Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

1/9/2012 at 2:45pm

With a football national championship still to be decided Monday night by the top two teams in the Southeastern Conference, SEC basketball conference play got under way last weekend with a couple of major surprises.

Arkansas shocked No. 15 Mississippi State with a blast from the past — a running game and a swarming defense not seen since the Nolan Richardson days — in a 98-88 win at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. The Hogs, paced by 24 points each from guards BJ Young and Julysses Nobles, led the game midway through the second half by 20 points and held off the 'Dawgs.

And Tennessee, whose only good news of late seemed to be commitment of high school senior Jarnell Stokes, a 6-foot-8 forward from Memphis who will be eligible to play when the UT spring semester begins, put the defensive clamps on Florida's perimeter game and stunned the Gators 67-56 in Knoxville.

The way we saw the league shaking out for the 2011-12 season in our preseason forecast was a top four of Kentucky, Alabama, Vandy and Florida dominating. Arkansas (with Marshawn Powell at that time) and Mississippi State followed, fighting for 5-6, and the rest of the league fighting it out with anyone in that bottom six capable of beating the other on a given night.

Powell's injury in the first week of the regular season was a huge blow to Arkansas' chances, but the Razorbacks appear to have finally moved beyond that and established some inside presence while the young perimeter players grow up. Mississippi State, with UTEP transfer Antoine Mulltree providing an inside strength, appeared better than expected in late November and early December, but the Bulldogs still seem to deal with hulking Renardo Sidney's inconsistency and moodiness.

Kentucky appears the most talented team in the country in its top 7, and whether depth or youth becomes a concern is uncertain. Coach John Calipari by now should be used to dealing with a mostly one-and-done bunch.

Alabama is most cases has been solid. Florida was on a roll until a holiday overtime loss at Rutgers, and the Gators showed some cracks Saturday at Knoxville. Vanderbillt started poorly, but with Fetus Ezeli back healthy in the middle and the perimeter shooting warming up, the Commodores have looked more like the club that garnered much preseason national acclaim. Vandy scored an impressive win in December at Marquette.

Here we present our first regular season basketball power (and remember, this are no East and West divisions in the SEC anymore):

1. Kentucky (15-1). Again immensely talented, but are they wise enough to go the distance.
2. Alabama (12-3). Probably starts the second best starting five behind Wildcats'.
3. Vanderbilt (11-4). After falling out of the rankings, Commodores found their bearings.
4. Florida (12-4). Patric Young has been an impressive force inside at times.
5. Arkansas (12-3). Mike Anderson's defense is rounding into form, and so is the Hogs' teamwork. Shooting will always be sporadic, though.
6. Mississippi State. Bulldogs had an impressive December, then were outrun in Fayetteville.
7. LSU (11-4). Trent Johnson's recruiting paying off with a better squad.
8. Tennessee (8-7). Cuozo Martin's defense taking hold with young Vols.
9. Georgia (9-6). A few athletes on hand for Coach Mark Fox.
10. Auburn (10-5). Significantly improved over last year, but still not very good.
11. Ole Miss (10-5). Rebels figured to compete until Andy Kennedy was forced to boot the team's leading scorer (as well as talented Searcy freshman Jamal Jones).
12. South Carolina (8-7). When Bruce Ellington gets the football out of him, Gamecocks might compete.

Young Named Top Freshman
Arkansas’ B.J. Young, was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, three rebounds, one steal and one assist in wins over Savannah State and 15th-ranked Mississippi State.

Young, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound freshman guard from St. Louis, scored 24 points in 23 minutes, going 10-for-13 from the floor with two assists and two steals in Arkansas’ upset of Mississippi State. His 24-point effort is the second best by a Razorback freshman in school history and is tied for the second best by any player in a Southeastern Conference opener against Savannah State he scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

LSU center Justin Hamilton was named SEC?Player of the Week after averaging 22 points, 12.5 rebounds, three blocks and 1.5 steals in games against 21st-ranked Virginia and Ole Miss.

Hamilton, a 7-foot, 260-pound junior center from Alpine, Utah, had 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocks against the Cavaliers. He led the Tigers to a win in their SEC opener with 23 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks and a steal against Ole Miss. He shot 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the field on the week, including a 9-of-12 (.750) effort against Ole Miss. Ten of his 25 rebounds in the two games came on the offensive end of the floor.

STREAKING
Kentucky and Arkansas have the league's longest current streaks at seven straight wins. Kentucky is also unbeaten at home at 11-0. Auburn (9-0), Florida (8-0 and Ole Miss (6-0) are also undefeated at home. Arkansas is undefeated at Bud Walton Arena but suffered a home loss to Houston at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. The league does not recognize the Hogs' game at Verizon as a "neutral" site.

Vanderbilt and Georgia, both with three losses at home, have the worst home-court marks in the league. Both have won seven of 10 games at home. Florida has yet to win a game on the road in four tries this season.

THIS WEEK"S SCHEDULE
(All times Central)
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Georgia at Florida, 6 p.m.
Vanderbilt at South Carolina, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 11
Arkansas at Ole Miss, 7 p.m.
Kentucky at Auburn, 7 p.m.
LSU at Alabama, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 12
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 14
Kentucky at Tennessee, 11 a.m.
Ole Miss at Auburn, 12:30 p.m.
Alabama at Mississippi State, 3 p.m.
Georgia at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m.
LSU at Arkansas, 8 p.m.

Tagged: South Carolina Gamecocks, Vanderbilt Commodores, Georgia Bulldogs, Florida Gators, Tennessee Vols, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels, LSU Tigers, BJ Young, Kentucky Wildcats, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks , Southeastern Conference