SEC Basketball: Takeaways from the 2017-18 Tip-Off Event

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 24: Head coach Andy Kennedy of the Mississippi Rebels reacts as he coaches against the La Salle Explorers during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 24, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

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SEC Tipoff Southeastern Conference basketball

NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 12: Bruce Pearl the head coach of the Auburn Tigers waves to the crowd after the 66-59 win over the Texas A /

Georgia and Auburn want more

Mark Fox

Mark Fox enters his ninth season as Georgia head coach. The SEC Tipoff attendees picked the Bulldogs to finish eighth in the conference. Georgia has won as many as 21 games in a season only twice under Fox, advancing past the first round of the NCAA Tournament in only two appearances. Despite the loss of J.J. Frazier to graduation, Georgia’s roster is as talented as Fox has had in his time at Georgia.

Georgia also added 2017 national top-50 recruit Rayshaun Hammonds (6’7, 215 pounds) and returns Co-Preseason Player of the Year Yante Maten (6’8, 230 pounds). The media’s expectations for Georgia are likely more about the loss of J.J. Frazier and the Dawgs’ past performance. Georgia fans understand the prediction, but will not understand if it is fulfilled.

Bruce Pearl

Auburn basketball was predicted by the attending media to finish No. 9 in 2018. It’s soon going to take more than impromptu pep rallies and dunking booths to make Tiger fans happy, and a ninth-place finish is not likely to do it.

Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl claimed the No. 21 recruiting class in 2017, which follows up back-to-back years in the top-20

Pearl has won less than twenty games five times in his 13-year coaching career, three during his first three years at Auburn. His composite career winning percentage during his first three years at Milwaukee and Tennessee is 73%. Despite the talent recruited in three years at Auburn, his winning percentage is 45%.

Pearl has also had an assistant coach investigated by the FBI indicted and Auburn has received a subpoena from a federal grand jury.

Pearl faced some tough questions about the FBI probe during SEC Tipoff. He didn’t have much to say (SEC Country):

"“Under normal circumstances, if we weren’t a part of this ongoing investigation, you’d get a lot of comments from me about it. But I think because we’ve got something that’s ongoing right now, I just can’t offer my thoughts or opinions, and I hope you understand that.”"

Pearl now recruits in the shadow of a likely NCAA inquiry. Auburn surely knew that was what it was signing up for when it hired Pearl. FBI and federal subpoenas – those are entirely different cats.

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