SEC Predictions

by chirop1 on Jan 7, 2009 7:04 AM EST Comment 30 comments

With the Vandy game around the corner, I got to thinking that now would be a good time for some of us rank and file posters here on ASOB to chime in with our thoughts on how the season will play out in the SEC. So here's the schedule for the Cats.

Vandy

@ Tenn

@ Georgia

Auburn

@ Bama

@ Ole Miss

South Carolina

Mississippi State

Florida

@ Arkansas

@ Vandy

Tenn

@ South Carolina

LSU

Georgia

@ Florida

Looking at that schedule, I'm predicting 13-3 for the Cats. I think we split with UT, lose at Arkansas, and lose one other random game. I think this ties us with Tennessee for the SEC championship with Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia rounding out the East. I think Arkansas wins the West at something like a 12-4 or 11-5 record, I think the order of finish from there will be LSU, Bama, Miss St, Auburn, Ole Miss.

Anyone else want to chime in?

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Comments

13-3

I’m with you on the Cats expected performance. I think there is a pretty good chance they go 14-2 though.

Who knows what is going to happen in the West. Arkansas is clearly the best team, followed by LSU. Alabama is better than I thought, but the other 3 teams in that division are just terrible.

"That's not a Sherman tank, it's Frank Thomas!" - Monkeyball

by JLeverenz on Jan 7, 2009 9:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's hard to say right now

My best guess is 12-4 … I hope I am wrong. I would love to finish at 13-3 or 14-2.

Loses:

at Tenn
at Ark
at South Carolina
at Florida.

by OGETARTS on Jan 7, 2009 10:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

12-4 Worst Case

14-2 maybe.

SEC is beatable this year.

by FortyYearCatFan on Jan 7, 2009 10:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

11-5

i feel that the sec is beatable, but so are we when we have a lot of turnovers, which i imagine will happen to lose us a few games. i see losses both times with tennesse, once with arkansas, once with florida, and one other game that should we really shouldnt lose

by harold3420 on Jan 7, 2009 11:52 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if

Arkansas can win the SEC. They’ve beaten #4 Oklahoma and now #7 Texas – top top 10 teams. They really seem to be coming into their own.

by blbskue on Jan 7, 2009 12:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I would say it all comes down to consistency on the road

To win the SEC outright, I think you’ll need to get through with 2-3 losses max. It remains to be seen if any team in the league really has that kind of sustained adequacy.

Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."

by chirop1 on Jan 7, 2009 1:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think ...

… those who are sky high on Arkansas are going to come crashing back to Earth soon. Arkansas is the kind of team that can beat anyone, and lose to anyone. They have already done the former, and I expect the latter to start fairly soon.

Wait and see.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Jan 7, 2009 7:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Can they win on the road?

Arkansas is 1-1 in true road games this year against 2 teams South Alabama and Missouri St) that are very similar (at least according to Pomeroy). Both those games came early so it remains to be seen whether Arkansas can translate their home success to outside the state.

I think they can win the SEC, particularly since they get Tennessee and UK (the most likely competition) at home and they get to play 10 games against the inferior SEC West.

"That's not a Sherman tank, it's Frank Thomas!" - Monkeyball

by JLeverenz on Jan 7, 2009 7:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Lest we forget

That we have one Patrick Patterson and no one else does.
In the UL game, he throughly and utterly dominated any and all competion pitino threw at him..samuels, clark, goode, etc. He was a force in the miami game as well as the UNC game, 9 double doubles this season. Sure Ark may have that freshman PG (forsten?) and washington I believe is his name, but so far, I see no player that may be able to outmatch Patterson. (yes even blake griffen and harengody) for any SEC team, let alone the NCAA

by BleedinUKBlue on Jan 7, 2009 9:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yes, but it wasn't enough to have ONE Patterson.

I’ll take one Patterson, one Orton, and one Hood, and a diet Pepsi.

by Ken Pomeroy on Jan 9, 2009 6:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And a bag ...

… of Fritos. :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Jan 10, 2009 11:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think that they will finish any were from 10-6 to 15-1. (I hope that it is on the higher end!)It all depends on turnovers and one or two players picking up some scoring to help Meeks and Patterson. Its like the old saying goes:“three can carry two but two can’t carry three!” We need for one of our pg’s take the next step and be come the floor general like Bradley was!

by #1Wildcatfan1742 on Jan 8, 2009 12:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm going out on that limb with you.

We will win somewhere between 10 and 15 in conference. How do you like that ballsy prediction?

by Ken Pomeroy on Jan 9, 2009 6:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

15-1

I say we lose to either Arkansas or South Carolina on the road. Hey – what can I say? I believe.

by kentuckygirl0724 on Jan 8, 2009 8:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

But not Tennessee on the road?

I’m one of those who are “sky-high” on Arkansas, as Tru mentioned above, but I do think we stand a better chance of beating them at home than Tennessee, who is by far the most talented team in the SEC. They aren’t playing well as a team, and probably won’t run through the SEC like some thought, but I still think the overall conference standings will end like this: UK or Tennesee at the top, then either Florida or Arkansas, and then LSU.

by blbskue on Jan 8, 2009 10:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I dont know

I am just not feeling a Tennessee loss on the road. Maybe its the old theory that we win the ones we arent supposed to? I dont know – I just dont see it.

by kentuckygirl0724 on Jan 8, 2009 11:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It'll be interesting to see, for sure.

With the Tennessee game so early, UK has a good chance at catching them before they regroup. UT is such a young team that they’re prone to uncoordinated play and mental gaffes, but they do work harder than most people realize. The day they figure out that they can indeed play an interior game is they day they become a very difficult team to beat. But if they continue to lob 3’s all day long, they’ll struggle.

UT’s biggest problem, though, is point guard play. The NCAA’s reversal that ruled West ineligible really put the team in a bind with only a week before the first game. (Short story: he retook his SAT and did too well, causing a red flag. There is absolutely no evidence of cheating, but the clearinghouse wants his college courses to back up his new score.) That left only Maze as an actual point guard, with Tabb being shoehorned into the backup role.

The affected PG play is probably the main culprit behind UT’s lack of coordinated play, even more so than their youth.

by Hooper on Jan 8, 2009 2:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Point Guard Problems??

I cant identify with that at all ;)

by kentuckygirl0724 on Jan 8, 2009 2:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

heh

by Hooper on Jan 8, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Point guard troubles

The world’s smallest violin is playing just for you.

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Jan 8, 2009 2:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Oh, no sympathy asked for.

I would have been surprised if any was offered. It was simply a diagnosis. ;-)

And to be honest, I haven’t had the time to keep up with UT’s team properly, much less anybody else’s. I assume that means that UK is having PG issues as well, but please correct me if I’m wrong.

At any rate, I think the UT/UK series should be a good one. Both teams should be very motivated for both games.

by Hooper on Jan 8, 2009 3:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Joke

It was just an attempt at humor but you are correct that it’s an implication regarding UK’s point guard woes.

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Jan 8, 2009 4:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Gah.

I wondered. I really need to get my humor sense calibrated.

by Hooper on Jan 8, 2009 9:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Haha!

Very funny, that. :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Jan 9, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Funny that Coach Stallings was actually raving about our Point Guards

at the SEC press conference.

Said we had the best of both worlds because we had one who could drive and one who could hit the perimeter shots, and both generated good assist numbers. I really couldn’t make up my mind whether he was serious or just being courteous. Probably he spends less time fretting about the turnovers than we do, and worries more about having to counter the good things they do well. Perhaps we should be more like him.

by Ken Pomeroy on Jan 9, 2009 6:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs