SEC NCAA and NIT Tournament Coverage: SEC Struggles in Opening Rounds
by Gamecock Man on Mar 20, 2011 9:49 PM EDT
in SEC Basketball
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PrintWe've now got results from the first two rounds of both the NCAA and NIT tournaments, and they aren't pretty for the SEC. In the NIT, top-seeded Alabama survived its first-round matchup with Coastal Carolina, but Ole Miss didn't fare as well, losing its game against Cal. The Tide takes on New Mexico next with a spot in the Quarterfinals on the line.
In the NCAA Tournament, both Florida and Kentucky have had some success, reaching the Sweet 16 as second and fourth seeds, respectively. The Gators and 'Cats squared off recently in the SEC Tournament Finals, and although Alabama finished second in the regular-season standings, Florida and Kentucky are widely regarded as the conference's top teams. They'll now get the chance to prove whether or not the SEC's best can play with the nation's best by fighting to get to the Elite Eight.
The rest of the league, though, has not fared well in the Big Dance. Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Georgia each lost their opening games. Georgia acquitted itself fairly well, losing a close game to a talented Washington team that pushed UNC to the buzzer yesterday. The upstart Dawgs have nothing to be ashamed of in their first tourney berth of the Mark Fox era.
The same can't really be said for Vandy or Tennessee. Vandy has gained something of a reputation for being a poor tournament performer over the past few years, and they did nothing to help themselves shed that reputation this year, falling in a dreaded 5-12 game to Richmond. Richmond is a good basketball team, but you can't help but get the feeling that Vandy should have pummeled them. The Commodores are a complete, talented team that has no excuse for its continued failure to make it out of the first round. Tennessee did even worse, losing in a laugher to an unheralded Michigan team. If Bruce Pearl is about to be shown the door in Knoxville, this could hardly be the way he wanted to go out.
As I've said before, a likely depleted 2011-2012 SEC East presents a good opportunity for the Gamecocks, and the final results for some of the division's programs in the NCAA tournament continues to suggest that the SEC is ripe for the taking. I see little reason not to be believe that we shouldn't have a good chance to improve on our 2010-11 record next season, and nor do I see a good reason to believe that it won't make sense to hold Darrin Horn to a higher standard next year.
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As far as talent level, I'd say an NIT selection.
As far as Horn saving his job after this abysmal season, I’d say winning the NIT is an absolute minimum. Of course, they’ll probably just improve on their previous record by a few games, win one or two games in the NIT, and everyone will be happy as long as a couple incoming freshmen have people intrigued enough to commence parroting the school motto, “There’s always next season.”
stuff 'bout stuff.
You're essentially saying that Horn should be fired because of one really bad year.
Is that your attitude towards workers in your own workplace?
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 21, 2011 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Naw, like I've said before, I just don't like the direction he is taking the team.
I do think his coaching was quite poor this past season, but what I really don’t like are the personnel moves and overall strategies. I don’t like guys who are 6’8"+, but disappear from my TV screen when they turn sideways. What am I watching out there? Are there two teams? I can’t see our players. I like big men who are actually big men, horizontally as well as vertically, and I don’t like the emphasis on threes. Horn seems to prefer threes, and quicker big men.
I love that he said in his post-season press conference that he will stop being loyal to players who aren’t producing. That was encouraging.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 21, 2011 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, that all makes sense. That said, we hired the guy, so I think we have to give him a little more time to see if his ideas gain any traction.
But I agree with a lot of what you said. You need at least one or two muscular big men, and you have to vary the offense more than we did. These things seem like very basic basketball knowledge, and he doesn’t seem to get it so far.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 21, 2011 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
As far as giving more time
there’s no scenario where Hyman drops Horn this year, so it’s a moot point. I think we all can agree, however, that Horn’s on the “hot seat”.
In his favor is (a) the buzz from being considered one of the top young coaches from 08’ (b) his passion for the game [something you’ve consistently pointed out]’; © the fact the Cocks have been plagued with injuries over the past two seasons; and (d) the fact the last recruiting class was so highly ranked [#10 Scout / # 13 Rivals].
Going against him, however. are the curious coaching decisions and the late season swoons.
I think he to keep his job in 2011-2012, he has to make the NCAA or at least be a bubble team that makes a decent NIT run. If we have a third straight losing season or limp into the NIT with an RPI in the 80s and only a few wins over .500, I think its clearly not working.
We can hope for the former, but I think the latter (mediocre season, 4th place SECe finish, NIT bid) is likely where we line up. UK, UF and Vandy are ahead of us, so we’re really battling with UT and UGA for 4th place.
