The countdown to SEC play has reached single digits, which means we’re close to finding out a lot more about all 14 teams around the league.
But before we get there, there’s plenty to discuss regarding this week’s matchups.
Let’s dive into today’s notebook.
– It was another head-scratching game for Florida, with the Gators only beating James Madison by nine points. We sometimes see teams go through the motions during Christmas week games, but this has become a theme for this Florida squad. As I mentioned on Twitter, at some point this team has to start playing with a chip on its shoulder. You would think that going 1-4 in the five games prior to this one would produce a motivation to go out and prove to everyone that you’re better than that, but we haven’t seen it. I was a win over Duke away from ranking the Gators as the best team in the country, and now here we are. Mike White has his work cut out for him.
– Tennessee held off Furman, and although it wasn’t the Vols’ best effort of the season, you have to give the visitors some credit. Knoxville native Devin Sibley had an excellent game with 22 points, and the Paladins held Tennessee to 37.1 percent shooting. But hey, a win is a win, and it’s better than the alternative. Just ask North Carolina.
– Since I’ve spent the past few years trying to tell everyone how underrated Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson is, I figure I’ll just keep doing it until people listen. The senior racked up his sixth double-double of the season in going for 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Commodores’ win over Houston Baptist, and his consistency has been a common theme throughout his career. While this Vandy team hasn’t found its way yet, Roberson is still as good as ever.
– Mississippi State went 5 of 25 from 3-point range but managed to turn Little Rock over 21 times to score the victory. With Southern Miss and North Florida the only two games left on the non-conference schedule, the Bulldogs should go into SEC play with a 12-1 record. Of course, even with that many wins, I’m still not entirely sure what to make of this team until we see it going up against quality competition on a regular basis.
– My predictions for tonight’s lone SEC game, featuring Texas A&M hosting a sneaky good Buffalo squad.
– Send in your questions for a pre-conference play edition of the mailbag:
Taking your questions for a new pre-conference play edition of the SEC hoops mailbag. Send them on over. Always a lot of fun.
— Blake Lovell (@theblakelovell) December 21, 2017
– Biggest questions I have heading into the weekend games in the conference:
- Can Georgia stay consistent? Beating Georgia Tech was great and all, but Temple will provide a bigger challenge.
- Will Alabama take care of business against Texas? We all know the challenges of facing a Shaka Smart team, but the Longhorns are shooting 27.9 percent from long range (339th nationally) and 61.4 percent from the free-throw line (343rd nationally).
- Will Auburn continue to find an edge in close games? The Tigers have won their past three games by six points or less, and the home tilt against UConn figures to be another close game.
- Can Kentucky win its second straight game against UCLA? This isn’t the same Bruins team that beat Kentucky at Rupp during the regular season last year, and the Wildcats are finding momentum on offense.
- Can Tennessee avoid a a bad loss at Wake Forest? Although the Demon Deacons have won six in a row, the 1-4 start that included losses to Georgia Southern, Liberty, and Drake have left them at No. 158 in the RPI.
– We’ll have a special Christmas Eve edition of Forever March on WNSR in Nashville, with lots of SEC hoops thoughts heading into conference play. Be sure to listen locally or watch online and send your questions via Periscope. We’ll also use mailbag questions and answer them on air.
– A reminder that we have a printable version of the conference schedule so that you can keep track of all the games.