Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson announced Wednesday he will return for his senior season.

Henderson announced his decision through a letter on the school’s official website:

“First, I would like to thank the Ole Miss fans for their support this season. It was a lot of fun even though we didn’t make it to the Sweet Sixteen in L.A. It was our goal this season to get Reggie, Murph and Nick to the Big Dance and we did that. It is my goal to make next season even better.

With only nine hours left to earn my degree, I want to help build this program and that means I need to be a leader for my teammates both on and off the court. The spotlight on the court means my actions affect more than just me, and I need to show my teammates that I can be a leader for this team.

I play the game with a lot of passion, and sometimes that passion boils over. I take responsibility for my actions this season and apologize to anyone I offended. However, my edge on the court has made me the player that I am. I can’t change that, but I do understand that I can take things too far.

I have come to understand this year that I represent this team and this university, and I have to hold myself to a higher standard than people in the stands, because I am a student-athlete at Ole Miss.

Hotty Toddy,

Marshall Henderson”

Henderson’s 20.1 points per game led Ole Miss in scoring this season. But it was the personality Henderson referenced in his letter that brought him so much attention and at times criticism.

Will we see a calmer Henderson on the floor in 2013-14? It looks like we’ll find out.

Alabama fell 58-57 to Maryland last night in the NIT third round
Of the six SEC teams invited to take part in postseason basketball, only Florida remains alive
Florida will play Florida Gulf Coast Friday in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament
Ole Miss F Murphy Holloway has been named MrSEC.com’s “Most Productive Player of the Year” in the SEC
Arkansas F Marshawn Powell has announced that he will turn pro rather than return for his senior season
Kentucky C Nerlens Noel missed the last part of the season with an ACL injury but he’s still #1 on several NBA mock draft boards
Tennessee basketball coach Cuonzo Martin is expected to pursue a contract extension and renegotation this offseason
Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel has decided to ban himself from Twitter because it had become a “distraction”
Follow SEC basketball, football, and recruiting at MrSEC.com

Florida defeated Minnesota 78-64 on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament
The Gators are the only SEC team to advance to the Sweet Sixteen this season
Ole Miss fell to LaSalle 76-74 on Sunday, falling one win shy of the Sweet Sixteen
Florida will face Florida Gulf Coast on Friday… FCGU is the first #15 seed to ever reach the Sweet Sixteen
Ole Miss G Marshall Henderson isn’t sure if he’ll turn pro this offseason saying only, “I’m tired of going to school”
Alabama will host Maryland on Tuesday in third-round NIT action
Keep up with SEC basketball, football, and recruiting at MrSEC.com

Monday.

Sweet Sixteen set.

One SEC team alive.

Let’s just get straight to the thought/lyric of the day, shall we?  This blues hit from Bobby “Blue” Bland seems appropriate:

“They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday’s just as bad.”

The Southeastern Conference is known for football.  Seven BCS titles in row.  Five different schools with BCS crowns since the system’s inception in 1998.  Big name coaches, famous stadiums, dominant recruiting.

Mention the words “college football” and the letters S-E-C will pop into most people’s minds.

But utter the words “SEC basketball” and a different three letters come to mind: B-A-D.

Spin it any way you like, Mike Slive’s league is struggling through an abysmal season.  Florida has been dominant.  Kentucky finally appears to be rounding into shape.  Missouri has been a little worse than expected; Ole Miss a little better.  After that, it’s unlikely any of the conference’s 10 remaining teams will receive at-large invitations to the NCAA Tournament.  Saddled with a #8 RPI ranking among conferences, four bids might be generous.

In an age when the NCAA Tournament has been expanding, the number of SEC tourney berths has been declining.  This is more than a down year… it’s a trend:

From afar, the SEC has continued to have success — in most years — in the NCAA Tournament regardless of its dwindling number of bids.  But in many of those seasons, the SEC was dominated by just one or two teams.  That’s a far cry from the top-to-bottom toughness produced by the very same schools on the gridiron.

