NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Never a Dull Moment for SEC Coaches

Chas Rich — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC, Coaches

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive might have been hoping that when college football season ends, he would not have to be issuing weekly warnings to his high profile coaches to watch their mouths. But it looks more like he will be chiding coaches some time into April.

The addition of John Calipari at Kentucky means the SEC coaching family gatherings promise to be more entertaining. Calipari has never been one to build warm relationships with other coaches in his conference (right, John Chaney?). His soured relationship with Rick Pitino should make his meetings with Florida's Billy Donovan more interesting.

The warm and special relationship that was built during his time at Memphis, with Tennessee's Bruce Pearl will undoubtedly produce the most entertainment. .
As Calipari made no secret of his feelings at SEC basketball media day.

"He was trying to take over the state, and I wasn't going to let him," said Calipari. "I conceded the rest of the state other than Memphis.

"I'm not recruiting Knoxville, you're recruiting Memphis; that's why I didn't want to play him in a home-and-home (series)," Calipari said, his audience swelling as he spoke. "What good does it do for me to go to Knoxville, other than to play in front of 22,000 people in orange ... I can't stand the color."

Which should make his trip to Knoxville as well as Florida, for that matter, a little more spicy.

Pearl, who always seems to enjoy any and all attention played the good sport.

"Why would he like orange? I think that's great," Pearl said. "I said when I took this job I wanted Kentucky to be my rival. If we're not competitive, it's not a rivalry."

Then there is Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt to declare his lack of interest in public shots by coaches -- after he fired one.

"I don't agree with all the things Bruce does, or John will do ..." Stallings said. "I don't want to be out there publicly feuding with other coaches.

"If John and Bruce want to square off and have a 12-rounder, I'm sure people will pay attention to it. A little bit of that is probably good for the league."

Safe to say that SEC basketball is going to be a lot more entertaining this year. On and off the court.

Never a Dull Moment for SEC Coaches originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA First Round's Least Shocking Upset: Siena Over Vanderbilt

Andy Katzer — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Vanderbilt Basketball, East

As Chas Rich pointed out earlier, The Tampa Trap was indeed a record-setting string of games. But the least surprising of the four contests that saw lower (much lower) seeded teams advancing was Siena's win over Vanderbilt. Now, it's easy to say in hindsight, but if you had a bracket that included Vandy advancing in the tournament, you must not have been looking at the Commodores' body of work this season.

Vanderbilt was unbeatable at home -- litteraly. The Commies ran through their home schedule unscathed, including their much-heralded win over then number-one Tennessee. But away from Memorial Gym was another story for the 'Dores as they were a pedestrian 7-7 (now 7-8) away from the TheatreDome they call a home court; apparently they feel handicapped when the benches aren't somewhere in the side orchestra section.

Had Vanderbilt beaten Siena, the Saints would have been the highest-ranked team Vandy beat away from home, according to RPI. Naturally there are ways other than RPI to judge a team, but the Commodores hadn't beaten anyone of note RPI-wise away from home all year.

If the tournament was held at Memorial Gym, Vandy would cruise to the championship. But for whatever reason, they just couldn't do anything away form their own floor. Looking back is easy, but it's clear: if you didn't have Vanderbilt losing, you hadn't been paying attention.

NCAA First Round's Least Shocking Upset: Siena Over Vanderbilt originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tampa Trap

Charles Rich — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Villanova Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Clemson Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball, West, Midwest

Round 1 in Tampa was brutal for the higher seed teams. Epic, record-setting even. Two 4-13 games and two 5-12 games. In all four, the double digit seeds won. That has never happened before in the NCAA Tournament.

On Sunday, Tampa will have two 12-13 matchups. UConn, Drake, Vandy and Clemson all tumble to San Diego, Western Kentucky, Siena and Villanova. In fact, there hasn't been a 12-13 game in the second round since 2001 -- Indiana State-Gonzaga. Now there are two at one site.

It just screams statistical anomaly, but everyone is still waiting for that 1-16 upset.

