College Basketball's Great 68 Questions: 17 for the South Region [18]

Our top questions for the SEC, Big 12, Conference USA and more

College football season hasn’t begun, but here at Athlon we’re already hard at work in thinking about the 2012-13 basketball season. Believe us, the season will be here before you know it.

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Ranking the nation's top college basketball coaches [37]

Tom Izzo headlines our list of 30 coaches for 2012-13

Through the last two weeks, Athlon Sports ranked each coach in the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC along with the top 20 coaches from outside those seven conferences.

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Ranking the SEC's basketball coaches [65]

Calipari's title lands Kentucky the top spot

When SEC basketball coaches get together for media days or other offseason events, they may need name tags.

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College Basketball Conference Realignment: Winners and Losers [72]

How teams and leagues graded out in conference basketball realignment

One of the unfortunate truths of the latest wave of conference realignment is the overwhelming focus on football.

As a result, basketball and other sports have been of secondary concern in some circles. In others, such as at Butler and VCU and in the Horizon, Colonial and Ohio Valley, basketball is the primary engine of revenue. Almost every league in some way has been impacted by the dominoes of realignment.

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NCAA Tournament: Kentucky or the Field [86]

Will the Wildcats cut down the nets in New Orleans?

The brackets are out, and the NCAA Tournament begins in just days. The editors at Athlon Sports are debating some of the hot topics regarding the Field of 68.

If you had a choice, would you take Kentucky or the field to win the title?

Mitch Light: I’d take the field. Kentucky is, in my opinion, clearly the best team in the nation, but it’s tough to win six straight games even if you have the best players. Two years ago, the Wildcats featured the most talented roster in the nation, but lost to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. A year ago, the Cats weren’t as talented yet advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1998. The point? Talent alone doesn’t guarantee a trip to the Final Four, let alone a national title. If you have to take one team to win it, Kentucky is the obvious pick. But if given a choice, take the field.

Mark Ross: I have become more and more of a believer in Kentucky as the season has progressed, but I will still take the field. Kentucky is immensely talented, and any team that has Anthony Davis anchoring the middle is a threat to win it all, but I think they are too young and not deep enough to do it this year. John Calipari has gone with a seven-man rotation for the most part this season, so foul trouble could be a real issue, especially if it happens to Davis or Terrence Jones. Only one player in the rotation is an upperclassman, and that’s senior guard Darius Miller, who went 7-of-17 from the field and just 2-of-9 from 3-point range in the Wildcats’ 71-64 loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament championship game on Sunday. This is the first taste of NCAA Tournament play for the rest of the young ‘Cats, and I am one who believes experience is a crucial component to having success in March. The talent’s clearly there, but you need more than that to win these next six games. Just ask the 2009-10 Kentucky team.

Nathan Rush: Kentucky has no weakness. Coach John Calipari is a master motivator who has seen it all — coming within a Derrick Rose made free throw of winning the national title at Memphis in 2008. Center Anthony Davis is the best defensive player in the nation and the likely No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Terrence Jones are inside-out threats who attack the rim off the dribble and can also hit open jump shots. Darius Miller is a senior leader and athletic defender. The Wildcats one “flaw” is the lack of a Rose or John Wall caliber point guard. Marquis Teaque is a ball hog, but Doron Lamb picks up the slack with his high IQ and unselfish brand of basketball. UK even has spare parts like Kyle Wiltjer and Eloy Vargas on the bench. This is the best Kentucky team since Rick Pitino left the Big Blue Nation. I’ll take the Wildcats over the 67 other teams in the field.

Patrick Snow: I feel like it’s almost crazy to take one team over the field in any NCAA Tournament, but it also feels crazy to pick against Kentucky. The Wildcats are the most talented and complete team in the tourney, and this year’s squad has been amazingly consistent. John Calipari is very controversial with his recruiting methods and powerful basketball-insider friends, but he does have this UK team playing quality defense. That may seem easy with a presence like Anthony Davis in the post, but the Cats still deserve some credit for stopping opponents. Kentucky has lost past NCAA Tournament (and the SEC Tourney title) games when it goes cold on offense, especially from 3-point range. However this UK team can win even when not shooting well because of its defensive ability. I would take the field in most years, but the gap in talent between Kentucky and the rest of the field is just too immense not to pick the Wildcats.

Braden Gall: Absolutely the field. I like Kentucky to make a deep run and play in the championship game, but if I am gambling (which, of course, we do not condone at Athlon Sports), it’s hard to not to take the 67 other basketball teams in the brackets. Vanderbilt showed the nation that Kentucky can be stopped with excellent defense and timely shooting. The Cats are the most talented team in the nation with the best player in the nation, but they can be beat if you force them to shoot from the outside, get them into early foul trouble and out-work them, which is much easier said than done.

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6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Darrin Horn at South Carolina [87]

Wichita State's Gregg Marshall will get a long look

Darrin Horn was fired as the head coach at South Carolina after four seasons. He went 10–6 in the SEC in Year 1 but is 13–35 since. Overall, he went 60–63 at South Carolina after a five-year run at Western Kentucky, his alma mater.

Here are some of the names South Carolina might target:

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The ABC’s of the NCAA Tournament 2012 [89]

College Basketball [19]
News [88]
ACC [38]
Big East [40]
Pac-12 [6]
SEC [7]
March Madness [90]

We break down the NCAA Tournament field, from A to Z.

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UConn, Illinois, Memphis and NC State Lead Bubble Talk [91]

College Basketball [19]
ACC [38]
Big 12 [3]
Big East [40]
Big Ten [4]
Conference USA [20]
March Madness [92]
MVC [93]
SEC [7]

Some traditional powers will miss the NCAA Tournament.

Which NCAA Tournament bubble team had the most damaging loss over the weekend?

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Kentucky's Davis and Kansas' Robinson lead POY Candidates [94]

Top 25 matchups highlight a stellar weekend around college basketball.

Each college basketball [102] weekend is taking on more meaning with less than a month to go until league tournaments begin.

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SEC

Olympics 2012: Which U.S. colleges led the way in London? [1]

COMMENTS

College Basketball's Great 68 Questions: 17 for the South Region [18]

COMMENTS

Ranking the nation's top college basketball coaches [37]

COMMENTS

Ranking the SEC's basketball coaches [65]

COMMENTS

College Basketball Conference Realignment: Winners and Losers [72]

COMMENTS

NCAA Tournament: Kentucky or the Field [86]

COMMENTS

6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Darrin Horn at South Carolina [87]

COMMENTS

The ABC’s of the NCAA Tournament 2012 [89]

COMMENTS

UConn, Illinois, Memphis and NC State Lead Bubble Talk [91]

COMMENTS

Kentucky's Davis and Kansas' Robinson lead POY Candidates [94]

COMMENTS