2014-15 SEC Basketball Projections

[jbcarol]

Randy Rosetta @RandyRosetta  ·  7 minutes ago
OVERTIME: Tech's Robert Turner misses a long jumper at the horn and #LSU's late burst sends us to extra basketball in a 59-59 tie.

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker @KyleTucker_CJ  ·  1 minute ago
FINAL: No. 1 Kentucky 72, No. 5 Kansas 40...

NCAA March Madness @marchmadness  ·  11 minutes ago
That's the fewest amount of points Kansas has scored in the past 25 years. #KUvsUK

[jbcarol]

Final from Pete Maravich Assembly Center

TTech 64  LSU 69  1 OT

[jbcarol]

Randy Rosetta @RandyRosetta  ·  6h 6 hours ago

FINAL RECAP | #LSU storms back in regulation, then clips Texas Tech 69-64 in overtime http://s.nola.com/IsimksD  via @nolanews

LSUsports @LSUsports  ·  7 hours ago

No. 7 RT @LSUBasketball: Jarell Martin on #SCtop10

[vine]OJArK5qg635[/vine]

[jbcarol]

SEC Sports @SEC  ·  11 hours ago

No. 1 Kentucky men's basketball earns emphatic win against No. 5 Kansas. Recap: http://www.secsports.com/article/11901190/no-1-kentucky-posts-emphatic-win-no-5-jayhawks ... #SEC

Wildcats (3-0) shot just 43.1 percent from the field, but they were so good on defense that it didn't matter. Kansas (1-1) shot just 19.6 percent from the field and was 15 for 27 at the line in the storied program's worst offensive performance since a 61-45 loss to Kentucky on Dec. 1, 1998.

Wayne Selden Jr. had nine points for the Jayhawks, and Cliff Alexander finished with eight.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  2h 2 hours ago

Blog: What to watch for when #Mizzou tips off against Scott Sutton-coached Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. Wednesday http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/what-to-watch-for-oral-roberts/article_758c7a1a-8f3c-5a5c-a111-dded9eba87a6.html ...

Kim Anderson faced an uncertain future in the spring of 1999 after Norm Stewart retired, he was passed over for the job as Stewart's successor and finally he left Missouri, his alma mater and a place he'd worked as an assistant coach for 11 of the previous 17 years.

Anderson wound up interviewing for the vacant head coaching position at Oral Roberts that April but wasn't hired and eventually went to work in the Big 12 Conference office.

The man hired instead was Scott Sutton, the youngest son of former Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton and at the time an Oral Roberts assistant.

He was 28 years old then...



Can the Tigers defend without fouling? Oral Roberts might try to follow the formula that UMKC used to shock the Tigers in last Friday's opener. The Kangaroos only shot 37 percent from the field in their 69-61 victory but more than made up for it by putting pressure on the basket, drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line.

Point guard Martez Harrison alone attempted 16 free throws, making 15, and his team finished 23 for 29 from the foul line, scoring 15 more points there than Missouri did...

[jbcarol]

Eamonn Brennan @eamonnbrennan  ·  19 hours ago
Bill Self entered the press conference, took a sip out of a water bottle. "I was hoping that was vodka."

[jbcarol]

Gabe DeArmond @GabeDeArmond  ·  9 minutes ago
FINAL:  #Mizzou 78 Oral Roberts 64.  The Tigers are 2-1.  They face Arizona in Maui on Monday at 4 pm Central time.

[jbcarol]

Kim Anderson announced that Jakeenan Gant would not be traveling with the team as they head to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. The star of Missouri's freshman class — and one of the key pieces that Anderson was able to retain in the wake of Frank Haith's departure — has yet to play in a real game this season as the school tries to parse through what they are terming "a review regarding his eligibility."

When Gant was a senior in high school, a couple of weeks before he was set to graduate from Effingham County HS in Georgia, he transferred to the School of the Ozarks in Missouri.

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS  ·  11 hours ago

I spent today writing about Kentucky and speculating about what kind of team could maybe get the Wildcats. Column: http://goo.gl/FGDBDw

... the truth is Wichita State probably is better-positioned to finish the regular season undefeated because the Shockers have zero games against teams currently ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll while Kentucky has five more.

