Anthony Davis will sweep awards like no has ever swept them before this postseason. Oh, and he is going to be signing with Charlotte Bobcats (or some other trash team) for big bucks when they draft him with the top pick this offseason. And you are better off just believing the hype if you do not believe already. Davis has a story like no else, as he was just an average-sized high school guard just a couple of years ago before one huge growth spurt sent him on a path to becoming the star he is today. I cannot describe his ability to block shots because there is not a word for it. He is simply the greatest ever in that dimension for the game. He just denies every thing his oppositions throws at him regardless of it is a hook shot, a layup, or even a three. He also has great defensive instincts, and is quick to getting the Kentucky defense back to their assignments when switches are made. Worse of all though, is the physiological affect he has on the opposing offense. And that goes for everyone he is playing, as he seems to not allow any clean shots by any player if he is on the court. Just watch some Kentucky games. It seems like everyone goes cold against them, just because their defense is so intimidating. Davis is also the leading scorer and rebounder for Kentucky. He has great communication with all his teammates (most of which are outstanding passers) and that allows for many alley-oops a game. He just dunks, and dunks, and dunks, and dunks again. He does not mind posting up either, but he prefers to stay away from any exhausting aggressive and strong moves. He prefers to use his quick feet to get a shot off quicker than the usually slow opposing big man can defend. He does bring a lot of intensity and leaping ability to rebounding though. One thing you can do to Davis is sucker him into shots further away from the basket. He cannot hit them with any consistency and if you got him to miss enough, maybe you could lower his confidence. Other than that, not much is wrong with this guy. You may get him out of position, but he is just so physically gifted that he almost always gets back in time to shut down any offense. Yet he does it with getting in foul trouble. Such a talented player.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is one of the most intense, hard-working players my eyes have ever witnessed. He plays basketball like every coach in America wants his players to play. His will to win sets this Kentucky team apart from the other freshman-heavy squads we have seen recently. He also posses outstanding rebound abilities at the three spot. Moreover, he does not waste time by handing the ball to Marquis Teague when gets his hand on the ball. He would rather get his teammates going down the court, where he has great finishing ability and even better court vision to find an open teammate or lob it up to one of many great leapers he plays with. His instincts are unheard of for a freshman. MKG has an outstanding first step when attack the basket and quickly makes the best decision for his team. And that is what Kidd-Gilchrist is all about. He wants to be the victor and he thrives on getting the loose ball no one else was even going to go after. He never stands around and his high-energy is contagious to his teammates. Kentucky fights for all those extra possessions that make them winners, so we have to be ready to battle it out this weekend. MKG has been known to chew his out teammates out when they are not doing their work. He is also doing his though. On both ends of the court, he is one heck of a player.

Marquis Teague is yet another five-star freshman for the Wildcats. He took a lot of heat earlier in the year but has cleaned up his game a lot recently. He is a good passer and can penetrate a defense quite well. He is not the best finisher, but he can cause the defense to collapse once he beats his man off the dribble, which of course leads to a kick out or the always-efficient pass to Anthony Davis. He does not have the pure takeover ability that blessed Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, or even Brandon Knight before him but he is still very gifted as a college freshman. His three-point shot is not spectacular, but he does a fair job of knocking down the deep ball if he gets open. And with this very talented Kentucky team comes their great court vision, so they are very good when it comes to finding an open man. Still, there are question marks surround this particular freshman. When things are going well in Lexington, he seems to function with very sound decisions. However, when he leaves his home court, he has been known to make some terrible mistakes. Just look at his performance in Knoxville, where he struggled to make the even simple passes in the half court. A majority of his teammates have terrific ball handling skills for their position, and that kind of hides the flaws in Teague’s game. I would look for him to be a big variable in the outcome of the game this weekend. Hopefully he continues to make those mental errors on the road.

Terrence Jones is probably the biggest offensive threat that Kentucky presents. His skills set is loaded and he has a variety of ways to attack the opposing defense. However, the fact that he is fourth on his team in points is a little ridiculous. He forces things at times and his jump shot just has not improved as much as I expected it to. He is not the factor that he should be a this point, regardless of if he had a finger injury or not. I will stick to the word I used in the first sentence of this paragraph though. Jones is a threat. He has the capability of going off any night. Something I have noticed though is that if he misses early, he seems to fall out of favor with the Kentucky offense. I do not think they like him forcing things and they like to go to the route of him finishing alley-oops and running a fastbreak than attacking off the dribble. He is the third best rebounder on his team, but that is not an insult considering he plays with Davis and MKG. He also contributes to the outstanding defense of Kentucky with his blocking ability, and he is pretty versatile on all ends of the court. I hope, hope, hope that we catch him on a cold night. When he is knocking them down, they are nearly impossible to beat.

Doron Lamb is starting next to Teague in the backcourt. Much like Jones, he is a sophomore that can light up the scoring column. Actually, he is just behind Davis as the leading scorer on the team and he has not even started every game. His three-point shot is excellent, and he loves the shot from the corner. We must clamp down on this guy, as he is going to get more shots than anyone else on the team. Kentucky loves to look for him to put the dagger in their oppositions and close the game. We cannot give them that opportunity. As with all players that lead their team in shots, he has been known to force things when he misses a few. And that is what we need. Jones and Lamb have a lot of dimensions to their scoring, unlike superstars MKG and Davis that do most of their work around the basket. I think winning will require Kentucky to get one dimensional like that.