Using mathematician/hoops guru Ken Pomeroy’s computer rankings as a guide, here’s a look at the SEC teams that finished in his top 20 over the past decade:

2012:  #1 Kentucky, #12 Florida, #16 Vanderbilt

2011:  #6 Kentucky, #16 Florida

2010:  #3 Kentucky

2009:  None

2008:  #14 Tennessee

2007:  #2 Florida, #14 Kentucky

2006:  #1 Florida, #10 LSU, #15 South Carolina, #17 Arkansas, #20 Kentucky

2005:  #6 Florida, #10 Kentucky, #18 Alabama

2004:  #9 Kentucky, #17 Mississippi State

2003:  #2 Kentucky, #12 Mississippi State, #14 Florida, #17 LSU, #18 Georgia

As you can see, the number of top 20-caliber teams from the SEC has fallen drastically.  There were 17 SEC teams in the final top 20 of Pomeroy’s rankings from 2003 to 2007.  From 2008 to 2012, there have been just seven teams in his final top 20 rankings.

Worse, of the 24 top 20 slots filled by SEC squads in the last decade, 14 were filled by two schools: Florida and Kentucky.  Compare that to the SEC’s football success where in the last five years Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas A&M have all had top 10-type seasons.

(In case you’re wondering Pomeroy’s current hoops rankings have Florida #1 and Kentucky #18.  No other SEC schools rank in his top 20.  Same song, different verse.)

So why do 14 schools that recruit the same areas in both sports have such drastically different results when it comes to football and basketball?

Read the rest of this entry »

Marquette forward Jae Crowder sounds pretty confident about what his squad can do offensively against Florida tomorrow in the teams’ Sweet Sixteen game in Phoenix:


“They are a great offensive team.  They lack a few things defensively.  Of course, they bring great pressure in the frontcourt and try to get you rattled a little bit.  I think it we handle that, we’ll get a lot of things we want offensively.”


If Billy Donovan needed any help in motivating his Gators to give it their all on the defensive end against the up-tempo Warriors, Crowder just provided it.

1.  With a BCS title under his belt, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron enters his second season as a starter with confidence.

2.  Ivory Coast natives and Auburn forwards Willy Kouassi and Bernard Morena have been cleared by Tony Barbee to transfer.  (“… sometimes things don’t fit, and I am disappointed they they felt that this wasn’t the right fit for them.”)

3.  Defensive back Craig Loston is ready to prove his worth at LSU.

4.  Mississippi State AD Scott Stricklin — now searching for a head basketball coach — was very much involved in the search that landed Dan Mullen.  (That’s the word of Stricklin’s former boss, Arizona AD Greg Byrne.)

5.  The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton is on the list for MSU and for Nebraska.

6.  Wisely, Ole Miss continues its contract extension talks with Andy Kennedy.  (The coach hasn’t made an NCAA tourney yet, but he’s won 20 games five or more times with the worst facilities and hoops budget in the SEC.  Gotta wonder how much the departures of Houston Nutt and Pete Boone have aided his status, though.  He was not extended after last season.)

7.  Florida’s cornerback Marcus Roberson is back at practice after what was nearly a career-ending neck injury last fall.

8.  The Gators’ defense has been a key to the team’s Sweet Sixteen run.

9.  Georgia QB Aaron Murray is glad the hot-seat talk that fueled a “stressful” season last year is history.

10.  There are plenty of question marks as the Dawgs open spring practice today.

11.  Another day, another National Player of the Year trophy for Kentucky’s Anthony Davis.

12.  The Cats should have a slick, new locker room at Rupp Arena next year thanks to a $2.9 million renovation project kickstarted by John Calipari.

13.  Connor Shaw is settling in as South Carolina’s quarterback this spring.

14.  Steve Spurrier — who’s appeared topless on camera more times than Heather Graham — believes Bruce Ellington will decide his football future by the end of the week.