The Tampa Trap originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look Away for a Hint at How Your Team Will Fare in the Tournament

Josh Alper — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:20:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Basketball, March Madness, Washington State Basketball, USC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball

You'll be overloaded with expert opinions on filling out your brackets over the next three days. Pick and choose at your own peril, everyone's got their opinions and things they look for, but at the end of the day few people have a foolproof system for winning you the praise of your friends and officemates.

Still, everyone's looking for an edge and, in that spirit, I point you toward Vegas Watch. They've uncovered a pretty significant trend when it comes to home/road splits and what they tell you about a team's chances at success in the tournament. If you're really into the math behind the findings, you should click there or Teamrankings.com, but I'll summarize the findings.

They took the top six seeds from 1999-2006 and found the ones with the biggest split between their home and road power ratings. The results aren't good for teams who did their best work at home. They won 0.5 fewer games than expected while road warriors won 0.24 more games than projected. They also found that five teams since '99 were seeded 1-6 and finished in the top 20 at home and below 50 on the road. None of those teams made it past the second round.

What does that mean for this season?

It doesn't look good for Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 11th best at home but rank just 68th (behind first-round foe Siena) on the road. The fifth seed in the South, Michigan State, could also be a risky selection. They are fifth at the Breslin Center but tumble to 61st when they're away from home. That, mixed with red-hot Temple, could be bad for Tom Izzo.

The other way, two Pac-10 teams jump out. Washington State is 6th on the road and 58th at home and USC has a 10/52 split. Drake, a team with some doubters, has a 13/39 spread. It's less dramatic but still might make you think twice about writing them off as a product of a weaker-than-usual MVC.

Look Away for a Hint at How Your Team Will Fare in the Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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College Basketball's Best on Interstate 40

Shiloh Carder — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:07:00 EST

Filed under: UNC Basketball, Tennessee Basketball, Duke Basketball, Memphis Basketball, Carolina, Nashville, Vanderbilt Basketball

Four of the top six ranked teams in the nation have one thing in common: Interstate 40.

You can get to the universities of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), Duke (Durham), Tennessee (Knoxville) and Memphis using the interstate. Three of those schools have been #1 for most of the year ... with Duke hitting as high as #2.

Oh, and these schools have wore a path on I-40. Tennessee (well, they flew) and Memphis faced off in a #1 vs #2 battle that the Vols won. Duke and UNC played earlier this month (a #2 vs #3 game), with their next meeting coming on March 8th.

Don't forget about Vanderbilt (Nashville) who is 24-4, ranked #14 and just knocked off #1 Tennessee. Wake Forest (Winston-Salem) and New Mexico (Albuquerque) are bubble teams hunting for an at-large bid.

You also have UNC Asheville, who at 20-8 is the biggest threat to unseat Winthrop in the Big South Conference. They also have some talking point of a 7-9 center, Kenny George. UNC Wilmington (third in the Colonial) and Arkansas-Little Rock (second in the Sun Belt West division) could make the NCAA tournament if they get some good fortune in their conference tournaments.

I-40 will be represented in the tournament as well. Raleigh and Little Rock will be pod sites for the NCAAs. Plus, the Big South, Conference USA, Mid-Eastern Athletic and Ohio Valley conferences will hold at least part of their conference tournaments in cities along the interstate.

Plus Tennessee and North Carolina's women's hoops teams are among the favorites to win the championship (Duke isn't bad, either).

All that adds up to some great basketball played on a stretch of interstate that can get you from the beaches of the Atlantic, through Tobacco Road, the Appalachian mountains, Music City, the Ozarks and the west.

College Basketball's Best on Interstate 40 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East and SEC Start Scheduling for 2008

Charles Rich — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:34:00 EST

Filed under: Tennessee Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Cincinnati Basketball, Big East Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, Vanderbilt Basketball, Mississippi State Basketball

The Big East, SEC and ESPN have already decided on the 8 teams that will participate in the Big East-SEC Invitational for 2008.