Kentucky does not have a lot of depth but they do have some great bench players. Darius Miller plays more consistent minutes off the bench than basically any player in the league, and has one of the most interesting offensive skills set out of any player in the conference as well. Miller can hurt you both with a three-point shot and a post move. His complex game usually provides a good amount of buckets off the bench and his size can create some matchup issues (as if there were not already enough). Kyle Wiltjer is another five-star freshman but he is not held to quite the same level as Davis, MKG, and Teague. I just think it is crazy how this guy would be the highest rated prospect we have ever had but is hardly a role player for Kentucky. Wiltjer does do a lot of things pretty well, and can hit shots outside and inside. He normally provides some offense off the bench, but not too much. Eloy Vargas is a serviceable guy in the paint, who will give a breather to Anthony Davis at some point in the game. He does not too much though, but simply handles business in the post while the superstar get a quick break.

Here is how I look at things. I just think that Antony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are just going to get their stuff and we cannot really do anything about it. We need to make sure they do not get much help though. Other guys have struggled somewhat on the road this season, and we need to take advantage of that and take away other options. John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor must avoid the long arms of Davis at all cost. Give Kentucky a couple of pump fakes and then take a jump shot. Going inside will not be much of an option if Davis is on the court unless Jeffery Taylor really wants to expend all his energy somehow avoiding the guy for one possession. Not worth it if you ask me. Kentucky does not make many mistakes on defense, we have got to get them in the air (they love blocking shots) and beat them with our superior outside shooting (mid-range shots also but even that will be tough). Brad Tinsley must be a factor. He has to get in the scoring column and hold his own on defense. Actually, that goes for everyone. All of the Wildcats have a huge skill set, so we need to clamp down on everyone. We will have to give energy and effort for a full basketball game. Kentucky hustles more than anyone in the nation and we need to change our careless ways this weekend if we want to have a chance. We need emotion to win this game. Memorial needs to erupt when we get on the fastbreak and fans need to scream their lungs out if we force Calipari to take a timeout. Our guys feed off that energy. And lastly, we need Kentucky to mess up more than us. Our talent cannot beat them, we need some help from the mistakes of our opposition. It is time for some Memorial Magic folks. It is time to show yet another top-ranked team that we do not lay down when the big boys come to town.

Go ‘Dores!

Justin Hamilton is a very interesting player. Much like Arnett Moultrie, he is playing his first season in this conference since transferring his sophomore year and has already made a name for himself. Hamilton gets a lot more touches than most big men in the conference and has a lot of moves in his arsenal to put to use with his touches. While he strongly prefers and usually knocks down the long two-point shot, he has an underrated but very clean hook shot. His confidence is running at a high level and he has gained a lot of trust from his teammates. Hamilton is also a very talented passer and uses his good vision to hit his fellow players when opposing defenses collapse on him in the post. Also good is that he hits his free throws unlike a lot of the big guys in the this league. Hamilton really offers an interesting game and is quite talented at a lot things from shooting, rebounding, and passing. I have seen him make an error or two on defense, such as letting opposing big men establish very dangerous position, but no problems are too common. Oddly, while he can easily hit a very long two-point shot, he really does not stretch his game behind the three-point line like we saw Erik Murphy do last week. Also unlike Murphy, he rolls off of picks as opposed to popping. I am curious why his range really just stops right before the three-point line. Surely he could add a little longer shot to his already big arsenal.

Anthony Hickey caught my eye while watching some LSU games as well. He showed a variety of moves on offense, everything from driving to shooting to running the offense. I would not call his passing abilities or even court vision excellent, but he is a sufficient point guard and makes a stellar pass every now and then. Hickey is not really great with his three-point shot either, but he has confidence and hits his shots often enough to keep me from being critical of him. He shows a lot of effort and has a decent game to show for it. His freshman mistakes do show sometimes though. He tries to do too much at times and really gets caught forcing passes in the post. His on-ball defense is pretty solid though and his abilities to steal the ball are some of the best in the league. He should be a solid player in the conference for a while. Interestingly enough, he was a two-star prospect coming out of high school.

Johnny O’Bryant is another high-energy player in the starting lineup for the Tigers. Moreover, he is a freshman just like Hickey. O’Bryant was a highly regarded All-American coming out of high school though and has a lot of potential to become a great player. He gives so much effort on the court, and has played through a hand injury for a while now. He is strong around the basket, preferring more aggressive and strong post moves unlike his teammate Hamilton. O’Bryant also has some range though, and the first shot I saw him hit was a pretty long two-point bucket. He has a lot of confidence, and even attempts a three at times if he is feeling hot. I would recommend we try to sucker him into that shot though, as he has not shown to be able to hit it at all. He is a good rebounder, and has a decent offensive game when he is playing to his strengths. I really like what he brings to the team, but I would be lying if I said he had really developed his skills at this point. Give it a year and he should be a pretty good player.

Andre Stringer and Ralston Turner are the only two starters from our game last season that will be starting tomorrow. And their role this season is much of the same, as they are mostly scorers. You will probably think they take a few too many shots for their own good in the game, but you have to remember that LSU really needs them to put up something in the scoring column or else they lose big. I do not think either one of them is really a good player, but their high usage could cause them to get hot if we slack on defense. Stringer especially takes a lot of shots, and is quite unique considering his small size and the fact he plays off the ball. I would certainly attack the defense of Turner though, as he basically got joked on by a variety of guys in the games I watched. And either one of these guys could be subject to not starting, because a lot of lineups have been tried recently. My best guess is that these two start around Anthony Hickey though.

