Are the Kentucky Wildcats Still the Favorite? Expectations were tempered for SEC basketball coming into the season, though many expected the conference to take a serious step forward as a whole from last year, where no one besides Kentucky posed any real threat in the NCAA Tournament.
As we head into the New Year, it’s time to take a look back at the top things we’ve learned so far after nearly two months of basketball.
There Is No Clear Favorite: Sure, Kentucky could still win this thing, but they’ve looked very vulnerable early this season with no consistency underneath or on the perimeter. Texas A&M has flashed some big win potential, especially with their dismantling of Baylor recently, but are we ready to buy them on a consistent basis? Vanderbilt seems to change their season outlook weekly and LSU is hardly a safe bet despite having the conference’s best player. Oh, and what about those Gamecocks and Frank Martin? Conference play is going to be mayhem, but I’d expect Kentucky and A&M to fight it out in the end for the title.
Auburn Will Beat Almost Everyone At Home: I’m going to guess that the only home game Auburn loses in conference play will be against Kentucky. This Tigers team is so, so scrappy and Bruce Pearl has them playing with unbelievable energy. When that place gets packed, it’s a top three atmosphere in the SEC, and Kareem Canty is, perhaps, the most underrated player in the conference.
Alabama Is On Its Way: Frankly, I thought the Crimson Tide were going to be, ahem, awful this season. They’ve got some lopsided losses against the top competition on their schedule, sure, but they’ve also got wins against Wichita State and Notre Dame–and they nearly beat Oregon just the other day. Bama isn’t there yet, but Avery Johnson has some recruiting mojo going, and this program is going to be back very soon.
