A Sure-Bet In the SEC?
So you say you can pick college basketball games with any of the Las Vegas experts. I don't believe it; especially if your specialization is Southeastern Conference basketball this season.
For instance, I'll bet you picked little-known Mississippi State to beat SEC favorite LSU in Assembly Center. It was such a sure thing that Tennessee would drill Sonny Smith's talented Auburn group by 14 that you bet the weekly paycheck on your certain prognostication. How about the lock of the year, those Baton Rouge Tiger-killing Mississippi State Bulldogs handling host Alabama with high-scorers Bobby Lee Hurt and Buck Johnson.
Nick Nicholas
Cdts.' Pause Coluirmbi
If you picked those three games then I should be writing a story about you, the college basketball prognosticator of the South, instead of trying to figure out what's going on in the mixed up antics of Southeastern Conference basketball in '85.
At one stretch this season Kentucky and Mississippi State were leading the conference with 3-0 slates. Mississippi State?
Wasn't that the team most everyone around the SEC said didn't have a chance to compete against the likes of the LSUs, Alabamas, and Auburns?
And while we're on the subject, what about the Bengal Tigers, Crimson Tide, and Plainsmen? Well, (at the time the story was written) they are fourth, seventh, and eighth respectively. Kind of strange isn't it?
The funny thing is that when asking a few of the coaches around the SEC they didn't seem the least bit surprised, especially about the recent home team domination in league play.
"I think the surprising thing would be if everything was normal," said assistant coach Monte Towe of Florida in a recent phone interview with TCP.
Sanderson Is Not Surprised
"The only thing that has surprised me is LSU has lost twice. I didn't expect that."
Now an assistant to Coach Norm Sloan, Towe was the starting guard on the North Carolina State team (coached by Sloan) that defeated Marquette for the 1974 NCAA title in Greensboro, N.C.
When asked about the home team's advantage (11-4 after January 9) one SEC head coach didn't seem to be startled by the latter statistic.
"It hasn't surprised me at all," said Alabama head coach Wimp Sanderson in a recent phone interview. It's nothing new.
"Show me a team that's going to win a lot of road games and I'll show you a team that's going to go very far in the national tournament."
"Home court domination is exsistent about every year in the conference," mentioned Towe.
As of January 10, only LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi State, have won games while being the visiting team in SEC competition.
What about fouls being the culprit victimizing certain SEC guests? Could that be a possibility Wimp?
' 'That may have a little bit to do with it," responded Sanderson. Total free throw attempts and fouls commited may be the hidden factor in why the home teams have been prevailing so much. First, lets look in our own backyard -- Rupp Arena.
"I think the surprising thing
would be if everything was
normal, "said assistant coach
Monte Towe of Florida.
Against Auburn and Vanderbilt the Wildcats have had an edge in the two pertaining categories but a slight edge. In free throws attempted UK tried 21 and was whistled for 15 personal fouls while Auburn took 14 charity tosses while being called for 18 fouls. In the Vandy win, Kentucky was called for 16 fouls and shot 18 free throws compared to Vanderbilt's 17 fouls and 13 charity attempts.
In SEC games played January 9, all four home teams were called for less fouls (64 to 89) and shot more free throws (100 to 55) than the visiting squads. The only game,-of the four referred to- out of the ordinary was the Auburn-Tennessee matchup at the Stokley Athletic Center. Auburn, who lost the game 86-74, was guilty of 29 fouls in contrast to only 14 by the host Vols. Meanwhile, at the free throw stripe Tennessee had 42 chances compared to 11 by the Tigers.
How 'bout that home court advantage?
I'm not going to argue though about what's right and what's wrong. Let somebody else, like the league's office, get involved with such technicalities. All I want to do is find out what makes this conference so unique this year. What makes it tick?
Could it be that all ten teams in the SEC are capable of winning during any given night in league play? Is it that balanced?
Said Coach Joe Hall, "The league race is probably indicative of the way the SEC schedule starts off.
' 'It's probably indicative of the inability to project the impact of JC (Junior College) players like at Mississippi State. The league probably has as much balance as it ever has. Although the schedule will likely even out the early standings."
So, in economic terms, the SEC in '85 shows that the supply and demand figures have leveled off as the 10 teams now appear equal to one another. Even a 12-6 SEC slate wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the regular season conference crown.
"I think a lot of people would take a 12-6 record in their conference games," said Towe. "It's going to be tough for one team to win 15, 16, or 17 games in this conference."
"That's not out of the rim of possibility," commented Sanderson in relation to 12-6 winning the conference. "I think 14-4 could win it and maybe 13-5. I think six (losses) might be too many."
It may be too early to predict, but the SEC race will probably be still up for grabs until the final week of action. There doesn't seem to be any clear-cut choice for the league title at this point of the schedule.
"I don't think there's no one dominant team," Towe said. "I don't see anyone dominating."
For now, that's the way things appear to be.