SEC Primer: League Play Starts Saturday

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Southeastern Conference drops the flag on league play Saturday, and if anyone tells you they know how it's all going to play out over the next three months, go ahead and stuff some holiday leftovers in their mouth.

The conference has been unpredictable at best, crazy at worst.

To review:

* For all the Twitter misery spouting from Florida fans, the Gators' schedule rates as the fourth most-difficult among the Power Six conferences. They haven't had a bad loss yet, but they also haven't been very impressive in their wins, outside one in the Charleston Classic title game against Xavier. UF (8-4) makes its league debut Saturday night against Alabama (7-5) at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center.

[Read senior writer Chris Harry's comprehensive "Pregame Stuff" UF-Alabama setup here]

* Kentucky won a huge game earlier this week against No. 3 and rival Louisville, but let's not forget how the Wildcats, one week after beating No. 1 Michigan State to open the season, lost at home to Evansville, which currently sits at No. 212 nationally, according to KenPom.com advance metrics.

* Auburn is unbeaten and ranked No. 8, but has played just one road game. One. The Tigers needed a putback at the buzzer to beat South Alabama to get out of Mobile alive. They're good, for sure, but untested.

* Tennessee lost its senior point guard and unquestioned leader when LaMonte Turner, who averaged 10.2 points and made 171 3-pointers over his 106 career games, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last month. In the Volunteers' first game without Turner they were drummed 68-48 at home by Wisconsin. Ouch.

* LSU lost at home to East Tennessee State a couple weeks ago. Mississippi State did the same against Louisiana Tech. Missouri was handed a buy-game loss by Charleston Southern. South Carolina, a week after a statement-making road win at reigning national champion Virginia, came home the next game and promptly lost to a 5-9 Stetson team that, even after that upset victory, checks in at 318 on KenPom's chart.

Get the picture?

Last season, the SEC put seven teams in the NCAA Tournament, a year after sending a record eight to "The Dance" in 2018. Auburn, of course, reached its first Final Four after winning the league tournament. If there's a team laying in wait like the Tigers this season, no one has tipped its hand. That's OK. There's so much basketball to play, so forget what you know and understand that a bunch is going to change between now and Selection Sunday on March 15.

In the interim, here's a quick-read primer — a snapshot, if you will — on where things currently stand in the SEC outside our Gator Nation sphere, based on non-conference results and some preseason projections, heading into the most pivotal three months of the 2019-20 campaign.

Any and all subjects, references or declarations, of course, are subject to change.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT / A look at the league's four new coaches

New Alabama coach Nate Oats, who will be at Exactech Arena for Saturday's SEC opener against the Gators, went 96-43 in four seasons at Buffalo, won two Mid-American Conference titles, and guided that program to a trio of NCAA tournament berths.

* Eric Musselman (Arkansas)— UF fans should have some familiarity with Musselman after the Gators upset his Nevada team in first-round NCAA Tournament play last March in Des Moines, Iowa. Musselman, 54, took the professional track back to college (six different jobs in the NBA, including head coach at Golden State from 2002-04), but found a niche in Reno, where he went 110-34 over four seasons — that's 27.5 victories a season — and won three Mountain West Conference titles. On the recruiting trail, Musselman played the transfer and junior-college game with the Wolf Pack. That model worked there and should be a fit in Fayetteville, where he inherited some excellent offensive players recruited by longtime Arkansas man and Nolan Richardson protege Mike Anderson.

* Nate Oates (Alabama) — He was a legendary prep coach in Michigan, then went to work for Bobby Hurley at the University of Buffalo. When Hurley bolted for Arizona State in 2015, Oats was promoted to interim head coach by then-athletic Danny White (brother of UF coach Mike White) and eventually given the permanent post. In four seasons with the Bulls, Oats averaged 24 wins, captured two Mid-American Conference titles and went to three NCAA tournaments, winning a game in each of the last two. Buffalo pulled off a huge upset of Arizona in 2018 (the Bulls were a 13-seed; the Wildcats a 4) and qualified as a No. 6 seed last March. Now 45, Oats' teams were renowned for playing among the fastest in the nation and shooting tons of 3s. They're doing that in Alabama now too, as UF fans will see Saturday.

