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1 thing I liked, 1 thing I didn’t like and 1 thing I’m questioning after the SEC’s Round 2 start
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It was a busy, busy day for the SEC.
It’s a good time of year to be busy, though. The SEC had 4 teams in action to start the second round on Saturday alone, which was more teams than some conferences (Pac-12) had in the entire NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a crazy thought. By the time the first 2 games of the second round were over, the SEC already matched its total of Sweet 16 teams from last year. Had Florida not collapsed offensively in the second half, you would’ve been hearing “S-E-C! S-E-C!” chants from coast to coast.
That, however, didn’t happen. I’d still say that there were more positives than negatives from the SEC’s Saturday showing in the NCAA Tournament.
Let’s dig into that:
1 thing I liked — LSU’s grit
Yep. I was wrong again. Let me have it, LSU fans. I completely doubted the Tigers’ ability to win 1 NCAA Tournament game without Will Wade, much less 2.
But in my defense, my head was in the right place. This stat says a lot about life without Wade:
In first three games without Will Wade, LSU has been outscored 154-109 in the second half. Maryland currently winning second half 15-11.
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) March 23, 2019
That was before Saturday’s blown lead against Maryland. Including that game, the Tigers have been outscored by an average of 13 points per second half in the 4 games since Wade was suspended.
So how in the world is LSU 3-1 in that stretch? Skylar Mays coming up clutch probably has something to do with that. The go-ahead 3 he knocked down on Saturday was as poised as any play made in the NCAA Tournament so far.
And when you’ve got a guy like Tremont Waters to say “go get me a game-winning bucket,” you’re able to overcome double-digit blown leads:
https://twitter.com/BrandonSaho/status/1109522485412851712
I get that LSU would often follow that same blueprint during the regular season, but to do it in the first 2 games of the NCAA Tournament without your head coach is a different ballgame. Regardless of what happens next week, LSU has already surpassed my expectations to earn the program’s first Sweet 16 berth since Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Tyrus Thomas were running things.
They might not be great at making second-half adjustments, but they just seem to have the right mix of guys who believe they’ll find a way. The pressure is completely off them now.
And hey, if Tony Benford wants to continue to shock the world, all he has to do is take down Tom Izzo and probably Mike Krzyzewski to get there.
Easy enough, right?
1 thing I didn’t like — Andrew Nembhard’s decision making
Look. I’m not here to pile on a freshman, and I’ll preface this by saying I think the Florida point guard will make great strides in his career.
But man, he didn’t look like he was up for the task on Saturday. Granted, Michigan has made plenty of point guards look pretty bad. Still, though. Mike White had plenty of teachable moments for Nembhard.
There were times when he had a layup or he could’ve at least gotten to the free-thrown line, and he instead deferred when he shouldn’t have. On multiple occasions, it looked like he went into the air without knowing if he was going to shoot or pass. It’s tough to beat a top-10 team when your point guard is indecisive.
There was zero doubt from Michigan that Nembhard entered the lane to pass. He wasn’t confident like he was when he hit the dagger to beat LSU.
In his defense, his day would’ve probably looked a lot better had Florida been able to knock down a shot in the second half. But when defenders don’t have to sag off shooters because the point guard isn’t a scoring threat, that’s probably at the root of some of those shooting issues.
Nembhard struggled, but he’s got all the talent to build on his first NCAA Tournament and lead the Gators to deeper runs in the coming years.
1 thing I’m questioning — Kentucky’s upside without P.J. Washington
I know what Kentucky fans are thing — survive and advance. Great teams win when they aren’t at their best, especially in March. I get all of that. But it sure seems like Kentucky is getting prepared for life without Washington.
Listening to @JamieErdahl talk about PJ Washington. Every piece of info I get makes me increasingly believe he is done for the tournament. Hope I’m wrong.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 23, 2019
We have seen John Calipari take the conservative route with injuries like he did with Reid Travis, so it’s possible that Washington will be back next week. If that doesn’t happen, though, I’d be concerned about how good this team can be.
I say that because Kentucky went down to the wire against a Wofford team that had the all-time 3-point shooter have a historically awful day from long range. For much of the afternoon, it looked like Kentucky couldn’t get into an offensive rhythm. They didn’t have the firepower to keep their foot on the gas.
Wofford didn’t back down defensively. Tyler Herro couldn’t find his shot all day, and the Cats needed someone like Jamarl Baker Jr. to come in off the bench and provide big minutes. Unlike Thursday, Kentucky looked like a team that was missing its leading scorer.
On Saturday, that wasn’t too much to overcome. But what about when UNC’s explosive, fast-paced offense shows up? Shoot, how is Kentucky going to get into an offensive flow against a team like Houston, which is one of the best defensive teams left in the tournament. Obviously the Cats aren’t lacking in talent, and even if Washington doesn’t return, they’re still plenty dangerous if Herro and Keldon Johnson get going.
But Saturday made me question if a Washington-less Kentucky squad will be able to have enough to put 2 more wins together and make it to Minneapolis.
1 thing I hope/think we’ll get to see — Auburn vs. UNC
ALL THE POINTS, PLEASE.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
