2016-17 SEC Mens Basketball Projections

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/SEC/status/773219228790951937

Southeastern Conference unveiled its 126-game men's basketball schedule for the 2016-17 season.

Conference play tips off on Thursday, December 29, with five games and continues on either Tuesday, January 3, or Wednesday, January 4. The December 29 start date will be the first time a conference game has been played in the month of December since Vanderbilt hosted Mississippi State on December 19, 1991

Kentucky (1), Mississippi State (4), Texas A&M (18) and Auburn (19) each have recruiting classes that rank among the top 20 of ESPN's RecruitingNation Class Rankings for 2016. Seventeen of ESPN's 2015 Top 100 recruits signed with SEC schools, including nine of the top 50 players.

Each of the games can be seen from anywhere in the nation. SEC Network will televise 68 games, ESPN or ESPN2 will televise 32 contests, ESPNU 20 and CBS Sports six. The SEC's games on ESPN platforms are exclusively branded as the "SEC on ESPN."

All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and SEC Network) will also be available through WatchESPN, which is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Each of the CBS Sports games will be available to stream live in more than 150 U.S. markets via the CBS All Access subscription service, with additional coverage on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app.

The SEC Network will televise the first three days of the SEC Basketball Tournament (March 8-12) from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The semifinals and championship game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

[jbcarol]

With football season now in the rearview mirror:

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels 21h21 hours ago Kentucky, USA

John Calipari, Kentucky will host their annual NBA pro day on October 9th and 10th, according to industry sources.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 22h22 hours ago

Texas A&M freshman Deshawn Corprew has been ruled a non-qualifier by the NCAA, sources told @CBSSports.

A&M (#5 seed in ESPN's Joe Lunardi and #7 seed in Shelby Mast's latest and still too early bracket projections)

Key Losses

Sr. Alex Caruso (5 apg, 2 spg, A&M's all-time steals leader)
Son of a long-time A&M Athletic Dept. associate. Hustle player and leader.
2nd Team All-SEC; All-SEC Defensive Team

Sr. Danuel House (15.6 ppg, 30.9 3P%, 39.6 FG%)
One of the co-scoring leaders for A&M. 2nd Team All-SEC

Sr. Jalen Jones (15.3 ppg, 32.4 3P%, 7.2 rpg)
One of the co-scoring leaders for A&M. 1st Team All-SEC

Sr. Anthony Collins (4.5 ppg, 4.2 apg, 45.2 3P%, 87.2 FT%)


Key Returnees

So. Tyler Davis (11.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 65.5 FG%)
SEC All-Freshman

Jr. Tonny Trocha-Morelos  (17 mpg, 7 ppg)

So. Admon Gilder (7 ppg)

So. DJ Hogg (6.2 ppg)
SEC All-Freshman


Key Newcomers

Robert Williams  6-8, 220  North Caddo  #10 PF

JJ Caldwell  5-11 PG  Homeschool [Eligibilty Center pending]  #17 PG

Deshawn Corprew  6-5, 190  Norfolk Quality Education Academy  #18 SF

Eric Vila 6-9, 205  FC Barcelona Lassa   PF

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/eamonnbrennan/status/775683161934139392

Intriguing Sleepers

Arkansas: Mike Anderson has reached the NCAA tournament just once since he was hired in 2011, and there is no guarantee that Arkansas will make the 2017 tournament. But junior college stars Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon could form an intriguing lineup with Moses Kingsley (15.9 PPG) and Dusty Hannahs (16.5 PPG). Veteran guard Anton Beard returns, too. But have the Razorbacks fixed a defense that surrendered 80 points or more in eight losses last year?

Vanderbilt: Bryce Drew's new squad lost Wade Baldwin and Damian Jones...

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein Sep 16

Texas A&M's uncertainty at PG reiterates a prevailing SEC story line: league has no clear cut team after Kentucky. Wide open after Cats.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 1m1 minute ago

Florida's Devin Robinson (foot) will be cleared for all basketball related activities when practice begins, Mike White told @CBSSports.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN Sep 16

NCAA has declared Texas A&M freshman guard JJ Caldwell ineligible this season, source told ESPN. He will remain enrolled.

