the top players in any one-bid league in Mike Daum, and. Virginia Tech is an exceptional offensive club --- but the two
HOOPS INSIDER
INSIDE ONE OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL’S PREMIER CONFERENCES | COMPILED BY PATRICK STEVENS, SPECIAL TO GATEHOUSE MEDIA STORY OF THE WEEK
RANKING THE LEAGUE *
Quinndary Weatherspoon strikes again: As Mississippi State has rushed to a 7-0 start, it has guard Quinndary Weatherspoon to thank for a good chunk of its success. The 6-foot-4 junior has delivered a pair of game-winning shots in the final second since Thanksgiving. First, his buzzer-beating 3-pointer allowed the Bulldogs to slip past Jacksonville State. Then his bucket with 0.8 seconds left was the difference in a 61-59 victory over Dayton. The Bulldogs still have a lot to prove, but at least they have comfort knowing they can deploy a tested option in crunch time.
STOCK RISING
STOCK FALLING
Auburn: The Tigers are off to their second consecutive 6-1 start, but there’s a sense Bruce Pearl’s fourth team at Auburn will easily be his best. For starters, the Tigers are playing defense more often than not and held both Dayton and George Mason to well under a point per possession last week. With sophomore guard Mustapha Heron playing with great consistency and Anfernee McLemore emerging as one of the nation’s top shot-swatters, Auburn is doing its part to add to the growing depth of the SEC early this season.
Mississippi: The Rebels are a couple breaks away from being 6-1 and on track for a typical season in Oxford. The problem is they didn’t get those breaks last week in overtime losses to South Dakota State and Virginia Tech. Neither of those setbacks is going to cause too much harm to Mississippi’s resume --- South Dakota State has one of the top players in any one-bid league in Mike Daum, and Virginia Tech is an exceptional offensive club --- but the two home losses mean the Rebels won’t have a deep set of accomplishments prior to league play. Ole Miss could really use a victory at Middle Tennessee on Saturday.
1. Texas A&M (7-0): Seven games in and the Aggies have won every game by double figures. (Last week: 1) 2. Kentucky (7-1): The Wildcats haven’t faced the most brutal schedule in the early going, and it remains to be seen if that’s the best approach with a young-even-byCalipari-standards roster. They beat Harvard by nine to open the month. (LW: 3) 3. Tennessee (6-1): The surprising early success continues for Tennessee, which blasted a solid Mercer team before beating defenseminded Georgia Tech on the road. (LW: 6) 4. Florida (5-2): Surprisingly shellacked at home by Florida State as it came out of a lengthy post-PK80 Invitational layoff. The Gators’ defense has proven surprisingly ineffective in recent weeks. (LW: 2) 5. Georgia (6-1): Earned a tough victory at Marquette, a quality showing on the road for a Bulldogs team that appears capable of holding its own in a deeper SEC this season.
WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT (LW: 7)
6. Arkansas (5-2): There was a lot to like about November, but the Hogs were flat-out overmatched in their loss at Houston to open December. They could bag a big victory with Minnesota coming to town Saturday. (LW: 4) 7. Missouri (6-2): Returned to Orlando to hand Central Florida a loss just a few days after a second-place finish in the AdvoCare Invitational. There’s a good chance the Tigers run the table for the rest of nonconference play. (LW: 8) 8. Alabama (6-2): Slipped past Louisiana Tech before falling at home to a Central Florida team playing without injured guard B.J. Taylor. A trip to Arizona will be telling for both teams on Saturday. (LW: 5) 9. Mississippi State (7-0): After taking three of their last four by five points or less, the Bulldogs’ biggest test yet is finally on the horizon. Ben Howland’s bunch faces Cincinnati early next week. (LW: 11) 10. Auburn (6-1): The Tigers bring a fourgame winning streak into the week after sweeping Atlantic 10 schools Dayton and George Mason. In-state rival UAB comes to the Plains on Saturday. (LW: 12) 11. South Carolina (6-2): The Gamecocks are 6-0 when they break 70 points, 0-2 when they don’t. Look for them to show a little more aptitude in low-scoring games as the season unfolds. (LW: 9)
Florida guard Egor Koulechov dribbles up the court during the second half against Florida State Monday in Gainesville, Fla. The Seminoles won 83-66. [Ron Irby/the associated press]
Florida vs. Cincinnati
Weekend slate All times CST Saturday, 6 p.m., Prudential Center, Newark, Time Game TV N.J., ESPN2 SATURDAY It’s the best test yet for the Gators’ offense Noon Coastal Carolina at S. Carolina SEC and comes in the neutral-site Never Forget Noon Kentucky vs. Monmouth (NY) ESPNU Tribute Classic. While scoring has generally 2:15 p.m. Lipscomb at Tennessee SEC not been a problem for Florida, it is coming 4:30 p.m. Prairie View A&M at Texas A&M SEC+ off a shaky game against Florida State that 4:30 p.m. UAB at Auburn SEC saw guard Chris Chiozza held to just three 5 p.m. North Georgia at Mississippi State SEC+ points and scoreless from the field. Still, 6 p.m. Mississippi at Middle Tennessee STAD Florida can create plenty of challenges for 6:45 p.m. Minnesota at Arkansas SEC a Cincinnati team that entered the week 9 p.m. Wisconsin-Green Bay at Missouri SEC ranked No. 8 in KenPom.com’s defensive 10 p.m. Alabama at Arizona ESPN2 efficiency ratings. Guard Jalen Brunson has Sunday been sharp, and Egor Koulechov has played 5 p.m. UNC Wilmington at LSU SEC+ with efficiency in the early going. The Bearcats, one of the top teams in the American Athletic Conference, are coming off a chippy loss to crosstown rival Xavier. Senior forward Gary Clark and junior wing Jacob Evans lead Cincinnati, which has made seven consecutive NCAA tournaments.
• G Mustapha Heron, Auburn: In defeats of Dayton and George Mason, the sophomores averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds.
13. Mississippi (4-3): Back-to-back overtime losses at home to a Summit League contender (South Dakota State) and a likely NCAA tournament team (Virginia Tech) were not what Andy Kennedy needed. (LW: 10) 14. Vanderbilt (3-5): Four weeks into the season and the Commodores are still looking for their first winning streak. Yikes. (LW: 14) *Records through Dec. 4
NUMBER OF NOTE
.778
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK • G Tyson Carter, Mississippi State: Averaged 27.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in victories over North Dakota State and Dayton.
12. Louisiana State (4-2): The Tigers beat Tennessee-Martin in their only contest in an 18-day span after returning home from Maui. It doesn’t warrant much of a change in this rundown. (LW: 13)
• G Kevin Knox, Kentucky: The freshman delivered 20 points and seven rebounds to help the Wildcats get past Harvard.
• F Yante Maten, Georgia: Led a balanced effort with 13 points and seven rebounds as the Bulldogs bagged a victory at Marquette.
6x3 ad position
Field goal percentage for Alabama’s Donta Hall, the best in Division I entering the week.
7-0 Record for Mississippi State after its victory over Dayton on Sunday, its best start since winning its first 13 games in 2003-04.
