Here are the Ken Pom rankings and records for the Classic SEC. This is obviously the strongest year in history for the Classic SEC:
1. Auburn: 15-1
5. Florida: 15-1
6. Tennessee: 15-1
8. Alabama: 14-2
20. Mississippi St: 14-2
21. Kentucky: 13-3
24. Mississippi: 14-2
35. Georgia: 14-2
52. Vanderbilt: 13-3
71. Louisiana St: 11-5
Here's the Classic OVC:
106. Murray St: 10-7
121. Mid. Tenn. St: 12-5
128. W. Kentucky: 11-6
224. E. Kentucky: 8-9
273. Morehead St: 10-7
301. Tenn. Tech: 9-8
304. Austin Peay: 6-11
And here's the Classic Metro Seven. I love seeing Memphis, U of L, and Cincinnati all back together:
33. Memphis St: 13-3
34. Louisville: 12-5
38. Cincinnati: 10-5
66. Florida St: 11-5
117. Saint Louis: 10-6
161. Virginia Tech: 7-9
175. Tulane: 9-8
A few more facts about the Big Blue. Kentucky is ranked 3d in offensive efficiency, at 124.1, and ranked 87th in defensive efficiency, at 101.3. The Cats are number 105 in luck.
Arkansas is number 49 on KenPom. The Razorbacks are 75th in offensive efficiency (111.8) and 26th in defensive efficiency (96.0). They are 197 in luck.
Wow, what happened to the OVC?
ReplyDeleteLast year, I kept telling myself that UK could beat Texas A & M if they could do anything to stop Wade Taylor IV. But they could not. He scored 31 points to lead the Aggies to a 97-92 overtime victory in College Station. And then he scored 32 as the Aggies rolled over UK 97 to 87 in the SEC Quarter-finals. But Wade Taylor IV did not play today, and the Cats held A & M to only 69 points in an 81-69 win. That will help with the Ken Pom rankings.
ReplyDeleteOne of the exciting aspects of this game last night for us was seeing two of our neighbors in the TV shot when ESPN2 showed about three or four rows of fans behind the UK bench. We had no idea these people were going to Rupp Arena for the game, and my sister-in-law's screenshot was shared widely among Madisonville social media.
DeleteSpeaking of Ken Pom, U of L moves to number 31 with an 85-61 win at Syracuse. The Cards have not lost since they played UK back on December 14. K-Pom now thinks they will go 23-8 on the season.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Ole Miss gets a huge statement win, as they roll into Tuscaloosa and hammer the Crimson Tide 74 to 64. Chris Beard's men are now 15-2 and up to 18 on Ken Pom.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Alabama is coming to Rupp on Saturday. That's what they get for looking past Ole Miss.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in Gainesville, the 15-1 Gators trail Mizzou 42 to 26 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half. I predict some serious drama before this game is over.
ReplyDeleteOver in Auburn, the Tigers blitzed Mississippi State 88 to 66. Auburn is really good.
ReplyDeleteWith its win tonight, UK moves up to 17 on Ken Pom. He now has the Cats finishing the year 22-9 overall, and 11-7 in the SEC.
ReplyDeleteWith 14 minutes left in the game, Florida still trails Mizzou 58 to 46. Meanwhile, in New York, St. John's holds off a plucky Georgetown team 63 to 58.
ReplyDeleteSyracuse is now ranked number 127 on Ken Pom. That's extraordinary, although a few years ago Georgetown fell all the way to 219. In Patrick Ewing's last two years coaching Georgetown, his record in the Big East was 2-37.
ReplyDeleteWith 12:54 left, Mizzou leads 58 to 51, and the Tigers call time.
ReplyDeleteMizzou hangs on to beat Florida 83 to 82. LSU comes from behind to beat Arkansas 78 to 74. The Razorbacks led 52-44 with 11:47 left in the game, but could not close it out. The Razorbacks are now 49th in the country and 247th in luck. UK is 16th in the country and 92d in luck.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, my guy T.J. Otzelberger has the Iowa State Cyclones at 15-1 today after a dominant 75-54 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks. The Cyclones won the Classic Big Eight in football, and are well on their way to taking the men's basketball title as well.
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