December 16 at the Sommet Center in Nashville
South Florida-Vanderbilt
Marquette-Tennessee

December 18 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati
Mississippi St.-Cincinnati
Ole Miss-Louisville

Since this "Invitational" is effectively operated and controlled by ESPN, the exciting press actually made the ESPN network crawls as news this evening. This series is a half-hearted effort from both conferences to have their own conference challenge like the ACC-Big 10 and now the Pac-10-Big 12 have. Except, with very limited involvement.

The first year was not exactly a ringing success with half-empty arenas at the semi-neutral sites. This time they might actually sell-out with a good Marquette-Tennessee game and the teams playing in Cincinnati

They blew the chance to make at least one really interesting match-up among the teams -- and guaranteeing coverage. Ole Miss facing Cinci instead of Louisville would have been much more interesting. The Rebels are coached by Andy Kennedy who served as an assistant at Cinci and was the interim coach for the year after Bob Huggins was fired from Cinci. That would have been a meaningful game.

Big East and SEC Start Scheduling for 2008 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vanderbilt's Free... Free-Fallin'

Ryan Ferguson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball, Ole Miss Basketball

"Gonna free fall out into nothin'... gonna leave this world for a while... " -Tom Petty

I seem to remember having this discussion about Vanderbilt in the preseason. It went something like this:

"They're so overrated it hurts. They'll be lucky to go .500 in conference. You can't win in the SEC with defense like that."

At the time Vanderbilt was ranked in the Top 15 and was sporting a nifty, perfect 16-0 record and a 1-0 start to conference play.

Since then, they've played five games and lost four of them. The Commodores lost @ Kentucky, @ Tennessee, @ Florida and as of last night, @ Ole Miss. Their lone win came over LSU.

Losing four road games to two ranked opponents (the Vols and Ole Miss are both Top 25 teams) and a team on the rise (Florida, which is now ranked #19 in the AP Poll) in a "murderer's row" scheduling stretch shouldn't be enough to cause the Vandy faithful to go running for the panic button. But losing three of those four games in blowout fashion should. The 'Dores were hammered 80-60 by Tennessee, 86-64 by Florida and 74-58 by Ole Miss for a combined losing differential of 58 points in three games.

Not good. That's pure free-fall mode right there.

But Vandy has a chance to turn things around. The Commodores' schedule was ridiculously front-loaded; many of their toughest road games all came together in one nasty two-and-a-half week package. They'll be able to ply the advantages of their funkily-arranged Memorial Gym against Auburn, then face two winnable road games (@ Georgia and @ South Carolina) before returning home to again face the teams that blew them out on the road.

Vandy's now 2-4 and frankly, an 8-8 conference record seems like a long shot at this point. Looking at their remaining schedule, I see four winnable games which could be decided in the final minute of play (the home and away with Georgia, the road game against the Gamecocks, and Auburn). The rest look very tough for a team which just doesn't seem to have any defensive answers and has been easily taken out of their half-court offense by the teams which beat them.

FanHouse predicts: 6-10 conference record, NIT.

Vanderbilt's Free... Free-Fallin' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEC Daily W: Florida, Mississippi State the Teams to Watch

Andy Katzer — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:21:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball, Ole Miss Basketball

Each weekday, The Daily W looks at the Who, What, Where, When, or Whys of SEC basketball. Today's question:

Who would have thought that, in late January, we'd have a weekend where the two most important games featured the Mississippi schools, Vanderbilt, and Florida?

And yet, that's what we got this past weekend. State's 88-68 win over Ole Miss and the Gators blowout of Vandy iced it: we've been following the wrong teams from the Magnolia State and Eastern division all along.

It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Florida, but if the Gators can hold off Arkansas this weekend, next week's game against Tennessee will go a long way toward deciding the SEC Eastern division. The Gators have put themselves in this position by getting phenomenal play from freshman starters Jai Lucas and Nick Calathes, but also got a career-high 19 from Walter Hodge against the Commodores (as a junior in a lineup made from freshmen and sophomores, Hodge qualifies as an "old man").

