SEC Preview: Can Kentucky Live Up To The Hype?

The long wait will soon be over when the first full slate of NCAA basketball games of the 2013-14 season will tip-off on Nov. 8. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

It could be all smiles for Julius Randle (30) and Kentucky as the Wildcats enter the season as the No. 1 team in the country. (kentucky.com)

Favorite: Kentucky
Before playing a game that matters, Kentucky is not only the favorite to win the SEC, but is also the No. 1 team in the country. The Wildcats will have something to prove after last year's experiment ended in a hugely disappointing loss in the NIT to Robert Morris. Like any Kentucky team under John Calipari, the Wildcats will be young, but very talented. This might be the most talented class Cal has assembled. Kentucky brought in five players ranked in the top 11 in Rivals 150 (Julius Randle, No. 2, Andrew Harrison, No. 5, Aaron Harrison, No. 7, Dakari Johnson, No. 9, and James Young, No. 11). Add in returners Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress and this UK team is stacked. The question will be if these young players can mesh together and mature quickly, and if there are enough shots to go around. Still, inexperienced or not, this Kentucky team should be skilled enough to avoid a scenario like last season.


Dark Horse Team To Watch: Alabama
Alabama is coming off a 23-13 season in which it found itself in a three-way tie for second place in the SEC with Ole Miss and Kentucky. Alabama was picked sixth by the media, but Anthony Grant's squad could make a run similar to last season. The big loss for the Crimson Tide is Trevor Lacy, who transferred to North Carolina State after finishing second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) last season. Still, Alabama returns another Trevor in senior Trevor Releford, the point guard who led the team with 15.4 ppg last season and was voted Preseason First-Team All-SEC by the media this year. Add in Rodney Cooper and freshman big man Jimmie Taylor, who was No. 69 on the Rivals 150, and the Crimson Tide could compete in the top half of the conference.


Player of the Year: Julius Randle, Kentucky
Randle was the No.2 player in the 2013 recruiting class, only behind Kansas' Andrew Wiggins. The left-handed, 6-9 forward is dangerous from every part of the floor and figures to be a very high pick in next year's draft. There will be a lot of bright spots on this Kentucky team, but Randle should shine the brightest. He will have some big stages to practice on before conference play as Kentucky plays No. 2 Michigan State, No. 25 Baylor, No. 12 North Carolina and No. 3 Louisville all before the new year.


Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky
It's difficult to pick anyone else when the leader of Big Blue Nation has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and the No. 1 team in the preseason rankings. The pressure will be on Cal because of Kentucky's disappointment from a year ago, but that might actually help his chances of winning this award this season. If Cal can get his team to play like the national champion from two years ago and not the NIT team from last year, and win the league, the award will probably be his.


Newcomer of the Year: Julius Randle, Kentucky
Randle clearly has the biggest upside of any player in the SEC this year. Randle is a tough matchup with his ability to drive to the basket and post up. The only reason Randle is not either SEC Newcomer of the Year or SEC Player of the Year is because of all the talent around him getting their shots as well. Florida also has a pair of freshmen, Chris Walker (6-10" center, No. 6 Rivals recruit) and Kasey Hill (6-1" guard, No. 10 Rivals recruit), that could make a run at this award.


Follow @BeatsDimesDrive on Twitter
Like Beats Dimes and Drives on Facebook
 

The SEC: Boynton's Back, but can Kentucky be Stopped?

The long wait will soon be over when the first official NCAA basketball game of the 2012-13 season will tip-off on Nov. 15. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel's potential is higher than his flattop. (Chet White/UK Athletics)

Favorite: Kentucky Wildcats

Coming off a national title, the Wildcats are primed and ready to make another run in the SEC. Even though Kentucky lost all five of its starters to the NBA draft, it did bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Head coach John Calipari has shown he can bring a young group of talented individuals together and turn them into an unselfish team. Young players like Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley will do their best to replace the likes of Anthony Davis, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, Terrance Jones and Marquis Teague. With Calipari at the helm, the Widcats should run away with the SEC, even with the additions of a strong Missouri team and Texas A&M to the conference.

