Toyminator's 2002-2003 SEC Conference Preview

The SEC must rebound from an awful NCAA Tournament performance last season. To be honest, we should have seen it coming. There were a lot of good teams last season, but none of them were strong enough or consistent enough to make some noise in the Tournament. This season, that should change! First of all, most everyone's back from last season's two best teams, Alabama & Georgia, so they should be solid again. Plus, the experience they gained last season should help them be better prepared this time around. Second, both Florida & Kentucky should bounce back from subpar seasons a year ago. In fact, Florida should be one of the top 5 teams in the country by next March! They are a little young, but they have so much talent it's scary! Lastly, look for Mississippi State to continue their rise in the ranks as they come off a surprisingly successful season a year ago!

Those five teams shouldn't have any reason not to make the Big Dance! However, there are a few more teams that could work their way into the Field of 64. LSU looks like they could become this season's surprise team! Coach Brady's got an arsenal of offensive weapons on this team, so if their defense improves, watch out! Either way, be sure to catch this team in action, as they should be fun to watch! Two other teams that could make a run are Mississippi & South Carolina. Mississippi is always a tough opponent, but they will need someone to step into the "big" shoes left by PG Jason Harrison if they want to make their way off the Bubble! South Carolina had a great run in the NIT last season, but lost their starting backcourt and may need time to find their groove. However, they've got a coach in Dave Odom that knows how to get the most from his players. The battle for those last 1-2 bids should be quite intense!

ON THE RISE: Mississippi State
Oh, was I wrong last season when I picked this team last in their division. Simply shameful! However, after watching them last season, I could see the improvement this group has made. Look for that to continue this season as Mario Austin & Derrick Zimmerman play themselves into next season's NBA Draft. Meanwhile, youngsters Ontario Harper and Marcus Campbell should continue to develop into solid players. Beyond this season, the Bulldogs will continue to be tough with transfer Shane Power & blue chip recruit Travis Outlaw arriving!

IN DECLINE: Tennessee
The Vols are looking a lot like Arkansas did a year ago when I predicted them to be in decline! They lost their best player (Marcus Haislip) early to the Draft, their backcourt is a mess, and they just came off a disappointing season. The return of Ron Slay may make them a .500 team, but after this year, Coach Peterson will have trouble keeping this program above water (along with his job) in this power conference!

1. FLORIDA

Strengths: Excellent shooting team, leads to many points! Aggressive team defense. Good rebounding team. Good ball distribution. Tons of able bodies off the bench!
Weakness: Too many turnovers. Inexperienced bench.
Outlook: The Gators were down last season (they still won 22 games!), but should become one of the country's elite teams again this season! Nelson should bounce back, sophs White & Lee should blossom nicely, and their freshmen are dynamite. Probable Final Four team!

2. GEORGIA

Strengths: Solid offensive team. Good rebounding team. Solid D on the perimeter. Good ball handling & distribution. Good FT shooting team. Very quick, deep & experienced team.
Weakness: Small frontcourt with little help off the bench. Poor 3-pt shooting team.
Outlook: Though I'm not his biggest fan, Coach Harrick knows how to win games! There's no way this team should have been THAT good last season. Anyhow, had they not lost all their freshmen big men, they would have won the league title! Now they'll have to battle for it!

3. KENTUCKY

Strengths: Big, strong frontcourt - good rebounding team. Balanced offense. Lots of depth & experience.
Weakness: Erratic PG play. Poor FT & 3-pt shooting team.
Outlook: The loss of Hawkins for the first semester may hurt or help this team. How they respond if/when he comes back will determine how well they perform down the stretch. The loss of Jason Parker inside hurts too, but there's still enough talent here to be a Top 20 team!

4. SOUTH CAROLINA

Strengths: Big, deep frontcourt. Excellent team defense that forces many turnovers. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: New backcourt could struggle. Poor rebounding team. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: The loss of their starting backcourt hurts, but if Chuck Eidson can handle the point, they'll have the biggest backcourt in the country! Their defense alone will win many games, but they'll have to score some points if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament!

5. VANDERBILT

Strengths: Good 3-pt & FT shooting team. Promising frontcourt.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Must rebound better for their size. Lack of team quickness. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: Unfortunately for the Commodores, this division is too strong and they aren't. They will battle their in-state rivals for the basement!

6. TENNESSEE

Strengths: Decent frontcourt. Good rebounding team. Solid team defense.
Weakness: Weak backcourt. Too many turnovers. May struggle offensively. Very inexperienced.
Outlook: The Vols have two decent players in Slay & Higgins, but besides them there are a lot of unknowns. Look for the young guys to get lots of playing time this season in hopes for future dividends!

1. ALABAMA

Strengths: Solid team defense. Good rebounding team. Quick, talented, deep backcourt. Good FT shooting team. Tough at home.
Weakness: Poor outside shooting team. Sloppy at times.
Outlook: The Tide should be better than last season, even without Rod Grizzard. Their backcourt is loaded and of course, they still have Erwin Dudley down low. Look for them to improve on last season's poor Tournament performance.

2. MISSISSIPPI ST.

Strengths: Big, deep, talented frontcourt that knows how to score & rebound! Tough team defense that forces many turnovers. Lots of depth.
Weakness: Too many turnovers. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: MSU improved dramatically last season, thanks to rising stars such as Austin & Zimmerman. They should be even better this season and could be a tough out come March!

3. LSU

Strengths: Good shooting team, especially from 3-pt. Potentially explosive offensive team. Good rebounding team. Lots of experience & depth.
Weakness: Poor ball handling & distribution. Weak perimeter defense. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: If JUCO star Lloreda can give them some inside scoring, it will make this team lethal on offense! There are so many scorers, it's scary! Look for the Tigers to be one of the surprise teams this season!

4. MISSISSIPPI

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Talented, experienced starting 5. Good shooting team. Tough at home.
Weakness: Question mark at PG. Too many turnovers. Little off the bench. Road woes.
Outlook: Losing Harrison at PG will be tough to overcome, but the rest of the team is solid. Should have a good season, but may still end up on the Bubble!

5. AUBURN

Strengths: Solid frontcourt. Very quick team. Lots of experience.
Weakness: Horrible shooting team, especially from the FT line. Poor offense. Poor ball handling & distribution. Road woes.
Outlook: The Tigers have had some bad luck with stupid players thinking they can play in the NBA. They've got some talented youngsters on the squad, but they'll need some more time to develop (if they stick around). An NIT bid may be possible.

6. ARKANSAS

Strengths: Decent team defense. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Pitiful frontcourt. Entirely new backcourt. Little inside scoring & rebounding. Could struggle offensively. Very inexperienced.
Outlook: As I predicted last season, the Hogs program sank like a rock! Little did I know it would result in the ousting of Nolan Richardson! New coach Stan Heath will have a tough job for years to come trying to keep this program adrift!

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Last updated on 10/29/02 by toyminator@prodigy.net