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SEC West Headlines – 3/19/10

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:03:21 +0000

1. Former Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson’s NFL draft stock is soaring.

2. Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi said yesterday that he can’t afford to give Tubby Smith a raise above his current $1.75 million per year salary. Are you listening, Jay Jacobs?

3. Maturi said he’s “heard the rumors” that AU might be interested in Smith, “but I haven’t gotten the call.” Minnesota plays Xavier today… and Maturi isn’t happy about the timing of rumors connecting Smith to both Auburn and Oregon.

4. LSU’s Stefoin Francois is following in Harry Coleman’s footsteps and moving from safety to linebacker.

5. New right tackle Alex Hurst says the Tigers’ offensive line is “starting to pick it up.”

6. North Carolina’s Roy Williams says Rick Stansbury is “a big-time quality coach.”

7. Williams said his team is happy to still be playing. (Even if it means playing in Starkville at noon ET tomorrow?)

8. No introductions will be necessary when Ole Miss and Memphis hook up this evening in the NIT.

9. Tad Smith Coliseum hasn’t been “home sweet home” for Andy Kennedy’s club this season.

10. The Rebels have a deeper bench than the Tigers.

11. Speaking of Memphis, it’s looking like their appeal of NCAA sanctions will be denied. So if John Calipari wants a Final Four to appear officially on his resume, he’s going to need to reach one with Kentucky.

12. Even after his horrible season last year, one group still ranks Jevan Snead as the #7 quarterback prospect in their year’s draft.

SEC East Headlines – 3/19/10

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:29:35 +0000

With four SEC East schools in action yesterday, there will be a lot more East Division headlines than West Division headlines.

That said, here goes…

1. Double-overtime meant double the pain for Florida, which lost to BYU 99-92 in yesterday’s first round.

2. Senior Dan Werner said, “We left it all out there, and that’s all you can ask.”

3. Ultimately the Gators didn’t have the depth they needed to advance.

4. Billy Donovan said his team had its chances.

5. Urban Meyer seems to love freshman receiver Solomon Patton.

6. Speaking of Meyer, this writer says he can’t get upset when reporters ask about his health… he was the one who scared “his players and UF fans.” She’s right, too.

7. Tim Tebow hasn’t decided whether to attend the NFL draft or not. (Don’t do it, Tim. You don’t want to be Aaron Rodger-ed.)

8. Josh Davis — returning from offseason surgeries to both shoulders — will be the key to Georgia’s O-line success.

9. New secondary coach Scott Lakatos is embracing the southern lifestyle. (I’m tempted to ask if he’s moved into a double-wide, but as a southerner, I’d find that offensive. D’oh.)

10. Here’s a practice report from yesterday’s work in Athens.

11. Richard Samuel has changed positions again… this time going from outside linebacker to inside.

12. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner is having to make a lot of adjustments as the system and coaches around him have changed.

13. Thanks to some really stupid/careless Georgia fans who trashed their own campus last year, UGA is putting in some tough tailgating rules for everyone.

14. The Junkyard Blawg says Mark Richt disagreed with him on a point he didn’t make. (Which, given my dealings with the Junkyard Blawg, I find pretty ironic.)

15. Mark Fox says that Travis Leslie has told him he’ll be back at Georgia next year.

16. Kentucky’s 100-71 win over ETSU was such a yawner that fans were seen sleeping in the stands.

17. UK used a barrage of three-pointers to sink the Buccaneers.

18. Eric Bledsoe drained 9-of-11 shots and if he keeps shooting like that, the Cats have just added “a dangerous new dimension.”

19. DeMarcus Cousins got a marriage proposal from a fan during yesterday’s game.

20. It had been a long time coming, but Patrick Patterson’s first NCAA tournament game was worth the wait.

21. South Carolina’s running back corps is ready to welcome in hotshot tailback prospect Marcus Lattimore.

22. Carolina’s offense has been all no-huddle through three spring practices.

23. USC’s is looking for deeper kickoffs — and possibly a new kicker — in 2010.

24. Bruce Pearl was proud of his team’s effort in a gritty, ugly 62-59 win over San Diego State yesterday.

25. The Vols got an unexpected boost from backup point guard Melvin Goins who sank four of five treys… including the game-winner.

26. UT’s players were glad to give Pearl a nice present on his 50th birthday.

27. It was yet another scrappy win for Tennessee.

28. Derek Dooley said his quarterbacks have a “long way to go” but yesterday was a good first day of practice.

29. A day after saying former tight end/receiver Brandon Warren hadn’t approached him about returning, Dooley said the he “forgot” that he had indeed had a conversation with Warren.

30. Dooley also said that running back Bryce Brown isn’t necessarily done at Tennessee just yet…

31. But it doesn’t sound likely that he’ll return.

32. Jeffery Taylor said that Vanderbilt’s 66-65 last-second loss to Murray State was “just heartbreaking.”

33. To make matters worse, the SEC’s best foul-shooting squad hit just 17 of 29 free throw attempts yesterday.

34. Murray State’s buzzer-beating shot was “a miracle play” according to coach Billy Kennedy.

35. President Barack Obama might have lost some votes in Nashville by picking Murray State, but he did help his bracket.

Auburn Going After Tubby?

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:57:03 +0000

Last week, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs warned Tiger fans that his search for a new basketball coach would probably take weeks, not days.

Early, early this morning Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com announced that AU is “close to hiring” Tubby Smith.

Maybe this is just smoke. Auburn’s search for a football coach in 2008 was all over the map. And Gene Chizik’s name came out of nowhere late.

Or, perhaps Jacobs found Smith to be more interested than he might have thought… thus pushing up his timeline.

Either way, if Auburn is wooing Smith, then Auburn is prepared to spend for a winner. Good for Auburn.

Charles Goldberg of The Birmingham News reports that “people familiar with the search process say the university is willing to significantly increase what it has paid former coaches in order to attract someone with a proven track record to replace Jeff Lebo.”

It’s rumored that Auburn might be willing to spend as much as $2 million per year for the right coach. (Jeff Lebo — who was the lowest-paid coach in the conference at $750,000 last year — must love hearing that.)

Last week we wrote that Auburn should do just that — find someone with a proven track record, and not just someone who’d put together one hot tournament run. How they went about that would depend upon their willingness to pay.

If they’re talking Tubby cash, then they’re not going to have to go to a smaller school to grab someone. Maybe.

Auburn is still Auburn. Even with a new arena set to open next year, the Tiger gig is not a plum job. At least not now. It has been a coach’s graveyard since Sonny Smith’s days. Fan support is lacking.

Some coaches — even if offered lots of cool cash — might not take the job. That’s what makes Smith an interesting target/rumor. Smith has coached at Georgia and Kentucky. After departing Lexington he landed in Minnesota. While the Gophers have more tradition than the Tigers, it’s possible that Smith would simply like to work his way back down south, back to a league he’s familiar with.

Smith would be a tremendous upgrade for Auburn. He is respected by fellow coaches and, most importantly, by the media. The Tigers would get some nice plugs from the ESPN talking heads if they land him.

The move would signal a new dedication to the basketball program. And it would trump Alabama’s hire of up-and-comer Anthony Grant last year. Don’t think AU wouldn’t like to have a bigger “name” coach than Bama.

The mere mention of Smith’s name in connection with the Auburn job is a win for the Tiger program. And if these rumors turn out to be true… all the better.

At the very least, AU fans have reason to believe this morning that their school is searching for a proven winner and that it’s willing to pay for one.

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Richt Takes On The Junkyard Blawg

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:02:31 +0000

You normally don’t hear of Mark Richt disagreeing publicly with media folks. And if he was going to get upset over something someone wrote, I’d have put my money on Mark Bradley or Jeff Schultz being the author.

But it was actually their fellow AJC writer Bill King and his “Junkyard Blawg” that Richt referenced after practice yesterday.

Mr. King had written that Georgia’s thinking “seems kinda fuzzy” when it comes to using quarterback Logan Gray to return punts.

After his Q&A session with reporters yesterday, Richt brought up that post to the rest of the media.

“I usually don’t ever read a blog, but I read the blog about Logan Gray catching punts.” Richt said he wanted to “try to educate whoever cares that when Logan is back there — I tried to explain it the other day — it’s at a time when our opponent is punting it in. It’s a pooch kick. Our defense — our punt return team — is in punt safe to keep them from faking the punt because they’re across the 50-yard line.

“All Logan is doing is making a decision whether it should be a fair catch or let the ball hit. The fine gentleman who writes the blog, I don’t think he understood that very much, but I just thought maybe if everybody got educated on that a little bit better, they’d understand why Logan would do that. He was 100 percent last year on making those decisions and never bobbled the ball. I think that’s not a hard thing for him to do and we’re not expecting him to return the punt because those punts don’t get returned. There’s no return set up.”

Well. That was interesting for a couple of reasons.

1. Richt feels the need to explain to fans what he’s actually doing with Gray. That’s a good thing. Making sure fans know what’s going on is a good thing.

2. That he chose to single out the blog and admit that he reads it. While the rebuke won’t help Mr. King’s reputation with those folks who expect perfection from the media, it does show that he’s well read. “Read the blog Mark Richt reads!”

On a sidenote, I’d suggest that Richt not get sideways with The Junkyard Blawg. Mr. King always makes a point to defend Richt against the coach’s detractors… even when they’re not really detractors.

South Carolina Offers Florida Lineman

Josh Ward — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:46:20 +0000

South Carolina has offered a scholarship to offensive lineman Zach DeBell from Tarpon Springs (Fla.) High School.