Caldwell was set to compete for starting PG spot at Texas A&M. Now ineligible, per source. Lipscomb grad transfer JC Hampton may be guy.

Also look for sophomore Admon Gilder to see plenty of time at the point for Texas A&M. Will likely split with Hampton.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein

Palpable buzz out of Lexington surrounding Wenyen Gabriel's defensive prowess. Can guard 1-5. Versatile piece for Kentucky at 6-10.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/gatorhoops/status/779365022329745409

Of course, big key to Florida's season will be if Kasey Hill's finish last year was just aberration or signs of more to come.

Best SEC records over the last seven seasons:

School    Records
Kentucky    95-24
Florida    81-39
Vanderbilt    66-54
Ole Miss    66-54
Texas A&M 64-56
Tennessee 64-56
Arkansas    62-58

Last season was a disappointing one for the Wildcat Nation. Despite sharing the regular season crown with Texas A&M (13-5) and beating the Aggies in the SEC tournament finals, Kentucky failed to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for only the second time under Calipari.

Don't expect a repeat.

Georgia should have enough offensive firepower to challenge

The Bulldogs won 20 games for the third consecutive season but sputtered against top competition due to a sluggish offense. Georgia was 13th in the SEC in turnover percentage and last in effective field-goal percentage, crippled by poor shot selection. According to hoop-math.com, 41 percent of the Bulldogs' field-goal attempts were 2-point jump shots. Of the eight teams in the nation who took more, only North Carolina [it's academic] made the NCAA tournament.

Michael White took the Gators to the NIT in his first season as legendary coach Billy Donovan's replacement. But, expectations are higher in Gainesville, even if the Gators won't spend time there early in the season. Florida plays its first 11 games away from the O'Connell Center, which is being renovated. It returns home on Dec. 21 to play Arkansas-Little Rock.

By then, graduate transfer Canyon Barry should have settled in with the Gators. The youngest son of NBA legend Rick Barry averaged 19 points per game for College of Charleston last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the Colonial Athletic Association opener. He's a 6-6 small forward with terrific instincts and a smooth mid-range game. [Plus, he's a great free throw shooter.]

Florida hopes he can help behind the 3-point line. The Gators shot 31.9 percent beyond-the-arc last season, enduring too many nights like their 7-of-24 effort in the NIT semifinal loss to George Washington.

[jbcarol]

Arkansas Razorbacks

The history: The Razorbacks made six trips to the Sweet 16 in a seven-year span from 1990 to 1996 under Nolan Richardson, advanced to the Final Four three times and won the national championship in 1994. Arkansas was, at the time, a top-five program in the country, undeniably. And yet the Razorbacks haven't been back to the Sweet 16 since ... 1996. Can you believe that? Arkansas made the national championship game in 1994 and 1995 but has failed to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for 20 consecutive years. And the Razorbacks have only been in the NCAA Tournament once in the past eight seasons.

The future: Mike Anderson returns three of his top four scorers from last season, meaning the Razorbacks should be better in 2016-17 than they were in 2015-16. And the recruiting class he's set to sign in November is currently ranked 10th in the nation, according to 247Sports. So it's possible good things, or at least improved things, are on tap. But the idea of Anderson ever approaching the consistent success that his old boss, Richardson, enjoyed in the 1990s still seems unlikely -- if only because that bar is incredibly high, and because the list of coaches throughout history who miss the NCAA Tournament in four of their first five years at a school but then breakthrough and become fixtures in March is very, very short.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/780888832577339392

Mark Fox's Bulldogs are going to be good. Or, at least, they should be. You could even say, "better be."

Led by dynamic point guard J.J. Frazier and smooth-scoring forward Yante Maten, the Bulldogs have a deep yet versatile roster and have added some nice pieces since last year. Hence, they are expected to build on three straight seasons of 20 or more wins and earn an NCAA tournament bid.

