Thoughts on the SEC

[cowboysooner]

Color me impressed. I thought the Big 12 was tough, but I think it was mostly due to the quality of coaching. Watched a lot of SEC basketball this year outside of OU games and the talent on virtually every team in the SEC is crazy, particularly in the frontcourt. Where are all these talented tall guys coming from. It is unreal. Some years Kansas had talented height like this, but across the league, it was never like this. You have to go back to the early days of the Big East to find talented tall guys like this and even then, I don't know about the depth of the talent.

Frankly, it is hard to see how Alabama, Auburn and Florida ever lose a game. I put Tennessee close to being in that same class. Then, look at Kentucky -- Williams, Carr and Garrison in their frontcourt. Its crazy. All three of those guys would be our star center. Missouri has the Mitchell kid (6'9) and 4 seven foot kids. I could go on and on about every team. I have been watching college basketball since the 60's and I just don't remember a conference with this many athletic and skilled bigs.

Whether it is Porter or someone else, whoever coaches OU going forward has a real job on his hands coming up with bigs that can be competitive in the SEC (assuming it stays this way going forward).

BTW, I think it will be an interesting study in basketball to see which of the SEC teams do well in the NCAA tourney. You have the MMA/Mug ball teams, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Auburn, versus the more offensive minded teams like Alabama, Florida and Kentucky. I would think the type of officiating would drive which type of team would be more successful. Probably like most of the experts, I like Auburn and Alabama's chances in the NCAA, notwithstanding the differences in their approach to the game.

 

[OrlandoSooner]

I agree with many of your comments. Originally, I thought that basketball would be result in lessor competition in the SEC than the Big 12. I think the Big 12 has been the best conference for the prior 5ish years. I was wrong about that - this year's version of the SEC is brutal. I think it is that football NIL $$ starting to pay dividends.

It does seem that the physicality of the game has increased this year also. Prior to this year, I hadn't watched as many SEC games, so I'm not sure if it is as typical for the conference or not.

 

[Seymore Cox]

The SEC is good, but OU is just that bad. OU has owned the SEC prior to this year and prior to Porter.

 

[Boom Soon]

Sometimes I wonder if this year’s squad would have done better in the big 12 last year, and last year’s squad would be better in the SEC this year.

 

[hoopsaustin]

I was sooo excited that the sec was going to be so much easier than the big 12 and now we're here..

 

[ousooners1baby]

Kansas always had a dude on each team but not 5 guys that could play multiple sports. They were recruited winners and had great coaching and always had a big. A good big. Having a crazy athletic team has never equated to a championship but todays SEC is different. In the past 5-10 years Baylor comes to my mind as closely to what we are seeing in the SEC today. Just behind them were Texas and Tech. No one else but Iowa State could even come close to bringing an argument of having this type of athletic teams.

 

[MJSooner]

The SEC is good, but OU is just that bad. OU has owned the SEC prior to this year and prior to Porter.

The SEC when we blew out Alabama at home with Tanner Groves, beat Florida, and the last 5+ish years are not anywhere near as good as the SEC today.

NIL leapfrogged the SEC, along with the great coaches, and new hires. The SEC now compares to the late days of the Big 8/early Big 12 in top-to-bottom competitiveness.

Yeah, OU isn't as good of shape as a program in this NIL/transfer era. But let's not act like it's ALL on PM. OU Kelvin and OU Kruger would be challenged in this league, too.

 

[Sooner04]

OU Kelvin and OU Kruger would be challenged in this league, too.

Kelvin would've found a way to scratch out nine conference wins.

 

[MJSooner]

Kelvin would've found a way to scratch out nine conference wins.

Which would be called being "challenged" if he has to scratch out wins to get to .500.

And maybe the FF team, or Bookout/Everett/Gray teams could compete. But if you think he's getting 9 conference wins in THIS SEC with a roster full of guys like Renzi Stone, Jason Yannish, Michael Johnson, Tim Heskett, Johnny Gilbert, Alex Spaulding, and Kelly Newton... unless he had the SpaceJam juice, that ain't happening.

Even with THIS OU roster, it would still be a challenge. I can see him getting the 3-4 we maybe should have won, but that's about it.

The point is still the same- the SEC THIS year is as tough as any conference schedule we've ever played. More ranked teams than ever before on our schedule.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Kelvin would've found a way to scratch out nine conference wins.