Dark Horse: Florida Gators

Despite losing stud shooting guard Bradley Beal to the NBA, the Florida Gators are returning a solid nucleus. The Gators are bringing back three of their top five scorers this year, all of whom averaged double digits. The team’s leading scorer, Kenny Boynton, is returning to the team as a senior, so leadership should not be an issue. Add in a solid recruiting class, and the Gators are poised to take a run at the Kentucky Wildcats for the top spot in the conference.

POY: Kenny Boynton, Florida

Boynton averaged 16 points per game last season as a junior to lead the Gators — including Beal — in scoring. In each of his first three seasons, Boynton has seen his statistics get progressively better across the board. His 3-point shot is lethal, as he drained 40 percent from downtown in 2011-12. If his track record is to be believed, Boynton should take another step forward this season, which should put him at the head of the player of the year race in the SEC.

Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

Coach Cal has shown he has the ability to reload his team with talent, ready to win despite the number of players he sends to the NBA each season. Calipari will again have the best recruiting class in the NCAA coming to Kentucky, and will have yet another opportunity to push for a title. If he can even come close to replicating his success from last season, Calipari will be a shoe in for coach of the year.

Newcomer of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky

At 6'10", Noel is a long, lean forward, with the ability to throw back a lot of shots. Wildcat fans will take little time in beginning the comparisons to former Kentucky big man Anthony Davis. Noel has some polish to apply to his game, but his raw talent is undeniable. If he reaches his potential, the Wildcats will have yet another one-and-done on their hands.


Follow @BeatsDimesDrive on Twitter

Kentucky Wins Harrison Twins Sweepstakes With Ultimate Recruiting Tool

Aaron (left) and Andrew Harrison talk Thursday before announcing they will attend Kentucky next year. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

University of Maryland basketball fans collectively held their breath as they awaited word from Fort Bend, Texas. The announcement at 4:30 p.m. central time yesterday could bring Maryland basketball back to the top, a journey that is already well underway.

Andrew and Aaron Harrison, twin guards who are both ranked in the top-5 of the Rivals class of 2013, had decided what school name they would wear across their chests next year. Two schools remained in the race; one would celebrate that night with two guards who will be an immediate impact, and the other would keep searching high school gyms for big talent.

The fact that Maryland made the list of the final two schools on the Harrison twins' minds says a lot about the job head coach Mark Turgeon is doing to resurrect the program. But the other school waiting on the announcement was Kentucky and coach John Calipari, and this was a battle he usually wins. This time was no different.

There's not much else Turgeon could have done. He's recruited the twins since they were in seventh grade and has had a relationship with the family ever since. The Harrisons have family in Baltimore - as well as their father originally being from Baltimore - and Aaron and Andrew had the opportunity to carry Maryland back to the top. Maryland sometimes had three coaches at the twins' summer games and Turgeon often recruited the twins himself, including devoting the first and final day of the July recruiting period to them.

None of that mattered, because Kentucky had something to offer that Maryland just couldn't; a system that funnels freshmen in, makes them first-round draft picks, and sends them off to fame and the NBA, but not before possibly getting a national championship ring.

In the end, that's the most important recruiting tool to high school athletes. And as long as Kentucky continues to win with Calipari's system, the Wildcats will have their choice of high school phenoms.

Elite high school basketball players look at the superstars of the NBA and that is where they want to be. The reasoning is not about getting a good education. School pride, tradition and pageantry probably play a role in a decision, but not as much as "can this coach and school get me to the NBA?"

You can't blame the Harrison twins for picking Kentucky. They will play under the bright lights of one of the most tradition-rich programs and win. A lot. They will play college basketball for a year or two and most likely be drafted in the first round of the NBA draft. Many would and will do the same.

It would have been a great storyline to see these two players welcome in a new era of Maryland basketball. If successful, they would be forever remembered and loved by the Terp faithful.

Instead, the Harrison twins will be two more players in the assembly line that is Kentucky basketball. And as long as Calipari's system continues to work, it doesn't matter what Turgeon or any other rebuilding coach does, Kentucky will win the recruiting war.


Follow @BeatsDimesDrive on Twitter