15.  Vandy is looking for more forward progress this spring.

16.  This writer thinks the SEC could be headed to a $5 billion payday with renegotiated ESPN and CBS deals. 

17.  It’s rather silly that more college football programs don’t open their practices to fans.

1.  Alabama’s “intense” spring practice resumes today after spring break.

2.  New Auburn offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler is looking for playmakers on the Plains.

3.  LSU’s backup quarterbacks are getting experience this spring.

4.  Ex-Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien and offensive lineman Max Garcia will reportedly visit Ole Miss tomorrow.  (Maybe Hugh Freeze can continue Houston Nutt’s string of one-and-done quarterbacks.)

5.  Texas A&M assistant AD for athletic training says marijuana is “the most prevalent” drug used by college athletes “and that’s not going to change anytime soon.”  (Somewhere Matthew McConaughey just said, “Alright, alright, alright.”)

6.  It looks like Florida has now adapted to the loss of Will Yeguette as Billy Donovan’s team rolls into another Sweet Sixteen.

7.  UF’s bench came up big yesterday.

8.  As we said this morning, the NCAA Tournament bracket is falling Kentucky’s way.

9.  Only one coach has made the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last five seasons.  Guess who.  (Hint: He wears expensive suits, slicks back his hair, lives in Kentucky, and isn’t named Pitino.)

10.  South Carolina’s Bruce Ellington is now reconsidering his decision to give up football for basketball.

UPDATE — Ellington’s high school football coach says he expects Ellington to play football this fall.

11.  Jeronne Maymon is probable for Tennessee’s NIT game with MTSU tonight.

12.  Vol basketballers would rather go to New York for the NIT semifinals than go on spring break.

13.  This writer says Vanderbilt’s veteran-heavy squad underachieved.

14.  Missouri’s Frank Haith will enter the SEC with this year’s Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award in his trophy case.

17.  According to Forbes magazine, Kentucky and Tennessee rank among the 20 “most valuable” college basketball programs.

16.  The world — and especially Southern sports fans — have lost a legend in Furman Bisher.

It hasn’t been a stellar year for Southeastern Conference basketball.  First, Kentucky ran away with the regular-season race.  Second, Vanderbilt — which seemed to be putting things together in the SEC tourney — had more ups and downs than anyone expected.  Third, Alabama had more suspensions than anyone ever dreamed.  And finally, Florida had more injuries (especially a year-ender for Will Yeguete) than might have been projected.

So when we broke down the Sweet Sixteen chances for each SEC team in the NCAA tourney field last Tuesday, we projected just two teams surviving.  One — the obvious one — we got right.  The other, not so much.

Here’s how things stand moving forward:


Alabama – We didn’t see the Crimson Tide advancing from a pod that included Missouri Valley champs Creighton and #1 seed in the Midwest North Carolina.  They didn’t.  Bama fell 58-57 in the first round despite holding the high-scoring Blue Jays well below their 80-point average.  Tide fans will tell you a foul should have been called on a late Bama attempt to take the lead, but we’ll tell you what we always say when it comes to officials’ decisions: Teams have 39+ minutes to take the game out of the refs’ hands.

Vanderbilt — We expected Vandy to slip past Wisconsin and into the Sweet Sixteen.  Barely.  In fact, here’s what we wrote of the Commodores: “If VU’s hitting their shots, they can make a long run.  But if they’re cold — as we’ve seen in previous tourneys — they can exit early.”  We gave Vandy the benefit of the doubt that their shooters would stay hot for two games.  Wrong.  In their 60-57 loss to Wisconsin, the Dores shot just 26% from 3-point range (5-of-19) and were adios’d.  Top gunner John Jenkins was just 3-of-13 from the field and just 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.  When you live by the three, you die by the three.  Vandy does so every year.

