Rating the SEC - Big East Challenge matchups
The SEC - Big East Challenge schedule was released, but talk of the games has been coopted by Syracuse's Athletic Director failure to understand how email works. We'll let the big boys sweat that story to death. Meanwhile, what about these games?
Can't miss:
Kentucky at Notre Dame: Kentucky will be stacked (again) and young (again) and fun to watch. Notre Dame will feature a veteran team led by Jack Cooley and Jerian Grant. This will be a great test for both teams.
Tennessee at Georgetown: In Cuonzo Martin's second season as the Volunteer head coach, his team should be really good. They return Trae Golden and Jarnell Stokes - two of the more exciting players in the conference. The Hoyas lost a ton of talent but have a stacked roster which will still be finding their feet when this game rolls around. Whoever wins will get a huge lift.
Should be solid:
Marquette at Florida: Had this game happened this season it would have been a monster. Oh wait, it did happen, and it wasn't all that. The Gators beat Marquette to advance to the Elite 8. Now they've lost Brad Beal and Erving Walker, while Marquette lost Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom - so arguably three (or four) of the most interesting players are gone. Still, both teams will be talented.
South Carolina at St. John's: This might be the first time many fans will see the new South Carolina team led by Frank Martin. They'll most likely be terrible, but that's alright, because they'll be interesting. St. John's has a lot of young talent and it will be fascinating to see if Steve Lavin can mold them into a better unit after the loss of the extremely talented Moe Harkless.
Syracuse at Arkansas: Will this game happen? On paper, this should be a win for 'Cuse, but whatever happens the pre-game storyline will be a rehashing of the broken marriage between Syracuse and the Big East. That story is already tired and I'm sure I'll want none of it in December.
Villanova at Vanderbilt: How will Vanderbilt respond after losing most of their experienced players? Will Jay Wright suffer through another terrible season? Tune in to this one to find out.
Alabama at Cincinnati: The Bearcats made a run to the Sweet-16 and return an exciting, talented backcourt which pressures the ball like no other. Bama has a lot of young talent, but without Tony Mitchell and his jaw dropping dunks, the Tide are a lot less watchable.
Don't bother:
Seton Hall at LSU: LSU will be breaking in a new coach, so there's that.
Depaul at Auburn: Auburn should be able to win this one handily, and even if they don't it won't be worth watching.
Georgia at South Florida: A couple of offenses ranked around 150th who combined to lose five starters. Sounds riveting.
Rutgers at Ole Miss: When there are this many duds of games, it might be time to re-evaluate why this Challenge exists. It's quickly fallen into the category of "someone is paying for it, so it must be worth doing."
Mississippi State at Providence: Rick Stansbury turned an extremely talented roster into a 8-8 SEC team. And now most of that talent is gone, including Dee Bost, Arnett Moultrie and Rodney Hood. And for Providence - name more than one of their starters. I dare you.
The SEC better beat up on the Notre Dame while they have the chance. They'll be rueing the missed opportunities when they see ND competing in a certain other college basketball "challenge."
Stay tuned.