The Gators looked good but untested in non-conference play, losing the only two games they played against teams with a pulse (Florida State and Ohio State). But they're being tested now that the SEC season has cranked up, and answering the bell in stunning fashion. Other than an increasingly inexplicable loss to Ole Miss, the Gators look lights-out in conference play, with a league-best 81.5 points/game, and tremendous production from freshmen Calathes (41 assists to only 15 turnovers in SEC games) and Lucas (11 of 18 from behind the arc in SEC play). This team is not rebuilding, they're redefining what expectations should be when a school wins consecutive championships.

On the other side of the conference, Ryan Ferguson already tabbed Mississippi State as the best in the West, and he's probably right.
Ole Miss' undefeated start was pretty, but consider: State and Ole Miss shared two common opponents before January (Clemson and South Alabama). The Rebels won those games by a combined six points while MSU lost both by a total of ten -- the Bulldogs weren't that far off the pace their neighbors to the north were setting. Sure, State suffered some ugly early-season losses, but they apparently learned to deal with adversity and are coming together as a team.

Now the Bulldogs are not only getting scoring from starters as Ferguson pointed out, but they've also found a bench (freshman Riley Benock hit four 3s against the Rebels) and are getting defense from everybody. According to Pomeroy, State is first in both effective field goal defense and block percentage, meaning that if you get a shot off against them you're either going to miss it or have it planted back in your grill.

Interestingly , MSU and Florida have similar upcoming schedules State goes to Arkansas and hosts Tennessee this week, while the Gators visit both in the next 10 days, so we'll see if either or both teams can keep their roll going in some tough games.

SEC Daily W: Florida, Mississippi State the Teams to Watch originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vandy's Win Over LSU Just Proves that LSU is Really Bad

Ryan Ferguson — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:26:00 EST

Filed under: LSU Basketball, SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball

No offense, Vandy fans, but the Commodores weren't nearly as good as their record indicated before they were beaten like a drum by Tennessee last week.

And don't forget that a 7-8 Kentucky squad beat 'em the week prior.

So forgive me if I take Vandy's 92-76 drubbing of John Brady's Tigers as just another validation of LSU's suckitude rather than a sign that Vanderbilt's slide has ended.

The Commodores were able to win by 16 points despite Shan Foster's 1-11 performance from behind the 3-point arc.

As for LSU, kunior guard Marcus Thornton was a stud for the Tigers, scoring 27 points.

And... that's about it. LSU is really bad. That will be all.

Vandy's Win Over LSU Just Proves that LSU is Really Bad originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Rebound' the Key Word in Tonight's Vandy-Vols Matchup

Andy Katzer — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Tennessee Basketball, SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball

Caution: Tonight's Tennessee-Vanderbilt game is an "orange-blazer special" for Bruce Pearl. Have appropriate eye protection available at all times.

Tennessee has a unique opportunity before them when they take on Vanderbilt in Knoxville tonight -- they have a chance to out-rebound two opponents in a row. Might not sound like much, but the Vols haven't out-rebounded two straight opponents since playing NC A&T and UL-Lafayette to close out November. In fact, before last Saturday's win over South Carolina, UT hadn't won a rebounding battle against anyone since beating up on ULL. So if Tennessee can in fact win the rebound battle against Vanderbilt (UT averages about two less rebounds a game), that will be a nice little feather in their cap.

The good news for Tennessee, though, is that despite getting their glass kicked on a regular basis, they've still managed to win all but one game this year -- largely because what they lose on the boards they make up for in defense (UT is second nationally in seals/game). The Commies only have one loss, too. But according to Pomeroy's rankings, VU still isn't on the level of some of the teams Tennessee has already beaten this year, a point not lost on The BruceBall Blog:

The Vols have played 5 teams that are ranked higher in pythag than Vandy (63) is, and Western Kentucky (72) and South Carolina (76) aren't far behind. Vanderbilt hasn't beaten anyone worth mentioning, either. The best teams they've played are Kentucky (62), South Alabama (68), and South Carolina, and they're 2-1 against them, beating South Alabama (in double OT) and South Carolina at home by a combined 11 points and losing at Kentucky (in double OT).