Anyone who questions this is likely among the group of people who said he was "in for a rude awakening" when Houston joined the Big 12 . . . which they have immediately proceeded to dominate. Someone must have forgotten to send him the Brent/Moser memo that it takes time to adjust to a new league.

 

[MJSooner]

Anyone who questions this is likely among the group of people who said he was "in for a rude awakening" when Houston joined the Big 12 . . . which they have immediately proceeded to dominate. Someone must have forgotten to send him the Brent/Moser memo that it takes time to adjust to a new league.

I agree. Kelvin and his Houston team would have nine wins and more in this year's SEC, too.

 

[cowboysooner]

First, my opinions weren't relative to OU or to explain OU's record. It is just my opinion that I have never seen such talent in the frontcourt in a conference.

Second, I agree with Orlando. It is just a reflection of the money that is in the SEC, relative to the other conferences, and the money that is anticipated to be coming in under the new contract. Presumably, we will be getting the benefit of that in years to come. Should be the same situation in every sport.

Third, I agree with whoever said they thought Houston would be an upper tier team in the SEC this year. However, I don't agree that Sampson or any other coach in the country would be consistently upper tier in the SEC without sufficient NIL to procure competitive talent in the frontcourt. I don't like his style of play, but Sampson is (some would disagree) a really good guy and a good coach (not arguable) that gets the most out of his players. Given decent talent to work with, he would be successful in any league.

 

[Sooner04]

And maybe the FF team, or Bookout/Everett/Gray teams could compete. But if you think he's getting 9 conference wins in THIS SEC with a roster full of guys like Renzi Stone, Jason Yannish, Michael Johnson, Tim Heskett, Johnny Gilbert, Alex Spaulding, and Kelly Newton... unless he had the SpaceJam juice, that ain't happening.

Well, you say that, but I believe we're the last program to make the FF without a single player playing a single NBA minute. And I saw the 1997 team of Erdmann, Corey Brewer, Robert Allison and Evan Wiley take Kansas to the absolute limit, and Roy trotted out LaFrentz, Pollard, Pierce and Jacque Vaughn.

The debate's probably a little too emotional for me. I just know the program would be better prepared to succeed and expected to win. The standard would be much higher. But that's just me.......I've been wrong before. Often!

 

[Soonerguy06]

I wouldn't be shocked if the final four consisted of all teams OUTSIDE of the SEC, that just seems to be how things work - teams in a brutal conference beat up on each other all season and are injury-riddled come postseason and lose out early. I also wouldn't be shocked if the FF were ALL SEC schools. I definitely think this year's SEC is better than last year's Big 12, but in both seasons we've just not been tough enough to be successful, and that's on the staff from where i'm sitting. Hope next season is better, but I'll choose to have low expectations and be pleasantly surprised, rather than the other way around.

BTW, what's going on with KANSAS right now? I know things are bad in Norman, but wouldn't it be worse if we had a lot of talent and just didn't perform??

 

[WichitaSooner]

I wouldn't be shocked if the final four consisted of all teams OUTSIDE of the SEC, that just seems to be how things work - teams in a brutal conference beat up on each other all season and are injury-riddled come postseason and lose out early. I also wouldn't be shocked if the FF were ALL SEC schools. I definitely think this year's SEC is better than last year's Big 12, but in both seasons we've just not been tough enough to be successful, and that's on the staff from where i'm sitting. Hope next season is better, but I'll choose to have low expectations and be pleasantly surprised, rather than the other way around.

BTW, what's going on with KANSAS right now? I know things are bad in Norman, but wouldn't it be worse if we had a lot of talent and just didn't perform??

Sign me up for struggling but still being in line for a 5 or 6 seed! But I do get your point.

Their talent is actually down from what it usually is. Their freshman center, Bidunga, is the only guy on the roster who is a sure NBA player, and he has only been playing basketball for a few years and isn't yet a guy who can carry a team. Mayo has a shot to play in the NBA, I guess, but the three seniors aren't close to being NBA guys. The other key issue is that other than Mayo, their transfers haven't been nearly as good as expected. They went out and got several guys who seemed to be perfect fits for what they were lacking last year, but it just isn't working for some reason.

 

[Soonerguy06]

Agree, they haven't impressed me, except Mayo at times. Dickinson seems to not really care sometimes. You'd think with 3 veteran players returning, plus incoming transfers and youngsters they'd have been really solid, based on their preseason #1 ranking, but that just goes to show you that talent really isn't the only thing that matters - chemistry and heart have a lot to do with it also.