This article is part of our Conference Preview series.
While it may seem like the SEC has long been Kentucky and 11 other teams striving to be ok, there is bubbling going on below in the Wildcats. We have new coaches at Tennessee, Mississippi State, Alabama, and Florida. Ben Howland and Rick Barnes have had plenty of success in college ball and should improve the Bulldogs and Volunteers, respectively. Perhaps even more interesting, the best recruit in the conference (and in the land) did not go to Lexington. Coach John Calipari's team should still rule the roost, but the other teams are no longer looking up quite as high.
Top Three Players
Ben Simmons, forward, LSU Tigers
The 6-foot-10 Simmons comes to the bayou by way of Australia and a couple years of high school ball in Florida. He is a creative ball handler and a strong rebounder who could easily lead the Tigers in scoring, rebounding, and assists. He should be the first player taken in all season-long drafts and will be a pricey add in DFS formats. It is not as if Simmons will be going it alone since the Tigers have other strong players such as Tim Quarterman, shooter Keith Hornsby, and fellow five-star freshman Antonio Blakeney. The hype surrounding Simmons will be incredible, but he should be able to live up to it.
Damian Jones, center, Vanderbilt Commodores
As always, centers are hard to come by. Jones' stats -- 14.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks -- took a solid uptick in his sophomore season. He
While it may seem like the SEC has long been Kentucky and 11 other teams striving to be ok, there is bubbling going on below in the Wildcats. We have new coaches at Tennessee, Mississippi State, Alabama, and Florida. Ben Howland and Rick Barnes have had plenty of success in college ball and should improve the Bulldogs and Volunteers, respectively. Perhaps even more interesting, the best recruit in the conference (and in the land) did not go to Lexington. Coach John Calipari's team should still rule the roost, but the other teams are no longer looking up quite as high.
Top Three Players
Ben Simmons, forward, LSU Tigers
The 6-foot-10 Simmons comes to the bayou by way of Australia and a couple years of high school ball in Florida. He is a creative ball handler and a strong rebounder who could easily lead the Tigers in scoring, rebounding, and assists. He should be the first player taken in all season-long drafts and will be a pricey add in DFS formats. It is not as if Simmons will be going it alone since the Tigers have other strong players such as Tim Quarterman, shooter Keith Hornsby, and fellow five-star freshman Antonio Blakeney. The hype surrounding Simmons will be incredible, but he should be able to live up to it.
Damian Jones, center, Vanderbilt Commodores
As always, centers are hard to come by. Jones' stats -- 14.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks -- took a solid uptick in his sophomore season. He only had two double-doubles and his lack of rebounding is a concern. It is hard to argue with his offensive production: he made 56.1 percent of his field goals. Improvement at the free throw line (just 59.9 percent on freebies) would help Jones get into the 17-point range and he did improve from 54.5 percent as a freshman. Even without any improvement, Jones is a top-five center in Tier 1.
Cinmeon Bowers, forward, Auburn Tigers
I prefer rebounders. There seems to less volatility in rebounding numbers than scoring or assists. Maybe this is not correct. Looking at Bowers' rebounding totals, one can see inconsistency. The 6-7 forward hammered non-conference opponents, but was held to six boards or fewer in six straight games in late February and March. For the season, he grabbed 9.6 rebounds to go along with 12.1 points. The Tigers brought in some frontcourt help for Bowers in Tyler Harris from Providence and freshman Horace Spencer. Bowers should still be the main man in the paint for coach Bruce Pearl.
Top Freshmen
Skal Labissiere, forward/center, Kentucky Wildcats
I have been flip flopping between Wildcat freshmen. I had thought about putting guard Jamal Murray here. He had a great summer including big performances in the Pan-Am Games. However, Murray will have to share playing time with point guard Tyler Ulis and fellow freshman Isaiah Briscoe. The path to minutes for Labissiere is clearer. I am not particularly concerned about the Haitian's eligibility issues, although they are something to be aware of. He should be a top rebounder and shot blocker with a moderate amount of scoring. I'd expect a slight bump on Karl-Anthony Towns' numbers from last year: 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks.
Malik Newman, guard, Mississippi State Bulldogs
At UCLA, coach Ben Howland had a really nice run of recruiting that resulted in multiple first-round NBA draft picks. It looks like he hasn't lost his touch by bringing the 6-3 Newman to Starkville. As a high school senior, he averaged 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. The Bulldogs were not good last year, but they have some talent returning in Craig Sword (coming off a season plagued by back surgery) and forward Gavin Ware. Even with the upperclassmen on the roster, Newman will be the star of the squad and could compete for scoring honors in the SEC.
A Pair of Sleepers
Luke Kornet, forward, Vanderbilt Commodores
In 1989, I was the height of my fandom for the Milwaukee Bucks. I was excited that they took Frank Kornet from Vanderbilt with a second round pick that year. I thought the elder Kornet would breakout if the Bucks just gave him a chance. It never happened as the 6-9 Kornet appeared in 89 games and did not average a bucket. Luke, a 7-1 junior, has a chance to overtake his dad. He hit 40 percent of his 3-pointers on his way to 8.7 points in 21.6 minutes as a sophomore. With James Siakam gone, Kornet should get much more playing time. If Jones doesn't lead the Commodores in scoring, then it could be Kornet.
Derrick Mostella, guard, Tennessee Volunteers
Sometimes it only takes an opportunity for a player to come into his own. With freshman Lamonte Turner academically ineligible, Mostella could get some playing time in the Volunteers' backcourt. The 6-2 guard only garnered 11.7 minutes as a freshman. When he was on the court, he was missing shots (27.6 percent from the field). The 6-3 sophomore opened his freshman season with 17 points, but it was downhill from there. The team does not have a clear point guard, so maybe Mostella could use his speed and hops to help set up his teammates.
