Jaxson Robinson and Kentucky will face a lot of physical play once Southeastern Conference play starts in January. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky have been both top 10 teams and ESPN projects Alabama to lose 6.4 conference games and UK 7.3.
That’s how difficult league play is going to be with the SEC projected nine league teams to win at least 20 games and two more to win 19. The SEC has had eight teams ranked in the top 25 most of the season, including five in the top 10 recently, and some analysts are predicting already that the SEC will have at least 10n NCAA Tournament teams.
“The league from top to bottom is the best conference in college basketball and it is not even close,” ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said. “The league is special this year.
“I think Tennessee, Auburn and Alabama have separated themselves. After that I think it is a level playing field and you have to play really well. We saw what Missouri did against (No. 1) Kansas (when it won). There are only three teams in the conference that average less than 80 points. It’s going to be an incredible league.”
Kentucky has had two players — Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa — miss games with injuries already. Kentucky has also been less effective in games where opponents used the type of physical play Kentucky will see every game in SEC play.
“I think it will be a deal but maybe not a big deal,” former UK guard Cameron Mills said about the physical play. “We are playing very physical teams and have seen our shooting percentage drop and it seems likely that had something to do with it by having offense pushed out more from the basket to get started.
“Once we get into SEC play, the physicality will have a consistency to it. You will practice, practice and play a game and half will be on the road. We have gotten at least a wake-up call that physical play is a weakness but I think we have a bunch of fifth-year seniors who can respond to physical play. We beat Gonzaga not only because we out coached them but we were also more physical than them in the second half.
“The SEC will be brutal but I don’t think it will be overwhelming for this team. Sure, we’ll lose some games. But so will everybody else because everybody is good.”
6 Responses
We know there will be physical play, but will it be called the same on both ends of the floor at home and away? I very seriously doubt it. This team is not made to play bully ball night in and night out for the rest of the season. The very last thing the SEC office wants is for Kentucky to dominate the league once again. They feel, and rightly so, that limits their teams in the big Dance which ultimately limits the money the conference gets at the end of the season. What used to be athletic competition has now become all about the money, and not just in basketball. The student athlete has become a hired gun and college sports are the worst for it.
Lunardi currently has 13 teams in the NCAA tournament this year.
The record is 11 by the Big East.
SEC teams
Everybody is going to manhandle us. We are playing Calipari ball and have no confidence in our 3 point shot. We can’t guard Ohio State man to man. I am guessing Pope saved the zone for the second half. Do we have another Gonzaga comeback in us? Every game in the SEC will be played this way. Will we figure it out?
What an asswhooping!
Unfortunately, Barry, u are right on the money with all of that that u just laid out–its like all of a sudden now, for the past month with UK BBALL, I have been saying where have I seen this nightmare show before??? And I say nightmare only because I believe a 20-pt loss to an unranked team on a neutral floor qualifies as such………..what’s going to happen in the SEC? And the tournaments? Everybody better buckle up–its going to be a rough ride…….TLP