"We feel like we've got another good team," Fox said Tuesday. "Can this team be better than last year's team? That's what we want it to be. Hopefully consistently performing better and better each year will be the norm. I do think this team is as balanced and as deep as we've had in a while. Will they all perform at the level we need them to? That's the goal."

But, again, do you care?

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 24h24 hours ago

Palpable buzz out of Lexington surrounding Isaac Humphries. Has improved leaps & bounds since March. Kentucky's likely starting center.

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio 20h20 hours ago

Gary Parrish: Kentucky's backcourt "the most exciting in college basketball" http://bit.ly/2d7Ps2w 

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish updated his Top 25 (And One) rankings this morning, and while Kentucky holds steady at #2 behind Duke and ahead of Kansas, Villanova, and Xavier.

"The Wildcats lost three underclassmen to the NBA Draft — plus Alex Poythress to graduation and Marcus Lee and Charles Matthews via transfer, Parrish writes. "But, as usual, John Calipari reloaded with a strong recruiting class featuring five five-star prospects. The backcourt of De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk should be the most exciting in college basketball."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/782250567259258880

Florida appears to be the second-best team in this conference on paper, but the Gators' roster has never collectively advanced to the NCAA Tournament and that also includes head coach Mike White.

A&M meanwhile lost four key pieces — Anthony Collins, Alex Caruso, Danuel House, and Jalen Jones — from last year's team that reached the Sweet 16. The Aggies have a promising sophomore class with Admon Gilder, D.J. Hogg, and Tyler Davis, but suffered a major blow when the NCAA ruled freshman point guard J.J. Caldwell ineligible for the 2016-17 season.

Bruce Pearl and Ben Howland have both recruited exceptionally well at Auburn and Mississippi State, respectively, but each of these coaches is probably a year away from fielding a legitimate NCAA Tournament caliber team.

With major defections at South Carolina up front and at Vanderbilt in both the back court (Wade Baldwin) and the interior (Damian Jones), it makes it seem as if those two programs are also both entering practice with questions at several different positions.

Kentucky has become to the SEC what Tom Hanks was to the movie Cast Away — it's on an island by itself.

[jbcarol]

Calipari in a preseason roundtable interview with local reporters last month.

Why so much focus on defense with these guys? [Can't shoot]

"Because I think that's going to be what this team – what we are, we've got shot-blocking, you've got size, you've got guards who can really ... De'Aaron Fox should be – when you start talking those three and Dom (Hawkins) as a fourth. Mychal (Mulder) would be more of a shooter, maybe a rebounder because he's a little bit bigger than those guys, but those four, you know will just maul you.

"De'Aaron Fox is going nose to nose right now with Malik Sealy. Did I say Malik Sealy? Did I just say that? How long ago was that? Look that up. Malik Sealy, I think it was '94. Malik Monk. But they went at each other, and De'Aaron stole the ball from him twice. You just have guys that can maul people.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/782884977356730370

5. Kentucky

The Skinny: People will be comparing Bam Adebayo to Blake Griffin by Christmas.  [both were on the court with Monk]

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 1h1 hour ago

#Vols hoops coach Rick Barnes: We'll be better on defense this year, but that's not saying much. We were pretty bad on defense last year.

Barnes: I told Robert Hubbs to make 350 NBA 3-pointers a day, and I told him it shouldn't take long if he was as good as he thought he was.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/782966648437366784

A&M Aggies wing Kobie Eubanks is likely two weeks away from being cleared to practice, A&M coach Billy Kennedy told Today's U. Eubanks has been dealing with a stress fracture in his foot.

Eubanks is a former top-100 prospect coming out of high school.

A 6-foot-5, 218-pound wing, he was initially set to go to Alabama last year, but did not receive a qualifying test score prior to the start of the fall semester. Eubanks achieved a qualifying test score in September and was cleared to play in the second semester. He decided to play with the Aggies, not the Crimson Tide, at that time.