For Vanderbilt, the more important rebound will be in their collective head rather than on the boards. Vandy needed to beat Kentucky last weekend for two reasons: 1) they're a better team and 2) it makes a splash nationally to go into Rupp and walk out with a win. But they didn't.

Now, the Commies have a mulligan to work with: another big-time rival to face in front of another national audience. To pull the upset, Vanderbilt will need a big night from Shan Foster and AJ Ogilvy, as Vandy Sports Line points out:

The 1-2 scoring leaders in the SEC came up big at Rupp and will need to turn in an equal, if not better performance at Thompson-Boiling. AJ equipped himself well against his toughest defensive opponent(s) at Kentucky. Nothing less will suffice.

How Tennessee matches up inside against Ogilvy and on the perimeter against Foster will go a long way toward determining this one. The Vols should come out on top tonight, but it won't be until after they take on everything that Vanderbilt has to throw at them.

'Rebound' the Key Word in Tonight's Vandy-Vols Matchup originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Freshmen Among the SEC's Brightest Lights

Ryan Ferguson — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:03:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Kentucky Basketball, SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball, Ole Miss Basketball

SEC basketball is just hitting its stride, and a new generation of freshmen is leading the way. They are:

Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)

Unless we see a seismic shift in the next two months, Patrick Patterson seems like an early lock for SEC Freshman of the Year honors and has a strong shot at making an All-SEC roster. Patterson is averaging 17 points and nearly 9 rebounds per game for the 'Cats. In addition to being money around the basket, he's good at the charity stripe, too (74%). Kentucky fans have a lot to like about Patterson, who plays much longer than his listed 6' 8" height.

Nick Calathes and Jai Lucas (Florida)

It's hard to separate these two superfrosh, so we're bunking 'em together. As a freshman starter, 6' 6" guard/forward Calathes has already won SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice and is arguably the Gators' MVP. He's putting up 15 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists per game and is shooting a sizzling 42% from the field, 38% beyond the 3-point arc. His ability to shoot is perhaps superceded by his outstanding passing.

At only 5' 10", Jai Lucas is one of the tiniest players in our SEC frosh lineup but he plays big. At 10 points and 2 assists per game, Lucas' average doesn't carry the cachet of Calathes or Patterson. Nonetheless, he's one of the Gators' best shooters (50% FG and 47% on 3-pointers) and has blown up in his first two SEC games, scoring 19 points on the road against Alabama and 16 against the visiting Auburn Tigers. Lucas is usually the fastest player on the floor in any game the Gators play.

A.J. Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)

Ogilvy, the Commodores' 6' 10" center, is a transplant from Sydney, Australia. He brings a somewhat unique combination of skills for a big man. Although far from 'quick', he's surprisingly agile and is superb at using his body to protect the basketball. He averages an absurd 19 points and 7 rebounds per game, although those stats are slightly skewed by Vanderbilt's cupcake-laden preseason schedule. Although among the better big men in the league, Ogilvy was clearly bested by Patrick Patterson when the Commodores played Kentucky on Jan. 12.

Chris Warren (Ole Miss)

How good is Chris Warren? Ole Miss' talented freshman guard put up a combined 39 points in his first two SEC games. One of those two teams was Tennessee, which seems to be the class of the conference in 2008. Warren torched the Vols for 24 points and nearly led his team to an upset win in Knoxville. Possessing unbelievable speed and a strong 41% FG average, Warren is one of Andy Kennedy's most potent weapons. (Sorry, our image provider didn't have a picture available.)

Freshmen Among the SEC's Brightest Lights originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK Rises from Dead to Defeat #13 Vanderbilt

Ryan Ferguson — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky Basketball, SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball

Much has been made of Kentucky's terrible start to their 2008 campaign. But now it's time to celebrate.

The Wildcats' game against Vanderbilt was an epic, knockdown, drag 'em out, 2OT boxing match filled with gaffes, turnovers, meltdowns and ultimately redemption. Final: Kentucky 79, formerly undefeated Vandy 73.

