Player of the Week
Tyler Ulis – Kentucky
To the casual fan, the battle for in-state bragging rights between Kentucky and Louisville on Saturday was, in a word…ugly. But to the avid fan, it was exactly the type of game that you would expect to see between these two teams. It was a physical matchup that came down to one key run in the second half by Kentucky. Ulis was a huge part of that run. He came back after suffering a cut under his eye after being hit with an inadvertent elbow by Chris Jones, a play that epitomized this matchup. He hit two big shots that led to Kentucky’s largest lead of the game and the Wildcats never looked back. Ulis has really played well early on this season and has provided the Wildcats with something they were sorely missing last season. A stablizing influence at the point guard position capable of handling pressure. When Ulis missed the Columbia game, Kentucky struggled and found themselves tied with 10 minutes left, as Andrew Harrison continues to struggle when asked to handle full time point guard duties. Ulis is a better long range shooter than I realized coming out of high school and even though he’s a small guard at only 5’9, he isn’t afraid to mix it up on defense and has really been a spark plug for this team when they’ve needed it most. Without him, this team appears vincible, which is hard to say about any other player on the team.
Who’s Hot
Arkansas Dynamic Duo
Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls have been spectacular for the Razorbacks this season. The duo are averaging a combined 33 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. They are 1 and 2 on the team in both categories. This past week, in two wins against Milwaukee and Northwestern State, the duo were unstoppable. While Portis was the Pre-Season pick to lead this team, it has been Qualls who has really elevated his game. He’s become a much more reliable shooter this season and isn’t simply relying on his athleticism and is instead becoming a more complete player. Portis is the better pro prospect due to his length and ability to play multiple front court positions. The Razorbacks look to be one of the few teams that could actually challenge Kentucky for the SEC crown.
Who’s Not
Ladarius White – Ole Miss
In a week where only two SEC teams played multiple games due to the Christmas break, there weren’t a lot of options here. White has played well lately but was 0-8 from the field with 0 rebounds and 0 assists in the Rebel’s win against Southeast Missouri State. He only played 16 minutes, in large part due to the score, but he still had his worst shooting game of his career. Those are games where players like White should be padding their stats. He’ll get it turned around as he’s a very solid wing player but he just didn’t have it in him against the Redhawks.
Top Five Questions Heading into Conference Play
1. Can Kentucky remain unbeaten?
The short answer is, yes. After Saturday’s win at Louisville, Kentucky’s odds of going undefeated were at 5-1 according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. While the odds still aren’t in their favor, looking at the schedule, they should be 22-0 heading into a February 7th matchup in Gainesville with the Gators. The are at LSU three days later which could be the only two matchups that could really pose a threat to their season until Tournament time. They don’t have to play Arkansas on the road which helps as well. The loss of Alex Poythress hurts more when it comes to an undefeated season than people realize as he was a matchup nightmare on the wing. I still don’t think it happens, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it did.
2. How good are the Razorbacks?
As mentioned above, the Razorbacks rely on Portis and Qualls for a large chunk of their offensive output. When those two are on, they are as good as anyone in the conference aside from Kentucky. The game in Lexington in late February will be one to watch for as we will probably have to wait that long to see how this team matches up with other good teams as the SEC is weak this season and few teams will provide the Razorbacks with much opposition outside of Kentucky and potentially Florida if they can right the ship (see below). An "X" factor of sorts is senior Rashad Madden. He was a top player coming out of high school and has never really lived up to his hype. He will need to be more consistent for this team to really be considered with the other elite teams in college hoops.
3. Will Florida regain their Championship form?
While it is never wise to rule Billy Donovan out of anything, this team clearly just doesn’t have "it". They clearly lack the experience that the last few Gator teams have had but they just don’t seem to bring it on a nightly basis. Every player on the roster is streaky and inconsistent. From a roster standpoint they can compete with anyone but they have had issues putting together a solid 40 minutes, especially against better competition. They are playing in a weak SEC which should allow them to get to 20 wins fairly easily and another NCAAT berth but they will need guys like Eli Carter , Dorian Finney-Smith and Kasey Hill to play at an elite level for them to make any noise once they get there.
4. Will Josh Richardson be enough for the Vols?
Richardson has been anything and everything for the Vols this season. He is the sole reason that this team has any wins at all. He’s been unbelievable during the first half of the season but he’ll need help and a lot of it if this team is going to make it back to the NCAAT. Kevin Punter has done his best but he has been inconsistent. Armani Moore is a decent piece but isn’t going to carry a team, Robert Hubbs has been a huge disappointment thus far and Dominic Woodson is no longer with the program. The Vols are just too young up front to make any serious noise and for that reason, Richardson will end his career on a down note by missing out on the Big Dance.
5. Can Anthony Grant get off the hot seat?
The game that go away against Wichita State is going to be big come Selection Sunday. That game would have been the signature win that this team will likely need to get into the NCAAT. That is the only way that Grant gets off the hot seat and I’m just not sure it is going to happen. He’s got some talent in Levi Randolph, Ricky Tarrant and Rodney Cooper but they lack dept and really don’t have a go-to scorer in the post. They sit at 9-3 and should be 10-3 when conference play beings but to save Grant’s job, they’ll likely have to finish in the top four of the conference and get into the Tournament. The good news is that they only have to play Florida, Arkansas and LSU once. The bad news is that they have to play Kentucky twice.
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