Simply put, driving and scoring wasn't an option. ("When we were driving, it looked like we had a shot," said Kansas point guard Devante Graham. "But with their length -- they're just so long and athletic -- they would block the shots.") And posting bigs and trying to shoot over UK wasn't an option either, which is why my opinion on the type of team that can maybe beat Kentucky runs counter to most other opinions I've heard. Conventional wisdom suggests it'll have to be a team that's also long in the frontcourt, like, Texas perhaps. But nobody -- not even Texas -- can match Kentucky's size and athleticism in the frontcourt, so any team trying to beat UK will need to try from the outside.

"It's going to have to be a tough team ... that can drive the ball and force help and then play from the perimeter rather than play from the interior," Self said. "I think that's a formula for [beating] a lot of teams, and certainly one you have to use against Kentucky."

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson @Ben_Fred  ·  5 hours ago

KenPom predicts #Vols beat Texas Southern 80-65 tonight. Vols haven't lost a home opener since 87-79 L to East Tennessee State in 91 [with Jerry Pelphrey].

[jbcarol]

Eamonn Brennan @eamonnbrennan  ·  19 hours ago
Bill Self entered the press conference, took a sip out of a water bottle. "I was hoping that was vodka."

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo  ·  Nov 19

Kansas made 11 FG Tuesday night. Kentucky had 11 blocked shots. Here's KU's shot chart:

[jbcarol]

Dayton 55,  A&M 53  in Puerto Rico

Tennessee 70,  Texas So. 58  in Knoxville

So. Carolina 69,  Cornell 45  in Charleston

Ole Miss 69,  Southern U. 38  in Oxford

Vandy 72,  [David] Lipscomb 62  in Nashville

So. Miss. 67,  Bama 81  in Tuscaloosa

[jbcarol]

Drew Champlin @DrewChamplin  ·  6h 6 hours ago

Too early to tell if this is Anthony Grant's best Alabama team, but he really likes his squad http://ow.ly/EE42I

Southern Miss head coach Doc Sadler acknowledged how Alabama's Levi Randolph lit his Golden Eagles up in the first half and Ricky Tarrant did the same in the second in the Crimson Tide's 81-67 win on Thursday.

Then he uttered a phrase that Alabama head coach Anthony Grant probably wishes he didn't.

"Obviously I understand now why Anthony's telling me that this is probably his best team since he's been here," Sadler said after Randolph scored 23 and Tarrant 18 in the win and Alabama improved to 3-0...

"I think we have the potential to be really, really good," Grant said. "Obviously a lot of things have to go in our favor but yeah, I really like our team."

Alabama hit nine 3-pointers and outrebounded Southern Miss by 14.

"They were making some tough, difficult shots," Sadler said. "They had not done that from the games I've watched and they did (tonight). The difference in the two teams in my opinion was, when we quit making them, we weren't tough enough to be patient and grind it inside. When they missed a couple in the second half, that's when they went inside and got easy baskets."

Alabama players said they trusted the flow of the offense and shot with confidence. The Crimson Tide shot 57.1 percent for the game...

Drew Champlin @DrewChamplin  ·  13 hours ago

Alabama freshman forward Jeff Garrett to redshirt http://ow.ly/EDrv8

[jbcarol]

N.Y. Times (A.P.) - Two-Platoon System Thriving for No. 1 Kentucky

Two of the "reinforcements" — Calipari doesn't call them substitutes — Dakari Johnson and Trey Lyles lead Kentucky in scoring at 10 points per game coming off the bench. The next eight players' scoring averages are separated by no more than a point each.

And playing time hasn't been an issue. The Wildcats' 10 regulars are averaging between 16 and 23 minutes, and nobody is complaining about fatigue or minutes.

How long the harmony lasts remains to be seen...

[jbcarol]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sagarin

2. Kentucky
11. Arkansas
13. Florida
50. LSU
51. A&M
54. SC
55. Ole Miss
61. UGa
67. Mizzou
70. Bama

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  19 hours ago

From @JoeWalljasper: #Mizzou basketball team needed positive reinforcement - Columbia Daily Tribune http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/mu-needed-positive-reinforcement/article_315b0941-d7a0-56a0-b9c7-87157c74916e.html ...

