http://www.secfantics.com//phpBB2/index.php. This is soon to be the
premier SEC message board.

Well, the SEC bowed out of the big dance a bit early again this
year.  Can't say I'm not disappointed, as it puts that "Vanderbilt
played admirably against an impossible schedule" thing into
question.  But I'd still contend that while we've been down a bit at
the top, the overall top-to-bottom conference strength has been very
good the last few years.

But, now that the big dance is uninteresting (not really), what do we
focus on?  Obviously, South Carolina has two  more games left in New
York - here's hoping they can do to Boeheim's bunch what they did to
Ball State.  SC's a good defensive team, and I personally think that
combined with their far superior post game will take them to victory
against the Orangemen.  However, you can never count out Boeheim's
defensive nightmares and Shumpert's ability to take over a game.  My
take, SC 59, SU 51.

Anything else going on in SEC hoops?  Oh yeah . . . the WOMEN'S
tournament continues tonight!  Two VERY big matchups involving SEC
teams, starting with the lesser. . .

South Carolina (3) vs. Duke (1) in the East!  Duke seemingly has a
homecourt advantage here, being in the research triangle and all.
But, SC's just down the road and has a seriously good, seriously
talented team.  If SC can hold Alana Beard in check tonight, watch
for them to pull the mild upset.  If not, Duke should roll to another
final four.  My take, SC 81, Duke 77.

Tennessee (2) vs. Vanderbilt (1) in the Midwest!  It's a joke that
this matchup isn't happening in San Antonio, but heck - we'll take it
when we can get it.  I've been itching for a rematch with these
jokers since they snuck past us in Knoxville, and they let me down in
the SEC tourney.  But here 'tis, one of the biggest non-final four
games in women's hoops history - THE biggest in Vanderbilt women's
hoops history for sure.

Will Shyra Ely continue her stellar play in the post for UT?  Will
Summitt have the guts to sit the outmatched Snow this time around?
Will Lawson get in a groove and counter her horrid performance
against BYU?  Will UT turn this into an uptempo, physical matchup and
get Vandy out of their precise, highly successful gameplan?

Will Chantelle Anderson repeat one of the most impressive
performances of the year - a 22 point 5 rebound second half en route
to a 17 point thumping of the Vols in Nashville?  Will Ashley Mac be
able to force the defense on Lawson like she did with NC's great
point guard?  Will a freshman come of the bench and defend like a
senior to help deter UT's athletic superiority?

All questions that remain unanswered - but tune in at 9:30 EST
tonight on ESPN to hear Nancy Liebermann pander to coach Summitt, and
the 'Dores pull off a mild but yet media christened "stunning" upset
of the Vols!  My take, Vanderbilt 66, Tennessee 59.

Enjoy!

Well, the SEC bowed out of the big dance a bit early again this
year.  Can't say I'm not disappointed, as it puts that "Vanderbilt
played admirably against an impossible schedule" thing into
question.  But I'd still contend that while we've been down a bit at
the top, the overall top-to-bottom conference strength has been very
good the last few years.

But, now that the big dance is uninteresting (not really), what do we
focus on?  Obviously, South Carolina has two  more games left in New
York - here's hoping they can do to Boeheim's bunch what they did to
Ball State.  SC's a good defensive team, and I personally think that
combined with their far superior post game will take them to victory
against the Orangemen.  However, you can never count out Boeheim's
defensive nightmares and Shumpert's ability to take over a game.  My
take, SC 59, SU 51.

Anything else going on in SEC hoops?  Oh yeah . . . the WOMEN'S
tournament continues tonight!  Two VERY big matchups involving SEC
teams, starting with the lesser. . .

South Carolina (3) vs. Duke (1) in the East!  Duke seemingly has a
homecourt advantage here, being in the research triangle and all.
But, SC's just down the road and has a seriously good, seriously
talented team.  If SC can hold Alana Beard in check tonight, watch
for them to pull the mild upset.  If not, Duke should roll to another
final four.  My take, SC 81, Duke 77.

Tennessee (2) vs. Vanderbilt (1) in the Midwest!  It's a joke that
this matchup isn't happening in San Antonio, but heck - we'll take it
when we can get it.  I've been itching for a rematch with these
jokers since they snuck past us in Knoxville, and they let me down in
the SEC tourney.  But here 'tis, one of the biggest non-final four
games in women's hoops history - THE biggest in Vanderbilt women's
hoops history for sure.

Will Shyra Ely continue her stellar play in the post for UT?  Will
Summitt have the guts to sit the outmatched Snow this time around?
Will Lawson get in a groove and counter her horrid performance
against BYU?  Will UT turn this into an uptempo, physical matchup and
get Vandy out of their precise, highly successful gameplan?

Will Chantelle Anderson repeat one of the most impressive
performances of the year - a 22 point 5 rebound second half en route
to a 17 point thumping of the Vols in Nashville?  Will Ashley Mac be
able to force the defense on Lawson like she did with NC's great
point guard?  Will a freshman come of the bench and defend like a
senior to help deter UT's athletic superiority?

