12/8/2024
Major Upsets Upset the SEC
Make the upsets stop. After weeks of trying to compare the mass of undefeated teams in the SEC, a tough showing for the conference leaves us with only two: a 10-0 LSU and a 7-0 Tennessee. LSU has moved to No. 5 with their recent domination in the league and they appear to be consistent enough to stay at the top of the standings. Only two teams, Stanford and Washington, have managed to even somewhat challenge this team and it doesn’t seem like their is much competition in their future that should worry them.
While LSU started in the polls, Tennessee has been a pleasant surprise for the league and is now beginning to receive some more votes. They were not expected to be quite so dominant this season but it seems the addition of their fiery new coach has been exactly what this team needed. This light schedule of only six games so far is great for their undefeated record but will give less of a cushion that they may need with the in-conference matchups that are in everyone's peripheral.
Unfortunately, after the performance by some major SEC teams this week, Tennessee may just volunteer to play some extra in-conference games. No. 4 Texas, though I wouldn’t bank on that ranking quite so much anymore, was upset by No. 10, Notre Dame. That was just the tip of the iceberg. After Texas fell, they all went down. Later that night, previously 7-0 Kentucky fell to No. 16 North Carolina and No. 18, Ole Miss, was upset by unranked NC State. Tragically, that is not where it stopped as Alabama lost to unranked California as well. This was expected to be a challenge for them but it still a disappointing loss with the success of their season so far. They are now at 9-1 and tied with Vanderbilt for third in the SEC.
Luckily, the night was not a total bust as we saw some victories from weaker SEC teams like Florida who got a win over Clemson, Missouri with a win over SMU, Arkansas over BC, and Auburn taking down Virginia. South Carolina was also able to fend off No. 8, Duke, who had the ability to be a threat to them. Their tests are far from over as they take on No. 9 TCU next week, still somewhat vulnerable after recently having their win streak snapped. If they are able to dispose of these two ranked opponents back to back, some of their early-season confidence should definitely be restored.
Ava's Funny: Mississippi State has also been impressive this season at 8-1. It is worth questioning why teams like this seem to always be left out of the conversation, but in Mississippi’s case, maybe it’s just because no one at AP wants to spell it.
11/30/2024
Big Changes and New Leaders for the SEC
The talk of the week? Down go the Gamecocks, an upset by UCLA breaking their 43-game win streak. While they recovered quickly with wins over Iowa State and Purdue, they have been bumped down to No. 4 and are no longer the certain favorite for the National Title. In fact, now they no longer lead even the SEC as LSU, Alabama, and Mississippi State all sit undefeated at 8-0. Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas also remain undefeated but have had less packed schedules. Kentucky stands at 7-0 and Texas and Tennessee stay at 5-0. Oklahoma has also continued to push their way up the rankings as they have found themselves No. 8 and at 6-1. They will play a ranked opponent, No. 24 Louisville, later in the week and hopefully increase the win column of that record even more.
LSU should remain at the top of the SEC standings and the polls in the upcoming week. They'll likely be challenged by Stanford as they have been having a strong season at 7-1, but LSU stays heavily favored in that game and in their 6 other games in December. Alabama, also at the top of the SEC, will face some West Coast trouble as well against California but should be mostly confident for the rest of their games for the month. With their last two blowout wins against Alabama State and Clemson this past week, they have definitely proven themselves to be strong competitors. They still need to watch out for some strong teams like Michigan State and even Richmond that have been flying somewhat under the radar this year despite undefeated records.
The final 8-0 team, Mississippi State, should feel the most confident going into the month, though not necessarily the week. They could find their next opponent, Georgia Tech, the toughest they’ve faced so far this season. While they have proven resilient, they barely snuck past Utah and USF this past week and need to be much more consistent if they hope to open the month with a win. Fortunately, they do not play a team currently over .500 after that, so they should have a cushion going into in-conference play. One of those teams is Chicago State, sitting at 0-9. This is their first time joining a conference and their schedule is far from easy, so in all, they have been putting up a good fight. Really, what more can you expect from a school that thinks Chicago is a state?
In the SEC, only Arkansas and the Gators are below .500 after tough losses to BGSU and JMU, respectively. Arkansas has another tough game against BC coming up and will have to put up their best fight of the season to not drop any lower. The Gators on the other hand should be able to pull out a win against Hofstra on Monday to start their three-game week.
11/24/2024
Week Brings Movement and New Teams to Watch
Call this week, the Kentucky climb as they shot up the polls and landed at No. 15. They are beyond strong right now with Georgia Amoore, who is undoubtedly a top 15 player in the league and putting up some incredible numbers, and an overall strong defensive front. They are leading the league in blocks right now and their strength on defense in the paint is clearly having an effect on their overall ability to compete at a high level. After defeating Purdue they stand at 5-0. Unfortunately for Purdue, they will face another SEC powerhouse No. 1 South Carolina next week. They will try to be the first to bring down the Gamecocks, but it seems they may be in the boiler instead of making it this season.
