SEC 2020-2021 early look/predictions

[Gamecockfan77]

Arkansas figures to be a little better, but so does Kentucky.

I'm interested to see if TAMU can be a more dangerous squad without Carter.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Vic has been known to exaggerate.

I think her value is that she gives you an at least three big rotation.

I think playing two stretchy forwards together with Rickea at the three is scary.

Just have to find some consistent guard play.

the problem with MSU last year is lack of threat shooting the ball from the perimeter. Everything was go inside. Teams went zone and made things difficult for them

I think adding Cooks and Matharu to the starting lineup gives MSU much better shooting from the perimeter, specifically from 3. But we will see how it all comes together. Carter has to be more physical Inside and M. Taylor has to evolve offensively instead of playing 4 on 5

Matharu was the only threat to score from 3 last year and she spent most of her time on the bench until the very end of the season because MSU was desperate for offense outside of Rickea. Bibby and AEH did nothing. Rickea can take that shot but doesn’t prefer it. That’s one area that could make her game much better.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

the problem with MSU last year is lack of threat shooting the ball from the perimeter. Everything was go inside. Teams went zone and made things difficult for them

I think adding Cooks and Matharu to the starting lineup gives MSU much better shooting from the perimeter, specifically from 3. But we will see how it all comes together. Carter has to be more physical Inside and M. Taylor has to evolve offensively instead of playing 4 on 5

Matharu was the only threat to score from 3 last year and she spent most of her time on the bench until the very end of the season because MSU was desperate for offense outside of Rickea. Bibby and AEH did nothing. Rickea can take that shot but doesn’t prefer it. That’s one area that could make her game much better.

I'm pretty confident Rickea is going to do nothing but improve.

I was a little more disappointed in my other girl, Horston.

 

[SimpleDawg]

This is still SC's league and a distant 2nd are Kentucky and MSU.

No idea what corner of your mind is telling you that this is SC's league considering in the last 4 years.... we've won 2 SEC titles, SC has won 2 SEC titles for an even split at 2-2. We've been to 2 championship games, SC has been to 1. They do have 1 National Title and a 6-3 head-to-head record overall, but all this tells me is that this league has recently come down to those 2 and it belongs to a very hotly contested race between the 2 equals. I don't know if you've fallen asleep at the wheel or just don't watch a lot of SEC ball, or you just have a tendency to ignore our team's existence for whatever reason we're not cool enough for you to make general ESPN headline, but it certainly appears to me that you're making peripheral observations here.

So tell me again how we're CLEARLY distant to SC and it's their league?


Mississippi State SEC record in the last 4 years (66-10)
South Carolina SEC record in the last 4 years (64-10)

So...?

 

[militarydog]

the problem with MSU last year is lack of threat shooting the ball from the perimeter. Everything was go inside. Teams went zone and made things difficult for them

I think adding Cooks and Matharu to the starting lineup gives MSU much better shooting from the perimeter, specifically from 3. But we will see how it all comes together. Carter has to be more physical Inside and M. Taylor has to evolve offensively instead of playing 4 on 5

Matharu was the only threat to score from 3 last year and she spent most of her time on the bench until the very end of the season because MSU was desperate for offense outside of Rickea. Bibby and AEH did nothing. Rickea can take that shot but doesn’t prefer it. That’s one area that could make her game much better.

S Cooks’s three point shooting was one thing that surprised me from last summer’s games. She can fairly consistently hit from the arc. Fortunately R Jackson is a combo 3/4 and can slide down for off side rebounding.

 

[DefenseBB]

No idea what corner of your mind is telling you that this is SC's league considering in the last 4 years.... we've won 2 SEC titles, SC has won 2 SEC titles for an even split at 2-2. We've been to 2 championship games, SC has been to 1. They do have 1 National Title and a 6-3 head-to-head record overall, but all this tells me is that this league has recently come down to those 2 and it belongs to a very hotly contested race between the 2 equals. I don't know if you've fallen asleep at the wheel or just don't watch a lot of SEC ball, or you just have a tendency to ignore our team's existence for whatever reason we're not cool enough for you to make general ESPN headline, but it certainly appears to me that you're making peripheral observations here.

So tell me again how we're CLEARLY distant to SC and it's their league?


Mississippi State SEC record in the last 4 years (66-10)
South Carolina SEC record in the last 4 years (64-10)

So...?

