2022 Preseason Conference Preview: Southeastern Conference

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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

 

One of the strongest conferences in football is perfectly mediocre in basketball and looks to remain that way, despite featuring strong teams and some truly amazing players.

 

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Well, after the intro we're not quite starting out strong. Scoring-wise the Tide have a couple options in Robert Good and Michael Gorton in the backcourt - which are good options to have. Defensively, though, they're both a liability. In fact... the only true standout defender might be James Champagne and Mike Park, neither of whom are particularly great at the basket. This is an interesting mix which, when it works, will make the Tide a dangerous opponent. Unfortunately beyond that there's not much to see with this roster, which means the depth is really going to hurt Alabama to make any serious runs.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

From not great to really bad... Arkansas is not a good basketball team. James Staggs, the sophomore from Delaware, is the only legitimate scoring option, while the senior 7-footer Rafael Santillan from Kentucky is the only stand-out defender. Beyond those two is a dramatic drop-off in talent that the Razorbacks simply can't afford, but have in droves. It's going to be a tough, tough year in Arkansas, despite boasting two four-star recruits on their lineup.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

 

AUBURN TIGERS

We're not to the good teams yet... we're still getting worse. Auburn has two elite defenders - Nickolas Kilian from Alabama, and Douglas Kimmes from the UK - and zero legitimate shooters. You may find it difficult to score on the Tigers... but you probably don't have to worry about them scoring too much on you. It's going to be a really... really tough year in Auburn. And frustrating. And disheartening. Good luck.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

 

:florida FLORIDA GATORS

Now... this could be promising, but probably not. Florida has a great guard in Daniel Garcia, the senior out of Texas, but is simply dreadful on defense. Michael Maloney is a great defender, but you should probably keep the ball out of his hands. And... then what? The Gators are a compilation of a lot of nice, decent roleplayers, but no stars. No standouts. I truly don't see very many paths forward here for the Gators, so the program rebuild continues in Gainesville.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

 

:georgia: GEORGIA BULLDOGS

And all of a sudden we're talking about one of the best players in college basketball right now. Joseph Swenson, the senior from Greece, should be making millions of dollars in the NBA right now. Instead he's opted to finish his education in Athens, Georgia. Hopefully he didn't get it confused with Athens, Greece with the education system in Georgia, but I digress. Swenson is a legit player. Officially labeled as a Forward, his 6'6" frame is perfect for the backcourt and as a guard he truly excels. If Georgia achieves anything this season it will be because of him. Guy Reese is a decent second option for the Bulldogs, and Don Zimmerman is another elite defender... but there's a gulf of talent separating Swenson and his teammates. If he cant overcome that gap and drag the Bulldogs into the Tournament, look out for him to be the number one overall pick in the summer draft.

 

Season prediction: Bubble team

 

:kentucky: KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Kentucky is a nice team. It's not a standout great team, but it definitely has promise. Cyrus Rice will be the pointman for a mediocre defense that is going to have to score far more than it gives up.. which could be a problem for the Cats. At range they have a few decent options in Joshua Colfer, Daryl Scott, and Thomas Grimes. Back-to-the-basket may be where Kentucky ends up excelling, however, behind players like Harry Shaffer and Cyrus Rice. If Kentucky can understand the roster they have with them they have a real chance to make it through a weak SEC and into the tournament. But it's going to be more difficult than usual with the roster composition this year.

 

Season prediction: NCAA Tournament - Round of 32

:lsu: LSU TIGERS

A small dip back down into mediocrity... lSU is not a good team. In fact, LSU is probably a really bad team. LSU also has a 5-star lottery pick on their starting roster. William Woodard of Senegal may only be 5'11", but he's one of the best players in the whole country, no question. Defensively you hope to see more, but also at that height there's only so much you can ask for. A lights-out shooter who has 10 eye in the back of his head, he and Matthew Gullet are going to give teams fits all year. But that's about it, as after those two the roster dives off a cliff into a dumpster fire. And that's truly a shame for these two standout youngsters.