Tennessee and Vanderbilt see no reward for their impressive starts from the polls. They are starting to capture more attention in the league, especially Vanderbilt, who came out of this week adding two wins against Hampton and Samford, bringing them to 6-0. There was some movement again for Ole Miss as they climbed slightly to No. 17 while we saw the opposite for Alabama as they dropped right back to No. 24 after their slight jump. Ole Miss has continued to creep forward after starting at No. 20, but they have the potential to plummet with a probable loss against BC.
Conditions for Missouri have also improved as they were successful this week against Saint Louis and Little Rock despite starting the season off at 1-2. They have a tough match-up against Syracuse early next week and will be tested to remain on the incline. Unfortunately, we saw the opposite effect with Auburn who began their season at 3-0 but are at 3-2 after taking back-to-back losses against Oregon and California. These were expected to be tough opponents for the Tigers and the close 70-68 loss against a ranked Oregon team shows that despite the hit to their record, they remain a competitive team.
The Gators saw another disappointing loss to rival Florida State which, though a close game, will put them at 3-2. With their schedule for next week they may be able to recover against Tulane and JMU. Georgia pulled themselves out of a two-game losing streak against Tulsa on Thursday, but are now at 4-3 after their 20-point loss to Penn State. They should easily get their next win against Prairie View. The question remains if small wins like this will be able to get them into respectable standing. Though a team has yet to truly surprise us and disrupt the polls, this week was definitely characterized by some bumps that could lead to some great arcs or disappointing falls for SEC teams.
As always, comfort teams like the Gamecocks remain undefeated and relatively unchallenged so far this season. In fact, over the weekend, the Gamecocks set an astounding record for their program capturing 43 straight wins, the longest streak in its history. Unfortunately, their streak of keeping away unwanted headlines is not quite as long.
11/17/2024
At the close of week two, many of the expected SEC teams remain undefeated. The Associated Press polls have not shown much movement within the conference, with the exception of Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss moving up one or two places. They have been performing slightly better than expected, especially Alabama, who has played the most games and sits at 6-0. Yet the Crimson Tide has not faced too much real competition, their closest game being sneaking a 68-58 win past Norfolk State. They have been completely dominating games, including a milestone 115-53 season opener win against New Orleans, proving themselves a real opponent and contender for the national title. Their initial test will come in early December against California, and this will show how big of a competitor they have the potential to be this season.
All SEC teams are currently with a winning record, but not all have found themselves without struggle. Georgia has lost their past two games against Georgia State and Georgia Tech after starting the season with three straight wins. They will have an easier match-up for their next game against Tulsa but will be quickly tested again against Penn State as they look to break their expected six-game win streak as underdogs. After a loss against No. 5 UCLA, Arkansas also sits at 3-2 tying with Georgia, Missouri, and Texas A&M for the bottom spot in the SEC. However, they are expected to win their next two games against Oral Roberts and Arkansas State so they should be able to get back into better standing by the end of next week.
Missouri also has a relatively easier slate ahead and will hopefully be on a four game win streak by the time next week comes to a close after beating Western Illinois and Tulane in a close match this past week. Unfortunately, Texas A&M does not have that same luxury as they are playing Villanova, Syracuse, and Kansas State. Though it won’t be quite as easy a road as some of these other teams, I expect they will be able to maintain a winning record.
Auburn will look to keep their undefeated record against No. 25, Oregon State, next week, their first big test of the season. Vanderbilt, who many refused to count out this season, could very possibly find themselves at a solid 6-0 by the end of next week as they continue, rightfully so, to take advantage of these easier early-season games. Much like Vanderbilt, head coach Kim Caldwell has kept her Tennessee team undefeated as well, and with only one game left in the month, they will strive to keep that into December and prove right the many people who believed they deserved a high preseason ranking this year. South Carolina has held up well so far this season, but the road ahead is very tough for them as they inch closer to the list of ranked opponents in their future, all looking to bring down the No. 1 seed.
After the loss against Miami, Florida's coach was spotted at the eye doctor. Turns out, they lost because she was seeing double — the Cavinder twins, who combined for 43 points. The Gators made an incredible comeback starting late in the third quarter and made it an incredibly exciting game. However, the Cavinder twins were just too much and some big-time threes late in the game sealed the deal for Miami, serving Florida their first loss of the season so far.
LSU has had, as expected, a great start to their season. They are currently 4-0 and continuing to dispose of some early unranked opponents. Leading their charge recently has been Flau’Jae Johnson but as Johnson’s team sets their sights on the title of National Champions, she has been given a new title, rapper, which was chosen for her bio over basketball player. Let’s hope the only bars she stays focused on this season are the ones she’s been setting for the team, averaging 23 points a game so far.
