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...

Projected SEC finish

CBS Projected #SEC Basketball Finish 1. UK 2. UF 3. Ark 4. LSU 5. UGA 6. Bama 7. OM 8. AU 9. UT 10. SCar 11. TAMU 12. Miz 13. VU 14. MSU
— Around the SEC (@AroundTheSEC) October 21, 2014

If CBS is to be believed, Georgia slips to #5 in the SEC this year.  I might nudge UGA up past LSU, but that's nitpicking (and possibly homerism).

Georgia fifth certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility, and it would likely put the Dawgs right around 10 conference wins and, assuming non-conference competence, squarely on the tournament bubble.

The above rankings would also mean that Georgia's home-and-home games are against the #1, 7, 8, 10, and 13 teams in the conference.  That's about as favorable as it gets - a chance to knock off the best and feast on the worst.

A modicum of respect

Sorry for the light posting.  I've been traveling a bit for work.

Interesting to come home to something like this:

14-15 SEC Preseason Power Rankings 1. Kentucky 2. Florida 3. Georgia 4. LSU 5. Arkansas 6. Texas A & M 7. Ole Miss 8. South Carolina 9. Bama
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 21, 2014

Interesting, but not surprising.  Third seems right, and while I don't believe the gap between Georgia and Florida is as large as many people do, there is still a very real gap.

Also...South Carolina 8?