SEC: A look at the league's best

Foster locked up the award after pouring in 42 points in Vanderbilt’s overtime win against Mississippi State. The senior swingman missed his first six 3-pointers of the game, but then — beginning at the 10:44 mark of the second half — connected on his final nine 3-point attempts to lead Vanderbilt to an improbable 86–85 victory. Foster hit two threes in the final 30 seconds of regulation and two threes in the final 30 seconds of overtime, including the game-winner with 2.7 seconds remaining. Here’s one more note about Foster’s magical performance: Each of his nine 3-pointers came with Vanderbilt trailing in the game. For the season, Foster led the league in scoring (20.6 ppg), 3-pointers made (4.03 per game) and 3-point percentage (.472). He also shot .525 from the field, up from .449 as a junior.

Freshman of the Year: Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

It was a great year for freshmen in the SEC. You could make a strong argument for as many as five players, but the nod here goes to Patterson even though he missed the final three games with an injury. The big man from West Virginia averaged 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting .574 from the field. He scored in double figures in all 13 SEC games in which he played, and he averaged 21.5 points and 10.0 boards in the Cats’ big wins over Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

Coach of the Year: Billy Gillispie, Kentucky

The first-year Kentucky boss did a remarkable job with an injury riddled team that faced more than its share of early season adversity. After a 1–2 start in the SEC, the Cats won 11 of their final 13 games to finish the campaign with a 12–4 record. Even after Patrick Patterson, the team’s only legitimate inside threat, went down with a season-ending injury, Kentucky won two of its last three games, with the only loss by three points at then-No. 1 Tennessee.

All-Conference First team

Shan Foster, Vanderbilt (see above)

Chris Lofton, Tennessee — The senior sharpshooter overcame a sluggish start and averaged 17.9 points per game in SEC play (16.0 ppg overall) and led the league (in SEC games only) in both 3-pointers made (3.88 per) and 3-point percentage (.470).

Tyler Smith, Tennessee — Smith won’t overwhelm you with his scoring on a balanced Tennessee team, but you will find his name among the league leaders in just about every other stat. He averaged 13.3 points per game and led the Vols in both rebounding (6.8 rpg) and assists (3.45 apg). He shot .533 from the field, .705 from the line and added 1.45 steals per game.

Devan Downey, South Carolina — The transfer from Cincinnati was often a one-man band for Dave Odom’s Gamecocks. The lightning-quick point guard averaged 18.3 points per game (third in the league), 5.20 assists (second) and 3.17 steals (first). Downey faded a bit down the stretch (nine points or less in three of his last four games), but he was tremendous for much of the season.

Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State —  Arguably the toughest player to guard in the SEC, Gordon did it all for the SEC West champs. The point guard from Nashville led the Bulldogs in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (6.3) and assists (4.77).

Second team

Ramel Bradley, Kentucky — The glue that held Kentucky together for much of the year, Bradley averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He scored at least 20 points in six SEC games and played at least 39 minutes in 11 of the 15 league games in which he played.

Richard Hendrix, Alabama — The most consistent low-post scorer in the league, Hendrix was the only player in the SEC to average a double-double with 17.7 points and 10.1 boards per game. He was also one of only three players in the league to shoot better than 60 percent from the floor, hitting 215 of his 357 (.602) field goal attempts.

Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State — A highly skilled low-post player, Rhodes averaged 16.8 points, 7.7 rebounds while shooting .560 from the floor. In league play, he led the Dogs in scoring at 17.7 points per game, edging Jamont Gordon’s 17.5.

Sundiata Gaines, Georgia — Georgia’s version of Jamont Gordon led the Bulldogs in just about every category. He averaged a career-high 14.5 points, led Georgia in rebounding for a third-straight season (6.3 rpg) and contributed 4.2 assists per game.

Marcus Thornton, LSU — The junior college transfer led the SEC in scoring in league play (21.6 ppg) and finished second to Shan Foster in overall scoring (19.7). Thornton, who scored 35 points or more three times in SEC play, led the league with 472 field goal attempts.

Third team

Joe Crawford, Kentucky — The former McDonald’s All-American played the best basketball of his collegiate career down the stretch, averaging 19.6 points over the Cats’ final six games.

Dwayne Curtis, Ole Miss — The big man from Chicago closed out his career in fine fashion, averaging 14.7 points and 9.3 boards per game for Andy Kennedy’s club.

JaJuan Smith, Tennessee — A feared scorer from the wing, Smith averaged 14.2 points per game while shooting a career-best .379 from 3-point range.

Jarvis Varnado — The nation’s top shot-blocker (4.8 per game) also helped out on the boards (7.9 rpg) and provided some scoring (7.8 ppg) around the basket.

Sonny Weems — The former junior college transfer was at his best during the SEC season, averaging 17.3 points over the 16-game schedule.

All-Freshman Team

Nick Calathes, Florida — He didn’t shoot the ball consistently  (.435), but the 6-6 point guard did everything else well for the Gators. He led the league with 6.1 assists per game and averaged 15.9 points and 5.0 boards.

A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt — Gave Vanderbilt its best threat on the low block in years, averaging 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky — Spring signee lived up to the hype in Lexington before going down with a stress fracture late in the season.

Anthony Randolph, LSU — Perhaps the best pro prospect of the rookie crop, the lean and athletic forward averaged 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds for the improving Tigers.

Chris Warren, Ole Miss — The speedy point guard was perhaps the league’s biggest surprise, averaging 15.7 points and 4.53 assists per game.

SEC Tournament Forecast

Opening Round

LSU over South Carolina — The surging Tigers won four of their past five under interim coach Butch Pierre.

Vanderbilt over Auburn — Undersized Tigers don’t have an answer for A.J. Ogilvy.

Florida over Alabama — Young Gators have more to play for.

Ole Miss over Georgia — Speaking of something to play for, Andy Kennedy’s club is back on the bubble.

Quarterfinals

Tennessee over LSU — LSU knocked the Vols out of the SEC Tournament last year. It won’t happen again.

Vanderbilt over Arkansas — Rematch of an outstanding late-season game won by the Hogs in Fayetteville.

Mississippi State over Florida — Bulldogs handled the Gators with surprising ease in Gainesville a few weeks ago.

Ole Miss over Kentucky — Rebs have enough big bodies to make life tough for the Cats.

Semifinals

Tennessee over Vanderbilt — Vols exact some revenge for loss in Nashville.

Mississippi State over Ole Miss — Too much Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes.

Finals

Mississippi State over Tennessee — Hard-charging State knocks off the league’s best team, but the Vols still hold onto a No. 1 seed.