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10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after SEC basketball opening weekend
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The SEC opened the most anticipated basketball season in the league’s storied history on Saturday with 8 games, including 3 matchups between ranked opponents.
In an homage to the league’s greatest rivalry of the modern (post-integration) era, the SEC opened with a top-10 matchup between No. 10 Kentucky and No. 6 Florida. Kentucky won an instant classic 106-100 thanks to a “Steph” like performance from Koby Brea, who connected on 7-of-9 3-point attempts to help the Wildcats erase an 11-point first-half deficit and hand the Gators their first loss.
While Kentucky’s stirring victory was easily the game of the day, there were plenty of other takeaways from the first weekend of conference play in this season’s best basketball league in the country.
Here are 10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after the SEC’s opening weekend.
1. Koby Brea is the best shooter in college basketball– and he raises Kentucky’s ceiling
We knew Brea was a great shooter, but did we know he was 7-9 from beyond the arc vs. a then-top 20 Florida defense good?
Brea elevated his 3-point percentage to 58.5% for the season. Brea shot 49.8% from deep for Dayton last season, and his form this year suggest his marksmanship translates just fine to Power 5 basketball.
The final 2 3s Brea made were preposterous, with blanket defense from Will Richard and Alijah Martin, one of the SEC’s best on-ball defenders, on both, and Brea simply making a “no dip” and quick pump fake triple with ease.
Mark Pope built his reputation as an offensive innovator whose 4-out and off-ball screening actions are the envy of coaches around the country. The Cats are going to get good looks. But if Brea shoots like this, they’ll have some games like Saturday, where they averaged a staggering 1.47 points per possession against an outstanding opponent.
2. Florida isn’t a ‘computer tricker‘
“The Gators are really, really good,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said after Saturday’s game at Rupp Arena. “They will score and compete against anyone. They just need to become more consistent defensively against great teams, but that’s tougher on the road.”
This assessment is correct, I think, despite some whispers entering Saturday that Florida, which entered ranked No. 6 in KenPom’s efficiency metrics, were “tricking computers.” Did Florida play the toughest nonconference slate? No, but that’s hardly their fault. Florida played 5 Power 5 opponents. It isn’t their fault that North Carolina, which they beat in Charlotte, Virginia, which they clobbered at home, Florida State, which they trounced in Tallahassee, or Wake Forest, which they routed in Orlando, are down.
The Gators have one of the nation’s best backcourts with Walter Clayton Jr., who had 33 points at Kentucky, wing Will Richard, and FAU transfer Alijah Martin, who had 26 in defeat. Florida needs to tighten up its ball screen defense against good teams, but there’s no question Florida will be in the thick of the SEC Championship hunt along with Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, Texas A&M and No. 1 Tennessee, which visits Gainesville on Tuesday night.
3. The SEC office messed up only scheduling 1 Kentucky-Florida game
Garth Glissman, the SEC’s Associate Commissioner charged with creating the basketball schedule, did a phenomenal job this season given the constraints and demands of expansion. Bookending opening weekend with rivalry games was an especially nice touch.
But Kentucky fans and Florida fans alike were disappointed that the Gators and Wildcats will only meet once in the regular season. That’s the first time in the modern (post-integration) era that’s occurred, and it is a shame to deprive the SEC of 2 games between its 2 winningest programs this century in such a banner year.
This rivalry has defined the SEC for over 2 decades. They are the only SEC programs with multiple Final Fours (and national titles) this century and both have a long history of success under multiple coaches, passionate fan bases and coaches who “get” the rivalry. It’s an important game that helps enrich the season for both programs.
Credit Glissman for addressing why this happened over the weekend and engaging with many who had questions. That type of leadership and accountability is rare.
4. Hand Johni Broome the Wooden Award already
I wrote in the preseason that Johni Broome could win a Wooden Award, even if Alabama’s Mark Sears was understandably the preseason SEC Player of the Year selection.
That take has aged well, but I am going to remove the “could.”
In my view, the Wooden Award is decided in January, much the way it was a year ago when it was evident to anyone with a vote by January that Zach Edey would win the award.
Broome, the top player in America in Bart Torvik’s “Points above replacement player” metric, was magnificent in No. 2 Auburn’s 84-68 opening win over Missouri. Broome scored 24 points but did all the other stuff he does too — blocking 4 shots, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. Broome has eclipsed 20 points on 8 occasions this season, the undisputed leader of the best team in the country, per KenPom (AP No. 1 Tennessee ranks 4th). But it isn’t just his scoring. Broome ranks in the top 100 nationally in offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, blocked shots, and offensive rating. He is peerless in a league chock full of All-American talents.
