns into a two-team race rather quickly. Whether the rest of the conference can keep up with the mighty Gators and Wildcats is one of the biggest question marks heading into a new campaign.

It almost seems unfair, but the Gators team that went 18-0 in SEC play last season and won the regular-season and conference tournament titles is not the favorite. That designation belongs to John Calipari and his Kentucky Wildcats.

Does that mean Kentucky will deliver on the hype?

Check out the SEC preview to find out.

Top Storylines

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Will Kentucky Lose?

The 40-0 hype surrounding the Wildcats was a bit ridiculous last season, but they could legitimately challenge for an undefeated campaign in 2014-15.

It probably won’t happen (after all, everyone loses at some point in today’s college basketball world), but this is one of Calipari’s best teams of his entire tenure. It’s not just because of the freshmen, either.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Alex Poythress and Dakari Johnson all returned, which means Kentucky will actually have some veteran leadership in place this year.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the Wildcats without a loaded recruiting class. Karl Towns, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis give Calipari options all over the court.

Kentucky has nine McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster. Good luck beating that.

Can Florida Replace the Stars?

While the Wildcats reloaded again, Florida must replace four senior starters.

If Michael Frazier II finds a consistent stroke from outside, Chris Walker lives up to the hype down low, Dorian Finney-Smith builds on an impressive 2013-14 campaign and Kasey Hill directs it all from the point guard spot, the Gators will challenge for their fifth consecutive Elite Eight.

Will Anyone Else Keep up with the Top Two?

There may not be another power conference in America with as drastic of a separation between the top two and the rest of the field as the SEC.

Mike Anderson’s Arkansas squad is the best of the rest, and it could challenge for a Top 25 spot as the year progresses. Remember, the Razorbacks actually beat Kentucky twice last season, and they return their top three scorers from a year ago.

Elsewhere, LSU, Mississippi and perhaps Alabama could make some noise, but it is unrealistic to expect anyone but Kentucky or Florida to take home the conference crown.

The Favorite

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Kentucky Wildcats

We already touched on Kentucky’s potential dominance this season, but the amount of talent it has accumulated is preposterous.

The Wildcats struggled under the weight of expectations during the regular season in 2013-14, but things finally clicked in the postseason with a run to the national title game.

Calipari brings back five players who averaged at least 14 minutes a game for that team, so there should be more of an understanding of how to handle the pressure that comes with playing in Lexington this season.

Throw in another loaded recruiting class, and the race for preseason favorite is crystal clear.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports put it nicely:

"
The roster Calipari has assembled is more talented and deeper than anybody else's roster, and it has enough returning rotation players -- thanks to Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson putting off the NBA Draft -- to reasonably be labeled experienced.
Bottom line, UK will be scary good.
A second national title should be John Calipari's goal.
"

The Challengers

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Florida Gators

Florida is replacing a lot of talent, but a potential starting five of Hill, Frazier, Devin Robinson, Finney-Smith and Walker is dangerous.

The key to the entire thing may be the development of Hill as a young point guard tasked with leading the Gators to impressive heights in the NCAA tournament yet again, and Walker, who will be asked to play at an All-American level down low.

Having Billy Donovan in charge of it all makes life a bit easier in Gainesville.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Zac Ellis of Sports Illustrated picked Arkansas’ Mike Anderson as SEC Coach of the Year in its SEC season preview.

If he does take home that hardware, it will mean he reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in his Arkansas tenure. That should be the minimum expectation with Rashad Madden, Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls anchoring the offense.

Arkansas will be an NCAA tournament team this season.

LSU Tigers

It is difficult to differentiate between the middle of the SEC after the top three, but LSU is in position to challenge for a spot on Selection Sunday as well.

The first order of business will be finding a way to replace Johnny O’Bryant III after he stuffed the stat sheet a year ago, but the frontcourt is loaded with potential talent.

The threesome of Jordan Mickey, Jarrell Martin and Elbert Robinson III should control the glass and find ways to score from the paint all year.

Mickey in particular has the talent to be an All-SEC player.

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The Bottom Dwellers

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Mississippi State

Mississippi State couldn’t rebound or score last season, and there is little reason to expect anything differently in 2014-15.

There may be some experience in place, but the Bulldogs are still a recruiting class or two away from being any type of threat in the SEC. Talent wins games at this level, and Mississippi State simply doesn’t match up.

Vanderbilt

It wasn’t that long ago that Vanderbilt was contending with the likes of Kentucky and Florida near the top of the SEC under Kevin Stallings. Not so much anymore after two straight losing seasons.

Things may get worse before they get better for the Commodores if they can’t find adequate replacements for Rod Odom and Kyle Fuller.

Tennessee

Get ready for prime time, Josh Richardson.

Richardson is Tennessee’s only returning starter from a year ago and is one of the best defensive players in the entire country.