 

Season prediction: Bubble team

 

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

More of the same as the rest of the SEC down in Starkville, Mississippi State is not a great composition roster. Salvatore Licklider is a great player who is going to go on to do great things in the NBA next season. Mark Jones is a great shooter who can slot into an NBA roster as a roleplayer hitting shots in the corner for any team. And Gerald Brown and Gerald Anderson are elite defenders who are going to dominate under the basket. The Bulldogs' problem? Everything they're great at, they're bad at on the opposite end. Licklider being the only exception, any player you're playing you'll be giving up a lot on the other end. Damage control is going to be the game for the Bulldogs, which isn't going to end well.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

 

:missouri: MISSOURI TIGERS

Our fourth feline team in the SEC has the chance to be a true contender. Christopher Miramontes - the senior Guard from Chile - is a truly special player. Eugune Polanco from Arkansas is almost as good, barring his lack of rebounding ability (probably due to his 6' height). James Crespin is an elite guard... just ignorable on defense. Even the Russian, Kerry White, is amazing everywhere within the 3-point line. So where are Missouri's weaknesses? Beyond the arc they have limited options, and defensively they're simply mediocre. But on any given night the Tigers can fill it up from any range and get the stops needed - and they're no slouch on the boards either. Missouri is legit if they can keep it all together all season.

 

Season prediction: NCAA Tournament - Sweet 16

:olemiss: OLE MISS REBELS

It's really tough to look at Ole Miss' roster and be anything but... disappointed. Touting four different four-star recruits, the Runnin' Rebels, simply put, aren't a great team. Robert Philby aside - another potential lottery pick from the SEC - there's a lot of holes in this roster. Defensively Ole Miss is pretty leaky, and they're going to give up a lot of points. They're not super hot on the boards either, so even if you miss a shot you're likely to get a second chance point off of them. Where the Rebels excel, however - and what might push them forward - is their ball movement and under-the-basket work. If they can work the ball around the court effectively and dump it down low they'll be really tough to stop, even with the lack of height (only one player on their roster is taller than 6'8", and they have five players 6' and under), they're a speedy and slashy team that could burn you with some tight, slick moves. If they can pull it off.

 

Season prediction: Bubble team

 

:southcarolina:SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

South Carolina is exciting for a single reason: John. Schroeder. Schroeder is arguably the best player in college basketball right now, and it's sheer insanity he's still in the garnet uniform for the Gamecocks. He's going to have a single game, on the road, against his closest competition at Georgia (Swenson), which should be a great battle at looking at lottery picks for the 2023 NBA Draft, with another senior on Georgia's roster - Terrence Winstead - also headlining. Aside from those two, the Gamecock's roster is.... passable? Defensively the Gamecocks are a pretty good team, and they crash the boards incredibly well as well. At range they begin to falter, but they're a menace underneath. South Carolina is going to be an interesting, and frustrating team, not least of which you'd probably expect them to do more with Schroeder.

 

Season prediction: NCAA Tournament - Round of 32

 

:tennessee: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Well looking at good teams was fun for a while. Because Tennessee is bad. Very bad. If the Volunteers achieve anything this season - and they won't - it will be off eye-blearing scoring nights from any combination of Terry Baker, Harris Blount, or Dion Whitlock. But don't count out it... and it's going to have to be record breaking to do it. Good luck in Knoxville.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

 

:texasa&m: TEXAS A&M AGGIES

The Aggies are not the worst team in the conference. However... the Aggies might have the biggest upside in the conference. Seniors Hang Huynh and Madhavi Dinh are going to headline a very young Aggies roster that, while not quite ready to compete this year, is going to take a big step forward next season. Scott Gray, Adrian Cristales, and Jimmy Mitchell are all poised for a standout year - to say nothing else of the rest of the roster that could prove explosive or any recruiting moves. I don't expect the Aggies to do much next year, but this is a big development one for them. Watch out.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

 

:vanderbilt:VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Last and not (quite) least is Vanderbilt. Derek Windle is a great player who will hopefully make some nice moves into the next level. Unfortunately after that the Commodores are nothing special. Kenneth Stewart of Croatia is the only other legitimate shooting threat, and the 'Dores defense is simply mediocre, or even less than average. It's a boring team with a boring outlook and a boring future.

 

Season prediction: Misses NCAA Tournament

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Pick to win conference: Missouri