The SEC has a bunch of teams loaded with talent, depth and
athleticism. Kentucky won national championships in 1998 and 2012,
Florida knocked on the door in 2000 getting to the title game against Michigan
State, then won it all with back-to-back titles. Here's a look at some of
college basketball's best teams in the SEC.
Kentucky: The Wildcats have another powerhouse young team
for coach John Calipari, who likes to groom them for one year before they head
off to the NBA. Kentucky has a powerful frontcourt of 6-11 freshman
Karl-Anthony Towns (8.5 ppg, 6 rpg), 7-0 junior Willie Cauley-Stein and 7-foot
sophomore Dakari Johnson (8 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Even the backcourt is huge with 6-6 sophomore
Aaron Harrison (11 ppg) and 6-6 freshman Devin Booker (10.6 ppg). They
flattened Kansas (72-40) and North Carolina (84-70) by double digits, and
showed clutch ability with back-to-back overtime wins over Ole Miss and Texas
A&M. The Wildcats are 7-3-1 ATS on the road and 16-7 run under the total
with great defense. Just bring on March: This talented, deep group is
ready.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks are getting it done by running, Top
15 in the nation in scoring and assists behind a backcourt of 6-5 senior guard
Rashad Madden and 6-6 junior Mike Qualls (15.7 ppg). Arkansas leads the SEC in
five categories, including scoring (80) & offensive rebounds (13.7).
The frontcourt has a force in 6-11 sophomore Bobby
Portis (17.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg), and Arkansas is one of five teams in the nation
with two top 30 RPI road wins. The Razorbacks have been great at home and at
covering against weak teams, 17-8 ATS at home against a team with a losing road
record. They play 5 of their final 8 games on the road, including a
showdown at No. 1 Kentucky to end February.
Texas A&M: The Aggies are not an easy team to face with
their attacking defense. They gave up just 70 points to No. 1 Kentucky in a
loss -- in double overtime. They held Kentucky to 28% shooting. 6-7 junior
guard Jalen Jones (13.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and 6-7 junior Danuel House (13.8 ppg)
anchor the backcourt and lead the team in scoring, with 6-9 senior Kourtney
Roberson manning the low post.
Junior guard Alex Caruso is a terrific
playmaker averaging 5.5 assists per contest. The Aggies are a great bounce back
team, 51-25 ATS following a loss. And that great defense really helps on the
road, where the Aggies are 46-21 under the total.
Ole Miss: The Rebels have impressed with another strong
offense behind the backcourt duo of junior guard Stephan Moody (15.5 ppg) and
senior Jarvis Summers (13 ppg). Like Texas A&M, they took top-ranked
Kentucky to overtime, an 89-86 loss. They held Kentucky to 42% shooting. Ole
Miss is now 13-102 against Kentucky! Kentucky had its worst defensive
game of the season. The Wildcats allowed Ole Miss to shoot 49 percent from the
floor and 53 percent from 3-point range. Kentucky was also outscored in the
paint 30-26 by Ole Miss. Ole Miss has been on a recent 10-4 run over the total,
including 7-2 over on the road.
LSU: It's no secret how the Tigers win: Like the days
of Shaq or Big Baby Davis they have a huge frontcourt with 6-10 sophomore
Jarrell Martin (16 ppg, 9 rpg) and 6-8 sophomore Jordan Mickey (16.7 ppg, 11
rpg). Once again they are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation.
The backcourt has size, too, with 6-6 sophomore Tim
Quarterman (12 ppg) and 6-4 junior Keith Hornsby (12.6 ppg). The Tigers have
been better on the road than last season, pulling off victories at Ole Miss,
Florida and Vandy, the latter in overtime. They even have a
non-conference win at West Virginia building an impressive resume before March.
LSU is 20-7 over the total in SEC play.
Georgia: Let's call them the "Not-Quite Bulldogs," because
they haven't quite been there when stepping up. Georgia lost to Gonzaga by 14,
lost at home to Arkansas by 4 and lost in double overtime at LSU.
6-8 senior Marcus Thornton (13.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is a force at center but
missed a few games recently with a concussion.
The backcourt is fine with 6-3 junior Kenny Gaines
(11 ppg) and 6-5 junior Charles Mann (11 ppg). They had a showdown at Kentucky
and covered as a +18 dog, but lost by 11 after falling behind at the half,
42-27. Georgia committed 16 turnovers leading to 18 Kentucky points.
The Bulldogs are an impressive 30-12-1 ATS against the SEC and 19-7 under
the total after a spread cover.
For Jim Feist's college basketball picks, click here.