DeBell already has offers from Minnesota, Iowa State, Central Florida and Florida International. He’s also received interest from Florida State and Georgia Tech.

DeBell told TheBigSpur.com he will likely wait to choose his college.

“I will probably make it after my season is over with or maybe midway through,” he told the Web site. “I’m open to everything right now.”

Three SEC Schools Among Linebacker’s Top Five

Josh Ward — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:42:10 +0000

Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee appear to be in good shape with linebacker Rodney Coe from Edwardsville (Ill.) High School.

Coe told CallingTheHogs.com that his top five consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Iowa and Oklahoma.

Coe has an impressive offer list, which includes Notre Dame, Clemson, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Missouri.

Kentucky Offers Indiana Lineman

Josh Ward — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:39:31 +0000

Kentucky has offered a scholarship to defensive lineman Joel Hale, according to KentuckyInk.com.

Hale, who attends Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind., already has offers from Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State, Georgia Tech and Cincinnati.

Kentucky is the first SEC to make an offer to Hale.

“The SEC is the best conference in America,” Hale told KentuckyInk.com. “Kentucky is a good school, they’re a good academic school and they’re coming up. They’re on the rise.”

Tight End Chooses North Carolina

Josh Ward — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:35:21 +0000

Tight end Eric Ebron from Greensboro, N.C., has committed to North Carolina.

Ebron chose the Tar Heels over offers from several schools, including Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina State and West Virginia.

Ole Miss-Memphis A Hot Ticket In Oxford

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:34:06 +0000

A crowd of about 3,000 people chose to attend Ole Miss’ first-round NIT game with Troy on Wednesday. That won’t be the case when the Rebels host Memphis at 6:30pm ET in today’s second round.

All general admission tickets are already sold out.

The game is expected to be an up-tempo affair with a couple of Rebels (Terrico White and Reggie Buckner) facing off against their hometown team. It will be fast. It will be heated.

It will also be the first meeting between the teams since 2006. And Memphis and Oxford are little more than an hour apart, in case you’re wondering.

If you want to catch what should be a dang entertaining game, you can view it on ESPN2.

Wait. Did I just suggest you watch an NIT game instead of the NCAA tournament? Sorry. My bad.

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About Those Seeds…

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:25:06 +0000

Remember all the talk about seeding for much of the week? Tennessee fans filled the ol’ inbox wondering why their school had been dropped to a six seed. “How is Vanderbilt a #4 while we’re a #6?”

What’s everybody saying about seeding now?

The #4 seed Commodores were bounced by #13 Murray State. It was the second time in its last two tourney appearances that Vandy has lost to a #13 in the first round.

Meanwhile, #6 seed Tennessee survived a scare from #11 San Diego State but gets #14 seed Ohio in the second round. No #3 Georgetown, a below-.500 MAC club instead. Beat Ohio and Tennessee would likely face #2 seed Ohio State. Had they gotten that #4 seed, they’d be looking at a Sweet Sixteen date with #1 seed Kansas.

Which seed looks better now? Think Vandy wouldn’t have preferred a matchup with San Diego State? Think UT would want to face Murray State?

And that’s why I don’t believe any fanbase should cry too much (though most do) when they’re favorite team lands a seed one or two slots lower than expected. The tourney has a funny way of working things out on its own. Seven upsets yesterday prove that.

With UT Win, SEC Goes 2-2 On Day 1

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:49:50 +0000

With Tennessee’s 62-59 win over San Diego State last night, the Southeastern Conference wrapped up the day at 2-2. It wasn’t the kind of performance the league was looking for, but it could have been worse.

As we showed you all week leading up to the tournament, many national analysts believed Kentucky would be the only SEC club standing at the end of yesterday’s action. They were almost right.

Florida fell to Brigham Young to get things started. Next Vanderbilt was upset on a buzzer-beater by Murray State of the OVC. After an expected UK win, Tennessee had to hold off #11 seed San Diego State which had a chance to tie on a last-second three-pointer.

Had the Aztecs pulled the shocker — and that was THE vogue pick for a first-round upset — the SEC would have really had some egg on its face.

As it stands, the league actually has a pretty good shot at having two teams reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Kentucky will face Wake Forest at 8:15pm ET on Saturday. Wake (a #9 seed) came from behind to slip past Texas in overtime last night. Having played in a power conference and been on the NCAA stage many times before, it’s doubtful that the Demon Deacons will be intimidated by the name on UK’s jerseys. Still, it would be a major, major upset for the Wildcats to lose.

Tennessee will play at 3:35pm ET against Ohio. The #14 seed Bobcats whipped up on Georgetown yesterday. If Ohio can repeat their 13-of-23 shooting performance from three-point range they might just take down Tennessee, too. But if you look at their full body of work, Ohio is a much more desirable opponent for the Vols than the Hoyas would have been. Ohio was just 20-14 coming into the tourney and had to win the MAC tournament to get a bid.

If the SEC can land two teams in the Sweet Sixteen it would constitute a respectable performance for a league that just had four teams invited.

But if the SEC wants to impress folks around the country, it needs Kentucky and Tennessee to not only reach the next round… but the one after that. If two league schools can reach the Elite Eight THEN the SEC might start to regain some national respect.

After Day One, at least that remains a possibility.

(It was a first day that some are calling the best ever thanks to seven upsets by seed out of the 16 games played.)

UK Rolls; SEC Goes To 1-2

John — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:42:54 +0000

It took a while but the SEC finally has a win in the 2010 NCAA tournament. Kentucky rolled to a 100-71 win over East Tennessee State in the East Regional tonight.

The Wildcats shot 51% from the field and hit 15-of-33 from three-point range. Eric Bledsoe put on a shooting exhibition. The freshman gunner connected on 9-of-11 overall and 8-of-9 from behind the arc.

Patrick Patterson added 22 and John Wall chipped in 17 for UK.

The win was the first for the SEC today… following losses by Florida and Vanderbilt. If Tennessee can avoid an upset by San Diego State tonight, the league could possibly wind up with a pair of teams in the Sweet Sixteen.

Kentucky was expected to reach that level anyway, but now the Volunteers’ path has been made easier. Ohio upset #3 Georgetown this evening. So what started off as a bad day, might actually lead to a decent showing in the Sweet Sixteen. If Tennessee can avoid that upset.

RB Brown No Longer On UT’s Team

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:56:51 +0000

Yesterday, Tennessee’s Derek Dooley said that running back Bryce Brown had not approached him about possibly transferring. He indicated that he had spoken with Brown many times, but that that subject had never come up.

That was yesterday.

Brown — the star signee from Lane Kiffin’s one signing class — was a no show for the first day of practice today. “As of now he’s not a part of the team,” Dooley said.

Rumors have swirled in recent days that the former top running back prospect in the nation might be interested in transferring to Kansas State. Brown is from Kansas and his brother recently transferred there from Miami.

Brown was expected to be Tennessee’s top tailback this fall, replacing the graduated Montario Hardesty. Not now it appears.

Murray State Buzzer-Beater Sinks Vandy; SEC 0-2

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:57:40 +0000

A buzzer-beating shot — literally — from Murray State’s Danero Thomas has knocked Vanderbilt out of the NCAA tournament in the first round. Again.

The #4 seed Commodores were bounced 66-65 by the #13 seed Racers. Two years ago, it was another #13 seed (Siena) that evicted Vandy in the tourney’s first round.

The loss is a stunning way for one of Vanderbilt’s best-ever seasons to end. VU hung with Kentucky in the SEC East race for much of the season, but today’s loss was Vandy’s third in its last four games.

Freshman John Jenkins led the Commodores with 13 points. AJ Ogilvy finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds.

The loss is a gut-punch for the SEC. The league was hoping to gain some respect today, but already two of the conference’s schools are heading home.

The baton will now be passed to Kentucky and Tennessee who play later tonight.

The fact that Vandy — a team that went 12-4 in SEC play — has already been ousted doesn’t say much for the overall strength of the conference. So far the Mountain West Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference have looked stronger in the day’s head-to-head matchups. So if you have UK or UT going a long way in your office pool, you might want to find a rabbit’s foot to rub.

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Long Gone Gators; BYU Tops Florida In 2 OT

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:12:26 +0000

If Florida was going to upset off #7 seed BYU, stopping one-man gang Jimmer Fredette would be key. Even though the Gators forced the Cougars into double-overtime, Fredette poured in 37 points and BYU got the win, 99-92.

Backup guard Michael Lloyd Jr. also surprised the Gators with 26 points of his own.

The Gators came back from a 12-point deficit with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation. But their shots to win the game at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime wouldn’t fall.

While UF was the underdog, it’s still not the start to the NCAA tournament that the SEC wanted/needed. The league is out for respect and close losses won’t help on that front.

The SEC will get another shot at the Mountain West tonight when Tennessee faces San Diego State. For now the tally is MWC 1, SEC 0.

All Four SEC Teams In NCAA Tourney Action Today

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:14:37 +0000

If many bracket gurus are correct, this could be a bad day for the SEC. Florida, Vanderbilt and Tennessee have all been mentioned numerous times as being vulnerable in today’s first round action.

But today could be the day the SEC starts to regain some national respect. A four-for-four would be a nice showing for a league that quite frankly hasn’t been up to its usual basketball standards the past two years.

By this time tomorrow, we’ll know if the SEC is on the rebound… or tumbling further.