Now for the bench players. You all probably remember Storm Warren, who had a career-high night against us last season. Well he is one of the most improved players in the league this season. And while I doubt he drops twenty tomorrow, you will definitely see his impact on the game. He usually gets few dunks and maybe a few mid-range attempts a game and looks pretty comfortable all over the court. He is a very high-energy guy and plays the game like it should be played, hard and without complaining. Storm Warren has always been happy in his role, regardless of if it meant starting or coming off the bench for a freshman. I like him for that.

Chris Bass is really the next guy off the bench who gets consistent minutes. He does not score much at all, but he fills up the stat column pretty well across the board, and he will probably be asked to do a little more in this game due to depth issues. Eddie Ludwig will be another guy coming off the bench. His minutes have been quite inconsistent lately, but he did have a solid game against us in the SEC tourney last season and we will need to keep and eye on him. Malcolm White will be yet another forward coming off the bench, and he is also coming off a one-game suspension. John Issac, a reserve guard for the Tigers, will probably not be in the game due to some academic issues. I am uncertain of that through, and we probably will not know for sure until tomorrow. If he does not go, it will be interesting to see who picks up the slack.

I really feel pretty comfortable about this one to be honest. I expect the offense to flow very well. Tinsley will more than likely make a few errors against the quick hands of Anthony Hickey, but our talent really kind of tips the scale in this one. LSU is also slow getting back on defense, so expect a few highlight plays in transition for us. Jeffery Taylor should have a pretty decent game. And while our defense has gotten exposed recently, the Tigers just do not have the firepower to survive a full basketball game against us. Hamilton will probably get his buckets, but not much else really scares me. Stringer threw up miss after miss against us last season, and I would not be surprised to see that again. I hate to disrespect a much-improved LSU team like this, but facts are facts. We have not hit rock bottom enough to drop this game in Memorial. LSU has not won a road game since playing North Texas in December, and that will not change tomorrow. The Tigers have improved and actually became competitive, but that does not mean they are at our level yet.

‘Go ‘Dores

We can start with  analyzing Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton. And just because we have played them many times now, does not mean you know these two this season. Walker has actually taken a back seat this season, despite still being just as dynamic he was before. He is simply playing in a loaded backcourt, and it is actually Boynton who leads the team in scoring. Boynton has been playing smart basketball all year long, and is absolutely killing his old career-high shooting percentages with his marks this season. He is hitting a killer 44% with the deep ball, and that is coming while he is shooting nearly eight shots from three-point territory a game. Given the troubles we have had with scoring guards lately, both of these guys scare me a whole lot. They love to soot the ball off of a screen up top, and we need to be ready for that before they torch us. Also look out for Walker to distribute the ball more than we are used to, as he is having his best season passing the ball. Oh, and the funny thing about Kenny Boynton is the free throw line is the only place he cannot find his stroke at.

Bradley Beal may be the guard we need to worry about most though. He is not shooting quite as well as his teammate Boynton, but he makes his impact on the game felt through a variety of ways. Such as having as many doubles-doubles as our own Lance Goulbourne. The 6’3″ freshman is a solid rebounder and a terrific offensive player all over the court. He was a high school All-American and has abilities that surpass even some of the Kentucky freshman. And he fits right into the system as he loves to shoot off of a screen. Beal has started from day one of his college career, and should be ready for this big game at home. I am curious as to how we will go about defending these three terrific perimeter players.

Erick Murphy and Will Yeguete make up the starting frontcourt for the Gators. Although neither of them are really the best frontcourt player on the roster, they are certainly serviceable players in their own right. Erick Murphy is the guy normally setting those many screens up top we have talked about already, and loves to stand around the three point line in that area of the court as well. He has absolutely no hesitation when taking that three and has gotten very comfortable with it as well. He shoots 45% from beyond the arch, and will probably take around four shots from there today. With he and the three starting guards all capable of shooting the deep ball, this makes Florida a very tough team to defend. Will Yeguete is not offensive minded at all, but he is a very hard worker and has a tendency to get those 50-50 balls. I have seen the occasional post up by him as well, but I would not expect to see it today though with our defense. I would also not worry if he goes to the free throw line, as he is quite a bad free throw shooter.

Florida does not have a lot of bodies coming off the bench, but they are all very solid players. Mike Rosario is in his first season at Florida since transferring from Rutgers. His numbers are not quite as impressive as when he was a Scarlet Knight, but he is quite productive with his minutes. Rosario is always looking to score in a verity of ways, and he is actually quite a tough player. Scottie Wilbekin is not nearly as productive with his minutes, but he is a fair ball handler and passer and should see a decent amount of time off the bench. Patrick Young is really the guy you have to look out for. He is basically the full package with his massive build and his energy, and is an enforcer in the paint by all definitions. He is not fully healthy though, and has to take his minutes off the bench for now. Still, you have to look out for him in the frontcourt when he steps out there. All of his shots are near the basket and he leads the SEC in shooting percentage because of it. However, he is an absolutely terrible free throw shooter (it feels like we have been saying that all day).

As I said in the beginning, this one is going to be tough. We need our guys going after every loose ball there is, because we will get crushed if we just sit back like we did against Arkansas. We will also need to swing the ball around a lot, as Florida can be prone to helping a little too much on defense and giving up the open jump shot. And they also gave up a few drives against South Carolina to keep the Gamecocks in to the game, so we need to try to expose that as well. Still, nothing is going to come too easy and we will need to play smart and hustle to even have a chance in this one. We may need to throw a variety of lineups at the Gators at well, and try to turn this game into a chess match of sorts.

Go ‘Dores!

