Busting Brackets
Fansided

SEC Basketball questions: POY picks, biggest surprise/disappointments

By Tristan Freeman

Dec 31, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari claps from the sideline during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2022; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari claps from the sideline during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
SEC Basketball Todd Golden of the Florida Gators (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
SEC Basketball Todd Golden of the Florida Gators (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /

2. Which team has been the biggest disappointment so far?

Campbell

The biggest disappointment has to be Kentucky so far. They have no big wins in the non-conference, their fanbase is growing apathetic and after three SEC games, they have the worst defensive rating in the SEC…by a lot. Alabama and Missouri exposed a plethora of Kentucky’s defensive issues, especially when it comes to containing ball screens.

Alabama specifically picked on the Kentucky bigs all day and if the Wildcats can’t find any cohesion with all of this talent they have, things will start getting really uncomfortable in Lexington very soon. The Cats came into the season with national title aspirations but as of now, they’re a middle-of-the-pack SEC team after three conference games. I would also like to throw Florida in here too. I can’t let these dudes off the hook.

Todd Golden killed it in the transfer market with Kyle Lofton, Will Richard, and Alex Fudge. He inherited All-SEC big Colin Castleton. It hasn’t mattered. They lost two one-possession games that were very winnable in Texas A&M and Auburn. They were down by as many as 13 to Georgia at home before coming back and winning. Florida is just way too experienced and too talented to be this average. I’m a fan of Golden’s work at San Francisco but am a little underwhelmed with his start in Gainesville.

Freeman

Kentucky is a clear answer but Texas A&M being an afterthought is up there. After nearly making the NCAA Tournament and adding a couple more pieces to shore up the defense, the Aggies have struggled much more than anticipated. This could change, as they’re 2-0 in SEC play with wins over Florida and LSU but they’re a long ways away from back on the bubble.

Loose

We could easily talk about an underwhelming start for Texas A&M, but it has to be Kentucky. The Wildcats have failed in every game against a top-level team this season, losing by double-digits to teams like Alabama, Gonzaga, and UCLA. The lineup seems disorganized and the defense hasn’t exactly been sharp and you have to wonder if things can still turn around this season.

Home/SEC