All questions that remain unanswered - but tune in at 9:30 EST
tonight on ESPN to hear Nancy Liebermann pander to coach Summitt, and
the 'Dores pull off a mild but yet media christened "stunning" upset
of the Vols!  My take, Vanderbilt 66, Tennessee 59.

Enjoy!

I am interested in chatting about college basketball during the
offseason. Just tell me what I have to do to get involved. Thanks.
Matt

--- In SECHoops@y..., Philip Reed <ChristianEccentric@y...> wrote:
> Traditionally, I consider the NCAA tournament to be
> ruined for me once there are no SEC teams left besides
> Kentucky.   As you can imagine, some years the NCAA
> tournament gets ruined for me quite early.
>
> Actually the only teams that I feel like lost
> embarrassingly were Ole Miss and 'Bama.   Even Ole
> Miss had their moments, but in the end when they're
> not making shots they're brutal to watch, and it
> looked like UCLA ran them off the court.   I don't
> know what the deal was with Alabama.    Florida
> battled in a great game, and wasn't the only 5 to
> struggle (three of them lost!), but still was
> disappointing.
>
> State and Georgia both had lousy draws that (see my
> prior message) make me wonder if Lee Fowler
> understands the point of the pod thing.   State in
> particular should feel proud of how they battled back
> on the road.    Georgia didn't seem to play real smart
> down the stretch.
>
> Ah well.....
>
> Congratulations to Kentucky; it sounds like they
> really took Tulsa's best shot and come out on top.
> Prince is just unreal; I don't see how they're going
> to replace all he does for them next year.   But UK
> rarely seems to have any problems reloading.
>
> Now, as the rest of us (minus the NIT teams) ponder
> next year, it's time to talk about player departures.
>  From surfing the message boards, it looks like
> Haislip is now gone for sure.   He's gotten an advance
> from an agent and the whole thing, right?
>
> Also I keep seeing the rumors about Nelson, but I
> haven't followed it that closely.   Sounds like most
> of the UF fans wouldn't be too hurt to lose him.
>
> Finally, as we head into the off-season, I'd like to
> avoid the usual curve where my interest wanes very
> quickly until the preseason.   Of course that's
> natural anyway, but i would like to keep some
> discussion going during the off-season.   Would anyone
> be interested in setting up some kind of regular chat
> every couple of weeks or so?
>
> As always, AIM me at PhilipVU94 if you're interested
> in something like this.
>
> Later,
>
> Philip


I would be interested in setting up this chat you are talking about.
Send me some details about it if you can. thanks matt
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage
> http://sports.yahoo.com/

Traditionally, I consider the NCAA tournament to be
ruined for me once there are no SEC teams left besides
Kentucky.   As you can imagine, some years the NCAA
tournament gets ruined for me quite early.

Actually the only teams that I feel like lost
embarrassingly were Ole Miss and 'Bama.   Even Ole
Miss had their moments, but in the end when they're
not making shots they're brutal to watch, and it
looked like UCLA ran them off the court.   I don't
know what the deal was with Alabama.    Florida
battled in a great game, and wasn't the only 5 to
struggle (three of them lost!), but still was
disappointing.

State and Georgia both had lousy draws that (see my
prior message) make me wonder if Lee Fowler
understands the point of the pod thing.   State in
particular should feel proud of how they battled back
on the road.    Georgia didn't seem to play real smart
down the stretch.

Ah well.....

Congratulations to Kentucky; it sounds like they
really took Tulsa's best shot and come out on top.
Prince is just unreal; I don't see how they're going
to replace all he does for them next year.   But UK
rarely seems to have any problems reloading.

Now, as the rest of us (minus the NIT teams) ponder
next year, it's time to talk about player departures.
  From surfing the message boards, it looks like
Haislip is now gone for sure.   He's gotten an advance
from an agent and the whole thing, right?

Also I keep seeing the rumors about Nelson, but I
haven't followed it that closely.   Sounds like most
of the UF fans wouldn't be too hurt to lose him.

Finally, as we head into the off-season, I'd like to
avoid the usual curve where my interest wanes very
quickly until the preseason.   Of course that's
natural anyway, but i would like to keep some
discussion going during the off-season.   Would anyone
be interested in setting up some kind of regular chat
every couple of weeks or so?

As always, AIM me at PhilipVU94 if you're interested
in something like this.

Later,

Philip


__________________________________________________
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Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage
http://sports.yahoo.com/

OK, the play-in game is over, the first round starts
tomorrow, so i guess i'd better get my thoughts posted
if they're to have relevance when they go out.

BTW, why on earth is the play-in game in Dayton??? I
understood that last year when Dayton was a first
round site, but why would you choose Dayton in
perpetuity?   Oh well.... the play-in wouldn't be
necessary if Craig Thompson hadn't taken his group of
goldiggers out of the WAC.  I'll be pulling hard
against MWC teams as always.

Anyway, in general the trend seemed to be to totally
ignore the conference tournaments.    OU's win over KU
seemed to have no consequence whatsoever, nor did
UGa's early SECT exit or Oregon's in the Pac 10
tournament.   Honestly one gets the impression they
created the brackets on Thursday and tried to change
them as little as possible.