10 Florida vs 7 BYU
12:20pm ET
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
West Region

13 Murray State vs 4 Vanderbilt
2:30pm ET
San Jose, California
West Region

16 East Tennessee State vs 1 Kentucky
7:15pm ET
New Orleans, Louisiana
East Region

11 San Diego State vs 6 Tennessee
9:45pm ET,
Providence, Rhode Island
Midwest Region

SEC East Headlines – 3/18/10

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:40:25 +0000

1. This writer has had some success picking tourney winners… and he’s tabbing Kentucky this time around.

2. DeMarcus Cousins admits that his mental approach has been a bigger issue than his basketball skills.

3. Every game is big now for the Cats.

4. UK still has two areas of concern.

5. Patrick Patterson has been hiding out for fear of a freak non-basketball injury costing him a shot at the NCAA tournament.

6. Kentucky’s players know that some of them won’t be back around for another NCAA shot next year.

7. John Calipari is a finalist for national coach of the year honors.

8. Calipari’s tournament theme is “Land the plane.”

9. The NFL draft stock is rising for former Wildcats Corey Peters and Alfonso Smith.

10. Florida tips off the NCAA tourney against BYU shortly after noon ET today.

11. Dan Werner’s career has come full circle.

12. To advance, the Gators have to shut down BYU guard Jimmer Fredette.

13. UF’s players want to make some noise in the tourney.

14. It’s going to take time for Florida’s new defensive assistants to get on the same page.

15. Quarterback John Brantley said Urban Meyer was “his same old self” at practice yesterday.

16. Tim Tebow drew some rave reviews at Florida’s Pro Day.

17. Georgia’s offensive players are having to adjust to going against a 3-4 defense in practice.

18. Tiny back Carlton Thomas (5-7) is trying to earn some carries in Athens.

19. Quarterback Aaron Murray is trying to learn from Zach Mettenberger’s mistake.

20. Derek Dooley is focused on his team, not the media and the fans.

21. Dooley is only worried about Tennessee’s roster issues in the short term.

22. All scrimmages and practices will be closed in Knoxville this year.

23. Here are five questions facing UT football.

24. The Vols’ quarterback battle is on.

25. An injured toe cut Eric Berry’s Pro Day short.

26. Tennessee is playing the disrespect card leading up to tonight’s game with San Diego State.

27. Wayne Chism is the last man standing from UT’s “fab five” signing class in 2006.

28. Bruce Pearl wants Tennessee to finally make a long tourney run.

29. If Vanderbilt is to advance past Murray State today, the Commodores will need AJ Ogilvy to be at his best.

30. The Racers have been off for 12 days… does that help them or hurt them?

31. Vandy will have to overcome some tournament inexperience.

32. Bobby Johnson likes his football team’s energy and attitude as spring practice starts in Nashville.

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The SEC Isn’t Talking About The Lane Violation Non-Call

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:19:58 +0000

Mississippi State fans waiting for a league response to the un-called lane violation in Sunday’s SEC title game probably shouldn’t hold their breath.

SEC spokesman Craig Pinkerton told Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger that the league will not comment on any communication “it may or may not have” with a coach about a specific call.

Rick Stansbury also won’t say whether he’s heard from the league regarding the no-call (or regarding his comments about the no-call).

As I’ve said on many occasions, I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I don’t think the officials intentionally ignored the lane violation(s) because the violators were wearing Kentucky blue. I simply think they blew the call.

And that’s exactly what the league should say. “We missed it.” “We normally don’t eye the three-point arc part of the rule too closely.” “In that situation, even our officials watched the ball and took their eyes off of Eric Bledsoe’s feet.” Anything is better than silence.

Keeping quiet and hoping the issue will go away on its own is no way to deal with such a controversial non-call. It only makes the conspiracy theorists dig in with more tenacity.

It also leaves one of the SEC’s 12 member institutions feeling like it got the shaft.

That’s not good. Or right.

So here’s hoping the league simply says, “We blew it.” But as I alluded to earlier… I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

SEC West Headlines 3/18/10

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:07:21 +0000

1. When you watch the NCAA tournament you’ll see a lot of players from Alabama… who got away from the Tide and Tigers.

2. Former Auburn tailback Ben Tate won’t be changing his lifestyle until the NFL cash starts pouring in.

3. Have you seen Auburn football’s flashy new website?

4. Bobby Petrino is looking forward to seeing his four running backs compete during spring practice. (Arkansas will do some running from the “pistol” formation this year, too.)

5. Ryan Mallett says he feels great. Despite his healing left foot.

6. Les Miles is hoping Stevan Ridley and Richard Murphy can carry the load at running back for LSU.

7. With Ole Miss students on Spring Break, there wasn’t much enthusiasm surrounding last night’s NIT win over Troy.

8. Terrico White’s 27-point night was a pleasant surprise. “Certainly he has the ability to do that, and we’d like to see it every night,” Andy Kennedy said. “Maybe he’s just not ready to do it every night.”

9. The Rebels looked “looser” last night than they did in the SEC tournament.

10. Dexter McCluster is ready to improve on the 40 time he ran at the NFL combine.

11. Mississippi State fans — many of whom believe MSU gets no respect — love the fact that Rick Stansbury is complaining about the missed lane violation call.

12. As expected, tickets for State’s NIT contest with North Carolina are going fast. “Those teams don’t come to Starkville, that’s just the way it is.”

13. In case you missed it, here’s the crotch punch that Dee Bost took in Tuesday’s Jackson State game.

UT Might Have Another Coach With Attitude

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:12:43 +0000

Derek Dooley didn’t insult any rival coaches. He didn’t take on the SEC commissioner. And he didn’t commit any secondary violations during his press conference marking the open of spring practice.

But he did display a bit of attitude, not unlike Lane Kiffin. Only his disdain seemed to be directed at the Knoxville media.

The Knoxville News Sentinel has posted video of the coach’s remarks and you can judge his demeanor for yourself.

From watching the video, Dooley did seem to be a little short when asked — for the first time — about his policy that requires former Vols to call ahead before dropping in on practice.

His voice rose pretty quickly. He became somewhat animated. All of which begs two questions:

1) Was there press in Ruston, Louisiana to cover Louisiana Tech?

2) How upset will he become when he’s asked about — you know — actual games, plays and coaching decisions?

While it’s been expected that Dooley would run a Nick Saban-like ship in Knoxville, some Tennessee media members were surprised that the new coach took on an adversarial role on Day One.

Judging by the comments beneath The Sentinel’s story, most Volunteer fans had no problem with Dooley’s attitude or his “you’ll get what we want you to get” media plan.

Perhaps they don’t realize that Dooley’s decision to close the doors to his program will leave them with less information about their favorite team.

Then again, this time last year many of those same fans were 100% in love with Kiffin’s attitude and demeanor, too.

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Tebow Looks Good At Pro Day

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:47:29 +0000

Tim Tebow did his part at Florida’s Pro Day yesterday. He showed off his new throwing motion for the first time and completed passes “all over Florida Field.”

Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun says Tebow “seemed to make a favorable impression” on the NFL scouts in attendance.

But not everyone is buying the QB’s new-and-improved mechanics. “It’s not battle-tested,” said ESPN analyst Todd McShay. “It’s not under fire with defenders all around him, but he certainly showed that he’s taking a step in the right direction.

“He’s not a first-round pick, period. First- and second-round draft picks, you have to hit in today’s NFL consistently with starters, guys who start early. … But even if you love Tim Tebow and think the highest of him possible as an NFL evaluator, it’s still going to be two or three years outside of a couple of plays in a sub package, a Wildcat, short-yardage-type role (before he will be ready to start).”

While McShay doesn’t view Tebow as a first-round guy, the NFL has apparently invited him to attend this year’s draft in New York. Typically only first-round players are invited.

For Tebow, if he’s not taken in Round One, it could be an embarrassing couple of days. Everyone remembers the green room shots of Aaron Rodgers waiting… and waiting… and waiting to be drafted back in 2005.

No Florida fan would want to see Tebow go through that.

But I bet a lot of fans from 11 other SEC schools would.

Meyer Back At UF; Didn’t Run Special Teams Drill

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:31:11 +0000

Did ESPN’s Ivan Maisel see a “new” Urban Meyer in Gainesville yesterday?

Back on the practice field for the first time since his retirement/non-retirement/leave/mini-vacation, Meyer actually allowed new special teams coordinator DJ Durkin to run a special teams drill.

The old Meyer would have been running that special teams drill… instead of standing by, watching someone else run it. But don’t rush the “he’s changed his methods” stories just yet.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Meyer said. “Usually I’m more involved in the kicking game, little more involved in the offense. And I will be more involved. I think springtime I’m usually like this. Let these guys coach, and everybody do their job and see what we got. We got four new coaches.”

Meyer bragged about Durkin and the rest of his staff.

But anyone expecting UF’s coach to delegate more of his work to his assistants should probably nix those thoughts. It sounds like Meyer will be the “old” Meyer when the Gators 2010 season rolls around.

Asked if he is back for good, Meyer simply said, “Yeah.”

Mallett’s Scooter Drawing Laughs

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:10:46 +0000

An LSU fan has started an internet sensation add music to and then posting video of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett tooling around the UA campus on a device designed to protect his surgically-repaired left foot.

Mallett is well aware of the video, too. He’s been emailed about it several time.

“You’ve got to take it with a grain of salt. There’s going to be people from other teams putting it on the internet. A million people have sent it to me in my email. I just laugh every time. It doesn’t get to me or anything.”

As you can see in the video, the contraption Mallett is having to use is a bit odd looking.

