Lovell’s Notebook: SEC rolls through opening weekend

By
Blake Lovell
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With expectations high entering the new season, the SEC didn’t disappoint on opening weekend.

The league went 15-0 through the first three days, and many teams were impressive in adding to the tally that makes the SEC the only undefeated conference left in college basketball.

And although the competition will continue to get tougher, it was a good sign to see most SEC teams leave no doubt in scoring convincing wins.

So, while it was only a case of looking at one game for most teams, there were still some intriguing takeaways.

Let’s roll through some quick-hitters from the first weekend of action in the SEC.

– How about Texas A&M beating No. 11 West Virginia by 23 points in Germany? And in case you forgot, they did it without Robert Williams and J.J. Caldwell. I’ve talked all offseason about how Admon Gilder is one of the most underrated players in the conference, and he delivered on opening night in posting this stat line: 23 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Tyler Davis and D.J. Hogg were also excellent. This may be a Top 10 team.

– While I loved what the Aggies did, I still came away from the weekend most impressed by Arkansas. The Hogs decimated two high-quality mid-major teams in Samford and Bucknell and answered a lot of questions I had coming into the season. Arkansas is already showing off its tremendous athleticism, and that’s turning into easy baskets off turnovers and a dominant rebounding mindset. Mike Anderson‘s squad looks legit.

– I know a lot of people are surprised by what Missouri did to Iowa State without Michael Porter Jr. on the floor, but I can’t say I’m shocked. I talked all offseason about how people were overlooking the Tigers’ supporting cast, especially the double-digit returners from last season. Kevin Puryear and Jordan Barnett picked up the slack got help from newcomers Jeremiah Tilmon and Kassius Robertson. Missouri’s depth is what makes it an SEC title contender.

– Speaking of depth, Alabama has just that in the backcourt. The Crimson Tide didn’t let a slow start stop them from beating Memphis, and the guard trio of Dazon Ingram, Herb Jones, and John Petty showcased their talents. And now Alabama will add Collin Sexton to that group when he debuts against Lipscomb on Tuesday. That group is going to give the Tide a chance to win a ton of games and be in the mix for the SEC crown (so will big man Donta Hall, who is already showing major improvement).

– The question that the casual college basketball fan wants answered: what’s wrong with Kentucky? The Wildcats escaped with narrow victories over Utah Valley and Vermont to start the season, but I’m not all that concerned just yet. We’ve talked recently about how Kentucky was going to struggle more than usual in non-conference play due to this team’s youth, and it’s simply gonna take a little while for John Calipari to build consistency with this group. Although, they might want to find a little of that against Kansas on Tuesday.

– I loved how Auburn bounced back after enduring a rough few weeks. Bryce Brown was awesome in exploding for 31 points on 12-of-16 shooting, and he got balance around him with Jared Harper, Desean Murray, Mustapha Heron, and Anfernee McClemore all scoring in double figures. Of course, the most positive aspect of the game for the Tigers was showing strides on defense in holding Norfolk State to just 74 points on 34 precent shooting from the floor.

– Another fantastic individual performance from the first weekend was LSU guard Tremont Waters filling the stat sheet in his debut with the Tigers. He was all over the place in scoring 27 points, dishing out six assists, and contributing five rebounds and five steals. Will Wade has talked all offseason long about Waters’ court vision and awareness, and a stat line like that to start the season certainly shows just how good the freshman can be.

– To stay on LSU for a second, here’s proof that Wade has the program on the right track:

– Vanderbilt forward Jeff Roberson, who I’ve called “one of the most underrated players in the country” approximately 8,372 times over the past two years, started his season with a double-double against Austin Peay. The senior scored 13 points and added 10 rebounds, and will once again be the rock of the team this season.

– Ole Miss scored an 18-point win over a really good Louisiana-Lafayette team. And guess how the Rebels did it? If you guessed guard play, you win a cookie. That stellar backcourt we’ve been talking about all offseason lived up to the billing, combining for 71 of Ole Miss’ 94 points. Terence Davis led the way with 21 points. Also, shout out to forward Marcanvis Hymon, who eased some frontcourt concerns with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

– Everyone knows how I felt about South Carolina coming into the season, but we shouldn’t undervalue the Gamecocks’ win at Wofford. The Terriers had a raucous crowd in opening up their new arena, so this was far from easy for Frank Martin‘s team. However, the Gamecocks had great scoring balance and once again put up a solid defensive effort in holding Wofford to 34.7 percent from the floor.

– Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi State were all dominant in their openers against inferior competition, which is a good sign. We’ve seen teams in the past let the opposition hang around for a while, but that didn’t happen here. These three teams were picked in the lower half of the SEC entering the regular season, but all have the potential to make the NCAA Tournament. The stars of the show for each team: Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield (22 points), Mississippi State forward Aric Holman (18 points, 11 rebounds), and Georgia forward Yante Maten (21 points, 12 rebounds).

– I thought Florida was the definition of perfection over the weekend in not showing a single flaw. Perhaps that was because the Gators haven’t played yet. They host Gardner-Webb tonight.

– The rest of Monday’s slate: Eastern Kentucky at Ole Miss, Vanderbilt at Belmont, Western Michigan at South Carolina, Wagner at Missouri.

– And since some of you have asked, the first ’17-18 installment of my weekly SEC power rankings goes up next week.