Anyway, specific thoughts:


2 ALABAMA - 15 FLA ATLANTIC
(7 Ok State - 10 Kent State)
Greenville / South

Kent State is a good midmajor and could give the Tide
a little trouble.   However, I actually can forsee
Bama making it all the way to the Final Four beating
Duke in Lexington.

3 GEORGIA - 14 MURRAY STATE
(6 Tx Tech - 11 So Illinois)
Chicago / East

Really convincing proof Lee Fowler is a dolt -- one
who played at Vanderbilt, but an absolute fraud
nonetheless.   First,  these games should be in Saint
Louis.    Georgia would presumably rather play there,
but that site went to a four-seed just because the
four-seed brings more fans.   Secondly, SIU shouldn't
get to play in their home state.   In fairness the two
things MIGHT be related, in that STL is a lot closer
to Carbondale than Chgo is, but i think i'm giving
them too much credit.   In reality they should have
put this pod in STL and moved SIU somewhere where they
wouldn't have an advantage.

Anyway, TTU-SIU is interesting -- I'll bet the Bob
Knight automatons will come up from Indiana.   But
Knight's recent 1st round record is just horrid, so
I'll go with SIU to get out of this pod.

3 MISS STATE - 14 MCNEESE STATE
(6 Texas - 11 BC)
Dallas / Midwest

More proof Fowler has no clue what he's doing.
Potential second round matchup: Miss State vs. Texas
in Dallas.   Who do you suppose would be the home
team, hmmmmm?

I pick Texas to get out of this pod just b/c they're
the home team.

4 KENTUCKY - 13 VALPARAISO
(5 Marquette - 12 Tulsa)
Saint Louis / East

These games should be in Chicago (see above).
Valpo's the fashionable upset pick b/c UK looks in
such disarray, but IMO they're too fashionable.
Fitch should be back for UK, right?   I do, however,
think Marquette's a really good 5-seed and will emerge
from this pod.

5 FLORIDA - 12 CREIGHTON
(4 Illinois - 13 SDSU)
Chicago / Midwest

Another simply brilliant site selection.   The 4-5
game is supposed to be on a neutral court (the NCAA
said this when it announced the pod system).   Gee,
are there more UI or UF fans in Chicago?   What do you
think, Lee?

SDSU could actually give the Illini some problems, but
if not I had picked UF out of this pod.   However,
with the Nelson/fight rumor emerging, I don't know
what to make of this.   I guess i'll pick Illinois
now.

8 UCLA - 9 MISSISSIPPI
(1 Cincinnati - 16 Boston U)
Pittsburgh / San Jose

A good draw for a 9 seed.    I pick Ole Miss out of
this pod.   Huggins produces good teams -- i won't say
he's a good college coach, because college coaches are
expected to take an interest in their players'
academics, but he does make his teams play well -- but
his second-round record is awful.   Obviously OM has
been running hot and cold, but I like their chances.

OK, that's all for now.  Good luck in your pools.

Philip

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Congratulations to m_moses, and thanks to all who
participated.   I left out one participant in my first
mailing, KRPOW, for which i'm sorely ashamed.

Final standings:

m_moses42.....18
lsutigers711..17
Vandyguy99.... 9
BillVol....... 7
PhilipVU94.... 7
KRPOW......... 5
ORDore........ 5

(Favorites....20)
(Underdogs....18)
(Consensus.... 9)

For his efforts, m_moses42 wins our plaudits and
admiration, so please be forthcoming in expressing
your positive vibes toward him.

Now, on to the NCAA.   I think an NCAA is more effort
than i'm able to invest at this point, so i'll just
refer you to a pool with somewhat similar rules if you
liked this one:
http://vandygold.com/bb/ikonboard.cgi?s=3c8db9c37430ffff;act=ST;f=2;t=202

I'll also post to this list analyzing the NCAA
brackets as i see them impacting SEC teams, but
meanwhile y'all's comments would be most welcome. :^)

Thursday can't come fast enough,

PhilipVU94

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Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email!
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Wow, what a wild tournament!   A 4-seed and a 6-seed
in the semifinals.

If i tell you that one participant has LSU in the
semis, and one has SC beating OM (but not Kentucky),
can you guess who's leading?

Contestant............Points...... Potential
--------------------------------------------
lsutigers711..............17...... 0
m_moses42.................15...... 7
Vandyguy99................ 9...... 0
BillVol................... 7...... 0
PhilipVU94 ............... 7...... 0
ORDore.................... 5...... 0

(All favorites............17...... 7    )
(All underdogs............18......18    )
(Consensus................ 9.......0    )

So ORDore may have won Pick To Click at KSR, but this
is the big leagues now....

At any rate, "potential" is the number of points still
left to win, and of course you notice that only
m_moses42 has any points left!   lsutigers711 had LSU
to the semis, but losing to Florida.   As for the rest
of our semifinal picks -- better not ask.