The shooting guard spent his last non-college year at Elev8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach, Fla. He decommitted from Baylor before later committing to Alabama over offers from Kansas and a number of other schools. All of that before inevitably landing with Texas A&M.

Eubanks adds depth to a program that has done well bringing in top recruits during Kennedy's tenure. While expectations for him were high for him [sic] when he was coming out of high school, they have tempered a bit after a mostly mundane freshman campaign.

Texas A&M is coming off a terrific 2015-16 season, in which the team won 28 games and made a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/783813985485324292

As was expected, junior college transfer guard Branden Jenkins was held out of practice, but he did shoot around before the team took over the court, all the while wearing a brace on his injured knee.

It was hard not to be impressed with transfer forward Duop Reath during the beginning of practice Wednesday. Despite his 6-foot-10, 230-pound frame, Reath proved himself to be a confident and competent shooter from the top of the key and a better-than-adequate defender in the paint. He also showcased some nifty footwork and seemed to have good court awareness. That said, Reath struggled mightily in ball-handling drills. Don't expect the Australian junior college product to be competing for reps at point guard...

It's no secret that a lot of the pressure to score this season will fall onto the shoulders of sophomore guard Antonio Blakeney. Tuesday, Jones said that Blakeney has assumed a leadership role with the team, and that was evident Wednesday, as Blakeney was almost always the first person in line to run a drill, if not the player demonstrating what Jones was asking the players to do.

Jones' message to the players was simple: "Make sure you practice today like you would practice in April."

[jbcarol]

Seth Greenberg watched Calipari's practice

Malik Monk — Reminds him of Russell Westbrook. 

De'Aaron Fox — Is really fast.  Not a shocker, but to say he's "quick on quick" must mean he's twice as fast as any other human being on the planet.

Isaiah Briscoe — Is shooting the ball with more confidence, which means he's doing exactly what he needs to do to take his game to the next level.

Bam Adebayo — Physically, he runs the floor very well.  Greenberg believes he will develop into a dominant front court player, which isn't the boldest statement I've heard.  Greenberg believes Bam also has the intangibles covered, playing with a "great attitude and work ethic."

Derek Willis — Arguably the best and most surprising news of the night from Greenberg, he believes Willis was as impressive as anybody on the court.  It wasn't that Willis was knocking down shots, it was his approach.  "Has little 2 do with his game & more 2 do with his attitude/approach," were his exact words.

[jbcarol]

No-Longer-Way-Too-Early Top 25

2. Kentucky Wildcats
Duke hoovered up the Nos. 1, 3, 10 and 16 prospects in a loaded incoming class ... and ended up No. 2 in the ESPN Recruiting Nation rankings. That shouldn't be possible, but such is life in the John Calipari era. The names change (goodbye Jamal Murray, hello to Bam Adebayo, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk!), but the pattern remains the same: Future pros show up, Calipari gels said future pros into a formidable unit in mere months, rinse, repeat. Which is why a team with so little left from last season's roster (save Isaiah Briscoe, Derek Willis and Isaac Humphries) can be conservatively penciled in as one of the nation's best four or five squads -- if not by November, then by March.

Honorable mention: A&M Aggies

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 11h11 hours ago

White hoping second season will pay dividends for UF hoops - via @Gator_sports http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20161006/ARTICLES/161009970?p=all&tc=pgall ...

https://twitter.com/gatorhoops/status/784211761612193792

White managed to guide the Gators to 21 wins, matching Tommy Bartlett for the most wins for a first-year UF basketball coach.

There's reason for optimism in White's second season, based on a roster that returns four starters. In addition, the Gators added graduate transfer swingman Canyon Barry, who averaged 19.7 points per game last season at College of Charleston.

There's also White's track record as a second-year coach. At Louisiana Tech, White went 27-7 in his second year, a nine-win improvement over his first season.

"If you could promise that we'd win 30 this year, I'd take it right now," White said at Florida basketball media day Thursday. "I guess there are some similarities ... we returned a bunch that second year (at Louisiana Tech) and this year we return a bunch. There are some differences too in terms of the level and the schedule and the non-conference schedule specific to our predicament."

