The reality of the SEC

[GOING FOR #9]

It is not going to be a cake walk. This years sec is very good with lots of good coaches. I believe this league will get at least 5 into the tournament. The league is the third highest rated in college based on ooc opponents. It has a schedule strength of #2. As these games play out these rpi records will get better as teams with good rpi rankings lose. On paper it looks helluva a lot tougher game in and game out the rest of the way than our currently rated SOS of 4. If someone is able to knock off UK look for that team to leap in rankings.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Originally posted by GOING FOR #9:
It is not going to be a cake walk. This years sec is very good with lots of good coaches. I believe this league will get at least 5 into the tournament. The league is the third highest rated in college based on ooc opponents. It has a schedule strength of #2. As these games play out these rpi records will get better as teams with good rpi rankings lose. On paper it looks helluva a lot tougher game in and game out the rest of the way than our currently rated SOS of 4. If someone is able to knock off UK look for that team to leap in rankings.

You lost me with the "very good" part. Not as terrible as people say maybe. Very good? Nope.

 

[KDcats11]

The middle is much better this year than in the past 5 or so years. You have about 6 or so teams that are very solid and could earn a bid. That's different than the past years when you only had 2 locks and the rest fighting for 1 bid. There may not be a an elite 2nd team this year thanks to Florida, but overall the conference is much tougher.
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[UKWildcats#8]

UK can dominate every game in the SEC if they show up and play for 40 minutes.

 

[UKSlim]

The SEC is full of athletes. As Mississippi showed, if these athletes get red hot, they can beat people. The most athletic teams other than UK are Arkansas, LSU, Florida and Alabama. These teams can cause any team problems because of their athleticism.

 

[mj2k10]

Originally posted by UKSlim:
The SEC is full of athletes. As Mississippi showed, if these athletes get red hot, they can beat people. The most athletic teams other than UK are Arkansas, LSU, Florida and Alabama. These teams can cause any team problems because of their athleticism.

This is more accurate than the OP. No, the SEC is not "very good", but yes, there are teams with the ability to rise up on any given day. That's generally been the way with the SEC since the mid-70's.

 

[docholiday51]

The SEC is for the most part very average,teams will beat each other up.Teams like UGA, Ark and LSU will lose games they should not lose.UT, Vandy and Ole Miss will win a couple they should not win. Miss.St, Aub, Mizzou will struggle to beat anyone.

UF has a start on righting their ship but is subject to lose any given game.Ala will play most everybody close and win about as many as they lose.
This post was edited on 1/8 12:05 AM by docholiday51

 

[deplion]

Originally posted by UKWildcats#8:
UK can dominate every game in the SEC if they show up and play for 40 minutes.

Pretty much agree.

There will be games like last night where we are flat and the other team plays out of their heads against. It wouldn't shock me if we wound up dropping a game or two.

If we are focused and play with intensity for 40 minutes though, there is not a single team in the SEC (and probably the country) that can keep up with us.

 

[caneintally]

the SEC is absolutely very good . not great like the ACC or Big 12 but as good or better then everyone else. But by the time people realize it will be this time next year and the SEC will be great. kinda how it works . There are sooo many future NBAers in the SEC it is like in the early 00's and late 90's when Bama , UGA , UK ,UF and others had loads of talent. When Harrick was at UGA , Billy had his machine running in gville . The New SEC will be Texas AM, Auburn, LSU , Arky and UK IMO. UF will be back just not this year. Hickey , Martin , Thornwell , the 3 Arky guys , Novice , Summers , Mann , Finney Smith , a others are all great talents. And then UK is just loaded. But this year there still are 3-5 bad bad teams like Mizzou , Miss St , Vandy ,ect.

 

[.S&C.]

Wow.

People, there are how many conferences in college basketball?

everything is relative. The SEC, relative to the rest of the nation, is absolutely a very good league. We have 7 teams in the BRI top 40. Average leagues do not have 7 teams rated that high in any ratings system. Keep knocking the league. You will eat those words when we get 5 or 6 teams in the tournament which is a real chance.

The teams that are running the sec are great (UK) and really really good (arky LSU) good teams (fla, Georgia, SC) and the others will beat your ass if you don't play.(see ole miss) How is this not a good league? Some people LOOK for reasons why the sec sucks instead of looking at why it's underrated. If someone made me label the sec, I wouldnt use words like good, very good, average etc... Anyway. We are a good league no need to say it. I'd say "underrated" is exactly what the sec is. People are slowly figuring this out. Slowly.

This post was edited on 1/8 1:28 AM by .S&C.

 

[mj2k10]

Originally posted by .S&C.:
Wow.

People, there are how many conferences in college basketball?

everything is relative. The SEC, relative to the rest of the nation, is absolutely a very good league. We have 7 teams in the BRI top 40. Average leagues do not have 7 teams rated that high in any ratings system. Keep knocking the league. You will eat those words when we get 5 or 6 teams in the tournament which is a real chance.

The teams that are running the sec are great (UK) and really really good (arky LSU) good teams (fla, Georgia, SC) and the others will beat your ass if you don't play.(see ole miss) How is this not a good league? Some people LOOK for reasons why the sec sucks instead of looking at why it's underrated. If someone made me label the sec, I wouldnt use words like good, very good, average etc... Anyway. We are a good league no need to say it. I'd say "underrated" is exactly what the sec is. People are slowly figuring this out. Slowly.

This post was edited on 1/8 1:28 AM by .S&C.

Who does UK need to beat in order to win a national championship? Is UK going to be playing a lot of tournament games against teams that aren't in a power 5 conference, especially in the later rounds?