And for the record, Favorites picked Alabama to beat
Georgia in the final based on better SEC record, and
Underdogs picked Auburn to beat South Carolina in the
final based on worse SEC record.  :)   And other than
that it's based on seeding, not betting line or public
opinion.

Points won for each pick:

Game 1: LSU   4
Game 2: Tenn  4
Game 3: Fla   3
Game 4: SC    6

Game 5: LSU   8
Game 6: Ala   2
Game 7: M St  4
Game 8: SC   12


Looking forward to the NCAAs.  At this rate it should
be a blast!

Later,

PhilipVU94

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Billvoll,

If Vandy makes it that far, I'll donate my next paycheck to you personally.  LOL

IF, that were to happen, then UNC beats Duke on Friday.  :)

1: Vanderbilt
2. Tennessee
3. Florida
4. Ole Miss

5. Vanderbilt
6. Tennessee
7. Florida
8. Kentucky

9. Vanderbilt
10. Tennessee

11.  Tennessee

Please let me know if I am suppose to email these to someone.

#1: LSU
#2: Arkansas
#3: Florida
#4: Ole Miss

#5: LSU
#6: Bama
#7: Florida
#8: Kentucky

#9: Florida
#10: Kentucky

#11: Florida

Game 1 - Vanderbilt
Game 2 - Arkansas
Game 3 - Florida
Game 4 - Ole Miss
Game 5 - Georgia
Game 6 - Alabama
Game 7 - Florida
Game 8 - Ole Miss
Game 9 - Florida
Game 10 - Ole Miss
Game 11 - Ole Miss

Game 1 - Vanderbilt
Game 2 - Arkansas
Game 3 - Florida
Game 4 - Ole Miss

Game 5 - Georgia
Game 6 - Alabama
Game 7 - Florida
Game 8 - Ole Miss

Game 9 - Florida
Game 10 - Ole Miss

Game 11 - Ole Miss

Game 1 Vandy
Game 2 Tennessee
Game 3 Florida
Game 4 South Carolina

Game 5 Georgia
Game 6 Alabama
Game 7 Florida
Game 8 Kentucky

Game 9 Georgia
Game 10 Alabama

Game 11 Alabama

I'm partial because I am an Alabama fan. Roll Tide Roll!

but where do I post my selections? Thanks!

I hate picking the CATS...but as our good friend MCTommy says, " this
is March and it is Kentucky ".

Game 1- Vanderbilt
Game 2- Tennessee
Game 3- Florida
Game 4- Ole Miss

Game 5- Georgia
Game 6- Alabama
Game 7- Florida
Game 8- Kentucky

Game 9- Florida
Game 10-Kentucky

Game 11-Kentucky

Anyone up for the First Annual SECHoops SEC Tournament
"Pool" Contest?    No money at stake, just the honor
and admiration of fellow SEC fans.....

I want to try adapting a system that i like for NCAA
pools, where the points you get for a correct pick are
based on the seeding number of the team that wins.
If i pick South Carolina (6-seed) to win against
Mississippi (3-seed) and they do, i think i SHOULD get
more points for making a daring pick.

So here's the rules i propose:

- Pick the winners of all 11 games (schedule at the
end of this email)
- You get points for each correct pick based on the
product of a) the seeding and b) the round.

For example, if you pick a 3-seed to win in the
quarterfinals (2nd round) and they do, you get 6
points.   If you pick a 1-seed to win the final (4th
round), and they do, you get 4 points.   Got it?

- As a tiebreaker.... um, we'll add up the seeding
numbers for all 11 picks to reward whoever was most
daring.

But keep in mind that in general, you want to balance
being daring with being right.  :)

OK, here's my picks:

Game 1- Vanderbilt
Game 2- Tennessee
Game 3- Florida
Game 4- Ole Miss

Game 5- Vanderbilt
Game 6- Tennessee
Game 7- Florida
Game 8- Kentucky

Game 9-Florida
Game 10- Kentucky

Game 11-Florida

The official pairings (from
http://www.secsports.com/new/local/tix_bkc2002.html)
will follow.   Good luck!

Later,
Philip



SEC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

FIRST ROUND
March 7 (Thursday)
Game 1 - [E5] Vanderbilt vs. [W4] LSU [JP] 1:00 p.m.
Game 2 - [W5] Arkansas vs. [E4] Tennessee [JP] 3:15
p.m.
Game 3 - [W6] Auburn vs. [E3] Florida [JP] 7:30 p.m.
Game 4 - [E6] South Carolina vs. [W3] Ole Miss [JP]
9:45 p.m.

SECOND ROUND
March 8 (Friday)
Game 5 - Game 1 Winner vs. [E1] Georgia [JP] 1:00 p.m.
Game 6 - Game 2 Winner vs. [W1] Alabama [JP] 3:15 p.m.
Game 7 - Game 3 Winner vs. [W2] Mississippi State [JP]
7:30 p.m.
Game 8 - Game 4 Winner vs. [E2] Kentucky [JP] 9:45
p.m.

SEMIFINALS

[NOTE! - the semis are designed to pair 1-vs-2, not
both afternoon winners and both evening winners.
Note that Game 5 Winner plays Game *7* Winner, not
Game 6.]