11/10/2024
Week One Done: What Have We Learned?
The SECs week began with a near upset by No. 20 Ole Miss over No. 3 USC, reminding us of three things:
Beware of the SEC.
Both the SEC and national title are still anyone's game.
Sometimes, if you're USC, the biggest scares come slightly after Halloween.
So far, with the exception of Ole Miss, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Missouri, the SEC is undefeated and the question remains if some initial polls may have shown too much or too little faith in certain teams.
Tennessee may have been one of those underestimated as head coach Kim Caldwell already shows immense confidence in her first season with the Lady Volunteers. Based on talent like Junior Zee Spearman and sophomore Talaysia Cooper, as well as Caldwell's record for getting teams well into tournament, they are not a program I would be quick to count out.
Other than Ole Miss now having a loss, the other major SEC teams have remained as strong as anticipated. Ole Miss, however, even after starting off with a loss, showed they are still a force in the league after putting up an incredible fight against a team that is widely picked to win a national title.
Coming off of a losing season last year, the Gators are 2-0 and looking strong. Though it is unclear just yet how competitive they could really be in this conference, they should continue to capitalize on these lighter parts of their schedule before they face the choppier waters of their in-conference games. The Longhorns will look to do the same as they don’t play a ranked team until their anxiously awaited matchup against No. 6 Notre Dame in early December. LSU has arguably the lightest early season schedule, not playing a ranked team until their in-conference matchup with South Carolina in late January. However, they will see some tests before then with teams like Stanford on their schedule who, though unranked, should challenge the Tigers.
No. 1 South Carolina doesn’t have quite as much room to breathe, playing three Top 10 teams before the end of November. Despite the strength of their schedule, especially in comparison to last year's regular season, the Gamecocks remain confident in their ability to dominate.
So far, games have gone almost as expected, but we should look forward to some surprises as the season progresses and more evenly matched teams begin to challenge one another. Possibly the biggest question of this season remains, will anyone be able to upset the Gamecocks?
10/28/2024
Will a Fourth Consecutive National Champion Emerge from the SEC?
As the highly anticipated 2024-2025 women’s basketball season rapidly approaches, rankings reveal that the SEC has the potential to be a real powerhouse and draw much attention this year. With these predictions, the question remains if the SEC will be home to the season’s national champion for the fourth consecutive year. Though not normally the most prominent conference, certain SEC teams have been making a huge impact on the league and upstaging some of the usual suspects favored in women's Division 1 basketball. With the new addition of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners to the SEC, the conference strengthens even more and the competition for the title heats up, making the SEC a focal point of this season.
The latest Associated Press Top 25 poll revealed that seven of the top 25 ranked teams are from the SEC, even securing the number one slot with defending champions, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Coming off their conference win and National Title, the Gamecocks will look for their second consecutive win and third in four years. They are expected to have another dominant season under Dawn Staley and could very well achieve the outcome they are aiming for despite losing some major talent, including a 6’7” gap left by center, Kamilla Cardoso.
The Texas Longhorns secured the number four ranking and have the talent and strength that will have everyone “hooked” on the SEC. They will be a great addition and undoubtedly contribute to some must-watch SEC matchups. Also with a strong No. 7 ranking in the poll is the 2023 national champions, Louisiana State University. They have found themselves second in the SEC since the 2021-2022 season but will now see more competition to improve or even hold that spot with these new additions to the conference. Oklahoma is another team that will challenge LSU and the rest of the SEC as they have secured the No. 10 spot. They are undeniably a competitor for the conference title and will either way be bringing a new level of play and competition to the SEC along with Texas. Continuing down the rankings, Ole Miss remains at No. 20 after finishing third in the SEC. Despite a tough season last year, Kentucky is right behind them at No. 22 with Alabama creeping into the 24 spot.
While those are the big names right now, many are refusing to count out Vanderbilt and Tennessee who both finished with winning seasons last year and are still expected to be competitive. They will have tough schedules ahead of them and intense competition for a conference title but there is still potential for very good things from both of those teams. Coming off of last year, Auburn and Mississippi State will look to improve from .500 and come out with a winning season while teams like Florida, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia will hope to have an even greater leap and also see a winning record.
UCONN may have captured the number two slot but they are far from the only team looking husky this year as the SEC competition intensifies. The SEC will undeniably be a hot topic in women’s basketball this season and the race for this title just might be the most interesting and competitive yet. While SEC followers and fans are thrilled with the higher level of competition this season, other SEC teams are working overtime to match up, with coaches drawing new plays, players spending long hours, and maybe some stakeholders just praying for realignment. It’s far from March, but the madness begins with the season openers for many of these teams, including South Carolina and LSU, on November 4.
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