At some point, Kim Anderson will sit on the dais at an NCAA Tournament press conference and, with his deadpan delivery, joke about the night he began his career as Missouri's head coach with a loss to the UMKC Kangaroos. It will be funny. Embarrassment plus time equals funny.

Embarrassment plus now equals doubt.



That's why Missouri's 78-64 victory over Oral Roberts at Mizzou Arena meant more than the usual win over a midmajor opponent. Good things happened. The Tigers let 'er rip, and the ball went in the basket more often than they had any right to expect. In the second half, they made an astounding 8 of 9 3-pointers.

"I think they've been freaked out. I don't think there's any question," Anderson said. "That's why I wanted something good to happen. I'm not taking anything away from UMKC, because they did a great job. But I think our guys, it was a great wake-up call. But you've got to build on it. I thought tonight was a really good step, because that's a pretty good team. Oral Roberts is a good team."

The Golden Eagles were good enough to beat Tulsa — the new home of Missouri's old coach, Frank Haith — in their opener...

[jbcarol]

Brad Barnes ‏@TAMUCompliance

Not sure what to say when we get another NCAA waiver approved. Maybe "sweet sassy molassy"? If yes, then #sweetsassymolassy


Aubrey Bloom @aubreyrbloom  ·  10 minutes ago

A&M guard Danuel House tweeted that he's "cleared to play. Thanks to all who prayed for me. #gig'em" No official word yet from A&M.

No official word on Danuel House from Texas A&M, but I have been told that he's not with the team in Puerto Rico.

Interestingly, Tonny Trocha actually is in Puerto Rico in case the NCAA clears him at some point.


Aubrey Bloom @aubreyrbloom  ·  26 seconds ago

A&M has four turnovers in five possessions. So that's not ideal.

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  8 hours ago
A busy weekend of SEC basketball tips off at noon today with Texas A&M at the Puerto Rico Tipoff

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman @BrentZwerneman  ·  5 hours ago
Texas A&M men's hoops moves to 2-1 w/ 59-50 win over Charleston in Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Official from Texas A&M on NCAA granting guard Danuel House immediate eligibility to join the Aggies: The NCAA informed Texas A&M on Friday that a waiver for men's basketball junior guard Danuel House to compete for the Aggies this season has been approved.

"I'm excited about adding another good piece to our team" Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. "Danuel brings experience and a scorer to our roster. We are thankful to the NCAA and the A&M Compliance for helping us get this wrapped up and taken care of."

House, a 6-foot-7 swingman, made the decision to transfer from Houston after averaging 12.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor and 32.5 percent from 3-point range in 57 games during his two-year Cougar career.

Last season, the Fresno, Texas, native finished second on the Cougars' roster in both scoring (13.6 points per game) and rebounding (5.3 rebounds per game) despite being limited to only 24 games due to injury.

A Kyle Macy Freshman All-American during his first collegiate season in 2012-13, House averaged 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds while dishing out 61 assists and shooting 43.6 percent from the floor to earn Conference USA Freshman of the Year accolades as well as a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team. He was honored as C-USA Freshman of the Week on three occasions as a rookie and also earned a spot on the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Following a banner prep career at Hightower High School, House was rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and 4-star recruit by Scout.com. Additionally, he was regarded as the No. 3 small forward nationally by ESPN and No. 15 in the ESPNU 100 as well as the No. 26 prospect in the country in the Rivals 150.

[jbcarol]

Jerry Tipton @JerryTipton  ·  7 minutes ago
UK leads 40-35 at half. Boston's 6 three-pointers indicate UK still needs to improve challenge of 3-point shots.

[jbcarol]

Seth Emerson@SethEmerson
Final: Georgia 82, Troy 60. ... Bulldogs improve to 2-1, will host Florida Atlantic on Sunday at 5 p.m.

[jbcarol]

Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg  8 minutes ago
LSU, which can't make free throws or outside shots, loses in Paradise Jam to Old Dominion 70-61.


That's just the way it is.  Some things will never change.