March 9 (Saturday)
Game 9 - Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner [JP] 1:00
p.m.
Game 10 - Game 6 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner [JP] 3:15
p.m.

FINALS
March 10 (Sunday)
Game 11 - Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner [CBS] 1:00
p.m.



__________________________________________________
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Thanks to JDrum for posting this at KSR.   I was going
to run through these as i had time, but i guess it's
good that the league office pays someone to do it.   I
want to get that job!

http://www.kentuckysportsreport.net/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1\
&t=015302


All that's certain is:

* Alabama is "WESTERN #1" and plays at 3:15 ET on
Friday.
* Auburn is "WESTERN #6" and plays at 7:30 ET on
Thursday.
* Georgia is either E-1 or E-2 and gets a bye.


So at any rate... it's almost Tournament Time!   If we
can't get discussion going now, i wonder if anybody
has a pulse... :)

Later,

PhilipVU94

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--- Chris Green <chrg81@...> wrote:
> With Bama losing to Arkansas tonight, hopefully UF
> can come in a put a nice
> whooping on them.  Will make the SEC race very
> interesting.

I think Florida "controls their own destiny" as they
say, but if they manage to win in Tuscaloosa and at
Rupp they probably deserve the title by acclamation.
  Of course the KSR folks envision F beating Al then
losing to K, but that seems a bit like wishful
thinking, unless the loss for Bama just sends them
into a tailspin.....

Two other tangentially Florida-related things i saw on
KSR that i'll bring up here, in case anyone has strong
reactions: (NOTE: i don't know if the people who
posted these topics on KSR are on SECHoops, but i
replied substantially along the same lines on KSR.
i'm not trying to talk behind others' backs, just
broaden the conversation a little)

Someone said that under the pre-1974 NCAA policy of
taking only the automatic qualifier from each
conference, Billy Donovan would still be looking for
his first NCAA bid with the Gators.   Such a
counterfactual hypothesis probably merits a one word
response: Whatever!   (Accompanied by me rolling my
eyes....)   But just for fun, *IF* for some reason the
NCAA had never changed that policy, then it's doubtful
the SEC would be playing a tournament to allow a lower
seed to win thru the SEC Tournament and be a poorer
representative in the NCAA.   As an aside, i think
some of the smaller conferences would be smart to
cancel their tournaments and try to get the best team
in, but i understand that their budgets may enirely
depend on conf. tournament revenue.   At any rate,
under that highly counterfactual assumption, i would
assume that Florida would have made the NCAA either in
2000 or 2001, so i have no idea why a UK fan/Donovan
skeptic would waste their time constructing scenarios
that are not just dreamy but also flawed.

Point two: someone else said that UK has "dominated"
the SEC since Pitino's departure.   That's just wacky.
   There have been a total of six (i thought it was
seven; didn't OM share in a 3-way last year, or did i
imagine that?) conference championships awarded in the
last two years.   Kentucky and Florida have won
championships both those years, so you have to go back
to 1998 just to give UK the claim of 3-out-4 and thus
a slight edge over Florida's two straight.

I know it's a silly semantic debate, but one that
shows the view of the world that in my experience
prevails among the UK faithful.   The rest of us see a
very balanced league that's probably again tops in the
nation; they see it as Adolph Rupp's Playground Redux.
    When four different teams share the conference
championship, two years later it's utter nonsense to
say anyone is "dominating" the league.

Of course they'd throw in conference tournament
championships, because to them and them alone those
are still conference championships.   Everyone else
knows that the SEC championship is exactly what it's
officially defined as, the regular season champion.
You want your "champion" determined by three games, go
join the ACC.    I've always found it somewhat odd
that conference tournaments are played in a format
that's totally unknown at any other time in the
college hoops season, three games in three days (or 4
in 4 for Ark in 2000).   It's as if Major League
Baseball used softball to determine its national
champion, or if the top players in the world at
standard chess (which measures time controls in the
hours) played a 5-minute blitz tournament to determine
their "championship".    The conference tournament is
exciting in the way fast food is yummy, but by the
third week of March no one but Kentucky fans remembers
who won it anyway.

Anyway, hopefully my anti-UK ramblings can bait some
people into posting here.  :)

peace and joy (even for UK and UT fans),
PhilipVU94

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With Bama losing to Arkansas tonight, hopefully UF can come in a put a nice
whooping on them.  Will make the SEC race very interesting.