* Jerry Stackhouse (Vanderbilt) — The NBA guy has become a trend around the country, with former superstars Penny Hardaway (Memphis), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) and Juwan Howard (Michigan) returning to their alma maters. Stackhouse, 45, played at North Carolina, so this hire was somewhat out of the box (ala Avery Johnson to Bama a few years ago), but "Stack's" 16,000 points and 18-year NBA career were followed by a stint in the D League, where he was named Coach of the Year in 2017 after leading the Raptors 905 to the league crown. He was an assistant coach the Memphis Grizzlies last year when the cross-state Commodores came calling after firing Bryce Drew.

* Buzz Williams (Texas A&M) — This was one of the coaching coups of the offseason. Williams, a Texas native who replaced Billy Kennedy, came from Virginia Tech, where he led the Hokies to a school-record three straight NCAA tournaments (including a run to the Sweet 16 last season). Before that, Williams had a six-year stint at Marquette that featured five NCAA berths, three Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight. Discipline and defense will be A&M's initial calling cards under Williams, now 47. They won't be very good this year (and they'll struggle to score), but it won't take the Aggies very long to get there.

BEST OF A BALANCED BUNCH / Five teams that (probably) can win the league

Senior guard **Samir Doughty** is back for Auburn, one of just two remaining unbeaten teams in the country (along with San Diego State), after being a key reserve for the Tigers' run to the Final Four last season.

* Kentucky (9-3) — Yes, the Cats have a couple tough losses (the Evansville debacle way back on Nov. 12 had Big Blue Nation ready to jump off a cliff, then a neutral site egg laid against Utah), but let's not forget about their two gold-star wins (Michigan State and Louisville). Bottom line: We've seen this movie. UK is annually the youngest and most talented team in the league, and this current freshman class, though perhaps not playing to its collective billing so far, was ranked second-best in the country. But youth and future pros mark John Calipari's business model (even though he's got some solid sophomores and juniors back this season) and it usually has the Cats playing their best when it matters most.

* Auburn (12-0) — The Tigers lost the three best players (Bryce Brown, Jared Harper and Chuma Okeke) off the greatest team in program history, but Bruce Pearl's track record speaks for itself. Say what you want (and NCAA investigators may have something to say to the Tigers in the near future), but the guy can coach. This is not to suggest the cupboard was left bare this season. Guard Samir Doughty (yes, the Kyle Guy guy) was ready to step into a bigger role. Center Austin Wiley and forward Danjel Purifoy were late arrivals last season after serving early suspensions. Freshman wing Isaac Okoro was a five-star prospect, state champion from Georgia and is being talked about as a potential first-round draft pick next summer. The Tigers haven't played a very hefty schedule, but there's no reason to think they can't contend for the regular-season title.

* Arkansas (11-1) — Give Arkansas credit for playing a dangerous road game at Western Kentucky, which the Razorbacks lost; the only loss, by the way. Their last outing was a road win at Indiana. The Hogs have a new but proven coach in Musselman, two of the four top scorers in the league in Mason Jones (19.7 points per game) and Isaiah Joe (17.4 ppg), and deserve our attention.

* LSU (8-4) — The Tigers, with Coach Will Wade and guard Javonte Smart having survived the early rounds of the infamous FBI probe last spring, probably haven't played to their potential yet, but the defending SEC champs are more than capable of getting it going. LSU was enormous last season. Such is not the case in '19-20, but energetic power forward Emmitt Williams and five-star freshman Trendon Watford make up one the better front court tandems in the league. And even though the Tigers no longer have lightning-bug point guard Tremont Waters, they still boast a really good collection of perimeter players/scorers, with a top 20-rated offense to prove it.