That predicament is Florida playing its first 11 non-conference games away from campus due to the ongoing renovation of the O'Connell Center. The Gators will play their first game in the newly renovated building Dec. 21 against Arkansas Little-Rock. Before that, Florida will play at a number of different locations throughout the state, including Jacksonville, Lakeland, Tampa and Orlando.

Offensively, Florida will look to improve on a team that struggled to shoot the ball throughout the season. The Gators finished 12th in the SEC in free-throw shooting percentage (64.7 percent), and 13th in 3-point shooting percentage (31.9 percent).

"I don't think we're going to jump to first," White said. "But I think we can make a pretty good jump in both areas. I'd be surprised if we weren't a little closer toward the middle of the pack."

Defensively, White said his goal is for Florida to finish in the top 10 in the nation. White said he felt Florida slipped on the defensive side of the ball late last season due to not taking enough off days.

"When you emphasize defense as much as we did last year out of necessity, we had to be really good night-in and night-out with the way we struggled shooting the basketball," White said. "I think we got a little bit worn down."

[jbcarol]

Much ado about Ado

State began its first basketball practice Tuesday on the new court inside Humphrey Coliseum.

Six freshmen participated in their first workout with the program, including Mario Kegler, who missed the trip to Italy due to eligibility reasons.

"For me, it was mostly motivation," Kegler said. "I didn't stop nothing. I just stayed here, got in the gym, worked. I told myself, just get better and God will handle everything."

Abdul Ado was the only freshman that didn't participate. His paperwork from Nigeria has still not been cleared by the NCAA. Ado is taking classes at MSU, but Howland is not sure when the freshman will get cleared. Howland hopes to have a decision by December.

The worst case scenario is Ado will have to miss the entire season and won't begin practicing until December.

"I'm very, very excited about Abdul," Howland said. "We had a practice two Mondays ago, all I could think about was wow, we've really got a player here. A guy that we're going to be able to mold and develop."

I.J. Ready returned to the court for the first time since dealing with mononucleosis at the beginning of August. Joe Strugg practiced but was limited with a shin injury. He also dealt with a groin injury.  Xavian Stapleton didn't practice while recovering from a torn ACL.

"He's still got a ways to go. He's not even close to being ready," Howland said of Stapleton. "I told him again we're not rushing this. If he can't play until February, he can't play until February. Whatever it is, it is but we're not rushing and making any mistakes."

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 2h2 hours ago

Kentucky Expecting Some 90 NBA Personnel for Pro Days https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/kentucky-expecting-some-90-nba-personnel-for-pro-days/205022338 ...

Freshmen Bam Adebayo (No. 10), De'Aaron Fox (12) and Malik Monk (18) are all projected one-and-done first-round picks in the latest DraftExpress.com mock for 2017.

"All 90 scouts are there to certainly see the development of Monk, Bam and Fox since arriving on campus," one NBA scout said.

ESPNU will televise Kentucky's practice on Sunday from 7-9 p.m.

Duke will host its pro days Oct. 19 and 25.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/785290234367995904

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky basketball on Sunday night held its on-campus NBA combine/live TV practice/two-hour recruiting infomercial for the third consecutive year, and ESPNU...

ESPN analyst and former coach Seth Greenberg said freshman Bam Adebayo reminds him of former Wildcats lottery pick Patrick Patterson, while fellow analyst Fran Fraschilla compared Adebayo to former NBA star Ben Wallace – but with a jump shot. Fraschilla said freshman De'Aaron Fox reminds him of former No. 1 pick and UK alum John Wall, while Greenberg went with NBA scoring machine Russell Westbrook for freshman Malik Monk. And here's an interesting one: Greenberg wondered if freshman Wenyen Gabriel can polish his jump shot and become "a Draymond Green type."

Sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe got a ton of attention on the broadcast, for both his new leadership role and his improved jump shot. At one point, Calipari huddled his Wildcats to tell them the drills they were going to do next for scouts – but Briscoe spoke up and requested a change in the plan. Calipari obliged...