I am excited if you cannot notice. And this list is not just a bunch of names, they are pieces of a team. We have basically built the most impressive offensive line in school history in only two years of work. Moreover, we reloaded at linebacker and defensive line with this class more so than we have ever reloaded at a single position with a single class. Not to mention the general playmakers that are all over the place now. I also love how the majority of these guys have been known by our fan base for a while now, because they bought into James Franklin so quickly and committed a while back. It shows how proud these guys are to be a part of the huge changes going on at our school. Good stuff.

I guess that is enough rambling excitement for the day. I was going to do my own analysis, but so much stuff has already been published that my words are basically useless. If you’re looking for the official count of the recruiting class, click here. If you are looking for a more blog-style report by a fellow fan, I would highly recommend checking out this post over at Moral Victory.

A huge factor in the game is really going to be rebounding. Not because it is going to be a  close stat, but because we should destroy them in that part of the game. Arkansas is by far the worst team in the conference at grabbing a rebound. And this is especially evident when they are on defense. The Razorbacks struggle to establish any kind of good positioning to grab a defensive rebound, and that could really be the kicker in this game given how well our own Festus Ezeli and Lance Goulbourne have been lately. Not to mention, Jeffery Taylor is one of the better offensive rebounders in the conference. You can expect us to make some noise on the glass for sure. I would say that is the biggest negative of their tempo, especially in a game like this one.

Julysses Nobles is the starting point guard for the Hogs. Really, he is one of the least threatening players that will see the court for them though. He jacks up too many shots and he just cannot find his stoke to save his life. And that especially goes for when he is inside the three-point line, where he is awful. I would not let his one decent game against Mississippi State fool you into thinking he is offensively gifted. I know that sounds harsh, but his inconsistency is just so glaring. Nobles does lead his team in assists, but none of those are really special anyways. Arkansas is really not a great passing team to begin with, and he is not anything breathtaking as is. He can certainly steal the basketball though, and that is without a doubt where he fits into the Arkansas equation. Matter of fact, he has averaged four steals a game in his last two outings. What is really crazy though, is that he is second on his team in rebounds due to the fact that no one in the frontcourt gets many minutes.

It would be the guards that play next to him that pose a major threat offensively. Mardracus Wade and Rickey Scott, two sophomores, shoot much more efficiently than their aforementioned teammate. I would say Wade is the better of the two with his consistency and his work to fight for the better look. Actually, I really think he has a good game if you ask me. Scott can play a big role as well though, and is certainly more effective than Nobles. He is also second on the team when it comes to assisting the ball, but I still do not put much value on that when it comes to this team. As you could probably guess, both of these guys can cause issues for oppositions with their ability to steal the ball. Wade actually leads his team in steals this season, but Nobles is on a pretty good streak at snatching the ball and worries me a little bit more. Arkansas also gets a lot of backcourt help from the bench, but that can be talked about later.

Arkansas’ frontcourt has suffered two injuries. One was to Marshawn Powell, who looked great in his first two games of the season but went down with knee injury that put him out for the season. And the other was to Marvell Waithe, who went down two minutes into the first start of his career two weeks ago against Michigan. I really like him as a role player, but he will probably miss this game unless he can recover quite quickly. So the probable starters are now Michael Sanchez and Hunter Mickelson. Sanchez is a decent player but he is not starting material in my eyes. He does not get many minutes for a starter, nor does he make much noise with them. He may have torched us last season, but I just don’t see it happening again. Mickelson is a freshman who possibly would be a decent player if he was not the master of fouling. I have not seen too many starters attract the whistle like this kid. It really blows my mind, and he does not get many impressive scoring or rebounding stats because of it. His aggressiveness does have something to show for it though, as he is a terrific blocker. Still, the frontcourt for the Hogs is extremely low in depth at this point and only has one player coming off the bench right now.

So let’s talk about their depth then. You may know that Arkansas had quite a good recruiting class last season, and you also may have noticed that only one of those guys have been recognized so far. And that is where guards BJ Young and Rashad Madden come into play. Young has been the leading scorer on the team since Marshawn Powell went down with an injury, and really proves his five-star rating with his minutes. His offensive game is stellar and he is constantly on the attack. He should be a great player by the time he is done playing ball and we will probably be worrying about this guy for a while. Madden is no slouch either, and the four-star prospect has turned into one of the better scorers on the team as well. It is funny, these two freshman play more minutes than any Arkansas frontcourt player on the roster. So yes, the top five guys averaging minutes for the Razorbacks are indeed backcourt players. How wild is that? And the only scholarship player left on the roster is freshman Devonte Abron. He is certainly a solid player in his own right and actually leads all active forwards in both points and rebounds. He should see a lot of minutes due to injuries and fouls.

Honestly, not much scares me about this game now that I have analyzed the Razorbacks. I just worry that our carelessness will really show itself against their aggressive defense, but even then my confidence is still pretty high going into this one. Kevin Stallings knows all about Mike Anderson and will not have our guys unprepared by any means. While their guards can be dangerous, our offense should crush them in the halfcourt when we pound the ball in with Festus or set up some plays for Jeffery Taylor, who should have a great game if he continues showing his high confidence and driving instincts. I suspect we can grind this game out and kill the high tempo game of Missouri with tough basketball that they simply cannot handle due to foul issues and even bigger injury problems.

Vanderbilt wins this game despite a huge crowd in Fayetteville. Should be pulling away late if Jeffery Taylor keeps it up and John Jenkins shows some more game around the basket like he has lately. Having Festus Ezeli back on his game is the big difference maker though.

Go ‘Dores!