[jbcarol]

Boston U. just did not have it tonight.

Final from Rupp:  Kentucky 89,  BU 65

[jbcarol]

It was another uninspired evening for the SEC. Top-ranked Kentucky led BU by only five at half. Louisiana-Monroe was up on No. 8 Florida, but both those teams ended up winning; Kentucky by more than 20. It was not the same for LSU, a team looking to be the third bid in the SEC. The Tigers lost to Old Dominion, giving up an early 12-point lead due to foul trouble. Conversely, the Monarchs are putting together a nice resume with wins over LSU and Richmond.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  23 hours ago
Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy told ESPN that Danuel House is en route to Puerto Rico and will play Sunday against New Mexico or George Mason.

[jbcarol]

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Roquez Johnson and Fred Thomas both scored 15 points to lead Mississippi State over Utah State 71-63 on Saturday.

Mississippi State (3-0) has won its first three games for the second year in a row. The Bulldogs trailed 58-57 with six minutes remaining but scored the next eight points to take control.
Gavin Ware added 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and also grabbed eight rebounds. Mississippi State dominated inside, with a 38-21 rebounding advantage and a 30-18 edge in points inside the paint.
Utah State (3-1) was led by Darius Perkins and Chris Smith, who each scored 14 points. Jalen Moore added 13.
It was a tight game that featured 18 lead changes and nine ties before Mississippi State pulled away with a few minutes remaining...

[jbcarol]

Sheldon Mickles @MicklesAdvocate  ·  49 seconds ago
... Official timeout: #LSU 20, Weber State 14 (7:05, 1st)

[jbcarol]

Sheldon Mickles @MicklesAdvocate  ·   11 minutes ago
Official timeout: #LSU 57, Weber State 48 (7:33, 2nd)

[jbcarol]

Sheldon Mickles @MicklesAdvocate  ·  4 minutes ago
FINALscore from Paradise Jam: #LSU 72, Weber State 58. Tigers will play Monday at 3 p.m. CST against Clemson in fourht-place game.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  11 hours ago
Did not realize how short-handed Florida was last night in OT win against Louisiana-Monroe. No Eli Carter, no Dorian Finney-Smith.

[jbcarol]

Aggie Men's Hoops @AggieMensHoops  ·  16 minutes ago

That's a winner in San Juan! #sharethewin #12thMan #PRTipoff14



A&M is 14/20 from the floor this half, including 3/6 from 3. A&M bench outscoring UNM's 35-6 #12thMan #AggieHoops #PRTipOff14


Brent Zwerneman @BrentZwerneman  ·   2 hours ago

From the I finally believed it when I saw it category, Tonny Trocha and Danuel House have both played for Aggies vs. New Mexico today.

[jbcarol]

Seth Emerson @SethEmerson  ·  52 seconds ago
Halftime: Georgia 35, Florida Atlantic 27 ... Bulldogs led by 12 before giving up two straight baskets to end the half.

[jbcarol]

Seth Emerson @SethEmerson  ·  11 minutes ago
Final: Georgia 74, Florida Atlantic 61 ... Bulldogs now 3-1 heading to NYC for two tough games: Gonzaga, then St. John's or Minnesota.

Marcus Thornton had a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds), and Nemi Djurisic nearly had a triple-double (10 rebs, 8 pts, 8 assists.)

It's early in the season for everyone, but whew, hope the college hoops officiating improves drastically from what I've seen thus far.

[jbcarol]

Final from Rupp

Kentucky 86, Montana State 28

Melvin Booker's son, Devin led UK with 18 points

[jbcarol]

Steve Jones @SteveJones_CJ  ·  22 minutes ago
This is the fewest points allowed by UK in the shot-clock era.

[jbcarol]

David Cloninger @DCTheState  ·  5 minutes ago
FINAL: Akron 68, South Carolina 63. The Gamecocks fall to 2-3.