Kentucky got off to a fast start, and took a 10-point lead into halftime. In the 2nd half, that lead grew to as much as 16 points before the Commodores mounted their comeback.

Thanks in large part to Shan Foster's barrage of treys and Kentucky's turnovers, that lead slowly dwindled. With the score 65-62 in favor of the 'Cats, Foster's biggest three-pointer of the night fell with just seconds remaining, sending the game to its first overtime.

And that's where the game got particularly ugly, as the turnovers, bricks, and free throw clangers mounted. Point by point, the game creeped to the second overtime despite a three point lead by Kentucky. Late in the first OT period, the Wildcats' Ramel Bradley was trapped in a Vanderbilt press, and got caught traveling at the worst possible time. Vandy capitalized, driving the lane, making the shot, and drawing the foul. They completed the conventional 3-point play to tie the game and go to 2OT.

And that's where the 'Cats finally ended it. Vanderbilt could only manage a single point in the final 5:00 of the game. Once again, the Wildcats' best player was their phenomenal freshman, Patrick Patterson, who finished his long afternoon with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and a pair of blocks.

In a game with 45 combined turnovers, the Commodores' unbeaten season comes to an end, and Kentucky has beaten their first ranked opponent in Rupp in two years.

UK Rises from Dead to Defeat #13 Vanderbilt originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet the New SEC Powers, and If You Haven't Already, Say Hello to Andy Kennedy

Ryan Ferguson — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:13:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Tennessee Basketball, Kentucky Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, Vanderbilt Basketball

Perhaps you didn't get my repeated memos to this effect, but the SEC is in a bit of a down cycle right now. That doesn't mean all of the conference's teams are bad.

Just most of them.

I kid, I kid. Well, sort of. In truth the SEC fields three teams which I would consider to be potential "conference powers" in 2008: Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.

What, no Kentucky? No Florida? No LSU? Arkansas was supposed to be good this year, no?

Right: no Kentucky, no Florida, definitely no LSU and Arkansas is a team which could get better, but right now is still reeling from a loss to Appalachian State. So, no Hogs either.

We expected Tennessee to be pretty good after their Sweet 16 appearance last year, and although they started a bit sluggishly, they're picking up steam. At 12-1, the Vols' only loss is to red-hot Texas -- no real shame there, although no one wants to lose by 19 points -- and they just beat Gonzaga out in Seattle over the holidays.

At 15-0, Vanderbilt has been off to a great start. The beat UMass on January 5th and get the benefit of starting conference play against two of the SEC's weaker teams (South Carolina and Kentucky). I fully expect them to be 17-0 by the time they travel to Knoxville to face the Vols on January 17th.

And Ole Miss? I told you last year to keep an eye on Andy Kennedy. I really like this coach.

Think about this: In the SEC West you have programs like LSU, Alabama and Auburn who are just pouring money hand over fist into their programs and feature "tenured" coaches like John Brady and Mark Gottfried, but just haven't been able to span their success across multiple seasons.

Then you have lowly Mississippi, with the lowest budget in the SEC and possibly the worst facilities, going 4-12 in conference play in the '05-'06 season. Then the athletic department hired Andy Kennedy, who posted a 21-13 record (including 8-8 in conference play) in his first year and took the Rebs to the 2nd round of the NIT.

Now the Rebs are 13-0, and their big win over Clemson back on December 22 is looking even better after the Tigers took the top-ranked Tarheels down to the wire in early January.

Forgive me for saying it, Ole Miss fans, but you are not going to be able to keep Andy Kennedy very long. He is a lock for the next chic opening. Talk about overachieving! And I love the way his teams play with discipline and pure grit. Imagine what he can do with a big-time roster.

We'll get a chance to see what he can do against the Vols tonight: Ole Miss travels to Dollywood and takes on the 9th-ranked Vols. When these two teams square off, I believe you're looking at two of the league's best coaches showcasing what they can do. I don't think Pearl is going anywhere -- he loves Tennessee -- but Kennedy is a coach on the rise. His stock will go up yet again if his squad can upset the Big Orange.

