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-SPOBTS
SEC basketball preview: Who will be on top?
SEC EAST
1. Florida Gator* <22-9 overall,
10- 6 SEC, lost In West region
semifinals to Gonzaga)
Key losses: F Greg Stolt, G
Eddie Shannon
Key returnees: C Udonis
Haslem, G Teddy Dupay, F Mike Miller, G
Kenyan Weaks
Two years ago, Florida head coach
Billy Donavan recruited the top-ranked
class coming out of high school In the
nation. Now these young Gators have
some experience In the SEC and should
not only contend for the conference title,
but the national title as well.
2. Tennessee Volunteers <21-
9, 12-4, lost to in the NCAA
second round to SW Missouri
State)
Key loss: O Brandon Wharton
Key returnees: G Tony
Harris, F Isiah Victor, F C. J Black
The Volunteers are looking for their
third straight back-to-back 20-win sea
son — and several of their starters were
around for the first two. Tennessee will
be deadly from the outside with out
standing guards Harris Walker and Tony
Harris — who hit a league-high 47 per
cent of his three-point shots last season.
If 6-foot-10-inch center Charles
Hathaway can help out Black on the
post, this team will be hard to beat.
3. Kentucky Wildcat* (28-9,
11- 5, lost in Midwest region
finals to Michigan State)
Key losses: F Scott
Padgett, G Wayne Turner,
G/F Heshimu Evans
Key returnees: C Jamaal Magloire
With Magloire, the only significant
player from the Rick Pitino Era — and
the only senior — the Wildcats are an
extremely young group, rich in talent due
to a fine recruiting Job by Tubby Smith.
Kentucky's lineup has so little experi
ence coach Tubby Smith said “yikes"
when looking at his potential starters.
4. Georgia BuKdogs (15-15,6-
■10. lost In first round of NIT
to Clemson)
Key losses: F Jumalne
Jones, G G.G. Smith, G Ray
Harrison
Key returnees: G D.A. Layne
With Layne the only returning starter
— and he’s a sophomore — the Bulldogs
are sporting one of the youngest teams in
the nation. But if Junior college transfers
Anthony Evans and Shon Coleman can
use their experience to help Georgia, this
team may not be as bad as many people
think.
5. VanderWK Commodore*
vaJdckbilt <14-15, 5 ' u ' 111(1 not make
Xfcy postseason)
Key losses: none
Key returnees: F Dan
Langhi, C Greg LaPointe
Most of last year's squad remains
intact, but it remains to be seen whether
that's a good thing or not. New head
coach Kevin Stallings turned around the
basketball program at Illinois State with
a run-and-gun offense, something that
will be difficult to run at Vanderbilt with
its weakness at the guard position.
e 6. South Carolina Gamecocks
(8-21, 3-13, did not make
postseason)
Key losses: B.J. McKie, F
William Gallman
Key returnees: G/F
Herbert Lee Davis, F Antonio Grant
The bad news: The Gamecocks suf
fered through their worst season ever in
the SEC. The worst news: They lost star
guard B.J. McKie to graduation. South
Carolina recruited six strong players out
of high school, but It will take a couple of
years before this team climbs out of the
cellar.
SEC WEST
^ 1. Auburn Tlgart (29-4, 14-2,
■QV lost In South Regional semifl-
nals to Ohio State)
Key loss: F Bryant Smith
Key returnees: F Chris
Porter, C Mamadou N'diaye,
G Doc Robinson, G Scott Pohlman
Last year’s unbelievable run to the
Sweet 16 shouldn’t stop this season. With
virtually everyone returning from last
season’s squad, Including the Tigers’
amazing guard trio of Pohlman,
Robinson and Jay Heard, along with the
human highlight reel, Chris Porter, a
trip to the Final Pour Is not out of ques
tion.
2. Arkansas Razorbacks (23-
11, 9-7, lost 111 the NCAA sec
ond round to Iowa)
Key losses: G Kareem
Reid, G Pat Bradley, F Derek
Hood
Key returnees: G Brandon Dean, F
Chris Jefferies
Fielding a team that may start five
sophomores could be a problem If head
coach Nolan Richardson wants to play
“40-minutes of hell” like his previous
teams. The Razorbacks will probably
start off slow until the younger guys pick
up on Richardson's fast-paced offense
and pressing defense, but watch out If
they get the hang of it.
3. Ole Mis* Rebel* (20-13, 8
8, lost In NCAA second round
to Michigan State)
Key losses: G Keith Carter,
F Jason Smith, G Michael
White
Key returnees: F Marcus Hicks, G
Jason Harrison
Though the two-guard tandem of
Carter and White will be missed, the
Rebels have another slew of talented
players ready to fill some big shoes. If
lone senior starter Marcus Hicks estab
lishes himself In the middle, it will take
some pressure off the young guards and
keep Ole Miss from falling back Into
mediocrity.