Kentucky — Big whoop, we had the Wildcats reaching the Sweet Sixteen.  Who didn’t?  Thanks to Iowa State’s win over UConn, the Cats avoided one of few teams analysts thought might – might – be able to give them some trouble.  Now the bracket is really setting up nicely for them.  UK should be plenty motivated for their next game as it’s a rematch with Indiana, a team that nipped the Cats on a buzzer-beater in December.  Win that and they’ll face either 3-seed Baylor or 10-seed Xavier.  The #2 seed in the region — Duke — was ousted in the first round.  Another #2 is gone in Missouri.  And UK’s rival #1 seeds are having their own issues — a suspension at Syracuse and a broken wrist at North Carolina.  This is looking more and more like John Calipari’s year.  At least on paper.

Florida — The Gators are the surprise SEC team left in the field.  A #7 seed due to their poor finish (they lost four of their last five entering the tourney), Florida pounded 10-seed Virginia in the opening round 71-45 and then crushed #15 Norfolk State 84-50 yesterday.  Minus Yeguette, the Gators’ had struggled in the frontcourt at year’s end.  Not in the tourney.  As is the case in all tourneys, the Gators had to have a little luck go their way, too, however.  Instead of playing #2 Missouri, they played Norfolk State the team that upset Mizzou.  Against the Tigers, NSU shot 54.2% (32-of-59) and connected on 10-of-19 3-pointers.  Against the Gators, they shot 27.3% (18-of-66) and were just 4-of-24 from 3-point range.  Credit Florida’s defense for some of that, but let’s face it, basketball’s all about who’s hot on a given night.  Norfolk State couldn’t miss a shot on Friday.  By Sunday, they couldn’t throw a ball in the ocean.  So now the Gators will face West #3 Marquette in Phoenix with the winner of #1 Michigan State and #4 Louisville waiting for the victor.  By seeds, those are the best teams Florida could possibly have remaining in their path — #1, #3 and #4.  Rough draw.  But UF’s surprised us once already.  So we’re not going to right them off just yet.

Day One of the NCAA Tournament — sorry, we don’t count those ridiculous play-in games — was a dud if you’re a fan of upsets and true March Madness.  But if you’re a fan of higher seeds like Kentucky and Vanderbilt, it was just fine.


The Commodores toppled Harvard 79-70 and wrapped up their first tourney win since 2007.  The victory snapped a streak of three first-game losses for Kevin Stallings.

John Jenkins poured in 27 points as Vandy built a double-digit lead.  When the Crimson — who were no doubt jinxed by wearing black instead of their actual school color — cut the lead to 70-65, VU got tough on the defensive end and pulled away at the charity stripe.

The #5 seed Dores will next face #4 Wisconsin tomorrow in Albuquerque at 6:10pm ET on TNT.


Kentucky — the tournament’s overall #1 seed — dispatched cross-state rival Western Kentucky with ease, 81-66 in Louisville.  UK shot 61.5% in the first half and coasted — almost literally — to the finish line. 

The Cats allowed the Hilltoppers to close the game on a 16-1 run.  Whether that’s a bad sign or meaningless garbage time sloppiness depends on the beholder.

On Saturday, the Wildcats will face #8 seed Iowa State who knocked off defending champ UConn and blocked another John Calipari-Jim Calhoun bout.  The Cats and Cyclones will tip at 7:45pm ET on CBS.


Today’s SEC action tips off at 1:40pm ET on TBS as #9 seed Alabama tangles with #8 seed Creighton in Greensboro.  Anthony Grant’s athletic, defense-first squad should be tested mightily by the Blue Jay’s high-scoring, up-tempo style.

At 2:10pm ET on TNT, #7 Florida will try to kickstart its frontcourt game when it faces #10 Virginia in Omaha.  Experience could play a role as the Gators make their third-straight NCAA tourney appearance while the Cavaliers are going dancing for the first time since 2007.


Earlier this week we took a stats-based look at each SEC squad’s path to the Sweet Sixteen.  We had Vandy and Kentucky advancing, Florida and Bama coming up short.  So far, so good.