login | Register

Snowflakes: SEC Hoops

* After attending the Vanderbilt-Kentucky game Tuesday night in Nashville, all I can say is ‘Wow’. The Commodores are always tough at home (15-0 this season), and they handed the Wildcats the worst loss in their SEC history, 93-52. Vandy scorched the nets at over 55% for the game and got a huge contribution (15 points/8 boards) from Ross Neltner, a former Mr. Basketball in Kentucky. Meanwhile, the’ Cats shot only 32% for the game and scored a school-record low in the shot clock area of 11 first-half points. After winning five in a row, Billy Gillispie and the Kentucky fans have to wondering what the heck happened. Coming into the Vandy game, the Wildcats had won five in a row and seemed to be on their way to turning around the season after a terrible start. However, the team looked lethargic in Nashville and was run off the court in the first 10 minutes of the game by the Commodores. Now, Kentucky probably needs to win 6 of their remaining 7 games and have a good showing in the conference tournament to have any shot at the Big Dance.

* LSU interim coach Butch Pierre is making quite a nice case for the permanent job. I really don’t see LSU hiring him full-time, but the Tigers have showed well in his two games in the lead chair. They held Tennessee, who leads the SEC in scoring at over 84 a game, to a season-low 47 points in close loss. And then Wednesday night, the Tigers went to Florida and handed the Gators a rare home loss, 85-73. It will be interesting to see if LSU can continue their improved play down the stretch. As far as the coaching search, keep the names Tim Floyd (USC) and Anthony Grant (VCU) in mind. Floyd, the former New Orleans coach, has many Louisiana ties, and Grant was an assistant for Billy Donovan at Florida when current LSU President John Lombardi was the school president in Gainesville.

* Ole Miss is in serious jeopardy of not making the NCAA Tournament after a 15-1 start. The inability to win conference road games has them on the verge of an epic collapse. While they still have a decent RPI in the low 30s, the Rebels are not going to make the Big Dance with a losing record in the SEC. Currently at 3-6 going into Saturday’s tilt with Auburn, Andy Kennedy’s team needs a hot streak down the stretch and in the conference tournament. The schedule sets up fairly well as they play four of the next six at home where the Rebels have only lost once this season. In order to feel good about their postseason chances, Mississippi must get their SEC record to at least 8-8.

- Patrick Snow

                                                                     

related tags

Sports,
Kentucky,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
Nashville,
Urban,
Tribal Fever,

Related Dispatches