>From: Philip Reed <ChristianEccentric@...>
>Reply-To: SECHoops@yahoogroups.com
>To: SECHoops@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [SECHoops] Just for giggles....
>Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2002 09:17:47 -0800 (PST)
>
>I was thinking of posting to the list asking what
>everyone would like to see on this list (which is very
>much an open question, please feel free to respond!).
>  Then it occurred to me that one thing i'd like to see
>on this list is projections for how the season will
>turn out.   And i really wished i had done this a few
>weeks ago -- so at any rate, here it is, for amusement
>purposes only.
>
>I expect to take a lot of flak from Kentucky folks for
>having UT beat them in Atlanta, now that they seem to
>be back in their manic phase and not the depressive
>one.   Oh well.   What's the SECT without a Friday
>upset or two?
>
>ALABAMA (10-2):   @Ar W, F W, Au W, @OM L -> 13-3   W1
>OLE MISS (8-5):   @MS L, @LS W, Al W      -> 10-6   W2
>MISS STATE (6-6): @V W, OM W, Ar W, @SC L -> 9-7    W3
>LSU (4-8):        @SC L, G L, OM L, @Au L -> 4-12   W5
>ARKANSAS (4-8):   Al L, @K L, @MS L, V W  -> 5-11   W4
>AUBURN (3-9):     @F L, SC L, @Al L, LS W -> 4-12   W6
>
>LS seeded as W5 based on better divisional record than
>Au
>
>FLORIDA (8-4):    Au W, @Al L, T W, @K W  -> 10-6   E2
>GEORGIA (8-5):    @LS W, SC W, @T L       -> 10-6   E3
>KENTUCKY (8-5):   Ar W, @V W, F W         -> 11-5   E1
>TENNESSEE (6-7):  V W, @F L, G W          -> 8-8    E5
>S CAROLINA (5-7): LS W, @Au W, @G L, MS W -> 8-8    E4
>VANDERBILT (4-8): MS L, @T L, K L, @Ar L  -> 4-12   E6
>
>F seeded as E2 based on better divisional record than
>G
>SC seeded as E4 based on sweep of T
>
>Alabama projected SEC Champion
>
>SEC Tournament in Atlanta
>THURSDAY AFTERNOON
>W4 Ar - E5 T    --> T
>E4 SC - W5 LS   --> SC
>
>THURSDAY EVENING
>E3 G  - W6 Au   --> G
>W3 MS - E6 V    --> MS
>
>FRIDAY AFTERNOON
>E1 K  - T       --> T
>W1 Al - SC      --> Al
>
>FRIDAY EVENING
>W2 OM - G       --> G
>E2 F  - MS      --> F
>
>SEMIFINALS
>G - T --> T
>Al- F --> F
>
>FINAL
>T - F --> F
>
>Florida projected SEC Tournament Champion
>
>
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I was thinking of posting to the list asking what
everyone would like to see on this list (which is very
much an open question, please feel free to respond!).
  Then it occurred to me that one thing i'd like to see
on this list is projections for how the season will
turn out.   And i really wished i had done this a few
weeks ago -- so at any rate, here it is, for amusement
purposes only.

I expect to take a lot of flak from Kentucky folks for
having UT beat them in Atlanta, now that they seem to
be back in their manic phase and not the depressive
one.   Oh well.   What's the SECT without a Friday
upset or two?

ALABAMA (10-2):   @Ar W, F W, Au W, @OM L -> 13-3   W1
OLE MISS (8-5):   @MS L, @LS W, Al W      -> 10-6   W2
MISS STATE (6-6): @V W, OM W, Ar W, @SC L -> 9-7    W3
LSU (4-8):        @SC L, G L, OM L, @Au L -> 4-12   W5
ARKANSAS (4-8):   Al L, @K L, @MS L, V W  -> 5-11   W4
AUBURN (3-9):     @F L, SC L, @Al L, LS W -> 4-12   W6

LS seeded as W5 based on better divisional record than
Au

FLORIDA (8-4):    Au W, @Al L, T W, @K W  -> 10-6   E2
GEORGIA (8-5):    @LS W, SC W, @T L       -> 10-6   E3
KENTUCKY (8-5):   Ar W, @V W, F W         -> 11-5   E1
TENNESSEE (6-7):  V W, @F L, G W          -> 8-8    E5
S CAROLINA (5-7): LS W, @Au W, @G L, MS W -> 8-8    E4
VANDERBILT (4-8): MS L, @T L, K L, @Ar L  -> 4-12   E6

F seeded as E2 based on better divisional record than
G
SC seeded as E4 based on sweep of T

Alabama projected SEC Champion

SEC Tournament in Atlanta
THURSDAY AFTERNOON
W4 Ar - E5 T    --> T
E4 SC - W5 LS   --> SC

THURSDAY EVENING
E3 G  - W6 Au   --> G
W3 MS - E6 V    --> MS

FRIDAY AFTERNOON
E1 K  - T       --> T
W1 Al - SC      --> Al

FRIDAY EVENING
W2 OM - G       --> G
E2 F  - MS      --> F

SEMIFINALS
G - T --> T
Al- F --> F

FINAL
T - F --> F

Florida projected SEC Tournament Champion


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The following SECHoops poll is now closed.  Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: What SEC mens basketball team will win
the out-right sec basketball regular
season conference championship title ?

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- KENTUCKY, 1 votes, 20.00%
- FLORIDA, 2 votes, 40.00%
- GEORGIA, 0 votes, 0.00%
- TENNESSEE, 0 votes, 0.00%
- SOUTH   CAROLINA, 0 votes, 0.00%
- VANDERBILT, 0 votes, 0.00%
- ALABAMA, 1 votes, 20.00%
- ARKANSAS, 0 votes, 0.00%
- OLE  MISS / MISSISSIPPI, 0 votes, 0.00%
- MISSISSIPPI    STATE, 1 votes, 20.00%
- LSU / LOUISANA   STATE, 0 votes, 0.00%
- AUBURN, 0 votes, 0.00%
- NOT - SURE, 0 votes, 0.00%
- UN -DECIDED  ?, 0 votes, 0.00%



For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SECHoops

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Eastern division, only Tennessee and Vanderbilt win.  Tennessee
bounces back from it's 34 point home drubbing at the hands of South
Carolina to dish out a 23 point beating of its own to Auburn... and
Vanderbilt knocks in a few threes and a sweet backdoor freshman-to-
freshman play with 5 seconds left to knock off #15 Georgia!

Florida travels to Arkansas... with no success... Ole Miss tramples
SC at home... State hands it to LSU... and last but most certainly
not least...

Bama wins at Rupp!!!  Been a long time coming for them, I know!

Anyone have any updated thoughts on the league after this crazy
stuff??

Here are the standings...

EAST:
1 Georgia 5-2
2 Florida 4-2
3 Vanderbilt 3-3
3 Kentucky 3-3
5 South Carolina 2-4
5 Tennessee 2-4

WEST:
1 Bama 5-1
2 Miss 5-2
3 Miss State 3-3
4 Arkansas 3-4
5 LSU 2-4
6 Auburn 1-5

Holwerda's day in the spotlight seems to have come sooner than
anticipated.  With starting point guard Russell Lakey out for awhile,
Holwerda (a natural shooting guard) has been promoted into the
starting point guard slot for us.  He's averaged nearly 30 minutes
per game in our wins over Auburn and South Carolina.

While his defense and all around game have been impressive, he has
yet to step up on the scoring front.  While he's hitting a remarkable
64+ % of his shots from the field, he's also very picky about
shooting the ball - as he still hasn't scored in double figures this
season.  He's too controlled, if anything, despite his excellent
athleticism.  One of these games, he's going to find himself on the
upside of a matchup imbalance (i.e., against a smaller pg) and he's
going to get a little more agressive and go off (I could see him
putting up big numbers on Saturday).  I wouldn't be surprised if he
averages 8 or 9 points and 4 or 5 assists and 3 or 4 rebounds per
game from here out (assuming Lakey doesn't return).

On another note, 6'8 C Brian Thornton has stepped up his play down
low.  He's become our only reliable center option, as it's becoming
more and more apparent that Dawid Przybyszewski is just not going to
be a post banger.  Thornton should average between 25 and 30 minutes
a game from here out, and don't be surprised if he throws up some
double doubles down the stretch.  He's had three double-digit
rebounding games (11, 11, 14) and a number of double-digit scoring
games -- but none have coincided with each other.  My bold prediction
is that if he plays 25-30 minutes against UGA (i.e., if he keeps out
of foul trouble), we'll beat Georgia by 10 on Saturday.  Otherwise,
they'll likely beat us.  Thornton should be our starting center for
four years, I would guess - and an All-SEC performer by the time he's
through.

Our other frosh, 6'5 Corey Smith, is merely a backup for Freije right
now, as he's been forced out of his natural (SF) position all
season.  He hasn't made a significant impact in any SEC game so far.
He'll be a solid player for us long term, but likely never a star
(IMO).

I've been having discussions on a silly "Fantasy Hoops" messageboard
regarding Kentucky's current team... he's among those UK fans who
seem to have been Tarhole-ized into thinking it's somehow their
birthright to win the SEC every year and that this year will
obviously be no different... I'm among those who respect UK's
tradition, but think this year's team falls short of some of its
predecessors... so, with that in mind, I'd like to thank Joe Lunardi
to lend some credibility to my brash, young, under-informed
viewpoints...

http://espn.go.com/ncb/s/bracket/banter/020123.html

UK Blues
Did you graduate from a Big Ten (11) school? Or do you really think
Ohio State is that good? RPI of 16 with an SOS of 54 lands you a No.
2 seed? Great! I'll just tell Tubby Smith and the rest of SEC to only
play Kentucky Valley Community College a couple times and they'll get
No. 2 seeds into the tournament.

Do I think OSU is a bad team? No. Do I think UK, Alabama, Florida and
Georgia are more deserving than OSU? Yes. If anybody gets a No. 2
seed from the Big Ten, then give it to Illinois. UK as a No. 5 seed?
I can see a No. 3 seed or maybe even a No. 4, but last I checked
the 'Cats were only one game back in the SEC East and were 13-4 with
the same record as Arizona, a No. 2 seed in your book and No. 2 in
the RPI. Kentucky was No. 7.

Bart Giles


Lunardi - I knew this was coming. It's perfectly fine for Kentucky
fans to trash their own team, but God forbid someone with a shred of
objectivity doesn't genuflect at the altar of the Bluegrass. For the
record, I have historically projected UK with a higher seed than
most, consistently complimenting the Wildcats on their back-breaking
schedules and near-annual lead in quality wins.