Jarnell Stokes caught my eyes really early. Not just because he was one of the best prospects in the nation, but also because his massively scary frame sticks out quite a bit on the court. He is freaking huge and already has a body ready for the professional game, even though he is basically a senior in high school (and it is really weird to think that this guy is barely older than me). Stokes, in case you do not know the story, was unable to play basketball this high school season because he transferred and apparently misread the rules on basketball in this state. So when he graduated early this December, he was not interested in sitting around. And because basically every school had their scholarships filled, he would have to become a walk-on player at the majority of universities he was interested in. Cuonzo Martin had plenty of open scholarships though, and was able to sell his program and brought Stokes in for this season. So, we will probably be dealing with this guy for a year and a half before he leaves for the NBA.

Anyways, he really is, for lack of a better word, a beast. His strength allows him to finish plays through contact and attract multiple defenders the majority of the time. He is a double-double machine and his point and rebound numbers have gone up every game he has played (along with his minutes, as he is already starting three games into his college career). Not only does he have the same kind of instinct Arnett Moultrie has to go after the boards, but his build allows him to just be a space eater in the paint. He does need to get a little more creative on the offensive end though, and learn a few more post moves before he become dominant. Also, while it is clear he is not afraid to take a mid-range jumper, he struggles to knock it down for some reason. I really think he spends a little too much time away from the basket in his time on the court. Other than that, his weaknesses that have caught my eye so far are his poor free throw shooting abilities and his tendency to give up an easy move in the post. However, this does not mean is a terrible defender all around, as he can be known to send a few shots into the stands if opposing guards want to attack the basket. Just remember though, this analysis is suspect to flaw because, after all, the guy has only played three games of college ball. And, just so you know, those rhymes were an accident.

Trae Golden is the next guy to breakdown. He has really improved this year as opposed to the last and has actually become the leading scorer for the Volunteers. Golden is playing with a very high level of confidence right now, and I have seen him hit some very difficult shots from all over the floor this season. His assist numbers are really something to marvel at as well, as he leads all point guards in the conference at that stat. He is without a doubt the most improved player in the SEC, too bad that is not an award we give out. Golden does a lot of his best work inside the perimeter, as he is really quite inconsistent with the deep ball. He could have a real solid game from outside, or he could really go overboard with the his shooting. He has shot more threes than anyone on the team, even one more than specialist Skylar McBee, but they just are not falling at an efficient rate (not due to percentage, but due to being very streaky). His other problem is turning the ball over. He tries to do so much that he mishandles the ball at times, and has some really silly turnovers. As a team, the Volunteers turn it over almost as much as we do. And that is terrible.

Cameron Tatum, who has been playing ball at Tennessee for a good 87 years now, is critical to the team due to his very high amount of playing time. He, like a few other guys, has nights were he is either on his game or off his game. Tatum has a terrible field goal percentage and really should be providing more consistency given the fact that, you know, he is an eighty-seventh year senior. His three point percentage is actually good though, and the rate at which he knocks them down is second only to Skylar McBee. His defense is solid and his contributions are seen in many areas across the board. Where he really struggles is his decision making. Much like a lot of his teammates, he makes stupid mistakes. And while I have not mentioned this yet, is should be clear that the Vols do not have good transition defense at all. Considering their turnovers, that is a huge game-changer for this team. I hope we see our guys take advantage of that.

Jeronne Maymon has been a pleasant addition to the team this season. His is, of course, a transfer player from Marquette and has become one of the most efficient players on the team this season. His field goal percentage is outstanding and his abilities around the basket are very clear to me.  He is also a strong rebounder, which leads to a deadly combination when is playing with Jarnell Stokes. He is not a strong free throw shooter though, and is known to get in early foul trouble if opposing teams attack him. All in all though, he is certainly one of the more crucial players on the team. He is probably a little better than he is given credit for.

Josh Richardson is the final starter to be named, but his impact is felt more off the stat sheet. Richardson does not shoot it very well not shoot it particularly well and is not going to be the type of guy who lights us up. Still, he is a great defender and contributes greatly to the much improved defensive play of the Volunteers. He recently gained the starting job over Jordan McRae and is simply a big part of the Cuonzo Martin defensive plan.

Tennessee has four significant players on the bench right now. Jordan McRae is a former starting guard, and his minutes are dwindling but he still deserves some respect off the bench given how big of a scorer he was earlier in the season. His defense is very susceptible though, and we should attack him offensively when he gets in the game. Kenny Hall has stepped up this season but still does not have a very complete game. His field goal percentage is good because he does not step outside, but he does have nice rebounding skill and has greatly improved his free throw shooting from last season. Chances are he will not be a huge factor on the game as a whole, but his time on the court is well spent. Skylar McBee is a huge three-point specialist who I worry about the most off the bench. He is deadly from beyond the arch and nothing in the game of basketball resurrects a team like a three point shot, so we have to keep an eye on him when he steps on the court. You know what his real weapon is though? His mustache. Who wants to guard that thing? Anyways, Renaldo Woolridge is another former starter who has taken a huge hit in minutes, but still has to be mentioned. Cuonzo Martin likes to occasionally put this 6’9″ forward at the three spot when he plays tall, and Woolridge actually fits in quite well with his unique play style and ability to hit deeper shots than most guys his height.

All in all, this is a game that worries me. Mostly because of the high emotions after the weekend, and there is really no telling how it will affect our game. I think getting in the head of Cuonzo Martin will be a big factor though. It will be his first game in Memorial, and the conditions could have him making decisions he would not normally go with. Such as if we jump out to an early lead, and he decides to go with offensive firepower over the defense of his starting five. And that is how we can blow this game up. I do worry about Skylar McBee more than anything though. Not because he is just a breathtaking scorer, but more because we played idiotic perimeter defense against Mississippi State last week and I know McBee will torch us if we want to do that again. I hope Stallings chewed the guys out, and we can get back to playing the defense that started our winstreak.