Mallett is off his feet and out of full football action for the next couple of months while his broken foot heals. Mallett is still able to throw.

He expects to be back to full speed by July. Until then, he’ll just be ridin’ dirty.

Ole Miss Moving On In NIT

John — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:49:03 +0000

Ole Miss fans were treated to a Terrico White show last night in Oxford. Or should I say the 3,000 that went to UM’s game were treated to a Terrico White show?

White poured in 27 points to lead the Rebels past Troy 84-65 in a more-than-half-empty Tad Smith Coliseum. Ole Miss will now host Memphis at 6:30pm ET tomorrow.

Eniel Polynice also returned to action for Mississippi. Polynice had not played since coming off a one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

SEC West Headlines – 3/17/10

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:34:14 +0000

Before we get to the headlines today, let me answer an email I got yesterday. “Why do you always put more East stories up than West stories?”

Currently, there are four East teams alive in the NCAA tournament. So obviously there are more stories being written about East Division teams.

And with that…

1. Charles Barkley says he’ll help Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs with his coach search. But he added, “I don’t pull any strings at Auburn. … If I ran the program Mike Anderson would have the coach last time.”

2. Former Arkansas safety Matt Harris is still dealing with the fact that he missed his last college football game because of a suspension.

3. Mitch Petrus — who took part in yesterday’s Pro Day in Fayetteville — says that Bobby Petrino’s all-business demeanor has helped him prepare for the NFL.

4. LSU held its Pro Day yesterday, too.

5. Ole Miss AD Pete Boone doesn’t believe Andy Kennedy is losing momentum in Oxford. (It’s not a good sign that he’s even having to answer such questions.)

6. Despite having a better season this year than last, UM still saw attendance drop at Rebel basketball games.

7. Troy is “very excited” to be getting a shot at Ole Miss in the NIT tonight.

8. Arizona State was upset last night, which means if the Rebels keep winning the road to Madison Square Garden will go through Oxford.

9. This writer believes Mississippi State is the best team in the NIT field.

10. The Bulldogs were sluggish early in last night’s win over Jackson State. “Considering it was our fourth game in five days, I was proud of the way our guys came out and played.”

11. Dee Bost scored 15 of this 18 points after taking a cheap shot to the groin.

12. Rick Stansbury says the MSU’s next opponent — North Carolina — is still NORTH CAROLINA. “Seven McDonald’s All-Americans. There won’t be no more talented team than what they have.”

SEC East Headlines – 3/17/10

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:01:02 +0000

1. Mark Richt says Zach Mettenberger needs to regain the trust of his teammates, coaches and fans.

2. Fellow QB competitor Aaron Murray is experimenting with a glove on his throwing hand this spring.

3. Here are some notes from yesterday’s practice in Athens yesterday.

4. UGA held their Pro Day yesterday, too.

5. ETSU has overcome a lot for the right to face #1 seed Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.

6. The President has picked UK into his Final Four… along with Kansas, Kansas State and Villanova.

7. It doesn’t appear that Kentucky fans will take command of New Orleans this week they way they did Nashville last week. (Probably because many fans are saving their cash for a potential trip to Indianapolis in a couple of weeks.)

8. Carolina’s quarterbacks have been working on drills to help them avoid sacks this fall.

9. This writer says Stephen Garcia is becoming more of a leader in Columbia.

10. USC’s coaches will be keeping an eye on these five offensive players this spring.

11. Here’s an early look at what the Cocks’ 2010-11 basketball lineup might look like.

12. Some West Coast Vols are familiar with the players on San Diego State’s team.

13. Vol guard Scotty Hopson is working on his footwork trying to correct a flaw in his shooting motion.

14. This writer thinks Tennessee will bounce back in the NCAA tourney.

15. Vanderbilt could cause problems in the NCAA tournament for teams unfamiliar with their offensive system.

16. John Jenkins knows the Murray State player whose mother was killed in a car accident on Monday.

17. While many experts are picking the Racers to upset the ‘Dores, Murray State coach Billy Kennedy says, “They’re the biggest and most physical team we’ve faced.”

18. As Vandy opens spring practice, Bobby Johnson wants his team to use last year’s terrible record as motivation.

19. You can get live updates from Florida’s Pro Day right here.

20. Needless to say, Tim Tebow will be the focus of the media.

21. Urban Meyer did indeed show up for Pro Day… and Day One of Florida’s spring practice.

SC’s Arrested QB Back At Practice

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:20:56 +0000

Zach Mettenberger isn’t the only SEC quarterback dealing with a recent arrest. South Carolina backup Aramis Hillary was back at practice yesterday, reinstated to the Gamecock squad.

Hillary was arrested last week on charges of underage drinking and drunkeness. Interestingly, even on something so seemingly small, Hillary has requested a trial by jury.

As for his return to the practice field, Steve Spurrier said, “He got cleared through the athletic director.”

Richt Waiting To Punish Arrested QB

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:08:34 +0000

It’s been 10 days since sophomore Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger was arrested for underage consumption/possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, obstruction, and two counts of possession of false identification.

Still, no punishment has been announced by Mark Richt.

“I’m disappointed, first off,” Richt said yesterday. “I did spend some time talking to him. There’s a little bit more information that I want to gather before I make a final decision. I would certainly think by the end of the week I’ll have a final decision on what we’re going to do.”

Richt also said the Mettenberger — who was in a 3-man competition for the Bulldogs’ starting job — “knows that he’s dug himself a hole and he wants to climb out. He knows that what has happened this last week is not going to define who he is and define his career. What he does from this point forward will define that.”

Georgia policy dictates that any alcohol-related arrest requires an automatic suspension of 10 percent of the season, which (rounding down) equals one game in football. Richt, however, could make the suspension longer.

The coach pointed out that Mettenberger’s reps in practice have not been cut due to his arrest. While that may be so, it’s hard to imagine his chances for winning the starting job — as the team’s most important leader — haven’t been negatively impacted by his arrest.

Georgia Fighting Off Out-Of-State Schools

Josh Ward — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:06:29 +0000

There is a growing concern among Georgia fans than the Bulldogs coaching staff isn’t putting in the necessary work to hold onto talent in the southern part of the state.

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution explains in this story.

You can point to talented players from Valdosta, such as Greg Reid, Gerald Demps and Telvin Smith, all of whom signed with Florida State in the last two years. The Seminoles also just picked up a commitment from defensive back Tyler Hunter.

“They’ve lost their stronghold,” former Georgia quarterback Buck Belue said of Georgia’s southern state recruiting. “Once Ray Goff lost his job I’ve heard more complaining about the Georgia coaches just not working that area as hard.”

Florida Begins Spring Practice, But Will Meyer Be There?

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:56:17 +0000

Florida kicks off spring practice today and most folks assume Urban Meyer will be on-hand. But not everyone.

Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel reveals that there is still “a shroud of mystery regarding (Meyer’s) role.”

One Florida official texted Mr. Bianchi to say that the coach’s “formal plans haven’t been announced.”

With the Gators holding their Pro Day today, too, the writer believes Meyer might just sit out the media circus and return in a day or two.

“I would be surprised if UF’s head coach isn’t at practice today,” he writes. “But with Urban Meyer you just never know.”

Pro Day has been delayed until about 11am ET (now) due to rain in Gainesville. So we all must wait to find out if Meyer is back in the saddle or not.

More Confusion Over Lane Violation Rules

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:41:49 +0000

When Monday morning rolled around, I never dreamed that I would type the words “lane violation” so often this week. But the end of the Kentucky/Mississippi State game on Sunday has folks on both sides of the battle shouting to the heavens.

First came the emails from MSU fans regarding John Wall stepping over the three-point arc on Eric Bledsoe’s “I’m gonna miss this on purpose” free throw attempt.

Then came more MSU emails pointing out that Darnell Dodson was also over the line. And Eric Bledsoe had jumped the gun and stepped over the free throw line, too.

Yesterday, after posting our follow-up to the story — because Rick Stansbury was talking about it — UK fans got in on the action. I received four different emails from folks saying that it was a good “no call” because State’s players on the lane itself all jumped into the paint before the ball hit the rim.

And that’s why I think it’s time for some more clarification. Here’s the deal on lane violations:

1. Players lined up outside the three-point arc (and the extended lanes) cannot cross inside the three-point area (or the extended lanes) until after a free throw attempt has hit the rim. Both Wall and Dodson appear to have done just that. MSU’s Dee Bost might also have jumped the gun on this area. In Stansbury’s view, the whistle should have been blown when Wall crossed the line, so it would not have mattered what Bost did after that point.

If this violation had been called against either UK player, Mississippi State would have been given the basketball with a two-point lead and 4.9 seconds remaining on the clock.

2. The shooter can not step across the foul line until his attempt hits the rim. Bledsoe did. In this case, however, he fired up a lollipop of a shot in order to force a big rebound. He stood his ground for a second before moving forward. I’m guessing the official watched his feet, saw that he didn’t come immediately across the line, and then eyed the ball… thus missing Bledsoe’s violation. Still, this WAS a violation of the rule.

3. Players along the lanes (be they Kentucky or MSU players) can’t go into the paint until the shot has been released from the shooter’s hands. On replay, it looks like the players for both teams waited until after Bledsoe released his shot before they jumped into the paint. So there was no violation. Meaning that this was NOT a good “no call.”

Here’s the video one… more… time.

Hopefully that puts an end to this discussion until the SEC comments on the play… or fines Stansbury for doing so.