But this year, at least so far, those big scalps simply aren't there.
The list of teams with multiple RPI Top 50 wins to date includes:
7 (Arizona, Duke)

5 (Kansas, Oklahoma)

4 (Alabama, Gonzaga, Illinois)

3 (Cincinnati, Georgia, Maryland)

Ohio State also has three RPI Top 50 wins (Indiana, North Carolina
State, Iowa), and is unbeaten in one of the "Super Six" conferences
that dominate the NCAA bracket. UK was 2-2 in its own "Super Six"
conference at the time of these projections and had but one Top 50
victory.

I'm not saying Ohio State will be better in March than any of the SEC
teams you mention. But I am saying the Buckeyes had a better NCAA
profile when these latest projections were done (Jan. 21).

----------------------------------
Kentucky a No. 5 seed? What are you smoking? I enjoy looking at your
projected brackets each week, but now I must prepare myself for
laughter when I go to your site. Have you ever considered being a
stand-up comedian?

Kentucky is not what they were in the '90s without a big-time
presence in the middle, but they are ranked in the Top 10 last time I
checked. They are ranked 7th in the RPI. Their schedule rank is 7th
according to USA Today, and they play Alabama and Florida the next
two games. That will only raise their schedule strength even higher.

It remains to be seen whether they can win both of these games. I
believe they will beat 'Bama and lose to the Gators. Still should not
make them a No. 5 seed!

Daniel Egbers


Lunardi - If a name other than "Kentucky" was attached to UK's
current profile, no one would argue with this projection. When that
profile improves, I'll be the first to restore the Wildcats to their
accustomed perch.

P.S.: I do stand-up comedy in the offseason, usually by reading fans'
emails aloud on the stage.

-------------------------------------
I guess Alabama-Kentucky isn't a "Games of the Week" kind of matchup,
huh?? Next time, check the match ups before throwing out duds for
your Games of the Week. I mean Hawaii-Tulsa, Kent-Bowling Green? Give
me a break! At the very least 'Bama-Kentucky is a better match than
those two.

Oh yeah, 'Bama is also deserving of a 3 seed if you think Georgia is.
Do a little back-checking, you'll see what I am talking about.
Keeping in mind that Florida is overrated, of course.

Jon E. Gifford


Lunardi - "Games of the Week" aren't chosen as much on marquee value
as on their import to the NCAA Tournament selection process. Alabama
and Kentucky are dancing no matter what happens this week. You can't
say the same about the teams in most of the other match ups we
spotlight each week.

etc...

Speaking of Georgia, they're beginning to get some
regional and national attention.     I have to admit,
i was dubious about Harrick's ability to build a
program there where no one cares an iota about hoops,
but so far it's pretty hard to question the job he's
done.   When the preseason media poll came out i was
highly offended that UGa was 5th ahead of Vanderbilt;
now we could end up 4th (yes, i know there's tons more
games left to play) and still finish behind them.

This week's SEC column at CNNSI (from Mark Schlabach,
not Seth Davis as i posted earlier -- i must have
mixed up another hoops article) talks about the Hayes
twins:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2002/01/25/thisweek_sec\
/

Not only does he mention Matt Freije as "The SEC's
most underrated player," but he also has VU 6th in his
power ratings.    Woo hoo (altho i'm not sure that
means anything...) !

I found this article about the collapse at Arkansas,
and specifically their problems in a halfcourt game,
to be really interesting:

http://onlineathens.fanaticzone.com/stories/012402/ark_0124029529.shtml

Later,

Philip

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Georgia has to be one of the surprise teams of not only the SEC, but the entire
nation right now.  Knocked off Florida and Kentucky both on the road.  WOW!!!

Florida is looking to have Justin Hamilton back for this Saturday's game at
Arkansas.

Sorry that i haven't been doing more to get this list
going.   I'd like to say that i'll do better in the
future, but honestly since i don't have cable and
don't live in the Southeast, i can usually only
contribute by posting links and what-not.    (I did
get to see Vanderbilt's last two games, however, and
am significantly more excited about this season now.
I certainly didn't expect us to dominate USC in
Columbia like that, but i digress....)

Here's the news about Slay:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2002/01/21/tennessee_sl\
ay_ap/


Also this Seth Davis SI article on UT's struggles
might be of some interest:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2002/01/17/thisweek_sec\
/

"Three months into Peterson's first season, he is
beginning to realize what Green already knew:
Tennessee's players are among the most gifted in the
SEC, but maybe lack the heart or composure to win
games that matter."


So talk, everyone... :)

later,

Philip

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Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
SECHoops group:

What SEC mens basketball team will win
the out-right sec basketball regular
season conference championship title ?

   o KENTUCKY
   o FLORIDA
   o GEORGIA
   o TENNESSEE
   o SOUTH   CAROLINA
   o VANDERBILT
   o ALABAMA
   o ARKANSAS
   o OLE  MISS / MISSISSIPPI
   o MISSISSIPPI    STATE
   o LSU / LOUISANA   STATE
   o AUBURN
   o NOT - SURE
   o UN -DECIDED  ?


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SECHoops/polls

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!