We will kill them if they play anything like they did against Georgia (seriously, it was that awful). I would not expect that though. I think they will come out a little more prepared tomorrow, and the game should be close for a while unless Cuonzo just makes a foolish mistake. Festus Ezeli looked much better in our last game and I think he is ready to show his dominance again. We will need all we can get from him against the Volunteer rebounding efforts, but I do think he has the edge against their questionable post defense. He should be able to get things going early. And then when the bench backcourt comes in for Tennessee, it will be time for the Jenkins and Taylor show. And fastbreak points could be critical as well, given the fact that Tennessee turns the ball over quite often and is not the best team at getting back on defense.

Vanderbilt wins this game from balanced scoring efforts, much improved perimeter defense, and a rebirth of Memorial Magic.

Go ‘Dores!

Dee Bost has been the heart of this team for as long as I can remember. His confidence is unmatched on the court and is one of the most clutch players in the conference today. However, one of the big reasons he has to be so clutch at times is because he puts his team in trouble. He is so trusting in his own abilities that he throws up extremely difficult or contested shots. Bost is a good passer, but his weak court vision causes his him to miss guys at times. And when that happens, the possession normally leads to a poor shot by Bost. He struggles to manage his team at times as well, and I have noticed multiple times where everyone just seems to be standing around and not looking for openings. In fact, I would say the random stalling in the Mississippi State offense is one of the biggest reason why they lose games. Nevertheless, you have to respect the pure talent Dee Bost brings to the court. And you better put the game away before the final minutes, because this senior point guard is the perfect type to lead his team to victory. He is also dangerous defensively, and is one of the better players at stealing the ball in the conference.

Arnett Moultrie is the story of the Bulldogs though. Since transferring from UTEP, the power forward has become a star on the national level. He is, like our own John Jenkins, on the 25 Wooden Award finalist list that was released earlier this week.  Moultrie dominates the boards with intensity every time he leaps. He easily averages a double-double and is the leading scorer for the Bulldogs. His offensive boards usually equal a bucket or a foul, which he can draw pretty well as he moves somewhat awkwardly on the court. So sometimes he may not have even been fouled that hard, it just looks like it because he is, for lack of a better word, a little goofy. When he is not around the basket though, his team has been known to stand around a little instead of working for the board. And that leads to some offensive putbacks for the opposing team, just watch their last game. I think that may not be too much of a problem for them tonight though, as we just don’t have the type of players that look for the putback dunk often.

Renardo Sidney is the other half of the post game for Mississippi State. He is the one player everyone loves to hate, and draws attention with his massive build, childish attitude, and surprising shooting range. I will give him credit though, he has grown up somewhat and has developed more than most of the players in the conference. The Bulldogs love to go to him in the post early, where they like to find out how his big frame works on the opposition. Usually, he does a pretty good job of backing down his opponents. However, he struggles to finish his post moves at times which makes the whole play kind of pointless. I have just seen him air ball a few too many hooks to be very threatened by his game down low. Moreover, the body of Festus Ezeli will be the strongest he has faced in a while. What I do worry about is his ability to draw fouls, simply because it is hard not for players to foul a body that big. Good thing for us though is that he really struggles at the free throw line. Sidney does have some shocking range though, and can knock down the three somewhat easily if you give him time to set his feet. And after he has been doing this for more than a year now, it really makes no sense why teams continue to give him all kinds of space. He defense is very exploitable when he goes against lean guys with shooting range, such as when he played JaMychal Green. However, his post defense has improved and his big body can be disrupting. Still, that huge frame works against him and he is known to get called for fouls when, really, he did not do too much. His biggest problem though, is just those plays where he throws in the towel and does nothing. His conditioning and attitude are still a problem, even if they have improved some.

Other starters for the Bulldogs are Rodney Hood and Brian Bryant. I would say Hood is really that next guy for the team. He plays a lot minutes, and is probably the second most productive player on the team given his touches. I think the freshman small forward is very talented, and he contributes all over the stat sheet for his team. Hood is a very balanced guy offensively, but I have seen him get beat of the dribble a few times defensively. It will be interesting to see if Jeffery Taylor can expose that weakness tonight. Brian Bryant just recently took the starting shooting guard spot from Jalen Steele. His numbers have not been breathtaking by any means, but we may see more from him as he grows into his starting role more.

No one scare me off the bench for Mississippi State. As a team, they like to play their starters a good bit of the game. Jalen Steele will get some minutes as the backup guard and Wendell Lewis will give a break to the post players. Steele may be able to do something but his production is nothing to be feared. Lewis, meanwhile, seems to lack offensive game to say the least.

Considering I think Alabama is a better team than Mississippi State, you should know I am picking the Commodores for this one. Dee Bost really struggled to get going on the road against ‘Ole Miss earlier this week and something tells me tonight could be very similar. Moultrie will probably give us trouble on the boards, but Lance Goulbourne is just not going to make that as easy as Alabama made it last Saturday. Sidney should have some offensive production early but he has been known to fall apart as the game progresses. Hood, along with Moultrie, is the real guy I worry about for a full forty minutes.

Vanderbilt controls this game with their outside shooting and defense. Mississippi State has seemed to have our number at times, but they will need a heck of game from Dee Bost to beat us at home tonight.

