The SEC has slowly been making a push back to respectability in Tier 1. Three years ago (also known as BC in the conference: before Calipari), the 12 teams from the Sun Belt were the worst in Tier 1. John Calipari has heaved the conference up with his astounding run of recruiting. Calipari brings in another crazy wave of freshmen in 2011-12, but he will have some interesting competition. The conference is still top heavy with four strong teams on paper. Being top heavy is still better than being lightweight. Since I covered the top three players in my overall top ten last week (and don't really have anything new to add), I'll just list them. Of course, I wouldn't want you to think that I was skimping, so I'll add three players at the bottom. This one goes to 13!
1. Anthony Davis, freshman forward, Kentucky Wildcats
2. JaMychal Green, forward, Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Dee Bost, guard, Mississippi State Bulldogs
4. Terrence Jones, forward, Kentucky Wildcats
Can a sophomore be a grizzled veteran? Jones is the first relatively successful Wildcat in the Calipari era to come back for his second season, so he feels like a 19-year-old oldster among this year's freshmen. Had the 6-foot-9 small forward kept up his early season pace from his first year, there was no way he would have been back. Jones had double-doubles in five of his first seven games, including 27 points and 17 rebounds in a Dec. 8 win over Notre Dame. He had only eight more double-doubles after that game and finished with averages of 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds. With Davis (see above) and Gilchrist (see below) also on the front line, Jones' rebound total will almost certainly decrease. On the other hand, he could be the leader of this team and even improve his freshman averages.
5. John Jenkins, guard, Vanderbilt Commodores
Jenkins followed a decent freshman season in 2009-10 by taking over the Commodore offense as a sophomore. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.5 points and hit 40.8% of his three-pointers (3.1 threes per game). While I generally prefer my fantasy studs to be well-rounded (and Jenkins only averaged 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists), there is a lot to be said of Jenkins' consistency. He was not held to single digits and played his best in the biggest conference games. Against Kentucky on Feb. 12, Jenkins set career highs in both points (32) and threes (six). He scored 21 points in the first round loss to Richmond, and maybe he will lead Vanderbilt out of the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007 (they have been bounced in their first game in their last three appearances).
6. Tony Mitchell, forward, Alabama Crimson Tide
Mitchell and Green form one of the better frontcourt duos in the country. If Alabama can get some consistent guard play (I'm look at you Trevor Releford), then the Crimson Tide could return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006. The 6-foot-6 junior averaged 15.2 points and 7.1 rebounds. He also provided stats on the defensive end with 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks. Mitchell found his scoring touch in a sweet February run in which he scored 20 or more points in five of six games. This run included a career-high 27 points in a Feb. 19 win over Arkansas. Like many forwards, Mitchell likes to hoist threes, but he only connected on 31.6% of his attempts as a sophomore. A marginal improvement in three-point proficiency could lead to Mitchell challenging Green for the team's scoring lead.
7. Jeffery Taylor, guard/forward, Vanderbilt Commodores
Prior to 2010-11, I thought Taylor (not Jenkins) would lead Vanderbilt in scoring. The 6-foot-7 Swedish-born swingman improved, but unlike Jenkins, his improvement was incremental. In his junior season, Taylor averaged 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. His averages would have looked better without two slumps that hit in November and February in which he scored in single digits more often than double digits. Taylor fouled out of a Nov. 19 loss to West Virginia with just five points. Fouls also created playing time issues in February against SEC competition. Against Richmond, he was only 1 for 10 from the field and finished with four points and an equal number of fouls. He should improve his production if he can stay on the court.
8. Renardo Sidney, forward, Mississippi State Bulldogs
Most of Sidney's headlines in his first year of college basketball were garnered for off the court nonsense. He, like Bost, was suspended to open the season. Another suspension followed when Sidney got into a fistfight with now former teammate Elgin Bailey on Christmas Eve in Hawaii. When he was on the court, he showed why he was such a highly touted recruit (and maybe why he has been given so many chances). Despite being out of shape, the 6-foot-10 junior averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. He hit 51.7% of his shots from the field and scored in the twenties four times. If he can stay out of trouble, Sidney can pad his stats against non-conference opponents this year and could be a nice draft find.
9. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, freshman forward, Kentucky Wildcats
One issue that Terrence Jones had last year was with consistent intensity. If he has that problem this year, he will be on the bench while Kidd-Gilchrist soaks up the minutes. A more likely scenario is the two underclassmen play together, but that always risks diminishing returns for fantasy players. The 6-foot-6 freshman from St. Patrick's will bring a level of defensive intensity that has rarely been seen in Lexington (or in any part of the country). He is not a slouch on the offensive (read, fantasy) end of the court. He averaged 19.4 points, 14.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 5.2 blocks, and 3.5 assists as a high school senior. Even though Davis and Jones will get their share of caroms, it wouldn't surprise me to see Kidd-Gilchrist lead the Wildcats in rebounding.
10. Festus Ezeli, center, Vanderbilt Commodores
A Festus for the rest of us, Ezeli should probably be rated higher on this list because of the dearth of centers in college basketball. The 6-foot-11 Nigerian joined the starting lineup as a junior and provided the Commodores with some low post offense. He averaged 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. Like Taylor, Ezeli had problems avoiding whistles and fouled out of five games. His size allows him to overpower smaller opponents and he used his girth for a team-high 21 points in the tournament loss to Richmond. With Jenkins and Taylor patrolling the perimeter, Ezeli should have plenty of room to maneuver around the basket and could equal his 58.8% field goal percentage.
11. Erving Walker, guard, Florida Gators
The 2010-11 Gators were an odd team. They had two short volume shooters (Walker and Kenny Boynton Jr.) and two bigs (Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus) that did not lead the team in rebounding. Like Macklin and Tyus, Chandler Parsons - who led the team in rebounding and assists - is now gone. Walker and his team-leading 14.6 points return. While he only hit 41.1% of his shots form the field, Walker did convert 38.5% of his three-pointers (and hit a number of late-game daggers). Without Parsons, the 5-foot-8 senior may need to return his sophomore ways when he averaged 4.9 assists (he doled out 3.4 dimes last year). The Gators have a crowded backcourt, but Walker should lead the way.
12. Andre Stringer, guard, LSU Tigers
It has been a rough couple of seasons on the bayou. The Tigers have finished in the basement of the SEC in each of the last two seasons. At least a pair of promising freshmen (Stringer and Ralston Turner) got experience last year. While Turner led LSU in scoring at 12.3 points, it was Stringer who led the team in assists (2.7 dimes) and added 11.2 points. Neither sophomore shot well. Stringer hit just 33.4% of his field goals and 29.5% of his three-pointers. The 5-foot-9 Jackson, MS native will need to improve his accuracy and his ball handling (a team-high 2.6 turnovers) to make good on this ranking.
13. Marshawn Powell, forward, Arkansas Razorbakcks
Coming into 2010-11, Powell was a highly regarded fantasy asset. He provided 14.9 points in his freshman year with the Razorbacks, but broke his foot in the summer of 2010. It seemed like he needed the entire 2010-11 season to recover from the injury and his production dipped accordingly. The 6-foot-7 junior averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, numbers well below his freshman year production. Powell had surgery in May to clean up some lingering foot issues and should be healthy by the beginning of the season. New Razorback coach Mike Anderson may have to lean on Powell because Arkansas does not have much frontcourt depth. Big minutes could mean a return to big production for Powell.
Also considered - Florida: guard Kenny Boynton, Jr., freshman guard Bradley Beal, guard Mike Rosario; Kentucky: guard Marquis Teague; Georgia: freshman guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope; South Carolina: guard Bruce Ellington; Mississippi State: freshman forward Rodney Hood; Arkansas: guard Julysses Nobles; LSU: guard Ralston Turner; Auburn: forward Kenny Gabriel