Bits and pieces

More articles have trickled out this week concerning the Dawgs early practice results and media predictions.  There's a lot of overlap, but let's hit the highlights.

First, Seth Emerson talks about elevated expectations, not just for the team, but for Yante Maten as well:

No one’s expecting Maten to be the equivalent of Matt Stafford and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, at least in pure ability. But Maten could end up being very important for a Georgia basketball program trying to take the next step.

The Bulldogs have lacked a true, reliable post man ever since Jeremy Price graduated in 2011, which also happens to be the last year they made the NCAA tournament. After coming close last year, the team now adds Maten, who was Michigan’s Gatorade Player of the Year last year.

I'd argue that Marcus Thornton was both true and reliable last season, but his point is taken.  The day Brandon Morris was dismissed, it started to become clear that Maten was the "next guy up" even though he plays a different position.  In a perfect world, Yante would have a year in the system to learn and mature, but circumstances have dictated otherwise.

Next, the Red & Black weighs in on the push for the NCAA tournament:

“There’s a lot of positive talk about us right now,” forward Nemanja Djurisic said. “We’re trying really hard to get in the best shape we can be. We’re learning things right away and stepping in. We see our non-conference games as challenging as everything else, so we’re really going to focus and try to start strong.”

It's been a while since there was any sort of preseason buzz about the Georgia Bulldogs.  In fact, Marcus Thornton is the only one on the roster with any sort of experience there.  Nemi's quote tells you they're thinking about it, so how will they handle it?  Will it galvanize them and help them start better than they have the past few seasons?  Or will it compound the early season problems even more?

Finally, media days gave us the annual first- and second-team SEC selections:

First Team All-SEC
Bobby Portis – Arkansas, F, 6-11, 242, So., Little Rock, Ark.
Michael Frazier II – Florida, G, 6-4, 194, Jr., Tampa, Fla.
Aaron Harrison – Kentucky, G, 6-6, 212, So., Richmond, Texas
Jordan Mickey – LSU, F, 6-8, 235, So., Dallas, Texas
Jarvis Summers – Ole Miss, G, 6-3, 186, Sr., Jackson, Miss.

Second Team All-SEC
Charles Mann – Georgia, G, 6-5, 215, Jr., Alpharetta, Ga.
Willie Cauley-Stein – Kentucky, F, 7-0, 240, Jr., Olathe, Kan.
Andrew Harrison – Kentucky, G, 6-6, 210, So., Richmond, Texas
Alex Poythress – Kentucky, F, 6-8, 238, Jr., Clarksville, Tenn.
Karl-Anthony Towns – Kentucky, F, 6-11, 250, Fr., Piscataway, N.J.

Way to go, Charles.  And Kentucky...ugh...