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Lunardi Not Real Big On The SEC

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:16:30 +0000

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is considered to be THE bracket expert when it comes to the NCAA tournament. Now, he does do a good job of predicting the 65-team field, but I’ve never gone back to check his accuracy on predicting seeds. In other words, “field” expert might be a better term than “bracket” expert, but that’s neither here nor there.

For those of you who do view Mr. Lunardi as a tourney guru, he’s now posted his tourney picks for you. And SEC fans won’t be real happy about them.

In the Midwest, he has Tennessee losing to San Diego State in the first round.

In the West, he has Vanderbilt losing to Murray State in the first round.

Still in the West, he has Florida losing to BYU in the first round.

In the East, he does have Kentucky reaching the Sweet 16… before falling to #4 seed Wisconsin.

That’s right, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the SEC out of the tourney before the round of eight. And that includes UK.

Looking around the nation at other experts’ picks, it’s obvious that the SEC is fighting a pretty big perception problem. Very few analysts expect Florida to win a game. Several see Vandy as an early upset victim. And Tennessee is perhaps the trendiest pick in the field to fail in its opener.

There’s only one way to change what folks think about SEC basketball — win.

But if the SEC’s teams go belly-up as Mr. Lunardi and so many others expect, those of us down south shouldn’t complain about a lack of respect. The SEC’s schools will have earned it.

The Truth About Seeds, Rankings And RPI

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:58:59 +0000

It’s Wednesday and I just found yet another note in my email box from a Tennessee fan upset that I defended the NCAA (sort of) in their seeding of the Vols.

Apparently 48 hours isn’t enough time to move on from the fact that Bruce Pearl’s team was seeded sixth instead of fifth.

Well, in response to the cries of “We wuz robbed!” I thought I’d take a look at this year’s NCAA tournament seeds and see if Tennessee truly was singled out for a spanking.

A quick comparison of the selection committee’s seeds to the national rankings and RPI rankings shows that the “eyeball test” of human voters is a more accurate predictor of seeding.

Below you’ll see the Top 25 going into Sunday’s selection process. At right, you’ll see three columns. The first shows where each team should have been seeded IF seeding were based strictly on national rank. The second shows their actual seed. The third shows how much up or down they moved.

Top 25 Rank	School	“Expected” Seed	Actual Seed	Difference
1	Kansas	1	1
2	Kentucky	1	1
3	Duke	1	1
4	Syracuse	1	1
5	Ohio State	2	2
6	West Virginia	2	2
7	Kansas State	2	2
8	New Mexico	2	3	Down 1
9	Villanova	3	2	Up 1
10	Purdue	3	4	Down 1
11	Butler	3	5	Down 2
12	Temple	3	5	Down 2
13	Michigan State	4	5	Down 1
14	Georgetown	4	3	Up 1
15	Tennessee	4	6	Down 2
16	Wisconsin	4	4
17	BYU	5	7	Down 2
18	Pittsburgh	5	3	Up 2
19	Baylor	5	3	Up 2
20	Maryland	5	4	Up 1
21	Vanderbilt	6	4	Up 2
22	Gonzaga	6	8	Down 2
23	Texas A&M	6	5	Up 1
24	Richmond	6	7	Down 1
25	Xavier	7	6	Up 1

So what do we see? First, it’s pretty obvious that the committee gave extra credit to teams from the Big East and Big 12, the perceived two best conferences all season. Villanova, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Baylor and Texas A&M were all seeded a bit higher than their national ranking would have indicated.

We also see that no team fell or rose more than a couple of spots from where they were expected to land. Overall, eight teams moved up and nine teams moved down.

Tennessee dropped two slots along with Butler (who has been a fixture in the Top 12 all year), Temple, BYU and Gonzaga. Hard to say, then, that UT was singled out.

One of the biggest risers was Vanderbilt. The Commodores — ranked 21st — would have been expected to be a #6 seed, but instead they received a #4 seed. That might give some Vol fans something to complain about, but Vanderbilt beat Tennessee handily in both of their contests this year, finished ahead of them in the SEC standings and went 4-2 against Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida. As Pearl himself noted, the Vols went just 2-5 against Kentucky, Vandy and the Gators.

Now, on to the RPI comparison…

RPI Rank	School	“Expected” Seed	Actual Seed	Difference
1	Kansas	1	1
2	Kentucky	1	1
3	Duke	1	1
4	West Virginia	1	2	Down 1
5	Syracuse	2	1	Up 1
6	Kansas State	2	2
7	Georgetown	2	3	Down 1
8	Temple	2	5	Down 3
9	Baylor	3	3
10	New Mexico	3	3
11	Villanova	3	2	Up 1
12	Butler	3	5	Up 2
13	Texas A&M	4	5	Down 1
14	Tennessee	4	6	Down 2
15	Pittsburgh	4	3	Up 1
16	Purdue	4	4
17	Northern Iowa	5	9	Down 4
18	San Diego State	5	11	Down 6
19	Xavier	5	6	Down 1
20	California	5	8	Down 3
21	Wisconsin	6	4	Up 2
22	Ohio State	6	2	Up 4
23	BYU	6	7	Down 1
24	Maryland	6	4	Up 2
25	Richmond	7	7

Clearly, RPI is used only as a “guide,” just as various committee members say each year. There was much more variation in this chart than in our first one. Temple, Northern Iowa, San Diego State, California and Ohio State all moved up or down by three or more slots.

Again we see that Tennessee moved down two lines while Vandy climbed two.

As for the school that got “most hosed” in both charts, that would be Temple.

But knowing that this is a fluid process that seems to change a bit from year to year, it’s hard for me to say, “Yes, this team’s fans should be crying.” We’re talking about a seed line or two… not a tourney snub.

If the teams who feel snubbed are upset, they’ll have every opportunity to prove the experts wrong starting tomorrow. And if Tennessee isn’t good enough to get by San Diego State, how much farther would they have gone as a #4 or a #5?

And for the record, I’d have had Kentucky a #1, Vandy a #4 and Tennessee a #5. But that’s just me. And judging from my inbox, many of you disagree.

MSU Beats Jackson State, UNC Up Next

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:16:14 +0000

For a team with five losses to clubs outside the RPI Top 100, no game should be taken for granted. Wisely, Rick Stansbury had his team ready for last night’s visit from nearby Jackson State.

The Bulldogs bounced back from lane violations and empty NCAA dance cards with an 81-67 win in Starkville last night. Saturday at Noon ET (11am CT), North Carolina will come to the Hump.

Stansbury was pleased with his team’s performance. “I’m proud of our basketball team, not just because we won the game but because of the way we responded tonight.”

“We said to each other we can play for another championship, the NIT championship, and get to Madison Square Garden,” Jarvis Varnado said.

Only 4,400-plus decided to attend the game. Despite an 11am local time start on Saturday, I’m guessing there will be a much bigger crowd on hand for the Tar Heels. After all, it’s not UNC visits Starkville for regular season games.

Back to the SEC tournament finals and Stansbury’s voicing of his displeasure with the officials, the coach would not say if he has had any communication with the league office. “I’ve moved forward.”

Top O’ The Mornin’ To Ya

John — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:04:58 +0000

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Mr. SEC.com!

Nothing like Irish Serbs to kick off your morning. Enjoy this — and an early morning black and tan — as we put together your morning news.

And as our photo clearly shows… be smart today and don’t have TOO many black and tans.

Calipari Says Wall Wants To Come Back

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:19:08 +0000

All of you thinking that Kentucky’s roster will undergo a seismic shift this offseason might want to think again. According to John Calipari, at least.

Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show yesterday, Calipari said that John Wall “wants to stay. We’ll have to talk about it afterward.”

Is that simply a recruiting ploy? “Lexington is so great, no one wants to leave!”

Calipari could be making that comment even though he knows full well that Wall will jet for the NBA — and MILLIONS of dollars — when push comes to shove.

That comment shines a positive light on his program and it makes Wall even more popular amongst Wildcat fans. If that’s possible.

Or perhaps Wall really does want to stay. In which case Calipari should tell him what he risks by not leaving early and taking the cash. One knee injury and everything could go poof for the one of the coolest young talents I’ve ever seen.

Regardless of what Calipari is saying now or what Wall might say in the future, it’s hard to believe that the young man won’t leave early for the money of the pros.

But you can bet there are a lot of Cat fans today hoping and praying that rumors of an NBA lockout come to fruition. In that case, Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, the Professor, Mary Ann and the rest might all be back for another season of SEC dominance.

SEC East Headlines – 3/16/10

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:07:40 +0000

1. Billy Donovan enjoyed seeing his team celebrate an NCAA tourney berth again.

2. Billy D compares BYU point guard Jimmer Fredette to John Wall and Devan Downey.

3. There are five big storylines for the Gators’ spring practice this year.

4. Georgia’s Trey Thompkins made the AP’s first-team All-SEC squad.

5. UGA AD Damon Evans says it’s time for the Bulldogs to schedule a season-opener in the Georgia Dome.

6. This writer/Dawg fan says a Clemson-Georgia game would be perfect for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

7. It’s Pro Day in Athens today.

8. Bruce Pearl says San Diego State is a patient team that takes after its coach, Steve Fisher.

9. A lot of national analysts expect Tennessee to get bounced by the Aztecs in Round One.

10. Derek Dooley apparently didn’t realize that he was tossing some former Vols when he cleared UT’s indoor practice facility of visitors.

