SEC Basketball: The Catchup Part 1 (Season Kickoff)

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Jan 12, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt won 75-57. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

14. Mississippi State 7-8 (0-3)

Coach Ben Howland and Malik Newman brought hope to this season, but it seems to be fool’s gold.

247sports.com had Malik Newman ranked the number 1 point guard in the country when he was recruited, like most websites did at the time. It hasn’t

Oct 21, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs player Malik Newman poses for a picture during SEC Tipoff held at Ballantyne Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

translated yet, but there is hope his game can match that of Gavin Ware, who is averaging 17.2 ppg at 65.2% FG percentage. Perhaps Malik Newman stays one more year (I doubt it), and he can work with the currently 6th ranked recruiting class Coach Ben Howland has coming in next year. The future is bright, but the future is not now.

13. Alabama 9-5 (0-2)

Coach Avery Johnson’s seat got real hot real early with blowout losses to Dayton and Xavier in the beginning of the season. Then back to back wins over Wichita State and Notre Dame had the people taking notice. Don’t be fooled. Alabama ranks last in the conference in scoring, rebounds, assists, and 3rd to last in field goal percentage. Coach Johnson has them playing hard, but they need more than a motivational speaker.

12. Auburn 7-8 (1-3)

Coach Bruce Pearl and Coach Ben Howland are kind of in the same boat. They are both at non traditional basketball powerhouses that have had moments in their history. Both have fanbases that have certain expectations, but they are blessed with the time to build. I believe both fan bases will be very happy, but again, this may be a year too soon. Their signature win to this point is against Tennessee. Unfortunately, they have been dominated by every worthwhile opponent. By dominated, I do mean, well. Yeah, dominated. 6 of Auburn’s 8 losses have come by double digits.

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11. Vanderbilt 9-7 (1-3)

Coach Kevin Stallings has had an amazing ability to coach very good basketball teams. His ability to coach matched with this year’s roster had the Commodores open the season ranked 18th in the country. If you looked only at their record and current standing, you may think that this season has been disappointing. Well, that is why we are here to catch you up! It seems impossible to have 7 losses 16 games into the season and not have a bad loss, but Vanderbilt proves it is possible. Vanderbilt has losses to LSU, Arkansas, Dayton, Baylor, Kansas, Purdue and South Carolina. When they traveled to 14th ranked Purdue, they suffered their only double digit loss of the season. Ignore the record for now, I still think Vanderbilt will finish in the top 3 in the SEC.

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