I'm a little skeptical about the Wildcats this year Chance. They have had a plenty of off the court incidents happen from their coach leaving to hurt players. Now I know Joe Crawford will be back and all, but I do have to question his durability with that knee injury he suffered.

Vols and Wildcats top wide open SEC race

By: Chance Harper

After losing five players to the NBA draft, Florida figures to drop back in the SEC pack while Tennessee and Kentucky look to take charge. Kansas should have control in the Big 12 race while Gonzaga is once again the class of the West Coast. And out in the WAC, Nevada will cede their top spot to the Utah State Aggies.

SEC: Kentucky

There’s a lot of buzz around the Tennessee Volunteers this year, and they’re the favorites over Kentucky to win the SEC East at +175, compared to +200 for the Wildcats. The Vols are also 12-1 to win the national championship, while Kentucky is 25-1.
Vols and Wildcats top wide open SEC race

Poppycock. Neither team is a lock by any means in an SEC that figures to take a step back with Florida’s NBA-draft evisceration, but the Vols figure to be overvalued.

Tennessee’s 22-14 record (17-15-1 ATS) and No. 12 RPI was based in part on the abnormally large number of turnovers the Vols forced: 25 percent of possessions in conference play. That dropped Tennessee to No. 31 in the Pomeroy rankings.

Kentucky, meanwhile, went 22-12 (15-17-1 ATS) and posted a No. 13 RPI rating, but turned the ball over 21 percent of the time -- another abnormal number, although one that is more likely to be repeated since it comes (mostly) from one team’s mistakes. The Wildcats nonetheless played well enough to rank 14th on the Pomeroy list, and this year they have a respected new coach in Billy Gillispie and a prime freshman in Patrick Patterson joining an outstanding veteran backcourt.

Big 12: Kansas
This is a much easier pick than the SEC. The Jayhawks were the best team in the Big 12 last year at 33-5 SU, 18-18 ATS and an RPI of No. 11. Even better, they reached the Elite Eight for the second season in a row. They’re looking for more this year despite the loss of Julian Wright.

Brandon Rush is back after dropping out of the NBA draft due to a torn ACL, so Kansas has managed to hold onto the bulk of its team; last year’s No. 2, the Texas A&M Aggies, were shredded with the departure of point guard Acie Law IV. The Texas Longhorns (+500) figure to be Kansas’ toughest opposition this year despite losing Kevin Durant, thanks to the return of their other four starters.

West Coast Conference: Gonzaga

This is not a fair fight. Gonzaga has finished on top of the WCC standings seven years in a row, and in what was supposed to be a down year in 2006-07 went 23-11 SU and 17-15-1 ATS. This year should be even better with Kansas transfer Micah Downs available for the full season and the reinstatement of forward Josh Heytvelt (15.5 points, 7.7 rebounds per game) after February’s arrest for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The ‘Zags should have little trouble winning their ninth WCC tournament title in 10 years and reaching the big dance for the 11th year in a row. Winning the whole shooting match at 40-1 will be a little more difficult for the perennial Cinderellas.

WAC: Utah State

The Aggies were fourth in the WAC last year at 23-12 SU (13-16 ATS), No. 88 RPI and No. 106 Pomeroy. However, they are also one of the few top WAC teams to escape the offseason largely untouched, thanks to Jaycee Carroll (21.3 points per game) deciding to pull out of the NBA draft.

Nevada figures to finally abandon its throne after losing four starters, including Nick Fazekas. New Mexico State is considered a conference favorite, but new coach Marvin Menzies doesn’t have Billy Gillispie’s resume. And Hawaii also has a new bench boss in Bob Nash handling a roster with seven new players. The Aggies won at least 23 games eight years in a row and were multi-time Big West champions before joining the WAC in 2006.