Basketball season is here! With games tipping off last Friday night, all 14 SEC teams began their quest for the dance and some respect, some helped their cause, others not so much. As I said in the back court post we did not do a traditional breakdown of the big men like you would see in a fantasy basketball module (SF, PF, C) and instead went with the generic classification of "Big."
What you will find below are the composite rankings of all of the SEC site writers that participated along with some commentary on each team. So with that said, let's see how we ranked the big men of the SEC.
SEC Front Courts Ranked
Team | Ranking | Points | Highest Ranking | Lowest Ranking |
Kentucky | 1 | 137 | 1st | 3rd |
LSU | 2 | 129 | 1st | 3rd |
Arkansas | Tied for 3rd | 115 | 2nd | 4th |
Florida | Tied for 3rd | 115 | 2nd | 8th |
Ole Miss | 5th | 74 | 5th | 11th |
Vanderbilt | 6th | 69 | 4th | 13th |
Texas A&M | 7th | 66 | 6th | 11th |
Georgia | 8th | 64 | 5th | 13th |
Alabama | 9th | 54 | 5th | 14th |
Mississippi State | 10th | 53 | 5th | 14th |
Mizzou | 11th | 51 | 6th | 13th |
Tennessee | 12th | 43 | 5th | 14th |
Auburn | 13th | 36 | 5th | 14th |
South Carolina | 14th | 35 | 6th | 13th |
Points were distributed 1st = 14, 2nd = 13, 3rd = 12, 4th = 11, 5th = 10, 6th = 9, 7th = 8, 8th = 7, 9th = 6, 10th = 5,
11th = 4, 12th = 3, 13th = 2, and 14th = 1
Rationales and Thoughts behind the Rankings
Shannon Hale is a decent performer, but there's not a lot of experience or excellence in Tuscaloosa's post play. (Garnet and Black Attack)
With Rodney Cooper (who I consider a frontcourt player), Shannon Hale, and Jimmie Taylor all back, plus the addition of Michael Kessens, I think Alabama's frontcourt could be the sleeper of the year. (Roll Bama Roll)
Shannon Hale should anchor this unit, plus Rodney Cooper can slide in to the 3 spot and guard stretch 4s or athletic wing forwards. (And the Valley Shook)
Solid experience returns and that's enough to be respectable. (Dawg Sports)
Bobby Portis, Moses Kingsley, and Alandise Harris will be beasts, and Jacorey Williams has looked much better this year in exhibition play. (Arkansas Fight)
Arkansas has big, thick guys, decent depth, and Bobby Portis, who could be All-SEC, as well as some redshirts that add age and depth. (A Sea of Blue)
May have the greatest imbalance of talent in the league with great guards but questionable post play. (Rocky Top Talk)
Would have been last, but the addition of top JUCO forward Cinmeon Bowers certainly spices things up. Can Matthew Atewe and/or Jordon Granger become quality players in this league? We will see. (College and Magnolia)
Do they have a front court, really? (Arkansas Fight)
Chris Walker with a full season could be massive and there's veteran talent to play off the solid backcourt. (And the Valley Shook)
Time for Walker to emerge as a monster. (Dawg Sports)
I'm ranking Florida this high based on the potential of Dorian Finney-Smith and Chris Walker. Each will have an opportunity to shine this year and show off their talent to NBA scouts. (College and Magnolia)
Djurisic's inside-out ability is a match-up nightmare and Marcus Thornton has a lot of talent, he just needs to finally live up to his potential. (Roll Bama Roll)
Experience, led by an emerging Marcus Thornton, with some talented youth in Maten, so potential for decency is there. (Dawg Sports)
Nemanja Djurisic leads a decent frontcourt looking to replicate last year's successes. (Garnet and Black Attack)
Cauley-Stein and Poythress are going to need to be consistent scorers for the Wildcats to have any real threat in the front court. (Good Bull Hunting)
Kentucky has overwhelming size, athleticism and talent, more than perhaps any SEC team (or college team, period) in modern history. (A Sea of Blue)
Kentucky has more potential 1st round draft picks in the front court than the rest of the league. Combined. (Rock M Nation)
Their ranking might only be hurt by Johnnie Jones plan to play most of his front court in the back court out of necessity. (Rock M Nation)
Martin and Mickey should be one of the best duos in the league, if not the country. (And the Valley Shook)
Jordan Mickey is a young guy, but he's likely the best scoring big man in the SEC this year. (Good Bull Hunting)
Gavin Ware is a fine player, but the Bulldogs don't have the horses. (Garnet and Black Attack)
The strength of the Bulldogs is not the in the front court, they aren't terrible. So there's that. (Rock M Nation)
At least they're on top in football. (And the Valley Shook)
Missouri is relying on youth to come in and quickly find their way in the SEC, not normally a recipe for success in the post. (Garnet and Black Attack)
Not sure what to make of the Center position, but the forwards are young and talented. (Rock M Nation)
Missouri has some size, but not much cohesive experience or athleticism, but they do have talent. (A Sea of Blue)
Not awful, but that's Summers' team. (Arkansas Fight)
A weaker version of South Carolina. No great players, but decent depth. (Garnet and Black Attack)
Ole Miss has four players who averaged over 10 minutes per game last year, so there is experience. Not a ton of elite talent though. (College and Magnolia)
I love SC's guards, I hate their front court. Henry has a chance to be good. (Rock M Nation)
No outstanding players, but all four frontcourt players are solid contributors that should be able to match up with almost any other unit in the SEC. (Garnet and Black Attack)
Michael Carrera is the definition of scrappy but lacks in size in a big way, though the two Lithuanians make up for some of that. (Roll Bama Roll)
Tennessee's size is all young and/or underdeveloped; they have a little talent, but too little, I fear. (A Sea of Blue)
The more time Josh Richardson spends at forward and not point guard, the better Tennessee's frontcourt will be. (Rocky Top Talk)
They're still horrible. (Dawg Sports)
Texas A&M senior Kourtney Roberson and junior Antwan Space must lead the way early in the season. (College and Magnolia)
Not sure how good they are, but they've got a lot of front court players. (Arkansas Fight)
The Aggies are a still a year away, partly due to an unproven frontcourt. (And the Valley Shook)
Damian Jones, Damian Jones, Damian Jones, Damian Jones, Damian Jones. But not just him, Vandy's problem is not in the front court. (Rock M Nation)
They should have never stopped that production line of Dan Langhi's they had going. And their arena is still an abomination. (Dawg Sports)
This must be a typo because I'm seeing a lot of the same names for Vanderbilt's frontcourt that I saw last year. That's not correct is it? (Roll Bama Roll)
And there you have it, the SEC Big Men ranked! Thanks as always to all the writers who contributed and you the reader for without whom SECBASKETBALLFEVER could not spread like the wonder that it is. Be sure to get your fluids (I suggest Bourbon) and come back next week when we have our first in season ranking of the SEC!