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/785270524142358529

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/BracketguyDave/status/787625498239234048

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 32m32 minutes ago

Texas A&M's Kobie Eubanks (stress fracture) has been cleared to do "some things", per Billy Kennedy. Potential starter for Aggies.

[jbcarol]

SI projects top scorers for '16-17

JJ Frazier          UG  16.6

Dusty Hannahs Ark  16.5

Moses Kingsley Ark  16.4

Yante Maten      UG  16.2

Malik Monk       UK   16.0

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/788531050544766976

Jeff Goodman has the Wildcats losing the Louisville and North Carolina games and winning the Michigan State contests [sic] [may have meant to include Kansas]. Kentucky plays at Louisville on Dec. 21, against Michigan State in the Champions Classic on Nov. 15 and against North Carolina in Las Vegas on Dec. 17, at Louisville on Dec. 21, Kansas at home on Jan. 28.

[jbcarol]

Preseason Media Poll

    Kentucky
    Florida
    Texas A&M
    Georgia
    Arkansas
    Vanderbilt
    Alabama
    South Carolina
    Ole Miss
    Mississippi State
    Auburn
    LSU
    Tennessee
    Missouri

First Team All‐SEC
Moses Kingsley - Arkansas, F, 6‐10, 230, Sr., Abuja, Nigeria
J.J. Frazier - Georgia, G, 5‐10, 155, Sr., Glennville, Ga.
Edrice "Bam" Adebayo - Kentucky, F, 6‐10, 260, Fr., Little Washington, N.C.
De'Aaron Fox - Kentucky, G, 6‐3, 187, Fr., Houston, Texas
Tyler Davis - Texas A&M, C, 6‐10, 270, So., Plano, Texas

Second Team All‐SEC
KeVaughn Allen - Florida, G, 6‐2, 183, So., Little Rock, Ark.
Yante Maten - Georgia, F, 6‐8, 240, Jr., Pontiac, Mich.
Isaiah Briscoe - Kentucky, G, 6‐3, 210, So., Newark, N.J.
Malik Monk - Kentucky, G, 6‐3, 200, Fr., Lepanto, Ark.
Antonio Blakeney - LSU, G, 6‐4, 190, So., Sarasota, Fla.
Quinndary Weatherspoon - Mississippi State, G, 6‐4, 202, So., Canton, Miss.
Luke Kornet - Vanderbilt, F, 7‐1, 250, Sr., Lantana, Texas

SEC Player of the Year: Moses Kingsley, Arkansas

http://www.secsports.com/article/17829950/media-picks-kentucky-win-2017-sec-championship

[jbcarol]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —There could be times when there are "four or five freshmen on the floor"  for Tennessee this season, and Coach Rick Barnes indicated that's a positive.

"I've seen some major changes in guys since they walked through the doors in June," said Barnes, whose Vols were 15-19 last season, his first as Tennessee's head coach.

"These young guys are eager and hungry," Barnes said Wednesday at the SEC Basketball Tipoff at Bridgestone Arena. "We don't talk about rebuilding; we've got a challenge and we'll meet it head on, (and) we weren't going to make any excuses for these young  guys."

It's a good thing: The Vols were picked 13th out of the league's 14 teams in the SEC preseason media poll, with none of the players on the first or second-team.

Barnes said Tennessee fans will see as many as nine new faces that haven't played at UT before, including Nashville's own Jordan Bone, who has his sights set on the starting point guard position.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/MattNorlander/status/788768016058183680

2. Kentucky
Wildcats' five-man recruiting class ranks only a hair behind Duke's, and we think this group will come together in much smoother fashion than other big-time classes...

28. A&M
-- and I think I'm being a little generous with Texas A&M here. Tyler Davis is basically immovable down low, and D.J. Hogg will probably average 14 points, but overall, the Aggies need to overcome losing four starters and still keep pace with a top-10 defense. A tough ask.