If Horn insists on playing Bruce Ellington at the point, then he will have to improve and we’ve got to pray Holloway will be a monster and Geathers grown an inch or two and adds 15-20 pounds of muscle.
Even if the SEC has a down year, however, I dont see that helping us per se – all it means is that the league gets 3 maybe 4 bids instead of 5 this year. Even if LSU, Auburn and MSU dont improve, I think Bama will and Arkansas might.
Anything is possible, however.
They wore garnet helmets.
I imagine they'll give him two more seasons just so he has a chance to coach his players as upperclassmen.
He did a really smart thing by not having a legitimate recruiting class ’til his third year. Now he has all the excuses in the world as to why he should get more time.
stuff 'bout stuff.
by silver82blade on Mar 21, 2011 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions
That's funny but
it’s one year to make the NCAA or at least the NCAA conversation. Otherwise he goes the way of Pelphrey at Arkansas and Capel at Oklahoma – for no other reason than Hyman has got to get butts in the seats of the Colonial Life Center.
In other news, Greg Marshall’s Wichita State Shockers are in the third round of the NIT. Down here in the lowcountry, CofC Cougar fans – apparently without the slightest shred of irony – are anxious to beat the man that spurned them back in 06 after having accepted the job 24 hours before.
Part of the thing that burns me the most about Horn is that USC is now solidly number 3 in the state behind Clemson and the College – and duking it out with the likes of Furman and Wofford.
They wore garnet helmets.
Re: seats...
Attendance will be a major factor in whatever happens with Horn next year. Hyman can’t countenance the continued poor attendance. That’s what did Pelphrey in, I think. I actually think he was about to turn things around, but if you can’t sell half of the seats in a huge arena, the market makes the decision.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 21, 2011 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Its a conundrum
bigger home crowds would promote winning … but we’re not going to get big turn-outs (except for teams like UK and UF) unless we’re winning. The Colonial Life Center is a great facility, but its a white elephant if we can’t fill it up.
They wore garnet helmets.
Make that two (2) really bad years, actually ...
In the 2009-2010 campaign we went 15-16 overall (6-10 SEC). That was Devon Downey’s senior year. OOC, we lost to Wofford, Clemson, Miami and B.C. though we did LaSalle, Richmond and South Florida. In Conference, we beat # 1 UK, #19 Vandy and a good UF squad (avenging a 2 point road loss).
No post season, however – going 2-9 after Feb 1 including a first round SEC tourney loss to Bama,
This year (2010-2011), we went 14-16 (5-11 SEC). OOC we lost road games to Michigan State, Ohio State and Furman; also losing (again) to B.C. In conference, we beat # 22 Vandy and then-unranked UF, and a decent-enough Razorback team.
No post-season, however – going 2-9 after Feb 1 including a first round SEC tourney loss to Ole Miss.
Notice a trend?
They wore garnet helmets.
We also crapped out at the end of the season during the successful 2008-2009 season.
Remember the ugly losses to Mississippi St. that kept us out of the NCAA tournament? There definitely seems to be a trend.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 21, 2011 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I went back and looked
we beat UK at Rupp on Jan 31, then went 6-5 over the next 11 games. We finished the regular season 21-8 (10-6) and lost to MSU in the first round of the SEC tourney -
I suppose losing to MSU hurt us -but frankly if I recall correctly, our exclusion had to do with the weakness of the SEC, MSU (23-12) won the SEC tourney and only UT (22-11) and LSU (26-11) received at large bids, We wuz robbed – though, both UK and UF had been ranked during the season and were relegated to the NIT with us..
They wore garnet helmets.
I seem to also remember us losing to MSU late in the regular season that year. Winning one or both of those games would have gotten us in the tournament. I guess you could say that MSU was hot down the stretch, though.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog By and For Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Mar 21, 2011 8:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Good memory
after a big win over UK at Rupp to end January, we lost a close at UG 93-97 before beating UGA and edging Bama both at home. We lost to MSU at Starkville 70-75 during a mid-week road game before returning to Columbia to knock off both Arkansas and UK (sweeping the seasons series with the ’Cats).
The last three regular season games were at Vandy, UT and at Georgia. We lost badly to both Vandy at UT by double-digits before thumping UGA. But I think the dye was cast as it were by bowing to the Dores and VOls – both on national TV late in the season.
The Vols represented the East in the NCAA’s. Downey was first team all SEC. Fredericks and Archie were second team all SEC. I think our 08-09 season shows us the perils of a “down” SEC – though I hope that is the last time the NCAA ever picks only three SEC teams again, we’d have to be very confident to be at least the fourth best team in a weak league, or the fifth in a normal year, to get a bid. .
They wore garnet helmets.
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