Go ‘Dores!

It was awesome. Our basketball was smart and our defense was stellar. I spent the majority of the game actually trying to figure out how we were shutting the Crimson Tide down so well. I know they have not been playing up to their skill level recently, but they looked absolutely stunned out there on the court. Alabama is not a bad team folks, just watch some of their games. Heck, I feel like they are a better squad than Mississippi State. And that is the truth. I was so blown away by our performance that I really do not even know what to say.

I am serious too. It seems like all anyone wants to do these days is spit out some numbers from Ken Pomery and call that analysis. And while I know Pom has a good system and advanced stats are cool, they just do not tell the full story. You know, if you really watch Alabama play, you can see  for yourself that they are a darn good team with their use of effective post offense and crushing defense. Nothing like the team that was seen playing Vanderbilt tonight. Or in this certain case, you can actually look at Ken Pomery and his rankings call Alabama the fourteenth team in the nation. What we just did to them on their homecourt was fantastic and unexpected, as they simply could not even function on the basketball court. It was like the Crimson Tide team that played Mississippi State over the weekend just decided to stay in Starkville. I was blown away.

We can play with anyone with performances like that one. Right now though, we just need to look ahead to our own game with Mississippi State. I will give my breakdown of the Bulldogs tomorrow, which will hopefully turn out as good as the Alabama analysis yesterday. I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I was proud of myself for being quite accurate in picking out the strengths and weaknesses of the Crimson Tide. Anyways, I will talk to you guys tomorrow.

Go ‘Dores!

JaMychal Green is the first guy I have to breakdown. Alabama is decisive in getting him going early, and he was given control of the ball four out of the first five possessions. It is clear to me that he likes to establish his stellar offensive game along the baseline, facing up with opposing post players that usually cannot match his skill set. He is never afraid to take the long two-point shot and actually prefers to get his stroke going further away from the basketball in the early parts of the game. As his oppositions get tired is when he likes to post up, and he clearly has a great touch on hook shots from the evidence I witnessed. One of the more surprising parts of his game is his solid court vision and natural passing abilities. He finds cutting teammates with ease and is a tough player to matchup with from a defensive standpoint. As for his own defense, he is not the best. When defending against a post up player, he gets pushed around quite easily and has a bad habit of fouling. He isn’t always in great position for the defensive rebound either, which hurts his team. However, he has great instinct when it comes to blocking a driving offensive player. Which, considering the sometimes faulty defense his teammates have, patches up a lot of mistakes of the Alabama defense as a whole and naturally intimidates opposing players. Overall, he is surprisingly one of the most clam players on his team and is good at getting the game under control when the Tide get a little too fast for their own good.

Tony Mitchell is the other deadly forward for Alabama. He, much like his teammate, can stretch the court quite well for a post player and has actually taken more threes than any of his teammates. However, his a little too aggressive for his own good sometimes. My thoughts are that he gets a little panicked when controlling the ball too long and throws up tough shots. Still, his offensive outburst can really be a difference maker for Alabama if he gets going. Mitchell seems to like to play parallel to the baseline, and lacks the post up game Green can present. He does have that odd talent of being a good passer, and can find his fellow forward easily if Green establishes position in the paint. His defense overall seemed decent, although he lacked some of the explosive blocks his teammate had. Mitchell has been known to nearly foul out of games, but he generally plays a lot more minutes than the foul happy Green. And this is one of the reasons why his value is similar to that of Green, although he is not as skilled.

On the perimeter, the Crimson Tide start to look a little foolish at times. No one really hits the long ball with any consistency. All of the guards really rush if they get caught in a momentum trap, as in they do the exact same thing that everyone is told not to do. Instead of slowing the game down, they like to push the ball even harder which leads to many mistakes, especially considering that their passing is not the greatest. And that is one of those moments when they are better off giving the ball to Green and letting him work. However, they do excel in some areas. In man-to-man defense, they play as tight as any team in the conference and really know how to run as soon as opposing teams make a mistake. All of the guards are textbook in fastbreak execution and know how to finish in those scenarios. And when they drop back into zone defense, they are great at reading opposing teams and snatching passes that lead to more breaks. Trevor Releford, in particular, is a great finish and without a doubt the most threatening of the Alabama guards. Other than he, they can really struggle in halfcourt situations when Green or Mitchell are not getting the ball.

Off the bench, only two players are really going to do anything. Andrew Steele is a really tough guard of the bench who could pose some problems if we let him. Nick Jacobs is a freshman forward who actually has a decent post game put will not get many plays designed for him, and his defense can really be exposed by opposing players. I expect both to get decent bench playing time, especially if Green is in foul trouble and one of the starting guards is struggling (both of which are very possible).

Overall, Alabama has some good pieces and they are a serious threat to our winstreak. We cannot allow Green to get to the free throw line eleven times again, and we must make sure he gets his foul. Overall, our essential game plan should be to get some things going in the post, because Alabama as a team is known to foul and allow offensive rebounds. And that is why I expect Lance Goulbourne to have a pretty nice day for us. I say this because Arnett Moultrie to abuse them on the glass this past weekend, and Goulbourne has the same rebounding intensity of Moultrie (although he lacks the same offensive instinct). If Festus Ezeli could magically come back to form over this longer break then his post moves could probably destroy Green, but we cannot but all our faith into that. We need our perimeter players to take control of the ball and be ready to scare Alabama out of their deadly zone by shooting the ball. I know that sounds a little funny but if the Mississippi State game was evidence of anything, then Alabama plays a darn good zone defense that simply does not allow for post play. It took Dee Bost making some great plays from the perimeter for the Bulldogs to top Alabama, and we will need our guys to do the same.