Having Richardson as something of an anchor is a start, but new coach Donnie Tyndall has his work cut out for him building an adequate roster of supporting pieces.

Best Rivalry

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Kentucky/Florida

As if this is even a question entering the 2014-15 season.

There may be more historical rivalries in college basketball and perhaps even in the SEC, but these two programs have separated themselves so much from the rest of the league that their showdowns define the conference’s season.

Last year, Florida handled Kentucky in all three matchups, including a nail-biter in the SEC tournament’s title game. The Gators won that one 61-60, but the intensity helped prepare both teams for eventual runs to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.

If you don’t think those three losses are motivating factors for the loaded Wildcats entering this season, think again.

Coaches Under the Most Pressure

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Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt basketball is a shell of what it used to be just a short couple of years ago.

Stallings has directed two consecutive losing seasons, seen a fair share of off-court problems within his program and may be in for another long campaign in 2014-15. A surprising season from the Commodores would do wonders to alleviate some of the pressure Stallings is facing.

Mike Anderson, Arkansas

As mentioned, Arkansas may be the best team in the SEC not named Kentucky or Florida and should make the NCAA tournament.

So why is there pressure on Anderson?

Simply put, he has to start delivering. He hasn’t been to the Big Dance in his entire Arkansas tenure, but he finally has the pieces to do so and more this season. If Anderson can’t find a way to get his team in the field of 68, it would be a major disappointment.

Bruce Pearl, Auburn

Any rational fan understands that it is going to take Bruce Pearl some time to build a winner at Auburn like the one he had at Tennessee.

This year isn’t a make-or-break season by any stretch of the imagination, but there is finally some excitement surrounding the Auburn basketball program for the first time in years.

Pearl has to at least build on that and give the fans reason for optimism with a solid season. He has some talent in place with Cinmeon Bowers, Antoine Mason and K.C. Ross-Miller, and an upset or two in conference play would go a long way toward building even more hype.

There is finally pressure to deliver at Auburn, and that could be a good thing.

Best Frontcourt

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Kentucky Wildcats

It is a testament to the recruiting prowess of Calipari that he lost big man Julius Randle to the Los Angeles Lakers in the lottery of the draft and still has the best frontcourt in the SEC.

The addition of the freshman Towns is a major reason for that. Towns could be the top pick in next year’s draft because of his height and athleticism. He will swat shots all season in the post, control the boards with his leaping ability and score from the low block.

Throw in returnees Dakari Johnson and Cauley-Stein, and the Wildcats will have their way with anyone down low.

In fact, the Wildcats are so loaded in the frontcourt that natural power forwards Lyles and Poythress may have to play the wing just to see consistent playing time.

Having so much talent is a problem that any coach in America would want, but it will be fascinating to watch Calipari balance the roster, considering he could have a potential Final Four team on his bench at any one time.

Best Backcourt

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Kentucky Wildcats

It may not seem fair to the rest of the conference, but the Kentucky Wildcats have the best frontcourt, best backcourt, best bench and best team in the entire league.

The Harrison brothers are a known commodity now after struggling somewhat to get their footing at the college level early in the 2013-14 season. Both had breakout NCAA tournaments and surprised some folks by returning to school.

The Harrison brothers may be the anchor for the backcourt, but the freshman Ulis will be a crowd-pleaser all season.

He checks in at 5’9” with incredible speed and ball-handling abilities. Ulis should create plenty of shots for his talented teammates by beating defenders off the dribble and forcing help to collapse.

If nothing else, Ulis will be a spark plug for the offense and help the team get out in transition for stretches in the middle of games.

Freshmen to Watch

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Karl Towns, Kentucky

If you’ve made it this far into the preview, you know Towns is going to be a superstar in his freshman season.

There may be some concern about where the freshman will fit into the rotation with so many quality players, but he could be the most talented one on the roster.

What’s more, he can stretch the defense with a mid-range jumper if needed, so he could even work in some pick-and-pops with the Harrison twins to give Kentucky’s offense a more diverse look.

Towns is the top freshman—and perhaps the top player—in the SEC.

Trey Lyles, Kentucky

The key to Lyles’ entire season may be his willingness and ability to play the small forward spot in a big lineup.

His natural position is power forward, and he is more than comfortable banging around in the paint for rebounds and blocked shots, but there is a logjam down low for the Wildcats.

Lyles has the athleticism and speed to play small forward in a big rotation, which gives Calipari more options with his lineup.

It also guarantees that the Wildcats may never get out-rebounded in a single game.

Yante Maten, Georgia

It’s about time someone besides the Kentucky kids gets some recognition when it comes to SEC freshmen, and Yante Maten is a big reason why Georgia could remain in the upper half of the league standings this year.

He is a beast on the glass and should help the Bulldogs limit opponents to only one shot on the defensive end. What’s more, his strength will help him score around the basket and make the Georgia attack a much more efficient one.