11. UT’s Wayne Chism and Vandy’s Jermaine Beal were named to the AP’s All-SEC team.

12. Vandy’s players — booted as a #4 seed in 2008 — know better than to underestimate #13 seed Murray State on Thursday.

13. One Murray State player will be with his team despite the death of his mother in a car accident yesterday.

14. The SEC tournament brought in 12 million bucks to Nashville last week.

15. John Calipari gave his players the day off yesterday to help combat fatigue.

16. Are Kentucky’s fantastic freshmen better than Michigan’s Fab Five? We’re about to find out.

17. No team in the NCAA tournament field is more inexperienced than UK. (But inexperience hasn’t hurt the Cats yet, has it?)

18. There’ll be no crying in Lexington this week — the AP honored John Wall as the SEC’s Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson made the All-SEC team, and John Calipari was named Coach of the Year.

19. Here are five questions facing South Carolina’s basketball team in the year ahead.

20. Devan Downey was a unanimous pick for the AP’s All-SEC team.

21. Backup quarterback Aramis Hillary — arrested on alcohol-related charges last week – has requested a jury trial.

22. The spotlight will shine on five defensive players during spring practice in Columbia.

SEC West Headlines – 3/16/10

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:30:08 +0000

1. Alabama’s Mal Moore is a finalist for the Athletic Director of the Year award.

2. Cornerback Kareem Jackson is boosting his stock with pro scouts.

3. Arkansas running back De’Anthony Curtis is moving to wide receiver.

4. Courtney Fortson was named honorable mention on the AP’s All-SEC team.

5. This writer thinks Arkansas is making a mistake by comparing John Pelphrey’s three-year record to that of legendary Hog coach Nolan Richardson (after his first three years in Fayetteville).

6. LSU’s Pro Day brought in scouts from nearly every NFL team.

7. Brandon LaFell and Chad Jones were happy with their work in front of the NFL officials.

8. One draft analyst says former Tiger tackle Ciron Black — once a first-round prospect — has put on too much weight over the last couple of years.

9. Andy Kennedy knows why his team is in the NIT — Ole Miss was 0-7 against the other SEC teams still playing basketball. “We have no one to blame but ourselves.”

10. Kennedy says he hasn’t given up on Eniel Polynice, but has the guard given up on the Rebels?

11. Kennedy says his program is “so very close” to getting over the proverbial hump.

12. Will Terrico White and Chris Warren leave UM early to play pro ball?

13. Jarvis Varnado was named first-team All-SEC.

14. Mississippi State hosts Jackson State in the NIT tonight, but Rick Stansbury is still upset that his team missed the NCAA tournament.

15. For a team that lost five games to teams outside the RPI Top 100, it’s important for the Bulldogs to focus on their game tonight… and not the NCAAs.

16. Will the SEC take action — or even comment on — the missed lane violation call in Sunday’s MSU-Kentucky game? State fans want to know.

16.

Lane Kiffin: Sexiest Woman Alive

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:06:58 +0000

When I say “sexiest woman alive,” I know what you think — Lane Kiffin. Right?

I’ll allow others to jump all over this one. It’s just too easy. But I will give you the details. Esquire magazine posted a 16-person bracket for folks to vote for the Sexiest Woman Alive. Oddly enough, one of the 16 choices was none other than the former Tennessee football coach.

We’ll let EverydayShouldBeSaturday.com… and CollegeFootballTalk.com… and The Huffington Post take it from there.

Here’s my only question: Is it possible to commit a secondary violation while competing for the title of sexiest woman alive? If so, the judges better keep their eyes on Kiffin.

Three Potential Violations On Kentucky Put-Back?

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:43:20 +0000

Sorry, Kentucky fans. It doesn’t look like this one’s going away.

Yesterday, we told you that a mini-furor had arisen regarding Eric Bledsoe’s missed free throw at the end of regulation in the SEC tournament finals… the miss that led to DeMarcus Cousins’ eventual game-tying lay-up.

John Wall was shown in replays to have crossed inside the three-point arc before Bledsoe’s shot hit the rim. That’s a type of lane violation, though most folks I’ve talked to have never seen that particular part of the rule called.

But a check of the videotape shows THREE potential violations on the play:

1) Bledsoe stepped over the free throw line before his shot hit the rim — lane violation

2) Wall stepped inside the three-point arc before Bledsoe’s shot hit the rim — lane violation

3) Darnell Dodson also stepped inside the three-point arc before Bledsoe’s shot hit the rim — lane violation

Even if you — like me — give the refs a pass on the three-point arc stuff, that still leaves a rather obvious violation by the shooter himself.

During a press conference yesterday, Rick Stansbury made it clear that he’s not happy about that. “It’s a very obvious lane violation. Both guys in that lane line up outside the 3-point line.”

Leery of a potential fine from the league, Stansbury added, “I’m not talking about officiating, I’m talking about the play.”

Oh.

Stansbury did some research on the rule and after doing so, felt even more convinced that his team was jobbed.

“I’m just amazed in that situation, game on the line, you know he’s going to miss the free throw (intentionally), two officials watching it — we’re not talking about a foot. We’re talking about eight feet.”

Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports that the rule appears to be pretty clear: a teammate of the free throw shooter can’t enter the arc until the shot hits the rim. The shooter has to wait for the ball to hit the rim, too.

According to Stansbury, the fact that State’s Dee Bost also entered inside the three-point arc would make no difference. In his view, the offensive player entered first, so the play should have been blown dead.

Stansbury said that his anger was limited to what happened on Sunday and not tied to State’s first game with Kentucky. You might remember that MSU saw 10 calls go against them in the final eight minutes of their loss to the Wildcats in Starkville. UK had no calls go against them in those closing minutes. Cups and water bottles were tossed by fans, etc, etc.

“The first game, I put behind me. I’m not a guy who cries over spilled milk very often. This was a hard pill to swallow because this was not a judgement call.”

Personally, I wonder if the three-point arc part of the lane violation rule will now get more attention from referees and the media. Most folks hadn’t heard of this issue prior to Sunday. Even Stansbury had to do a little research on the subject.

In 2001, something called a “tuck rule” helped launch the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl title. At the time, it was thought to be a tidbit in the rule book that would surely be tossed out after the season. Well, it wasn’t thrown out. And now you see a “tuck rule” call in a dozen football games each year.

The same could happen in this situation.

But dropping the Dodson/Wall part of the equation, the referees did clearly miss Bledsoe stepping over the line. In that situation, I think it’s probably natural that their eyes went from his feet to the ball. And he did stay in his stance for split-second or two before charging forward.

Of course, that won’t change the perception that SEC officials looked the other way.

Sorry Cat fans. I’m not a conspiracy guy, but the refs blew this one. That means the folks in the tin foil hats now have some ammunition in their ray guns.

Arkansas Basketball: Rumors And Changes

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:03:15 +0000

Arkansas officially announced yesterday that assistant coach Isaac Brown was being re-assigned to an administrative position on John Pelphrey’s coaching staff. Fellow assistants Rob Evans and Tom Ostrom will continue in their current roles.

UA announced the move in a press release yesterday. And Pelphrey vowed to turn things around in Fayetteville.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to improving our program, I believe these changes will result in the development of both a stronger coaching and support staff,” Pelphrey said in the release. That’s quite the kick to the groin for Brown isn’t it?

“After making my recommendation, Jeff Long assisted me in creating this opportunity. I appreciate the support of our administration and their continued assistance in providing our basketball program the resources and the opportunity to succeed. I appreciate what Isaac Brown has brought to our program and look forward to working with him in his new administrative role.”

“On the court, while we have had some success, our coaches and student-athletes understand the expectations of the Razorback program is to compete for championships and win consistently in the Southeastern Conference and nationally. We will continue to work every day in all facets of our program to meet those expectations.”

Meanwhile, the release underscores the fact that athletic director Jeff Long remains patient with his head coach. “We have asked John and his staff to do more than win basketball games, we have asked them to build a program on and off the court of which our University and supporters can be proud. This process will take additional time.”

Rumors continue to swirl about who will replace Brown on the Hogs’ bench… and about more potential moves.

An Arkansas television station has reported that former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried (now with ESPN) and former Texas Tech coach James Dickey would be joining the Razorbacks shortly.

“I have absolutely no idea where that got started,” Gottfried said of the report.

And Gottfried wasn’t the only person shooting down rumors yesterday.

UA guard Rotnei Clarke said in a statement last night that it was never his intention to leave the Razorbacks, despite a television report that suggested otherwise.

“Contrary to a local television station report over the weekend that I was ’seriously considering’ transferring, I wanted to make clear to the Razorback fans that I will return to play basketball for the University of Arkansas next season.”

The apparent lesson? Don’t get your news from Arkansas television stations.

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Finebaum Wonders If Grant Wants To Be At Bama

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:26:51 +0000

Leave it to Paul Finebaum to create a stir. In today’s Mobile Press-Register, the controversial talkshow host/columnist opines that Tide basketball coach Anthony Grant “seemed to be going through the motions” during his first year in Tuscaloosa.

“Count me among those who were underwhelmed,” writes Mr. Finebaum. “I realize Alabama went out and hired a basketball coach and not a late-night comedian. Unlike football, basketball is a personalized sport. You can reach out and touch the coach. In Grant’s case, he seemed to be going through the motions, immune to the faceless crowd cheering him on.”

It gets better…

“Perhaps (Grant) looks miserable all the time because he realizes he took the wrong job. Perhaps he doesn’t care about interacting with the public because he realizes this place is even more football crazy than he was led to believe.”

It seems that there’s a great deal of “reading into” going on in this piece. Maybe the writer is correct and has picked up on facial cues that reveal the coach’s true feelings about the job he accepted. More likely it’s someone trying to stir the pot.