5. Rick Barnes has his best defense at Tennessee
Rick Barnes has won 2 SEC regular-season titles at Tennessee and finished 2nd twice. His defenses in those seasons ranked 6th (2018), 42nd (2019), 3rd (2022), and 3rd (2024). This season, Tennessee’s defense ranks No. 1 in the country, with the best perimeter defensive duo in America in Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack and an impressive trio of rim protectors in Felix Okpara, Cade Phillips and Igor Miličić Jr., who all rank in the top 300 nationally in block percentage per 40 minutes.
In Saturday’s SEC opening rout of Arkansas, the Vols limited the Hogs to just 21% shooting from beyond the arc and 37% shooting overall. Tennessee also outrebounded Arkansas 51-29, dominating the Razorbacks with suffocating defense and physicality. On the season, only Baylor has scored more than 1 point per possession against Tennessee. The Vols won that game by 15 points, anyway.
Barnes’ programs have long been known for their emphasis on player development and defense, and that’s how he’s built the most successful era of Tennessee basketball in the program’s rich history. This defense feels even more special than the building blocks that came before it.
6. Texas A&M is the best team we aren’t talking about
Buzz Williams and the Aggies won for the 8th consecutive time in blasting rival Texas 80-60 on Saturday night at Reed Arena. It was incredibly impressive because the Aggies shot the ball terribly (2-for-19 from 3) and got little from Wade Taylor IV (13 points on 4-of-12 shooting) and won by 20, anyway. The Aggies still aren’t a great offensive team, but Pharrel Payne and Zhuric Phelps combined for 33 points on a ruthlessly efficient 11-for-17 from the field to pick up the slack offensively.
Payne’s rim-shaking dunk nearly brought the Reed Arena house down, but it’s the way Williams’ team guards that makes it an SEC title contender. Texas shot just 25% from deep and was held to a season low .88 points per possession. The Aggies head to Oklahoma with a top-5 KenPom defense and a chance to win 9 straight for the first time under Williams.
7. Reality check for Oklahoma?
Oklahoma began SEC play as 1 of 3 undefeated teams remaining in the country and easily the most surprising unbeaten.
They left Saturday looking more like the team SEC media picked to finish 15th in the league.
There’s certainly no shame in losing to top-5 Alabama on the road. The Crimson Tide are really good and scored 100 points for the second game without hitting 10 3-pointers, dominating Oklahoma in the paint 56-42. Sooners’ star freshman Jeremiah Fears did score 16 points, but he was an inefficient 5-for-15 from the floor and committed 3 turnovers that led to 6 Alabama points.
The computers never fell in love with Oklahoma, despite its electric 13-0 start. Oklahoma’s collapse from top-10 team to First Team Out was a huge story a season ago. Porter Moser told SDS that the empty feeling on Selection Sunday “motivated him all offseason and was the lowest moment of his career.” There’s no risk of that yet at Oklahoma, but if the Sooners begin league play 0-2, healthy skepticism might start to arise in Norman.
8. Don’t Sleep On: The State of Mississippi
Chris Beard’s team really struggled on defense a season ago, but Beard promised SDS it would be more cohesive in 2024-25. Early returns are remarkable, as no team in America has improved more on one side of the ball than the Rebels, who were 141st last season in defensive efficiency but rank 26th in KenPom after stifling Georgia 63-51 on Saturday. You won’t find a more complete player in the SEC than Matthew Murrell, and wing Dre Davis has lifted all boats for that group, as his 5-block, 2-steal performance in Saturday’s win demonstrates. Beard has also managed to get the best out of Sean Pedulla, who was a talented scorer at Virginia Tech who was always a little lackadaisical defensively and highly turnover-prone. With Pedulla now defending and taking better care of the ball, the Rebels might be undervalued nationally and in the SEC conversation.
Further east, Miss State and Chris Jans are still one of the toughest teams to play against in the country. Jans led Miss State to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first 2 seasons with gritty defense, and this group still plays that way, but they score, too, making them a threat to stay longer in March this time. Josh Hubbard, who would be in SEC Player of the Year discussions in a world without Johni Broome, had 21 points and was fantastic in the Bulldogs’ rout of South Carolina on Saturday. But it was the fact that 4 Bulldogs — none of whom were Cam Matthews — scored in double digits that impressed most. A versatile offensive team to go with the usual strong rebounding and protect the paint defense that is in Jans’ DNA as a coach? That’s scary.
9. The SEC will send these 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament:
Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Texas A&M, Miss State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Missouri and Georgia.
10. All-SEC Team and Awards through nonconference and 1:
Best Six:
- Johni Broome, Auburn
- Mark Sears, Alabama
- Otega Oweh, Kentucky
- Josh Hubbard, Miss State
- Chas Lanier, Tennessee
- Alijah Martin, Florida
Player of the Year: Broome
Freshman of the Year: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Defensive Player of the Year: Jahmai Mashack, Tennessee
Coach of the Year: Mark Pope, Kentucky
Neil Blackmon covers Florida football and the SEC for SaturdayDownSouth.com. An attorney, he is also a member of the Football and Basketball Writers Associations of America. He also coaches basketball.