Zach Collaros was really the first guy I wanted to analyze. A lot has been said of how he is a huge difference maker for Cincinnati, especially from Bearcat fans who seem to think they can blow us out of the water because they have their recently injured quarterback playing. Nevertheless, no one can deny that he was playing at a very high level before his injury. Collaros’ completion percentage was 63.4% in the nine games he played, which is only behind AJ McCarron in terms of the quarterbacks we have played. However, not everything was coming as easily as that particular stat implies. He had one game, against North Carolina State, that drastically set increased his total completion percentage because, for lack of a better word, he did beast in that one. His actual QB rating was below guys like McCarron, Murray, Bray and even Brantley that we played on the season. And while most of those guys had a decent or good game against us, at least we know we have played multiple quarterbacks better than Collaros in the passing game. Also, one can only expect the mobility of Collaros will suffer from his ankle injury. While he has had a lot of time for rehab, in-game action is always an adjustment for someone who has not played in well over a month. After all this investigation, I was curios why Bearcat fans were so high on this guy who, while quite solid, is not quite what he is presented to be. Then I found out why. Compared to Minchie Legaux, who took over when Collaros was injured, he is a miracle worker. Legaux, meanwhile, was awful. It makes me think that their receiving corps is really not threatening at all, but Collaros causes them to overachieve. This explains why his numbers are not breathtaking, why Legaux’s numbers were terrible, and why so many think Collaros is great.

One Cincinnati player that I cannot argue against is Isiah Pead. The senior running back has numbers nearly identical to Zac Stacy in terms of yardage (1110) and touchdowns (14). Where he does not match Stacy in terms of yards per carry, he makes up for it with his receiving yards and touchdowns. So do not be surprised at all if they pass it to Pead out of the backfield. He has been slowed a little in the past three games, but he should return back to form with the return of Collaros. Pead ran for a total of 420 yards in the last four games he had with his top quarterback. His total numbers were good enough for Pead to be called the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, most notably over Geno Smith of West Virginia. It has been common for the Big East voters to call upon running backs in that award though, as running backs have won the last four Offensive Player of the Year awards.

Cincinnati also boast the sixth best rushing defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Now, while this is outstanding regardless of circumstance, something needs to be said on the level of competition. And no, this is not an ignorant remark on Big East football or even the Bearcats’ opponents for that matter, but it is a remark on how well their opponents run the ball. Of all the schools on the Cincinnati schedule, only one team was in the top 65 nationally in running the football. However, it can be said that the one team that was effective at running the ball, South Florida, did not gain a bunch of yardage on the ground in their game against Cincinnati. Still, the Bulls did pass for over 400 yards behind mobile quarterback BJ Daniels, who also happened to lead his team in rushing that game. This tells me that maybe the Bearcats struggle with quarterbacks that run, because Daniels was the only mobile signal caller that Cincinnati played all season long. It goes without saying that, as long as Jordan Rodgers is under center, this possible weakness plays in our favor.

Among all those poor rushing teams on the Cincinnati schedule, only two teams had a 100 yard rusher. South Florida was not one of those teams, as their quarterback accounts for a lot of team rushing yards as well. The two teams that had major rushers in the backfield were Syracuse and Connecticut. Antwon Bailey, running back for the Orange, had over 130 rushing yards in that game on pretty consistent running. Lyle McCombs, who we all know from our game against Connecticut, really struggled that game against the Bearcats. Regardless, Zac Stacy will be the best running back that Cincinnati has played all season. Bailey and McCombs match up well stat wise, but Stacy plays under a better system with Jordan Rodgers and his running ability opening things up. Not to mention, Stacy is really on a role. With Rodgers and Stacy both being a threat, our rushing attack could be dangerous. And it is not as if the Bearcats have never torched. Just look back three games ago, when they gave up 200 yards rushing to Rutgers running back Jawan Jamison. And that was Jamison’s only 1000+ rushing game of the season, as opposed to Stacy who has had six.

No deep research is needed to see how terrible the Cincinnati pass defense is though. A quick look at their stat sheets prove they are the the 106th worst team in the entire nation at defending the pass. Granted, that stat is a little skewed because of the fact that opposing teams were forced to pass, but the fact remains that they are bad defending the pass. Cincinnati still ranks outside the top fifty in opposing passer rating, despite the majority of their oppositions being forced to pass the ball. So even when the Bearcat defense knew what opponents were doing, they still struggled. And who did they allow the most yards against? South Florida mobile quarterback DJ Daniels. And that is true, despite the fact that the Bearcats played even better passers like Tyler Bray and Geno Smith. Interesting, very interesting.

While I do have my doubts against the Cincinnati defense as a whole, there is absolutely no doubting defensive tackle Derek Wolfe. You better believe he was a major cause of their stellar rush defense numbers as well, as he led the Big East in tackles for loss and was twelfth in the nation in sacks. All those numbers made Wolfe earn the title as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. In case you have not been paying attention, he is the second Bearcat so far to earn a player of the year honor. Interestingly enough, Cincinnati coach Butch Jones won Big East Coach of the Year after improving his team greatly from their four-win season in 2010.

Well, that just about wraps this one up. I will be attending the game, and it goes without saying that I am very excited. I was at the 2008 Music City Bowl too, so maybe that is good luck. I am too tired and need to rest too bad to bad to proofread though, so please excuse any errors. Good luck to the players, and I hope anyone going to the game has a safe ride over there.

Go ‘Dores!