* Tennessee (8-4) — The loss of Turner was a crippling one, but do not underestimate what Coach Rick Barnes, in time, can make of his team. You know the Vols, who still have Jordan Bowden and McDonald's All-America forward Josiah Jordan-James, will play with their hair on fire. To counter the loss of Turner, UT signed a mid-year transfer guard from Uruguay, Santiago Vescovi, who is instantly eligible. Vescovi was a standout on the international age-group circuit. How he'll adapt right away remains to be seen, but he's definitely the best (and only?) free-agent of the SEC season.

TEN DUDES / A look at some of the best players in the league to date

Georgia freshman guard **Anthony Edwards**, considered the nation's top prep prospect last year, already is being projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

* Anthony Edwards (Georgia) — This list is arranged alphabetically, but were it done according to best and/or most likely to be drafted highest than the Bulldogs freshman would be at the top, as well. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound wing was the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2019 recruiting class and is expected to be the first player taken in the NBA Draft next June. Edwards is third in the SEC in scoring at 18.8 points per game, to go with nearly five rebounds. A game after hitting a 3-pointer with a half-second left to defeat Chaminade in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii, Edwards erupted for 37 points in a loss to Michigan State.

* Ashton Hagans (Kentucky) — In addition to leading the league in assists (7.3 pg), Hagans might be the best on-ball defender in the league. While he's not a high-level scorer (13.9 ppg), he made the mature decision to come back for a sophomore season and work on his offensive game. So far, he's making 47 percent of his shots.

* Isaiah Joe (Arkansas) — The league's No. 4 scorer is actually the second-best scorer on his team. Joe's overall shooting percentage isn't very high (36.6), but he's attempted double-digit 3s in nine of the Hogs' 12 games (with at least four makes in seven games), including 6-for-17 in the win at Indiana when he finished with 24 points and five rebounds.

* Mason Jones (Arkansas) — The JuCo transfer hung 30 on the Gators last season, 41 on Tulsa in three weeks ago, and will enter his junior SEC campaign as the conference' No. 2 scorer (19.7 pg). At 6-5, 200, Jones is a sturdy specimen who does more than float around the perimeter like Joe. He's making 49 percent of his overall shots and grabbing 6.2 boards, but is also second only to Florida's Kerry Blackshear Jr. in free-throw attempts per game at 6.5. And he's shooting 93.1 percent from the line.

* Kira Lewis Jr. (Alabama) — As a freshman last season, Lewis was the youngest active player in Division I, as he didn't turn 17 until a month after the season. This year, Lewis is scoring more, assisting more, and leading more for a Crimson Tide that is playing a frenetic, 3-point bombing brand of basketball that Oats brought with him from Buffalo. Lewis is the head of that snake, as Gator fans will see Saturday.

LSU guard **Skylar Mays** did it all for the Tigers on their way to winning the program's first SEC regular-season title since 2009.

* Skylar Mays (LSU) — As far as end-to-end, across-the-board efficiency, Mays may be as good as any player in the league. And he keeps getting better. His points-per-game have increased each season of his career. Now a senior, the shooting guard is averaging 15.8 points, hitting nearly 52 percent from the floor, 38 from deep, and 89.5 on his free throws. Defensively, he's not good, but great. He also was the 2019 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

* Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky) — The best of UK's crop of "O&Ds" this year has had some bouts of inconsistency, but when Maxey has been on … whoa! In his first college game, Maxey popped Michigan State for 24 points, including a pair of late dagger 3-balls. He had a three-game stretch when he averaged just 5.0 points, but his last three outings (against Utah, Ohio State and Louisville) Maxie netted 18, 15 and 27 points, with the latter being a 9-for-14 shooting and 4-for-5 afternoon from deep.

Vanderbilt sophomore guard **Aaron Nesmith** has doubled his scoring average of a season ago and tops the SEC at 22.9 points per game.

