Toyminator's 2001-2002 SEC Conference Preview

The SEC will once again be one of the toughest and most exciting conferences in the country this season. The power in this conference still resides in the Eastern division, with teams like Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee & vastly improved South Carolina. It will be quite a battle at the top between Florida & Kentucky. Florida is always one of the best teams in the country, and should be better than last season's injury-plagued squad. The loss of Teddy Dupay hurts, but the Gators have a very deep backcourt and should adjust fine without him. The Wildcats also lost a key player in Jason Parker, who was the team's best inside presence. Without him, it will put pressure on Jules Camara to come through after being away from the game for some time. Otherwise, the Wildcats are a PG away from the Final Four! True, they didn't have one last season (unless you count Saul Smith), but this season they will be very inexperienced at this key position.

The West is full of solid, if unspectacular teams. On the other hand, they will be quite balanced, as any one of them could win the division.The team with the most talent is Alabama, but as we've seen, that doesn't mean much. Pretty close is Auburn, who could really surprise a few teams, assuming they actually can find someone to play the point. Last season's PG, Jamison Brewer left for the NBA, while their backup, Lincoln Glass, is out indefinitely. Mississippi will still be tough, though not as good as last season's team. Keep an eye on LSU, who has the potential to really move up in the standings if all their pieces come together.

ON THE RISE: LSU
It took Coach Brady just one year to rebuild the Tigers into a solid team. LSU is loaded with talented players, especially underrated Ronald Dupree, who may be the conference MVP! Plus, you know things are looking up when one of your recruits is a lottery pick in the NBA Draft! JUCO star Kedrick Brown never made it on campus this season, which shows Coach Brady is starting to attract some big time talent to the Bayou again!

IN DECLINE: Arkansas
The Hogs have not been tearing up the recruiting trail lately and it will show this season. Plus, with their only true talent, Joe Johnson, in the NBA now, they don't have that one goto guy anymore. Coach Richardson still has plenty of players to throw at opponents, so it will still be 40 minutes of hell, but offensively this team may struggle! It may be a long season in Fayetteville!

1. FLORIDA

Strengths: Excellent shooting team, leads to many points! Good perimeter defense. Force many turnovers. Good ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Bench is thin and inexperienced. Loss of Dupay.
Outlook: The Gators are getting used to bad news, so the loss of Dupay & #1 draft pick Kwame Brown is something they can easily overcome. This group is just as good as the 99 Final Four team!

2. KENTUCKY

Strengths: Excellent interior defense. Solid offensively. Good rebounding team. Lots of depth & experience.
Weakness: Inexperienced PG. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: The Cats came on strong late last season and should be one of the top teams this season! The loss of Parker hurts their chance at a national title!

3. TENNESSEE

Strengths: Good shooting & rebounding team. Aggressive team defense. Big, solid frontcourt.
Weakness: Weak backcourt. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: The Vols blew it last season with their best team in years, so anything positive this season and it will be all forgotten. Still good enough to make a return to the NCAA Tournament!

4. SOUTH CAROLINA

Strengths: Big, deep frontcourt. Solid team defense. Very experienced team.
Weakness: Poor shooting & rebounding team. Poor ball distribution.
Outlook: With new coach Dave Odom at the helm, the Cocks will be even tougher defensively. Now, if they can get their offense in gear, they could have a pretty good season.

5. VANDERBILT

Strengths: Solid, deep backcourt. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Weak frontcourt, who will have trouble rebounding.
Outlook: Stallings will have the Commodores to play every night, but that doesn't mean they'll win that many of them!

6. GEORGIA

Strengths: Solid backcourt. Good rebounding team.
Weakness: Inexperienced frontcourt. Poor team defense. Too many turnovers. Poor FT shooting team. Not many players...period!
Outlook: The Dawgs lost a lot from last season's mediocre team. No matter how tough their schedule, they won't make the Tournament this season!

1. ALABAMA

Strengths: Ecellent team offense. Good rebounding team. Very quick, deep backcourt.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Little frontcourt depth. Sloppy at times.
Outlook: The arrival of Williams at point should solidify this team and they should finally reach their potential. This year they'll make the Big Dance!

2. AUBURN

Strengths: Aggressive team defense. Good rebounding team. Lots of scorers. Good depth.
Weakness: Who's the PG? Poor 3-pt & FT shooting team.
Outlook: Harrington & Daniels return to cause havoc on the wings, but its the return of McGadney down low and a ton of freshman phenoms that will make this team quite exciting to watch! Keep an eye on them!

3. MISSISSIPPI

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Very quick team. Force lots of turnovers. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Hole at C. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: Won't match last season's incredible run. Still tough, but could get pounded on the boards, which won't get them too far!

4. LSU

Strengths: Loaded offensively! Good shooting team. Very quick team.
Weakness: Small frontcourt. Could have trouble rebounding. Poor perimeter defense. Lack of depth.
Outlook: If the Tigers can improve defensively, they could move up the rankings quickly!

5. ARKANSAS

Strengths: Quick, athletic team. Deep backcourt, that can bury the 3! Good team defense that forces many turnovers.
Weakness: Horrible frontcourt. Little inside scoring & rebounding. Could struggle offensively. Lack of leadership.
Outlook: Is it just me, or does this team lack something? Most everyone's back from last season, but most of them are yawners! The Hogs aren't what they used to be! Then again, they could pull a Mississippi and come out of nowhere! Who knows!

6. MISSISSIPPI ST.

Strengths: Big frontcourt. Good rebounding team. Good team defense.
Weakness: Questionable backcourt. Poor ball handling & distribution. Poor 3-pt & FT shooting team.
Outlook: MSU has some players, but things just don't seem to fall together. Their frontcourt will be tough to handle at times, but if their backcourt is still a mess by midseason, they will struggle!

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Last updated on 10/24/01 by toyminator@prodigy.net