Even SEC soccer is jealous of what SEC basketball is doing proper now.
The league went 14-1 this weekend and has been so dominant that you simply’re going to listen to plenty of “The SEC is the primary league to (fill within the clean)” for the following few months. My Prime 25 poll this week contains 10 SEC groups, with 5 within the high 10. Three others — Missouri, Arkansas and Texas — have arguments to be included. Simply going by the numbers, Auburn might be the perfect crew at this level of the season within the final decade. (Extra on the Tigers under.)
Bear in mind all of that preseason speak about what number of Massive 12 groups have been within the high 10 and the way ridiculously good that league was going to be? Effectively, the SEC is strolling the stroll.
That is going to be one enjoyable league race to observe.
Reminder: Beneath my Prime 25, I give nuggets on an unspecified variety of groups every week. So when a crew seems within the desk however not within the textual content under, that’s why. Scroll on for notes on Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa State, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, Texas A&M and Dayton.
1. Auburn
How good has Auburn been? After operating beforehand Prime 25 Ohio State off the ground in a 91-53 win in Atlanta on Saturday, Auburn now has an effectivity margin of 35.01 at KenPom. KenPom has this enjoyable sorting instrument that lets you see the rankings at any level within the season relationship again to the 2011-12 season. Seems, Auburn is his database’s greatest crew on Dec. 15 within the final 14 seasons — by rather a lot.
Now, you’ll discover that the perfect crew at this time limit doesn’t all the time win the nationwide championship. Three of the final 14 groups that have been No. 1 on Dec. 15 went on to win all of it: 2011-12 Kentucky, 2017-18 Villanova and 2022-23 UConn. What we will assume is that Auburn might be going to have a No. 1 seed; 2016-17 Duke is the one crew with a plus-30 effectivity margin at this snapshot in time that didn’t find yourself a No. 1 seed.
You’ll additionally discover this 12 months’s Tennessee and Duke groups are additionally on this top-10, which is one other manner of claiming that in nearly some other 12 months, these groups could be No. 1 at this level.
So, Auburn has been actually, actually, ridiculously good this season. I’m not going to argue in opposition to anybody rating Tennessee No. 1, particularly after the Vols gained at Illinois on Saturday. However the Tigers have been traditionally dominant to date.
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2. Tennessee
The Vols began to shut the resume hole with Auburn in a 66-64 win over the Illini in Champaign. (The one factor Auburn is lacking is a formidable highway win. Technically, beating Houston in Houston didn’t rely as a result of the sport was performed on the Rockets’ enviornment.)
Tennessee confirmed the worth of a powerful bench in its win at Illinois. Its greatest two gamers, Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler, each fouled out. Zeigler barely performed the second half. Beginning middle Felix Okpara was additionally restricted to 9 minutes due to foul bother, and he simply didn’t actually match on this sport. The Vols nonetheless discovered a manner, largely as a result of sixth man Jordan Gainey stepped as much as rating 23 factors, together with the buzzer-beating sport winner.
[Fran Fraschilla voice] A lesson for younger guards: Have the ability to drive both course. Gainey has had 12 drives to the bucket this season — seven to the best, 5 to the left — and has now transformed 4 out of the 5 instances he’s gone left. This play was going to permit him to go both course. The Vols positioned Cade Phillips close to the highest of the important thing and had him attempt to set a butt display. He didn’t make any contact, but it surely was simply one other impediment for the protection. Illinois was in a tough spot from the beginning, with Gainey getting a operating begin and Kasparas Jakucionis backpedaling and finally opening his hips when Gainey hit him with an in-and-out dribble.
Ideally, Illini huge man Tomislav Ivisic would have tried to contest this shot, however he stopped to field out Phillips, who is without doubt one of the greatest offensive rebounders within the nation. If the Illini had it to do over once more, Kylan Boswell in all probability would have plugged that hole since he’s guarding Jahmai Mashack, whom the Illini cheated off all evening. It’s exhausting to make these fast selections in such a busy setting, and credit score to the Vols for realizing precisely what they wished and executing it. That’s why you observe particular conditions. (Additionally, credit score to Rick Barnes for the play name, one he bought from legendary highschool coach Morgan Wootten.)
Iowa State’s offense continues to hum alongside as the most effective in faculty basketball, which isn’t one thing most had on the preseason bingo card. One huge increase to the Cyclones has been the passing of energy ahead Joshua Jefferson, who had a season-high seven assists to go together with 19 factors and 10 rebounds in a 89-80 comeback win over Iowa on Thursday.
Jefferson is such a great passer as a result of he stays composed in site visitors and understands passing angles. Iowa was doubling the publish, and Jefferson was welcoming that double. Watch how he takes a large step to his left to tug the second defender additional up the ground and create a greater angle to feed Dishon Jackson.
This inbound is an instance of a busy scenario that needed to go off-script. This appeared prefer it was designed to go to Jefferson, however he wasn’t in a position to get it as simply as a result of Drew Thelwell (No. 3) was not the place you’d count on him to be. Jefferson realized Iowa’s protection was misaligned, appeared center to evaluate after which made the skip move to Nate Heise.