* Aaron Nesmith (Vanderbilt) — Though he averaged just 11 points per game as a freshman last season, Nesmith put on quite the performance at the O'Dome on his way to 26 points and nine rebounds, albeit in a Vandy loss. Actually, all the Commodores' conference games were losses last year, as they became the first team in SEC history to go 0-18. While the Music City school waits for its first SEC win since 2018, Nesmith is flourishing under Stackhouse and looking like a future NBA two-guard in averaging a league-high 22.9 points (more than double his freshman number) on 52-percent shooting, including a sizzling 50 percent (and four makes per game) from the arc.

* Reggie Perry (Mississippi State) — After coming off the bench for a Bulldogs team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, Perry has taken on a more sizable role as a sophomore. The former McDonald's All-American is averaging nearly a double-double (15.4 points on 51-percent shooting and 9.8 rebounds). Four times Perry has grabbed at least 14 rebounds in a game, including a monster 26-point, 17-board performance in a 28-point win over Kent State on Monday.

* Breein Tyre (Ole Miss) — As a junior last season, Tyre was the league's No. 3 scorer at 17.9 points per game and his shooting numbers are actually down as a senior at 17.1 per and just 31.6 percent from deep (after 37.5 last season). He such a natural scorer, though, that those numbers can improve very quickly. Meanwhile, his rebound, assist and steal numbers are at a career high.

10 more — Jordan Bowden (Guard/Tennessee); Darius Days (Forward/LSU); Samir Doughty (Guard/Auburn); Rayshaun Hammonds (Forward/Georgia); A.J. Lawson (Guard/South Carolina); Saben Lee (Guard/Vanderbilt); John Petty Jr. (Guard/Alabama); Austin Wiley (Center/Auburn); Emmitt Williams (Power forward/LSU); Jimmy Whitt (Guard/Arkansas).

CHARTING THE SEC / Current standings
Eleven of the SEC's 14 teams are within two games of one another with most of the non-league schedule wrapped. Whether that parity continues into the conference season is anyone's guess, but there does not appear to be a dominate team in the league ... for now.

Team	Record	SEC Opener	The Buzz
Auburn	12-0	Saturday @Mississippi State, 4:30 pm	Tigers have won 24 of 25 dating to Feb. 27, 2019 (with the lone loss to UVA in the Final Four).
Arkansas	11-1	Saturday vs Texas A&M, 7 pm	Hogs won their first six games by an average of 27.6 (closest was by 18).
Georgia	9-3	Tuesday vs Kentucky, 9 pm	Edwards is worth the price of admission (coming to O'Dome Feb. 5).
Kentucky	9-3	Saturday vs Missouri, 2 pm	Could this be year Calipari doesn't have a lottery pick?
Ole Miss	9-3	Tuesday @Texas A&M, 9 pm	Rebels have just one of the SEC's top 30 scorers, but lead league in assists (16.5 per game).
Mississippi State	9-3	Saturday vs Auburn, 4:30 pm	Conference's best rebounding team will keep Bulldogs in a lot of games.
Florida	8-4	Saturday vs Alabama, 6 pm	After three seasons in the ACC, including an all-league '18-19 campaign at Virginia Tech, elite grad-transfer Blackshear meets the SEC.
LSU	8-4	Saturday @Tennessee, noon	Best shooting team in the conference (49.9 percent) -- and that's with the second-most shot attempts, to boot.
Missouri	8-4	Saturday @Kentucky, 2 pm	Tigers lead league in field-goal defense, holding foes to 37 percent.
Tennessee	8-4	Saturday vs LSU, noon	Vols have scored 48 and 42 in their last two losses (Memphis, Wisconsin), both at home.
Vanderbilt	8-5	Wednesday @Auburn, 9 pm	Commodores are shooting SEC-best 37.6 percent from 3, but defense is league's worst, according to KenPom.
South Carolina	8-5	Tuesday vs Florida, 7 pm	Senior forward Maik Kotsar is SEC's leading active rebounder with 549.
Alabama	7-5	Saturday @Florida, 6 pm	Don't blink when watching the new-look Tide, you might miss a shot (probably a 3).
Texas A&M	6-5	Saturday @Arkansas, 7 pm	Major rebuild job in College Station, but Williams's Aggies (and league's worst offense) will go down fighting.

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