Saturday marks the official start of SEC play for the 2017-18 season, and as always, it is sure to be a thrilling ride.
But with only a few pre-conference games remaining, what have we learned in the first month and a half of the season?
To find that out, we must take a stroll through all the non-conference action to sort out the best and worst of what we’ve seen this season.
Let’s jump right in.
Best Team – Texas A&M
The Aggies are a win over Arizona away from being undefeated and possibly being ranked as the top team in the country. However, being at No. 5 isn’t a bad place to be, especially considering that important members of the rotation have missed games due to injury or suspension.
I picked Texas A&M fourth in my SEC preseason power rankings, but I can’t see Billy Kennedy’s squad finishing that low now.
Best Player – Yante Maten, Georgia
Maten has been his usual self in averaging 20.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
He will be the best player on the court in most SEC games this season, and how far Georgia can go will be dependent upon how much help he has around him.
Yes, he’ll see double teams and all sorts of interesting defensive matchups, but Maten has proven time and time again that he’s more than ready for the challenge.
Best Coaching Job – Bruce Pearl, Auburn
I could have just as easily went with Rick Barnes here (or Billy Kennedy or Mike Anderson or Will Wade or you get the picture), but since I’ll be talking about Tennessee’s hot start in another category, I’ll go with Pearl.
Most people thought this Auburn team would become the worst team in the league overnight after the FBI bombshell hit. However, Pearl has managed to keep this team focused through numerous off-the-court distractions, which led to two of his top players in Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy being sidelined indefinitely.
Most importantly, Auburn’s defense and rebounding have improved dramatically, and those are two areas that’ll help this team navigate through a strong SEC schedule.
Best Game – Florida 111, Gonzaga 105 (3OT)
Considering that this game ended in the early morning hours, a ton of people probably didn’t stay up to watch the thing. But for those that did, it was an absolute beauty.
The Gators hit 17 3-pointers and had three players score over 23 points, which included a 35-point outing from Jalen Hudson. This looked like a turning point for Mike White’s team.
Unfortunately, what came after the win also earned Florida an unwanted award that we’ll get to shortly.
Best Win – Tennessee 78, Purdue 75 (OT)
Texas A&M’s blowout win over West Virginia was obviously impressive to open the season, but I’m going to go in a different direction here.
The Boilermakers are 12-2 and already own wins over teams like Arizona, Louisville, Maryland, Marquette, and Northwestern.
Getting this win was huge for the Vols to open up Battle 4 Atlantis play, and it helped Tennessee realize that it could play with anyone in the country.
Top Freshman – Collin Sexton, Alabama
I’d listen to an argument for putting LSU’s Tremont Waters in this spot, as he’s been sensational thus far for the Tigers.
However, Sexton leads the SEC in scoring right now (20.5 points per game) and should continue to be one of the country’s most dynamic playmakers.
He hasn’t gone without his struggles, but his overall game will allow him to keep Alabama competitive against every remaining opponent on the schedule.
Biggest Surprise – Tennessee cracking the Top 20
The Vols were picked 13th in the preseason media poll, and although I said in my preseason rankings that I’d regret picking them low, I did it anyways by picking them 12th.
And here we are now, with Tennessee heading into SEC play ranked No. 19 in the country.
Considering that this team’s only two losses came by single-digits to undefeated Villanova and defending national champion North Carolina, there’s reason to be excited about this team’s possibilities going forward.
Biggest Disappointment – Florida’s struggles
I told you we’d get back to the Gators. They were a Duke win away from potentially being ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation, and now they’re searching for answers.
Florida is 3-4 in its last seven games, and even in victories, this team hasn’t looked anything like it did at the PK80 in November.
The Gators don’t have the luxury of stalling until John Egbunu gets back in late January, as they need to refocus and find their way immediately. Otherwise, what once looked like a Final Four contender could find itself on the bubble come March.
Biggest Unknown – Is Mississippi State legit?
I mentioned in yesterday’s notebook that the Bulldogs lost 7 of 12 SEC games last season by seven points or less.
The question is, will close non-conference wins against inferior competition be enough to give them a boost in close games in this league? Even with the added year of experience, Mississippi State is still a young team (329th in the country in experience).
So, despite having a talented roster and an 11-1 record, the Bulldogs are a hard team to gauge entering SEC play.
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