Mr. Finebaum goes on to compare Grant’s demeanor to that of Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl. “… fans love Pearl because he lives and dies every game. He looks like he really wants to be there. He acts like he really cares. My concern about Grant is that he appears to be biding time, hoping to get the Tide on an uptick before immediately fleeing for a better job in a more desirable locale.”

That’s quite a statement considering Grant has coached all of 32 games in Alabama. Had the Tide finished 20-12 with an NCAA bid, rather than 15-17 without one, would anyone be complaining about Grant’s bench persona?

I don’t know that tossing a sportcoat or screaming at an official has anything to do with building a program. Certainly, being involved with the fanbase is a part of the job… and if Grant is neglecting that part of his job then he’s doing so at his own peril.

Still, it’s a little too early — at least in my view — to be questioning his motives and ability simply because he doesn’t smile enough.

Mitchell A Candidate For Auburn?

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:00:16 +0000

A year-and-a-half ago, Columbus, Georgia native Sam Mitchell was a head coach in the NBA. Now, 15 months after being fired by the Toronto Raptors, Mitchell says he’d be willing to talk about a job in the college ranks.

“I’m a coach and I want to coach. I haven’t closed my mind off to having an opportunity to coach in college.”

He also campaigned a bit for the Auburn gig. “I think Auburn would be a great job. I think you have a lot of potential, a lot of possibilities. I just think the most important thing for Auburn, and they would say the same thing, is getting the right person who is going to push the program and build a program to a national power, like it used to be in the early ’80s.

“We’ve got enough talent in the South to do that. I just think somebody’s got to come in and stop everybody from all around the country from walking off with all the talent.”

Speaking of “getting the right person,” former Auburn player Chuck Person continues to be a hot name among many Tiger fans. But Person’s background has been only in the pro ranks and only as an assistant coach (currently with the Los Angeles Lakers). Mitchell at least has head coaching experience, even if it didn’t come at the college level.

Mitchell was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year as recently as 2007.

Whoever does wind up on The Plains will inherit a team that’s losing six seniors. That leaves six players who saw some action in 2009-10, four who didn’t and six incoming freshman. Of course, who knows which of those newcomers will actually arrive in Auburn now that Jeff Lebo has been fired.

Athletic director Jay Jacobs has warned fans that his search will not be rushed.

“Rumor and speculation will be rampant in the coming days. As in past searches, much, if not most, of what you may read or hear will be wrong. We will not refute rumors or comment on who will or won’t be considered or who has or hasn’t been interviewed. Our sole goal is to find the right man for Auburn.”

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Iowa Fans Want UT’s Pearl

John — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:37:03 +0000

Three years ago, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl said that he wasn’t interested in the head coaching job at Iowa. Now the former Hawkeye assistant might be contacted by Iowa again.

Yesterday, Iowa fired Todd Lickliter after his third losing season in as many years. The former Butler coach had taken over in Iowa City after Steve Alford departed for New Mexico.

According to The Daily Iowan — that’s the campus newspaper — “one of the most popular candidates among the fan base” is Pearl. Pearl was an assistant in Iowa for six seasons under Tom Davis. His assistants in Knoxville all have ties back to Iowa.

Interestingly, while an Iowa assistant Pearl’s 1988 decision to record a conversation with a recruit and turn it in to the NCAA in as proof that Illinois was cheating, led to his being unofficially blackballed in the coaching community. Pearl had to work his way up slowly via the Division II route.

Iowa athletic director Gary Barta was asked if Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany might get involved in the search if it led to Pearl.

“Jim Delany is very knowledgeable about the game of basketball. He doesn’t have any say in who we hire, but I definitely will include him and many others as I go through this process.”

The fact that folks are discussing all of this just goes to show how far ahead of the pack — at least in fan/media minds — Pearl is.

Pearl flirted with Memphis last year after John Calipari left, securing raises for his assistants as well as helping his own cause. It’s doubtful that Pearl would leave Knoxville just one year later to take on a program that has suffered three straight losing seasons and a steady decline in fan support.

If Pearl were going to leave Knoxville, Memphis would have made more sense because it is quite simply an easier job than Iowa (or Tennessee). But UT’s coach chose to stay in Knoxville. And three years ago he said he wasn’t interested in Iowa. It’s unlikely that he’s changed his mind on either front.

Then again, stranger things have happened.

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Getting The Calls: An SEC Statistical Breakdown

John — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:07:20 +0000

In football, Alabama and Florida supposedly got all the calls this past fall.

In basketball, it’s Kentucky that’s been “taken care of.”

At least that’s the way many SEC fans saw things this year at least.

I don’t know who thought Kentucky was getting all the calls when Billy Gillispie was missing the NCAA tournament last year.

And I don’t remember anyone talking about Bama getting help from officials during Nick Saban’s first 7-6 season in Tuscaloosa.

But, hey, the perception is that good teams really aren’t that good… they’re just being aided by the refs. Or so a lot of people seem to think.

So I’ve gone back through every Southeastern Conference basketball game this season (that’s 96 regular season games) and tallied up all of the fouls called in each game. Below you’ll see which teams were whistled for the most fouls, which teams saw their opponents most often called for fouls, and which teams got the biggest boost in foul differential per game.

Keep in mind, this is purely a numbers exercise. There’s no way to know how numbers are skewed by the fact that good teams usually lead and therefore their opponents are forced to foul more at the ends of games.

In other words, are fouls called because a team is good or is a team good because fouls are called? Depending on your belief in conspiracy theories, that can go either way.

Also, it would stand to reason that more talented teams would force their opponents to foul more in an attempt to even the playing field. In other words, not everyone has a guard as fast as John Wall, so it would figure that Wall might draw more slaps on the arms as he blows down the lane.

In addition, more physical teams — like Vanderbilt — probably get a foul advantage because other teams have to use multiple players to bang around inside with them.

Personally, I’m not a believer in conspiracy theories. I believe home teams get more calls because officials get caught up in crowd noise just as players do (and we’ll show you those numbers, too). I believe more talented teams get “benefit of the doubt” calls. And I believe teams that have a reputation for being physical get more calls in their favor as well.

But I don’t believe officials take care of certain teams in order to protect their rankings, seedings, etc. You might, but I don’t.

All that said, here are the numbers:

MOST FOULS CALLED AGAINST OPPONENT PER GAME

School	Fouls Against Opp. Per Game	SEC Record
Vanderbilt	22.87	12-4
Kentucky	20.75	14-2
Arkansas	19.56	7-9
Tennessee	17.81	11-5
Auburn	17.62	6-10
Florida	17.00	9-7
Mississippi State	17.00	9-7
Ole Miss	16.50	9-7
Georgia	16.06	5-11
Alabama	15.87	6-10
LSU	15.68	2-14
South Carolina	15.00	6-10

It seems that Auburn and Arkansas tend to spoil the conspiracy theory on this one.

FEWEST FOULS CALLED AGAINST PER GAME

School	Fouls Called Against Per Game	SEC Record
Florida	14.06	9-7
Mississippi State	15.06	9-7
Georgia	16.37	5-11
LSU	17.00	2-14
Kentucky	17.12	14-2
South Carolina	18.00	6-10
Alabama	18.18	6-10
Arkansas	18.50	7-9
Tennessee	18.87	11-5
Ole Miss	18.93	9-7
Auburn	19.75	6-10
Vanderbilt	19.87	12-4

Again, I’m not seeing any evidence of conspiracies here. Vanderbilt saw it’s opponents whistled for more fouls than any other school. Yet the Commodores also led the league in the number of fouls that were called against them. That seems to suggest that style of play is a pretty big factor.

As for Kentucky, the Wildcats were actually whistled for more fouls than Florida, Mississippi State, Georgia and LSU. That would be 2-14 LSU, by the way.

FOUL DIFFERENTIAL PER GAME

School	Differential in Fouls Called Per Game	SEC Record
Kentucky	3.63	14-2
Vanderbilt	3.00	12-4
Florida	2.94	9-7
Mississippi State	1.94	9-7
Arkansas	1.06	7-9
Georgia	-0.31	5-11
Tennessee	-1.06	11-5
LSU	-1.32	2-14
Auburn	-2.13	6-10
Alabama	-2.31	6-10
Ole Miss	-2.43	9-7
South Carolina	-3.00	6-10

Finally. Something for the folks in the tin foil hats.

No school sees a bigger difference between their own number of fouls and their opponents’ fouls than Kentucky. Of course, the SEC refs are having to be awfully sneaky about this if it’s planned out… because UK doesn’t lead either of the two individual categories (above) that are used to determine this number.

But what about homecourt advantage? Is it real?

Oh, yes. There’s a reason 76% of BCS league games have been won by the home team in recent years. A loud crowd influences players AND officials.

All 12 teams in the SEC this past year saw more fouls called against their opponents at home than on the road. All 12.

And all 12 SEC teams saw fewer fouls called on themselves when playing at home, too. Again, all 12.

But of all the official-affecting home gyms in the SEC, here are the ones that provide the best advantage for their occupants:

FOUL DIFFERENTIAL AT HOME

School	Differential in Fouls Called Per Game	Home Record
Florida	6.87	6-2
Kentucky	5.78	8-0
Vanderbilt	5.00	6-2
Arkansas	4.00	5-3
Georgia	3.12	5-3
Mississippi State	2.88	6-2
Auburn	1.88	5-3
Tennessee	0.88	7-1
LSU	0.87	2-6
Alabama	0.37	4-4
Ole Miss	-0.38	4-4
South Carolina	-1.87	4-4

As you can see, only two SEC teams (Ole Miss and South Carolina) averaged more fouls called against them than their opponents at home. Every other team had a positive foul differential in their own gym.