These are the teams to keep an eye on for now, but don't completely rule out Kentucky or Florida. Kentucky's going through some major growing pains as they adapt to the style of Billy Gillispie. And Florida picked up a road win against Alabama last night, which was a pleasant surprise for such an inexperienced squad. Still, I think we're talking about Tennessee on the first tier, Ole Miss and Vandy sharing the second, and Florida/Kentucky fighting for 3rd place.

At least you can't say things never change in the SEC.

Meet the New SEC Powers, and If You Haven't Already, Say Hello to Andy Kennedy originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eastern Round Up: An Old-Fashioned Shootout

Josh Alper — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:35:00 EST

Filed under: Umass Basketball, South Carolina Basketball, George Mason Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball

Vanderbilt and UMass can both put up points in a hurry and they didn't disappoint in Nashville yesterday. Shan Foster hit eight threes to become Vandy's all-time leader in made longballs and the Commodores improved to 15-0 in a 97-88 home win. While the Minutemen couldn't continue the A-10's upset string they did cast some doubts about the long-term fitness of VU.

Ricky Harris, Chris Lowe and Gary Forbes had their way with the Commodore defense and scored 25, 22 and 22 points, respectively. Their drives to the lane were unimpeded and their threes thrown up without a hand in the face, two things the Commodores desperately need to change if they hope to contend for SEC honors. Give Kevin Stallings credit, though, he realized that the one chance he had, with UMass up nine in the second half, was shifting to a zone that forced them to shoot from deep. Harris was 5-of-10 from three but his mates were 3-of-14 and Vandy ran away behind Foster's dead-eye shooting.

It wasn't like the Minutemen weren't guarding him. He was hitting with hands in his face and still finished with 32 points. The defense was keying on him, to its detriment, as A.J. Ogilvy was open inside all day, drawing fouls and finishing with 25 of his own. UMass hung with a good team but their lack of stopping power is going to cost them in A-10 play.

Elsewhere on the mid major hardcourts:

UNC-Asheville 61, South Carolina 58 - The Gamecocks found out what puts the Big in the Big South. Kenny George, all 7'7" and 360 pounds of him, had 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to the upset victory. What is a player of George's size doing at such a small school? Well, he's a slow developer, hurt a lot and still growing but is improving at rapid rates and, matched with a good backcourt, could knock Winthrop from its perch this season.

Sam Houston State 60, UCF 58 (OT) - If you've been sleeping on the Bearkats, read this or suffer in March. They defend like the Spartans of 300, rebound with a ferocity far bigger than their size and can win when they don't play their best, as evidenced yesterday. The C-USA's Knights kept them off the glass and Shamir McDaniel wasn't at his best but the 'Kats still pulled through. There will be a four or five seed hoping SHSU gets upset in the Southland tournament because their style would be hell to prepare for in three days.

CAA - George Mason hasn't had the best start to conference play, losing Wednesday to Georgia State, but they can grab control of the league this week. Will Thomas had 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead them past De and they play the 3-0 Blue Hens of Delaware this week for a share of first place. Delaware beat Drexel 67-63 yesterday. In other games, Antoine Agudio returned from injury to lead Hofstra's 66-60 win against James Madison and VCU routed UNC-Wilmington thanks to 24 from Eric Maynor.

Niagara 96, Manhattan 86 - The Purple Eagle express rolls on to a sixth straight win behind a balanced and high-octane offensive effort. Charron Fisher had 27, no surprise, but so did Tyrone Lewis and Benson Egemonye added 22 to overwhelm the Jaspers. Next Saturday, Siena will travel to Niagara in a huge MAAC contest.

MAC - Conference play kicked off and it wasn't a good start for Miami. They got beat up by Akron 69-54 and the Zips showed they aren't dwelling on the Dayton loss. Steve McNees hit all six threes he tried and an 18-0 run that spanned the two halves turned this into a laugher. Five Broncos were in double figures as Western Michigan cruised to an 86-69 win against Northern Illinois and Bowling Green beat Ohio, miscast as a contender thanks to wins against St. John's and Maryland, 52-49.

