Picknroll's mid-season report card...   

      We've reached the halfway point of the SEC season. It's time to grade the 14 SEC teams and give them a grade. These are strictly my decision, but I have a couple of ex-SEC coaches lending me a hand. Like everything else in our country, the COVID 19 virus has had an effect on SEC basketball. Remember that some SEC teams have had major COVID protocol problems and may have much better 2nd half SEC seasons. Vandy and South Carolina have had limited practice time. 

          The arenas are not packed with rabid fans.  The limited attendance, set by Vthe SEC, has taken away the normal home-court advantage. Some teams have seen tracing protocol keep players off the floor. Coaches have learned some new flexibility in practices and in the games themselves. Keep in mind the conference, schools, fans, coaches, and players didn't have any past history of giving them an idea of meeting these new challenges.  First of all, let's give everyone involved in the SEC basketball family to salvaging the season. The Grade for the SEC Conference:   A

VANDERBILT COMMODORES: The Commodores have one of the best backcourt players in the SEC. Scotty Pippin, Jr. is a star and backbone of the Vandy team. That's about all the Commodores have to brag about. COVID has hit Vandy pretty hard. They have not won a single SEC  game, standing at 0-5. Not playing all their games hindered progress for the Vanderbilt Team. Perhaps the Commodores can find some success in the second half of the Conference. Like football, the Vandy troubles have spread to the basketball program.

 Grade: D-

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS:  Frank Martin, the steel-eyed coach of Carolina, who quite recently took South Carolina to a Final Four, has to be disappointed in his team.  We know Frank Martin will take nothing less than a full effort on the floor.  Like Vandy, Carolina has seen games postponed.  This causes a loss of continuity with the progress of your team. I doubt that Carolina would be good regardless. They have won only one SEC game. They are 13th in the league. The Gamecocks pounded Georgia last night. Better things ahead? I think so. They will get better. 

Grade: D

KENTUCKY WILDCATS:  Wildcat fans aren't happy with John Calipari. Kentucky, replete with five-stars recruits, is struggling. They are proof that the best five players don't always make the best team. Kentucky is getting better. They won't make it to the NCAA.  The best basketball program in the SEC is having an off-year.  Will it continue next season? Time will tell. Kentucky has lost swag, and suddenly teams don't fear them. 5-10 overall won't cut it in the Blue Grass. 

Grade: C-   

Texas A&M: In player-rich Texas, the Aggies seem to be striking out on the talent. 7-7 isn't what Buzz had hoped for more. That record isn't bad, given the roster, but 2-6  in SEC isn't up to Aggie standards. That's not up to Aggie standards.  The Aggies have no chance to make the NCAAT or even a first-day bye in the SECT.  Will the second half of the SEC rota be better. I doubt it.

Grade: C-

OLE MISS REBELS: The Rebels got whacked by Arkansas last night and fell to 2-5 in the Conference. Head Man Kermit Davis has done about all he can do with the Rebel team. They play hard. The talent level just isn't good enough to really compete for the SEC crown. The Rebels are overall record falls to 8-7, and there are tough roads that lay ahead. The good news is they beat rival Mississippi State. That shows how hard the Rebels play.  They may win a  few more.

Grade:. C.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: What's wrong with Mississippi State? They have the size to dominate inside, and they have two great guards who can score against anyone. Granted, the Bulldogs lost some great players. Mississippi State can beat anyone on a given night. They seem to have figured out a way to lose on a given night. Miss. State won't win the SEC, but they might have a say about who does.  State dropped to 4-5 in the league.

Grade: C+

AUBURN TIGERS: How do you grade Auburn? Do you go the BC or AC method? Do I grade Auburn before Cooper or after Cooper? I'm just going to look at the AU record at the end of the first rotation. Auburn became a much better team when Shariff Cooper joined the team. The Tigers are now 4-5 (SEC) and 10-7 overall. Auburn, compared to the teams listed above, is better. Post Cooper, the Tigers are 4-2. Today the Tigers are 4-5 in the Conference and 10-7 overall. They are now a good team. Did I mention they shot 44 free throws to beat Missouri? 

Grade: B-

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS:  Going into the SEC, many thought that Arkansas would compete to win the SEC. Bill Musselman is the master of taking new players from the transfer portals and meddling them into a good team. It's been up and down for the Hogs. At 13-4 overall, most prognosticators believe that the Hogs will get a bid. Arkansas is 5-4 in the Conference. Arkansas is up and down. They were 8-0 before the SEC part of their schedule.

Grade: B

 MISSOURI TIGERS: The Tigers are 5-3 in the SEC and 11-4 overall. COVID cost them two unplayed games. Coach Martin has a good team with upperclassmen leadership.  If Missouri had played those two games and won each, I'd pick them to be the SEC's second-best team. Right now, I have them in a tie with Florida and LSU. The Tigers have good guard play and inside size to compete with anyone. I think we'll know if they are right at the top after the Alabama game that will be played in Columbia.

Grade: A-

TENNESSEE VOLS: Can you say Joe  Lunardi's favorite SEC team? The Vols are a hard team to understand. They have two great inside players and pretty good guards, but they don't pass the eye test to men.  They have no flash. You can't deny that Rick Barnes has put together another outstanding team. What they do have in Kentucky, LSU, Vandy, Vandy, and Auburn on the road. That's tough. I see at least two losses in that bunch.

Grade: A-

FLORIDA GATORS: Florida's chances of winning the SEC went down when the gifted Keyontae Johnson suffered a serious heart injury and will not play this season. Otherwise,  the Gators might be atop the SEC at the halfway mark. Without Johnson, Mark White has done a commendable job of guiding the Gators to second place in the SEC. Florida still must travel to play Kentucky, Auburn, Arkansas, and LSU on the road. Ouch. They could lose a couple or more. 

GRADE: A-

LSU TIGERS: Will Wade has guided the Tigers to second place in the SEC. The Tigers have three gifted stars. So why are the Bayou Bengals not in first place? They don't quite understand the concept of defense. I think depth may also hurt the Tigers some. They seem fatigued at the end of the game.  Wade had no answer to the Alabama offense. His players opened mocked Alabama early on and died a slow and painful death after that. The Tigers are 6-3 in the league and 11-4 overall. They have Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Mississippi State on the road.

GRADE: A-

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE:

When Alabama started with a 4-3 record, who thought they could win their next ten games and lead the SEC by three full games?  Not only has Alabama won their nine SEC games, but they also won them in blowouts and a couple with hard nose defense when the shots didn't fall. Nate Oats lost his big man. He has bought alone a couple of freshmen in his five-out offense. One is a muscular big forward and the other smooth as silk combo-guard. He's done this with the best defender in the league and the conference's deadliest shooter. You can't be better than 9-0 in the SEC. Bama is projected as a two-seed now, but a lot of games remain. Alabama fans feel as if they are going on a magic carpet ride. Alabama has five road games left. Missouri, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and South Carolina.  I doubt the Tide will win their next nine games to win the SEC undefeated. The Tide has a three-game lead and has built a cushion to withstand a loss or two.

Grade: A+

     That's how I see them right now.  I welcome your feedback.  Tomorrow we'll lock at the Big12-SEC Challange. This is a real chance for the SEC to get some national recognition.