Of all the gyms in the SEC in 2010, the O’Connell Center in Gainesville was the most inhospitable to visitors looking to get a call or two.

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SEC West Headlines – 3/15/10

John — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:45:46 +0000

1. Alabama will be staying at home this March after missing an NIT bid… an expressing not interest in a CBI or CIT bid.

2. There were some bright spots during Anthony Grant’s first season in Tuscaloosa despite numerous injuries.

3. After three years on John Pelphrey’s staff, Isaac Brown is not expected to return for Year Four.

4. Brown isn’t commenting on the reports. “You’ve got to call Coach Pel. I’m not doing no talking.”

5. Jordan Jefferson is taking ownership of LSU’s football team.

6. Yesterday’s tight loss to Kentucky hurt Mississippi State in more ways than one.

7. First came the loss, then came an NCAA snub. (I’m not sure I’d call it a “snub.”)

8. Rick Stansbury called Sunday a “double disappointment.”

9. Though painful, MSU fans can take solace in their team’s gritty effort versus Kentucky.

10. Athletic director Greg Byrne wants to talk to the NCAA selection committee. (Hopefully they’ll tell him not to lose five games to teams ranked outside the Top 100.)

11. While State and UM didn’t get the invites they wanted, their seasons will continue.

12. The Bulldogs will host SWAC champion Jackson State on Tuesday night in the NIT.

13. Ole Miss will host Sun Belt champ Troy on Wednesday night.

SEC East Headlines – 3/15/10

John — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:49:08 +0000

1. It’s been a while, but Florida is going dancing again.

2. With a #10 seed in the tourney, the Gators apparently weren’t even on the bubble.

3. Chandler Parsons said “it was a stressful 48 hours” waiting to learn their NCAA fate.

4. Florida’s upgrade in non-conference scheduling clearly helped UF land a bid.

5. Still, this writer says the Gators are stumbling into the tourney.

6. On the football front, meet the men expected to be the Gators’ new leaders in 2010.

7. Jimmy Johnson believes drafting Tim Tebow high would be a risky move.

8. Despite a losing record, Mark Fox’s first season at Georgia got the attention of Dawg fans.

9. Turns out yesterday’s SEC tournament championship meant plenty to Kentucky’s players after all.

10. After the win over Mississippi State, DeMarcus Cousins said the Bulldogs deserved to be in the NCAA tourney “hands down, no questions asked.”

11. No surprise here, this Lexington writer believes UK’s talent will lead to a national title.

12. That same writer says the Cats will face some tough tests in the NCAA tourney.

13. John Calipari — bless his heart — isn’t complaining about UK’s bracket draw.

14. UK’s coach also said that his team has already played every style of basketball that might be thrown at them in the tourney.

15. Are the Wildcats tourney ready?

16. Bruce Pearl seemed to grasp why his team might have gotten a #6 seed, but his players didn’t.

17. The Vols — including Pearl — were really ticked that CBS’ Seth Davis said they’d be upset by San Diego State in Round One.

18. Scotty Hopson — who was 6 of 29 shooting in the SEC tournament — said, “Seth Davis has me a little upset right now. I think he just gave us enough attitude to go out there and take this whole tourney.”

19. Did UT deserve a better seed? This writer says yes and no.

20. While the Vols were stunned by a #6 seed, Vanderbilt was happy to land a #4.

21. Kevin Stallings finds it “ironic” that Vandy will have to travel “2,500 or 3,000 miles” to play nearby Murray State.

Can Anyone Win At Auburn?

John — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:08:30 +0000

As many of you know, we here at MrSEC.com do radio interviews across the Southeastern Conference each and every week. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve taken the same two questions numerous times:

1. Will Jeff Lebo be back? (We obviously know the answer to that one.)

2. Can Auburn win in basketball?

The second question is interesting. It’s interesting because so many people outside of southern Alabama have been asking it. There’s a very real perception out there that Auburn is simply a football school and that nothing will ever change that.

And I couldn’t disagree more.

In answering that question, I’ve chosen to query the questioner with this follow-up: “Could John Calipari win at Auburn?”

The answer, of course, has been “yes” time and again.

Auburn can win in basketball IF it hires the right coach. We all know that John Calipari won’t head to The Plains, but that doesn’t mean another quality coach won’t.

Auburn fans should be hoping to mimic one of their SEC rivals — Tennessee.

Bruce Pearl immediately turned around a moribund program. A perceived football school (at least it used to be) is now one of the nation’s leaders in basketball attendance and a yearly invitee to the NCAA tournament.

Pearl was forced to walk in the wilderness of Division II for nine years at Southern Indiana. He became one of the nation’s winningest coaches and won a national title for SIU before finally getting a shot at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Then came the move to Tennessee and the rest is history.

Jay Jacobs at Auburn should be eyeballing men with proven track records of building and sustaining programs. Pearl had that.

Most of the men being mentioned in connection to the Auburn job do not.

In talking to folks in Alabama, I’ve heard the following names tossed about in connection to AU’s search:

Mike Anderson (Missouri) — Georgia went for him last year and couldn’t get him. Why would he leave Missouri for Auburn? That’s not going to happen unless the Tigers are REALLY ready to pay.

Frank Haith (Miami) — Just the type of re-tread hire that I would expect Auburn to make. Think Cliff Ellis. Has Haith turned Miami into a national power? No. So what’s the draw?

John Brady (Arkansas State) — Ditto.

Tony Barbee (UTEP) — In his fourth year at UTEP, Barbee has rebuilt the Miners’ program. Texas El-Paso has gone from 10th place to sixth to fourth to first in Conference USA. He is also a former John Calipari assistant at Memphis so he has some ties to the South. Problem is, we’ve seen only that he can build a program, not that he can sustain one. Jeff Lebo, anyone?

Chuck Person (LA Lakers assistant) — Here’s the hire that many Auburn fans would like to see. The idea of bringing in the school’s all-time leading scorer as the new head man is alluring. Only that kind of thing seldom works. First, Person has no head coaching experience. Second, he has no college coaching experience, either. And third, what happens if things don’t work out? I don’t like alumni hires. They’re usually messy in the end. See: Mark Gottfried/Alabama. Better yet, do a little research on Houston’s hire of Clyde Drexler earlier this decade. That was an eerily similar situation to the potential marriage of Person and Auburn.

So who do I think the Tigers SHOULD be looking at? First, I believe Auburn — if they can afford it — should make a run at someone with a real track record of success. Missouri’s Anderson makes sense if, as I said before, Jacobs is ready to pull out his checkbook and write out a number with a lot of zeroes.

If the Tigers aren’t ready to throw big dollars around, then I believe they should look for someone who has proven that he can build a program… and sustain a program. Hiring whoever takes a Cinderella to the Sweet 16 this year might generate some media buzz, but it’s not a smart move. Ask Arkansas fans about Stan Heath.

No, in my view, AU should be looking at someone like Mike Leaf at Winona State.

Who?

Leaf is in his 12th season as head coach at the Division II school in Minnesota. He’s been there for more than 20 years counting his seasons as an assistant. He’s been named the National Coach of the Year, he’s won two national titles and he’s reached the Division II finals in three of the last four years.

A lifetime Minnesota man, would Leaf ever consider leaving his small northern (frozen) pond for the much bigger southern pond of the SEC? Maybe, maybe not. But he’s exactly the type of coach Auburn should be trying to find.

A builder. A sustainer. And a longtime proven winner.

Any hire is a roll of the dice. But I’d rather take my chances with someone proven in the Division II or Division I-AA ranks than with someone who’s never coached a college game or someone who’s only had one or two winning seasons under his belt.

Auburn can win in basketball. Jacobs just needs to get serious about his hire. He didn’t worry about fan/media reaction when he hired Gene Chizik and the early results on that one are all positive. He shouldn’t worry about “Who’s that?” talk during his basketball search, either.

Updated “Everyone Cries” Post

John — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:28:01 +0000

Quick note… we’ve added Ole Miss and Mississippi State to our “Who’s got a right to cry?” post from earlier today.

As you’ll find, I don’t think any of the SEC teams have many reasons to be whining today.

Scroll down or click here to see the updated post.

Ole Miss, MSU Make NIT Field

John — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:11:32 +0000

Well, they didn’t make the Big Dance, but the SEC’s two Magnolia State representatives will at least be going a social.

The NIT field has been set and Ole Miss and Mississippi State both got some love in the seeding process.

State — which came within a nanosecond of earning an NCAA trip — was made a #1 seed and will open play against in-state rival Jackson State. UAB, South Florida, North Carolina, William & Mary, North Carolina State and Coastal Carolina make up the rest of their eight-team bracket.

Ole Miss landed a #2 seed and will open up against #7 seed Troy in their bracket. Also in their field are Arizona State (the top seed), Memphis, Seton Hall, Texas Tech, St. John’s, and Jacksonville.

Alabama did not receive a bid.

For years, the NIT was an absolute joke of a tournament. That has changed since the NCAA purchased the tourney in 2005. The field is now seeded and teams are chosen based on merit and record, not fan support and gate receipts.

MSU and UM fans wanted to make the NCAA tourney, of course, but at least the NIT isn’t the laugher that it used to be.

As for the two remaining tourneys — which are jokes — no SEC teams will take part in this year’s CBI or CIT. Dang. I was really hoping to have to cover that nonsense.

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