[jbcarol]

Final from Nashville
Vanderbilt 78, Tennessee St 46

[jbcarol]

Final from Tad Smith

Ole Miss 80,  No. Arizona 74

[jbcarol]

Adam Sparks @AdamSparks  ·  2 hours ago
Final: Vandy 78, Tennessee St 46. Kornet scores career-high 24 on 10-of-11 FG. Vandy 3-0 1st time since 2007-08

#Vandy's Luke Kornet (10-of-11) tied Memorial Gym record for highest FG pct (Jeff Taylor 10-of-11, also vs. TSU in 2009)

[jbcarol]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/year/2015/week/3/seasontype/2

1. UK  (62 of 65 1st place votes)
18. UF
25. Arkansas

[jbcarol]

SEC Network @SECNetwork  ·  2 hours ago
It's good to be the #SEC!
#1 - @AlabamaFTBL
#1 - @KentuckyMBB
#1 - @GamecockWBB

[jbcarol]

Mizzou Basketball @MizzouHoops  ·  2 hours ago
#Mizzou vs. No. 2 Arizona... TODAY. The Tigers are ready! Turn on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. CT. #MIZ

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones @KySportsRadio  ·  5 hours ago
In new AP poll, Kentucky will play Five of the Top Ten teams this season


And #18 home-n-home plus host #25 Arkansas.

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  19 minutes ago
Missouri with 15 turnovers, six assists. Bad combo. Shooting just 36.1 percent. Not sure Tigers see a better defensive team until Jan. 13

Arizona fan yelling "Salad Boy" at Gill-Caesar

Kim Anderson was telling officials to watch for the illegal screens. Then Arizona gets whistled for two on consecutive possessions


Final from Lahaina:  Mizzou 53,  Arizona 72

[passinghog]

Auburn 35, Tulsa 53.....
That's a final

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker @KyleTucker_CJ  ·  29 seconds ago
FINAL: No. 1 Kentucky 92, UT Arlington 44. Cats held Mavericks to 27% shooting, blocked 11 shots. Six UK players in double figures.

[jbcarol]

Drew Champlin @DrewChamplin  ·  13 minutes ago
Updated recap from Alabama's win over Arizona State http://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/index.ssf/2014/11/levi_randolph_leads_alabama_pa.html ...

Levi Randolph was voted Alabama's captain before the season, and he willed the Crimson Tide from behind in a 76-71 win over Arizona State on Tuesday in Kansas City.

Alabama (4-1) bounced back from Monday's loss to No. 13 Iowa State and took third place in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.

Randolph scored 28 points in the win. His floater with 48 seconds left gave Alabama a 70-68 lead. Alabama forced two Arizona State misses after that - including a bad miss from ASU's Jon Gilling on a quick three with 35 seconds left -  and hit free throws to seal the win.

Randolph scored 14 points in the final five minutes. Ricky Tarrant was also huge for Alabama, scoring 21 in the game.

Alabama trailed by eight with 11:13 left and by seven with 9:42 left...

[jbcarol]

VandyMBB @VandyMBB  ·  35 minutes ago
Final; 'Dores 63, Spartans 53. Commodores remain undefeated with a 4-0 record. Vandy heads to Brooklyn for the Barclays center classic


School beat 2-seed Mizzou team in the 2012 NCAA-T.

[jbcarol]

Running the numbers on Kentucky's 92-44 win over Texas-Arlington at Rupp:

– Kentucky's 55-12 halftime lead tied for the second-largest margin in school history. The national champion 1996 team led LSU 86-42 at the half on January 16, 1996. UK also held a 43-point halftime lead over Georgia 75-32 on February 27, 1956.

– Kentucky did commit a season-high 18 turnovers.

– The Mustangs made just four of 21 threes for 19 percent. Over the last two games, UK has held opponents to six-of-44 from three-point range for 13.6 percent.

– Texas-Arlington averaged 0.636 points per possession, the fourth team out of six to fail to get to 0.7 points per possession. Last year's Kentucky team held just one opponent under 0.7 — Robert Morris at 0.658.

– Devin Booker scored a career-high 19 points. Over his last three games, the freshman has made 18 of 24 shots, including 12 of 17 three-pointers.

– Karl-Anthony Towns turned in his first collegiate double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Towns has 21 rebounds in 37 minutes over his last two games.

- Dakari Johnson was 12-of-14 from the line against Texas-Arlington.