Eastern Round Up: An Old-Fashioned Shootout originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vanderbilt Wins Number 14

Ryan Ferguson — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:27:00 EST

Filed under: SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball

Vanderbilt has been rocking the hardwood this season. Their 76-58 win over Rice on Thursday night moves them to 14-0.

Foster took two dribbles and cocked back his right arm for an emphatic windmill dunk, sending the 11,996 fans in Memorial Gym into a frenzy and energizing the Commodores.

"How did I like that dunk?" Foster asked. "How did you guys like it? We definitely need more of those. And it comes from us pressuring the ball, trusting that your teammates will be in gaps and things of that sort."

Y'see, Foster, who scored 24 points in this game, was referring to the fact that his teammate had ripped the ball loose from Rice's Lawrence Ghoram and passed it for a wide open slammajamma. The steal, not so much the dunk, is no doubt what made his head coach happy.

Defense, hustle, and coming up with loose balls has been head coach Kevin Stallings' raison d'être leading into conference play, and maybe he's starting to get that from his team. Back when Vandy first found themselves off to the best start in school history when they won their tenth straight, Stallings told his team they were the most overrated in America due to their defensive shortcomings.

Harsh? Maybe slightly so, but when you look at Vandy's preaseason schedule, it's easy to see why they're still ranked no higher than the mid-teens despite being undefeated.

The Commodores barely edged Southern Alabama 91-88. They struggled at Toledo, snuck by Depaul and the best teams they've played -- Wake Forest and Georgia Tech -- are so-so at best (Tech is 6-6). The rest of the schedule is filled with cupcakes, and Vandy only blew out a couple of those.

Winning is great, and everyone loves a winner, but Vandy's #15 ranking may be a bit of an illusion. Of course, in this season of upsets and near-upsets, there's a lot to be said for simply winning your games, and Stallings and co. have been doing that.

Vanderbilt will have an excellent chance to extend their unbeaten streak to 16-0 at minimum. They next play Massachusetts, followed by their first SEC opponent, the woeful South Carolina Gamecocks. Their first real contest will come when they travel to Rupp Arena on January 12 to take on a wounded Kentucky team which can only get better.

Vanderbilt Wins Number 14 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Vanderbilt Overrated?

Andy Katzer — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: SEC Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball

In the last few weeks Vanderbilt's been getting some real positive pub: lots of love for super frosh AJ Ogilvy, a spot in ESPN's Power 16, and a climb to #17 in the AP poll. Then, on the day Vandy Sports Line celebrates the Commies' climb to #1 in Ken Pomeroy's RPI rankings, Pomeroy blasts Vandy as one (along with Miami and Oregon) of the nation's paper giants:

The Commodores have already survived close calls against South Alabama (double overtime), DePaul (overtime) and Wake Forest (three-point win). None of these may end up being quality wins when we look back in March, but nonetheless Vanderbilt is ranked 17th in the latest AP poll. With five home games coming up, and only one of them a potential loss (UMass), Vandy should be 15-0 and on the doorstep of the top 10 heading into SEC play. This is another team where perception will far outweigh performance.

Ouch. But the 'Dores have Ogilvy and Shan Foster playing really well, so doesn't that count for something? Shouldn't the fact that Vandy has come through in close games make them battle-tested?

Consider that if they had lost two of those three close calls, Vandy wouldn't be much different as a team...and they also wouldn't be ranked. The point here is that the Commodores schedule has been incredibly weak. There are quite a few other teams with blemishes on their record that could have rolled through Vandy's slate given the same amount of late-game fortune.

OK, but part of fortune is the residue of design. With VU relying so heavily on a freshman and breaking in so many players that weren't , there's going to be some growing pains. I'm not going to argue too heavily against Pomeroy (I don't have the chops, that guy digests more basketball for breakfast than I've seen in my lifetime), but I'm not going to dismiss the Commies too quickly either. They may not be the 17th best team in America, but with the SEC looking a little down this year, VU has an open door to a good conference record and a solid seed in March.

Is Vanderbilt Overrated? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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