Former Alabama hoopster Tony Mitchell — suspended down the stretch last season — announced yesterday that he would enter the NBA Draft.  It’s been known for nearly two weeks he would not be returning to Anthony Grant’s program in Tuscaloosa for his senior season.

Yesterday’s announcement simply means he won’t transfer to another school even though he’d been given a release to do so by Bama.  At the time of his suspension in February, Mitchell was averaging 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the Crimson Tide.

ESPN.com’s resident Bracketologist Joe Lunardi is pretty good at what he does.  In fact, like Mel Kiper, he’s kind of created his own field in which to star.  But even for a master bracket-predictor, lining up the 2013 NCAA Tournament field 11 months in advance might be just a tad silly.

Still, Lunardi’s done just that and he expects to see five SEC schools in the Big Dance next year:

Kentucky — a #1 seed in the West

Florida — a #2 seed in the Midwest

Missouri — a #5 seed in the East

Tennessee — a #9 seed in the South

Ole Miss — a #13 seed in a play-in game in the Midwest

Uh, yeah.  Mark it down.

Defensive end Darrington Sentimore played for two seasons at Alabama.  He’s familiar with Sal Sunseri’s work as an assistant.  Now that the two have reunited at Tennessee — with Sentimore transferring in and Sunseri taking the reins of defensive coordinator — the player believes the coach will lead UT to new heights with his Nick Saban-style 3-4 defense:


“It’s not a lot different.  It’s pretty much the same stuff.  Coach Sal is a lot harder than he was at Alabama, though.

I know a lot of guys are going to be able to make plays in the 3-4.  In this type of defense Coach Sal is running, he disciplines his guys well.  I know we’re going to win a championship over here with him as our defensive coordinator.”


The trick for Sunseri and Tennessee is two-fold:


1.  Derek Dooley is on a hot seat and this could be his final roundup in Knoxville if the team doesn’t win eight or more games.

2.  Teams switching from 4-3 to 3-4 defenses usually make bigger progress in the second year of the system thanks to a year of experience in the system and a year of recruiting players specifically for said system.


Saban had more success in Year Two than in Year One at Alabama.  Georgia defensive coordinator had more success in Year Two than in Year One in Athens.

So the question is: If Tennessee doesn’t have enough success in Year One of the 3-4 under Sunseri, will he and Dooley even be around for a Year Two?

1.  This writer’s not big on the idea of School versus School spring exhibition games.  (Neither are we for that matter.)

2.  This year’s Alabama football team will have to find its own identity.

3.  If Nick Saban released an official depth chart it might look a little something like this.

4.  Quarterback Zeke Pike is learning his way at Auburn.

5.  Is Garrick McGee’s silence at UAB speaking volumes with regards to Arkansas’ opening?

6.  Steve Mariucci?  Hog fan and golfing/beer-drinking legend John Daly is pushing for his buddy Jon Gruden to get the Hogs’ job.

7.  The 2012 Florida Gators look strongest in the secondary.

8.  When thinking about Kentucky’s next wave of hoops signees, don’t forget about ex-NC State point guard Ryan Harrow who’ll be eligible next season, too.

9.  South Carolina tailback Marcus Lattimore says being away from football — due to injury — has made him a better player.

10.  Safety Brian Randolph is maturing at Tennessee.

11.  Jordan Rogers is turning into a real leader at quarterback for Vanderbilt.

12.  This writer says Missouri threw away tradition to serve the youth market.

13.  Security and police protection are big business in the SEC.

14.  Know what else is big in the SEC?  Spring game attendance.

1.  This writer has five summer suggestions for Florida’s football team.

2.  Billy Donovan has hired Rashon Bruno to his coaching staff.  (Sure to beat this Bruno.  Ah, the vanity projects of the ’80s.)

3.  Aaron Murray and Ken Malcome have been recognized for having fine springs at Georgia.

4.  Football coaches have a high opinion of Mike Bobo, but most UGA fans don’t share it.  (An offensive coordinator who’s not popular with the fanbase?  Good luck finding one who is liked.)

5.  John Calipari is touring the state of Kentucky with the NCAA Tournament trophy by bus and by train.

6.  UK’s football team is looking for some big-play receivers.

7.  New South Carolina linebackers coach Kirk Botkin is glad to be back in the college level after a brief return to the high school ranks.

8.  Steve Spurrier says his team is “still a wait-and-see bunch.”

9.  Tennessee linebacker Greg King says he’s “ready to roll, rock and roll.”

10.  Juco transfer D-lineman Darrington Sentimore has a handle on UT’s new defense since he two years at Alabama.

11.  Vanderbilt’s team captains in 2012 will be quarterback Jordan Rodgers and defensive end Walker May.

12.  Assistant hoops coach Dan Muller is happy at Vandy after getting some “surprising” interest from other schools this offseason.

13.  Missouri running back Kendial Lawrence is happy to be healthy again.

14.  Marcus Lucas is ready to step up as an outside receiver for the Tigers.

Vinnie Sunseri is a sophomore safety at Alabama.  His father Sal Sunseri — a former Tide linebackers coach — is now the defensive coordinator at Tennessee.  But according to Sunseri the Younger, the rivalry between the SEC’s two all-time top programs isn’t coming between the two:


“He asks how practice goes.  I ask how practice goes.  I’m still his son and he’s still my dad.  I just try to talk to him like that…  We joke around.  I’ll say he doesn’t look good in that orange, and he’ll ay I don’t look good in that crimson, just little jokes like that.”


Get ready to hear much, much more about this story leading up to the October battle between the Tide and the Vols.