4. Mississippi State Bulldogs
(20-13, 8-8, lost in the NIT to
Colorado State)
Key losses: C Tyrone
Washington, G Detrick White
Key returnees: F Tang
Hamilton
Second-year head coach Rick
Stansbury enjoyed a fine debut last year,
barely missing out on the Big Dance. But
the loss of Washington to graduation
leaves a big question mark for the
Bulldogs at the center position. Watch
out for freshman Derrick Zimmerman,
who averaged over 30 points a game In
high school. If he can spark an already
young squad (the Bulldogs have one
senior on their roster, guard Todd Myles),
Mississippi State will contend for the
NCAA tournament again.
A S. Alabama Crimson Tide (17-
15, 7-11, lost in the NIT to
Wake Forest)
Key losses: G Brian
Williams, F Chris Rollins
Key returnees: C Jeremy
Hays
This team looks similar to Georgia
with just one returning starter and two
seniors. But the Crimson Tide have been
blessed with one of the top-five recruit
ing classes in the nation, which could
make Alabama a contender in the SEC
West — Bext year.
-Sr -
FILE I Tag Rid a Black
A Auburn senior Chris Porter is a
candidate for the National Player
of the Year award.
m
6. LSU Tigers (12-15,4-12, did
not make postseason)
Key losses: G Maurice
Carter, G Willie Anderson
Key returnees: C Jabari
Smith, F Brian Beshara
The Tigers have suffered through
seven straight losing seasons, and there’s
no indication this year won’t be number
eight. This group never seemed polished
at any point last season, turning the ball
over 20 times a game. Give this team
another two years before it becomes any
kind of a contender in the rapidly
improving SEC West.
— Darren Epps
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
By JOSH KATZOWITZ
The Red a Black
Secondary changes
work against Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — Minutes
before Georgia’s eventual 20-17
win against Ole Miss was to be
played, Vaught-Hemingway press
box announcer Steve Blackmon
told the assembled media that
four changes needed to be made
to their starting lineup cards.
Substitute cornerback Jamie
Henderson for Jett Harris, comer-
back Tim Wansley for Cory
Robinson, strong safety Terreal
Bierria for Earl Chambers and
free safety Cap Burnett for Larry
Mann
The result? One week after
allowing 416 yards through the
air to Auburn quarterback Ben
Leard in his best day ever, the
Bulldog secondary held Rebel
quarterback Romaro Miller to 10
of 24 passing for 114 yards and an
interception.
“The Auburn game woke us
up,” said Henderson, who had
two tackles and a pass breakup.
“We realized we can’t come out
flat against anyone. One of the
reasons the other group didn’t
come in was because we were
fresher than they were. Not tak
ing anything anyway from any
body — all of us are good — but
we probably needed to switch
things around a little bit and try
something new.”
Seemingly, the plan worked, as
the starting quartet combined
for 11 tackles, many of which
were the hardest hits the sec
ondary has produced all season,
two pass breakups and a game-
clinching interception.
Bierria’s bobbled pick at his
own 7-yard line with a little more
a
than four minutes to play,
though, was not without contro
versy. First, the referee ruled the
ball down. Then, the officials
huddled together. Next, the ref
eree reaffirmed his ruling.
Suddenly, the call was over
turned, and after two Bulldog
first downs, the game was sealed.
• i 'J* 1
Tight ends contribute
to passing game
Perhaps prompted by contin
ued dropped balls from Georgia’s
receivers throughout the year,
including a few more Saturday
night, and the fact Larry Brown
and Jermaine Wiggins hurt the
Rebels last season, Donnan
made the decision to throw
toward his tight ends early and
often.
Junior Jevaris Johnson, who
caught five balls for 67 yards, and
redshlrt freshman Randy
McMichael, the recipient of four
receptions for 75 yards, made a
big impact in the first half, which
then opened up other Bulldog
receivers and allowed Georgia to
continue to use the run,
even though the team was
behind.
“Jevaris and I Anally had big
games together," McMichael
said. “Quincy kept feeding it to
us, and we just kept catching the
rock. They tried everything, and
they just couldn't stop us.”
Jennings re-injures
ankle at Ole Miss
Offensive tackle Jonas
Jennings injured his ankle for the
third straight game and couldn't
finish the game. He should be
back by the Georgia Tech game,
however ... With his 3-yard touch
down reception, Terrence
Edwards tied the school record
for most touchdown catches in a
season with nine. Brice Hunter in
1993 and Hason Graham in 1994
are the other record holders.
Dominate
the line.
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