SEC Notes: Postseason hardware

Best team: Florida
This one is easy. Despite their late season struggles, the Gators still dominated the league with a 13–3 record, including a perfect 8–0 mark in Gainesville. Billy Donovan’s club heads to Atlanta as the favorite to win its second straight SEC Tournament title.

Worst Team: South Carolina
South Carolina might be the best ‘worst team in a league’ in the nation. The Gamecocks, who own non-conference road wins over Baylor and USC, went 4–12 in league play but played well in the second half of the SEC season. Tre’ Kelley would have been a strong candidate for Player of the Year honors had South Carolina finished higher in the league standings.

Most Surprising Team: Vanderbilt
The Commodores, picked to finish anywhere from fourth to sixth in the SEC East, went 10–6 in league play and earned the No. 2 seed out of the division in the SEC Tournament. Led by Player of the Year candidate Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt went 7–3 against the very strong SEC East, including a sweep of Kentucky for the second straight season.

Most Disappointing Teams: Alabama and LSU
It would be easy to go with LSU, because the Tigers finished last in the SEC West with a 5–11 record, but Alabama is far too talented to have only seven conference wins this season. Even with point guard Ronald Steele slowed for the entire season, Mark Gottfried should have coaxed a winning league record from this bunch.

Player of the Year: Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt
This is a very difficult call. Chris Lofton deserves strong consideration, but his candidacy takes a bit of a hit because he only played in 75 percent of the Vols’ SEC games. Byars had better numbers in almost every key stat (in league games), and the fifth-year senior from Memphis played big in the Dores’ biggest games; he averaged 21.2 points in six games against Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky.

Freshman of the Year: Patrick Beverley, Arkansas
Beverley, a slender shooting guard from Chicago, led all SEC freshman by averaging 14.6 points per game in league play. He shot .406 from 3-point range and topped the 20-point mark three times, including a 20-point, 10-rebound effort in the Hogs’ season-ending win at Vanderbilt

Sophomore of the Year: Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State
The Bulldogs’ point guard emerged as one of the league’s most versatile threats during his sophomore season. Gordon ranked in the top 10 in scoring (5th, 16.3 ppg), rebounding (8th, 6.9 rpg) and assists (3rd, 5.19 apg) and played a key role in State’s late-season surge toward a share of the SEC West title.

Junior of the Year: Chris Lofton, Tennessee
His season was temporarily derailed by a badly sprained ankle, but the Vols’ sharpshooter was still one of the premier players in the league. He ranked third in the league in scoring (league games only) with 18.5 points per game and hit some season-changing shots for Bruce Pearl’s club.

Senior of the Year (not named Derrick Byars): Tre’ Kelley, South Carolina
Kelley was sensational for South Carolina this season, leading the SEC in scoring with 21.3 points per game despite being the Gamecocks’ only consistent offensive threat. The Washington D.C., native received constant praise from opposing coaches for his steady play and his ability to play through an ongoing knee injury.

Most Underrated Player: Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State
Rhodes’ strong play down the stretch — he scored 15 or more points in six of the Dogs’ final seven games — was a big reason Mississippi State captured a share of the SEC West title. He averaged 15.4 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting a healthy .578 from the field.

First-team All-SEC
Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt
Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State
Al Horford, Florida
Tre’ Kelley, South Carolina
Chris Lofton, Tennessee

Second-team All-SEC
Corey Brewer, Florida
Taurean Green, Florida
Joakim Noah, Florida
Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State
JaJuan Smith, Tennessee

Third-team All-SEC
Joe Crawford, Kentucky
Glen Davis, LSU
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt
Richard Hendrix, Alabama
Clarence Sanders, Ole Miss

SEC Power Poll
1. Florida
2. Tennessee
3. Vanderbilt
4. Mississippi State
5. Kentucky
6. Arkansas
7. Ole Miss
8. Georgia
9. Auburn
10. Alabama
11. LSU
12. South Carolina

SEC Tournament Picks
First round
Kentucky over Alabama
Arkansas over South Carolina
Georgia over Auburn
Tennessee over LSU

Quarterfinals
Kentucky over Mississippi State
Vanderbilt over Arkansas
Florida over Georgia
Tennessee over Ole Miss

Semifinals
Kentucky over Vanderbilt
Florida over Tennessee

Finals
Florida over Kentucky