37. Florida
Mike White's team is probably locked in as the No. 3 group in the SEC. Canyon Barry comes in as a transfer, one of the five best in the country, by way of Charleston. Kasey Hill is still running show at the point, and Devin Robinson is going to have a breakout season.

58. Georgia
Big J.J. Frazier fan here. And Mark Fox is top two in SEC wins in the past three years. The Bulldogs will be good at home this year, though the SEC is weak, so the league won't allow them to boost their resume to the level of at-large contender.

61. Vanderbilt
Bryce Drew takes over for Kevin Stallings. Matthew Fisher-Davis will be the star here, and the Commodores still have enough talent left over from last season to be a top-five team in the SEC.

70. South Carolina
The penultimate undefeated team in college hoops last season (SMU lasted longest) did not make the NCAAs. Sindarius Thornwell and P.J. Dozier will carry a big load for a 'Cocks team that must learn how to distribute to the post and score in the mid-range.

74. Arkansas
Moses Kingsley is one heck of a name for one heck of a player. He's not alone. Mike Anderson has underwhelmed at Arkansas, but this season the Hogs will be dangerous on given nights because Kingsley has senior shooting guards Dusty Hannahs and Manuale Watkins spacing the floor. Should be a team that wins 20 games.

79. Alabama
Crimson Tide outperformed all expectations from outside the program in Avery Johnson's first season, going 18-15. Johnson son, Avery Johnson Jr., is added to the roster this season. Memphis transfer Nick King is also here. Dazon Ingram returns after an injury took him out most of last season. Good pieces, just wondering how Johnson gets them to fit into an NCAA Tournament-level team.

89. Mississippi State
Malik Newman bailed after a year here, opting to play at Kansas. Your name to know is Quinndary Weatherspoon, who is the most underrated player in the SEC. More recruits on the way here. I'm going to "hold" on my Howland stock here until I see dividends pay off, though. Some think this is a top-50 team in the country. I can't be that aggressive yet.

95. Auburn
Bruce Pearl is going to have the Tigers roaring in a year, but this team is going to stall a bit thanks to losing Cinmeon Bowers and Tyler Harris. Mustapha Heron will be a top-25 freshmen this year in terms of stats produced and value to his team.

100. LSU

103. Tennessee

108. Ole Miss

162. Mizzou

https://twitter.com/GrantRamey/status/788770937978183680

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/789125432465588224

Others Receiving Votes

... A&M 22; ... Florida 11; ... Georgia 6; ... Arkansas 2

[jbcarol]

 Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 9m9 minutes ago

Florida announces freshman forward Dontay Bassett has stress fracture in his right foot. Will need surgery and will redshirt this year.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/789662504976801792

Coach John Calipari said after the scrimmage that he expects either sophomore point guard Isaiah Briscoe or Fox to be on the floor at all times for Kentucky. The two were matched against each other Friday and neither could contain the other. Fox finished with 31 points and Briscoe slashed his way to 39.

Both sides had trouble making stops.

Freshmen big men Bam Adebayo and Sacha Killeya-Jones picked up plenty of fouls to have disqualified them from a real game. Killeya-Jones had at least eight before the first half was even over. Freshman Wenyen Gabriel can guard just about every position...

Freshman guard Malik Monk captured the Rupp Arena crowd Friday night with a monster slam, but the entire backcourt trio of him, Fox and Briscoe put on a show.

Monk and Fox were paired on the Blue team, Briscoe on White, and the three combined for 96 points in the game.

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/789627648431521792

https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/789625548934934528

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/790345197184049152

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 12h12 hours ago

A word to the wise: DO NOT put any stock in stats that occur during scrimmages or exhibitions in next few weeks. Stuff gets real on 11/11.

[jbcarol]

 Russ Wood ‏@RussHoops 10h10 hours ago

SEC Preseason KenPom Ratings:

4-UK
17-UF
30-TAMU
53-ARK
58-UGA
62-SC
64-VANDY
73-BAMA
75-MISS
99-TN
101-LSU
102-MSU
153-AUB
165-MIZZOU

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Sin_City_803/status/790560425649795072

[jbcarol]

Seth Emerson ‏@SethEmersonAJC 2h2 hours ago

This moment in time: Georgia currently receiving votes in coaches poll for basketball, but not in the coaches poll for football.