You compare like to like. Acting like the SEC accomplishes anything by being significantly better than the bottom 2/3rds of division 1 basketball is like being proud of the fact that you can beat a younger brother who's 2 feet shorter and weighs 100 lbs less in a wrestling match.

By power 5 conference standards, the SEC is not "very good". "Very good" means having a majority of the conference vying for NCAA bids, and having multiple teams that are likely to be playing after the 1st weekend of the NCAA tourney.

 

[.S&C.]

MJ2 I agree to disagree. I get your point of view, and I don't mean to compare us to the bottom 1/3 of the conferences in America,but if you listen to media types and some of our own posters, you'd come away thinking we aren't even a top 5 league when in fact we are planted right there.

I don't want to split hairs over terms. I believe the SEC is a very good league. I think after a few conferences, the sec is right there with the rest of the best on any given night. Like I stated, I just do not interpret how a league with 7 teams rated in the top 40 of any system in CBB can't be considered a very good league.

And relative to Kentucky, the league might as well be the western conference of the NBA. . As we saw last night, we can lose at any time to any team in this conference. Save an injury, we probably lose that game, and Ole miss is at the bottom of the league. There's no way one could ever persuade calipari to admit this league is not "very good" and I believe every word when he says the contrary. For a power conference we are not the ACC or the Big12 (even though it's overrated), but we usually do very good to be somewhere after that not too far behind. I'm ok calling it a very good league.

As long as it's conceivable to everyone that the sec is "underrated" and understands it is in fact a good league, I'm cool with that. Good/very good. Whatever. We ain't too shabby.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Originally posted by .S&C.:
MJ2 I agree to disagree. I get your point of view, and I don't mean to compare us to the bottom 1/3 of the conferences in America,but if you listen to media types and some of our own posters, you'd come away thinking we aren't even a top 5 league when in fact we are planted right there.

I don't want to split hairs over terms. I believe the SEC is a very good league. I think after a few conferences, the sec is right there with the rest of the best on any given night. Like I stated, I just do not interpret how a league with 7 teams rated in the top 40 of any system in CBB can't be considered a very good league.

And relative to Kentucky, the league might as well be the western conference of the NBA. . As we saw last night, we can lose at any time to any team in this conference. Save an injury, we probably lose that game, and Ole miss is at the bottom of the league. There's no way one could ever persuade calipari to admit this league is not "very good" and I believe every word when he says the contrary. For a power conference we are not the ACC or the Big12 (even though it's overrated), but we usually do very good to be somewhere after that not too far behind. I'm ok calling it a very good league.

As long as it's conceivable to everyone that the sec is "underrated" and understands it is in fact a good league, I'm cool with that. Good/very good. Whatever. We ain't too shabby.

Ole Miss is not at the "bottom" of the SEC. Auburn, MSU, Missouri, UT, and Vandy are all CLEARLY weaker, and I'd rank Ole Miss higher than TX A&M myself personally, so that puts them 8th, about middle of the pack.

 

[MegaBlue05]

The SEC is slightly above average, but possibly the third or fourth strongest conference.

There ACC and Big 12 standout as being better.

The Big 10 is down, The Pac-12 is nothing to write home about either. It's better than the Big East, which is a half mid-major league now anyway. The AAC is also crap.

I could see the SEC getting anywhere from 3-6 teams in the dance. As others have said, the middle and bottom are stronger than they've been in years, but the top is weaker because UF is down and LSU and Arky are largely unproven.

 

[Desperado_1955]

Despite how good or otherwise the SEC is, UK will always get the best effort of every team in it. That alone makes for the possibility of a loss or two. An opponent having familiarity with your style of play, etc. plays a major role.

 

[kats23]

Originally posted by Desperado_1955:
Despite how good or otherwise the SEC is, UK will always get the best effort of every team in it. That alone makes for the possibility of a loss or two. An opponent having familiarity with your style of play, etc. plays a major role.

Exactly. People can play apologist to the SEC all they want. It isn't a very good conference. UK will get everyone's best shot because they circle the calendars.

 

[SomeDudeCRO]

Originally posted by mj2k10:
By power 5 conference standards, the SEC is not "very good". "Very good" means having a majority of the conference vying for NCAA bids, and having multiple teams that are likely to be playing after the 1st weekend of the NCAA tourney.

But the difference between "very good" and "not very good" is pretty small. The SEC was FLorida's folding on a 20 point lead away from ending the Big12/Sec challenge at 5-5.

 

[FiveStarCat]

Originally posted by Desperado_1955:
Despite how good or otherwise the SEC is, UK will always get the best effort of every team in it. That alone makes for the possibility of a loss or two. An opponent having familiarity with your style of play, etc. plays a major role.

Yep. Everyone knows the SEC gets up when playing Kentucky, not only because of the history of the program but because of that big #1 next to their name. But there are also a couple of other factors:

1) For most, if not all of these SEC teams, Kentucky is the one chance for a big signature win on their resume. LSU does have @WVU and South Carolina has @Iowa State but no one else in the league has that big win that says "this is a tournament team." Kentucky offers that chance so every game we play from here on out is basically against a team playing with tournament intensity.

2) Along the same lines as #1, the Kentucky game is very likely the first and only game the rest of the SEC will play in front of a sold out crowd, whether it be at Rupp or at home. That alone is a huge factor in the intensity of the players.

To summarize: A chance to knock off big, bad #1 Kentucky + Possible HUGE signature win + Playing in front of a intense, sold out crowd = an extraordinary effort from the opponent.

Sometimes that can backfire if a team comes out with too much juice but every once in awhile it plays out like it did with Ole Miss on Tuesday. Moody's cramps were a big factor and I would guess it had something to do with the increased intensity and adrenaline he was playing with because of the above factors.