Jefferson all the time has nice consciousness of the place the assistance is coming from. This was a sensible and well timed minimize from Heise, as effectively.
This remaining Jefferson help iced the sport for the Cyclones. Iowa’s Josh Dix noticed the brief roll develop and got here down from above the 3-point line to tag Jefferson. Once more, Jefferson calmly assessed the ground, realized the place Dix got here from and bought Curtis Jones a wide-open look:
Florida is the top-10 crew you might most simply argue in opposition to as a result of its schedule doesn’t evaluate to the others on this vary. However the Gators have been dominant sufficient to justify their placement, off to a 10-0 begin with each win by double-digits, they usually have a star rising in Walter Clayton. Averaging 23 factors during the last 4 video games, Clayton is without doubt one of the scariest quantity scorers within the nation as a result of he can shoot with vary and get it off rapidly. Throughout that four-game stretch, he has made 19 of 47 from 3-point vary. Getting off 47 3s in 4 video games and knocking them down at higher than a 40 % clip is a formidable feat.
A word to future opponents: Don’t play a 1-3-1 zone when Clayton is within the sport. Arizona State tried that twice on Saturday. This occurred the primary time:
And this occurred the second time:
Clayton, by himself, is a zone buster.
6. Kentucky
Kentucky level guard Lamont Butler is arguably the crew’s most vital participant as a result of the Wildcats play sooner when he’s on the ground. This can be a crew that thrives in transition: Kentucky scored 28 factors on 14 transition alternatives in opposition to Louisville and is now scoring 1.32 factors per transition alternative, which is third-best within the nation (per Synergy).
Butler is nice at pitching it forward, and he places stress on the protection together with his pace, getting fast paint touches like this one which often finish in a straightforward bucket.
With Butler on the ground, Kentucky has an efficient discipline purpose share of 61.1 %, per CBB Analytics. That’s increased than any eFG share within the historical past of KenPom, which dates again to 1997. In different phrases, Kentucky is a traditionally nice offense with Butler on the ground.
Kansas appeared like Kansas once more in its win over NC State on Saturday. And if there’s a key to KU wanting top-10 good in comparison with no matter it was in opposition to Creighton and Missouri, it’s Dajuan Harris Jr. and Zeke Mayo enjoying with confidence and making pictures. Groups are often prepared to let Harris shoot, however the scouting report has been to attempt to remove Mayo. The Jayhawks want to seek out methods to get the South Dakota State switch 3-point appears to be like as a result of in video games when he has tried 5 or extra 3s — which has occurred in opposition to NC State, Furman, Oakland, North Carolina and Howard — he has shot a stable 15 of 36 from 3 and KU has an effectivity of 123.3 in these video games. That’d be the sixth-best offense in faculty hoops.
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13. UConn
Seems the Huskies weren’t cooked. They now have three consecutive wins over top-40 KenPom groups (Baylor, Texas and Gonzaga), and that alone is Prime 25 worthy. UConn is one among seven groups with no less than three high 40 wins, becoming a member of Auburn (5 wins), Marquette (4), Alabama (three), Kansas (three), Texas A&M (three) and Purdue (three).
Because the day after the Maui Invitational, UConn is the fifth-best crew in faculty basketball, based on barttorvik.com. The schedule may additionally permit for the Huskies to maintain climbing within the rankings over the following month-plus. They’ll possible be favored of their subsequent 10 video games. Credit score to Dan Hurley and his gamers for turning issues round so rapidly. That Hurley swagger seems to be again.
14. Texas A&M
Nobody in faculty basketball is best in the course of the one or two seconds {that a} shot is within the air than Texas A&M. The Aggies, who’re the perfect offensive rebounding crew within the nation, ought to be the betting favourite to stay in that spot all season. Watch their effort when the shot is within the air:
Solomon Washington went about 40 toes to chase that board down, and despite the fact that the Aggies didn’t find yourself scoring, they took 45 seconds off that clock in that one possession, basically icing the sport. Regardless of the place that ball bounced, the Aggies had somebody in place to seize it. Whether or not it’s high-pointing a ball within the air or chasing down a protracted rebound, Buzz Williams has guys with the athleticism and need to go get it.
Anthony Grant has had some nice offensive groups at Dayton, however often it’s the capturing that’s the separator. This group is nice in that class — rating twenty fourth in efficient discipline purpose share — however these Flyers handle the basketball higher than any of his earlier groups. They’re turning it over on solely 13.1 % of their possessions, and their aversion to turnovers helped them knock off Marquette on Saturday. Solely three groups have had a turnover charge underneath 20 % in opposition to the Golden Eagles this season. Dayton had the bottom (11.3), and Marquette is now 1-2 in these video games.
Dropped out: Clemson, Wisconsin, Penn State.
Keeping track of: Memphis, Utah State, Drake, San Diego State, St. John’s, West Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati.
(Picture: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Photos)