[jbcarol]

Seth Emerson ‏@SethEmersonAJC 2h2 hours ago

This moment in time: Georgia currently receiving votes in coaches poll for basketball, but not in the coaches poll for football.

T-46 with six points

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 2h2 hours ago

No Hill, but rest of #Gators ready for exhibition test tonight v. Eckerd in Jacksonville - via @Gator_sports http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20161026/ARTICLES/161029977?p=all&tc=pgall ...

Facts
Wednesday

Who: Eckerd vs. Florida

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville

What: Exhibition

Florida plays its lone exhibition game Wednesday night against Division II Eckerd College at Jacksonville's Veterans Memorial Arena (7 p.m. tip).

Hill is being held out as a precaution due to hamstring soreness. Junior point guard Chris Chiozza will start in his place. Second-year Florida coach Mike White said sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen and freshman guard Eric Hester will see time at the point behind Chiozza. Hester sat out UF's second intra-squad scrimmage Friday due to knee soreness, but has practiced the last two games.

Eckerd went 25-7 last season and earned a berth to the Division II NCAA Tournament. White said the game should provide an early evaluation of how his team is progressing before UF's season opener against Florida Gulf Coast University on Nov. 11 in Jacksonville.

"More than anything, (it's an) evaluation of where we are," White said. "And not necessarily how many shots you make or ran this play right or not. More than anything, the bigger picture with this team we've talked about with the number of upperclassmen how important it is for our guys to sacrifice. How we respond to who starts, who doesn't start, who plays how many minutes, who scores, who doesn't, evaluating our culture before the end of tomorrow night's game when that final buzzer sounds."

The rest of Florida's projected starting lineup includes Allen at shooting guard, graduate transfer Canyon Barry at small forward, senior Justin Leon at power forward and junior John Egbunu at center. But White said the starting lineup is fluid, with up to nine guys battling for five spots.

"I'm open to a different starting lineup each game," White said. "I know our guys aren't as open to that. We base everything off of production."

There will be no radio or television (including streaming online video) for the contest. But White said he felt it was important for the Gators to get exposed to the same arena where they will start the regular season against FGCU. Due to the ongoing renovation at the O'Connell Center, Florida will play its first 11 games off campus, which includes neutral site games throughout the state in Jacksonville, Tampa, Lakeland and, of course, Sunrise.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/792345463949254656

[jbcarol]

Reports from some of those closed scrimmages:

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 17h17 hours ago

Alabama's Corban Collins and freshman Braxton Key both looked good in Crimson Tide closed scrimmage against Southern. Key showed versatility


Xavier beat Georgia in closed scrimmage. Best players for X were Bluiett and Macura, Maten stood out for Bulldogs, per source.


Texas A&M and Utah played a tight closed scrimmage today. Kyle Kuzma best player on floor, source told ESPN. D.J. Hogg a close second.

[jbcarol]

Calipari's alma mater was no match for fourth-ranked Kentucky on Sunday night

Malik Monk, the best bet to lead the Cats in scoring this season, did not start this game. De'Aaron Fox, Isaiah Briscoe, Derek Willis, Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo did. And they played together just fine.

Willis and Gabriel scored the team's first 9 points.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/johnclayiv/status/792892613468811264

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 13h13 hours ago

Told Florida beat UAB in scrimmage. John Egbunu looked really good. So did Kasey Hill & Devin Robinson. Cokley & Lee both stood out for UAB.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 21m21 minutes ago

Texas A&M's Kobie Eubanks (stress fracture) has been cleared for all basketball related activities, per Billy Kennedy.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria
‏@AdamZagoria

6-foot-4 Mizzou freshman Frankie Hughes had 24 in loss to Creighton. Told he was very impressive.

[jbcarol]

Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 on Monday, and Kentucky Wildcats were the SEC's lone representative at No. 2