1.  Nick Saban is excited about this year’s A-Day game.

2.  The defense team for ex-Auburn player Antonio Goodwin did not call Gene Chizik or Trooper Taylor to the stand.

3.  The Tigers’ A-Day game will feature a host of young D-linemen.

4.  Question: Will Auburn athletics be as strong without uber-booster Bobby Lowder on the school’s board of trustees?

5.  This writer says Arkansas needs a new coach right now, not an interim.  (Yep, short-term, panicked reactions often turn out better than long-term, planned actions.)

6.  AD Jeff Long tweeted last night that he’s made no decision on whether to go the interim route or not.

7.  He has met with star running back Knile Davis who — like quarterback Tyler Wilson — has no plans to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft.

8.  Meanwhile, Bobby Petrino’s phone records show that he exchanged more than 200 texts and photos with a 26-year-old female employee of the state’s Republican Party who also happens to do some nude modeling, apparently.  (Next stop: Tiger Woodsville.)

9.  Whoever lands the LSU basketball job will be short on players and pressed for time on the recruiting front.

10.  Senior corner Corey Broomfield is a leader for Mississippi State.

11.  MSU will hold their second scrimmage of the spring tonight.

12.  Ole Miss coaches believe defensive end CJ Johnson is “special” and is “going to be an NFL guy.”

13.  Hugh Freeze moved Randall Mackey from quarterback to receiver in the hopes of giving his offense some spark.

14.  Texas A&M was “always an SEC school,” they “just didn’t know it.”  (We’ve been writing that very thing since way back in 2009.)

15.  Aggie running back Christine Michael is looking strong this spring (despite being named “Christine”).

1.  Alabama spent $3.9 million on its trip to January’s BCS Championship Game in New Orleans.  (Of course, they’ll more than make that up in merchandise sales and the like.)

2.  Former Auburn running back Mike Dyer says he “made some mistakes” while on the Plains.

3.  UAB coach Garrick McGee ran his team through spring drills yesterday… and did not address the rumors tying him to Arkansas’ opening. 

4.  More and more are now saying what we’ve been saying: The Razorbacks should just go with an interim coach in 2012…

5.  And not rush into a long-term hire right now.

6.  LSU’s Les Miles will be part of the NFL Network’s coverage of the NFL Draft later this month.

7.  Quarterback Tyler Russell is beginning to master Mississippi State’s offense.

8.  Ole Miss will be one of nine SEC schools to have its spring game carried online by ESPN.

9.  This writer says Texas A&M is a “big winner” thanks to Bobby Petrino’s downfall.

10.  Florida forward Walter Pitchford — who only played in 13 games last season — will transfer to be closer to his ailing grandfather in Michigan.

11.  Georgia’s offensive line is working hard to forge a bond.

12.  Kentucky hopes Demarco Robinson can breathe life into the Cats’ return game.

13.  South Carolina has released its spring game plans.

14.  Tennessee’s tight ends give its offense plenty of options.

15.  A pair of Vanderbilt footballers “are no long with the team.”

16.  Mitch Morse has emerged as an anchor at the center of Missouri’s offensive line.

1.  Will Muschamp says he likes Florida’s “locker room right now,” which suggests he didn’t like the make-up of last year’s squad.

2.  Ex-Gator coach Urban Meyer says he’s still proud of what he accomplished at Florida and skirted most of the rest of the dirt uncovered by a Sporting News investigation into his UF program.

3.  Georgia’s announced its rosters for the annual G-Day game.

4.  Sophomore defensive back Marc Deas isn’t going to transfer out of Athens after all.

5.  No Kentucky players announced they were leaving for the NBA yesterday… because yesterday was the NCAA’s meaningless deadline, not the NBA’s real deadline. 

6.  John Calipari is taking UK’s NCAA Tournament trophy on tour.  (There are no Wal-Marts, Bama fans, but a bunch of Krogers are listed.)

7.  South Carolina linebacker Damario Jeffery is focused on making the most of his senior season.

8.  With two men injured in front of him, Greg Clark is getting a shot to be Tennessee’s nose tackle in its new 3-4 system.

9.  Cuonzo Martin says Vol signee Armani Moore “has the tools to do a lot of things.”

10.  Vanderbilt tailback Warren Norman impressed in his first practice back from knee injury.

11.  Missouri is still hoping to land UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi.

12.  Mizzou hoops assistant Isaac Chew is leaving to join Illinois’ new staff.

1.  Anthony Grant opens up about the comings and goings from Alabama’s roster.

2.  Jaison Fowler is adding toughness to Bama’s running game this spring.

3.  Great story: Shon Coleman’s Auburn teammates cheered when the cancer survivor practiced for the first time yesterday.

4.  Auburn’s receivers are learning a new game under new O-coordinator Scot Loeffler.

5.  Best headline of the day: Bobby Petrino says he’s sorry, and Arkansas agrees by firing him.

6.  Petrino — as noted earlier today — can seek a review of his dismissal.

7.  Hog quarterback Tyler Wilson isn’t planning on heading to the NFL’s supplemental draft despite Arkansas’ troubles.

8.  New LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger passed a big test this spring.

9.  With Trent Johnson leaving, Tiger basketballer Johnny O’Bryant says, “Everything’s kind of up in the air right now.”

10.  Mississippi State is shaking up it’s O-line.

11.  And another one gone and another one gone… MSU hoops signee Josh Gray has been given a release.  “I committed to Coach Stansbury,” he said.

12.  Randall Mackey is moving to receiver at Ole Miss with Barry Brunetti and Bo Wallace left to duke it out for the starting quarterback job.

13.  New coach Hugh Freeze says his team is facing several issues on the academics front.

14.  The cost of Freeze’s first staff is less than Houston Nutt’s last staff.

15.  Maybe that money will go to Andy Kennedy who just got a one-year extension from new AD Ross Bjork.