Take a look at their roster vs. yours, take a look at their very experienced coach vs. Your new coach. How many All-Americans do you have returning? We can take a poll and I would bet all non-MSU fans vote SC to win. So yeah, without a waiver of doubt, you are vying for 2nd with a much talented Kentucky squad.

 

[SECbbfan24]

SC is the clear and obvious favorite next year early on for a reason. It may not happen but here is what we know. SC returns a roster stacked with star five star talents littered in the starting lineup and bench. Aliyah Boston was a giant reason for SC being so dominant last year and her supporting cast is a year older. Dawn is also proven, we know she will field good teams and what we get from her.

While Miss St does have the roster, talent and potential to win the SEC. McCray is completely unproven, she will have to earn that. We don't know how good her coaching ability really is. While Vic was a lot of things he was a damn good coach and developed kids well down in Starkville.

I still favor MSU right now over Kentucky but Kentucky has a much better makeup of talent this year to compliment Howard. Treasure Hunt, Edwards, and Chasity Patterson will make that squad one to watch, I could see them finishing 2nd in the conference if the pieces come together.

 

[HailHoops]

For the life of me I CANNOT see why everyone continues to downgrade Myah Taylor at PG. I have coached HS basketball for over 20 years and won championships. I was a PG in HS. My PG is my coach on the floor and the player I ask the most out of. I know what a great PG looks like. Myah Taylor has the intangibles for that position. She is deadly on the defensive end (takes charges, lots of steals). On the offensive end, she doesn't turn the ball over much. She executes the offense. She leads. No she doesn't score a lot, but can if she HAS to. I can remember a very diminutive guard named Morgan William who wasn't much of a scorer and then dropped 41 on Baylor. Just wish Myah got more kudos for what she does.

Edited to add: Thanks for the rundown SECbbfan24

I agree. I also know that she is the most level-headed, grounded kid in the locker room. McCray is already leaning on her heavily as THE leader. Myah was a bucket in high school, and her lack of attempts at shots speaks to how she was coached to play the position by Vic. He didn’t want her to shoot. He wanted her to dribble drive. That’s not a knock on Vic—the man has my full respect...but even our 3 point shooters (Bibby and AEH) we’re rattled by something this year. She has the 4th best assist to turnover ratio in the country and the best in the SEC. I believe Coach McCray is going to get her where she needs to be scoring-wise.

 

[HailHoops]

According to Vic in a presser recently before he moved onto Texas, they have not been able to guard her in practice all year. She would have started over Bibby and that is one reason I think she left. She saw the writing on the wall.

Everyone close to the program knows this is why Chloe left and wishes her well. She is beloved in Starkville. People within the program talked about Cooks being unguardable in practice. Chloe was leaving before Schaefer announced.

 

[G-Dawg]

Averaging close to 10 points a game under 20 minutes is pretty good. MSU has historically played a lot of bodies. I haven't been impressed with how Suzy Merchant has managed her teams over the last few years. Cooks is talented and has plenty of upside.

I still think she is better than Bibby and that in itself will help MSU next year, she doesn't have to be a super star to help them. They have plenty of fire power in other areas to complement each other.

On more than one occasion Vic mentioned that nobody could stop her in practice and that she was an absolute beast. I could see her thriving under someone like Vic as opposed to Suzy Merchant.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Take a look at their roster vs. yours, take a look at their very experienced coach vs. Your new coach. How many All-Americans do you have returning? We can take a poll and I would bet all non-MSU fans vote SC to win. So yeah, without a waiver of doubt, you are vying for 2nd with a much talented Kentucky squad.

I think next year will be the year of the Sidney Cooks. She's set to really show that she's exactly what her ranking originally had her as.... #5 prospect of her year. Of course we can't go off of this assumption that she's gonna be awesome, and for that reason + the fact that we have a new, unproven coach..... I can see why someone would lean heavily South Carolina.

I'm not arguing who's perceived to be stronger right now, of course South Carolina. Just saying that the records (66-10 vs 64-10) in the last 4 years are identical so based on conventional trends and recent yearly results, is why I predict these 2 will be mostly equal by the end of the year.

 

[Dwilliams02]

If these transfers were to be deemed eligible immediately. Do y'all really think A&M could shoot up a few spots to that #3. They have a pretty dangerous roster lol

 

[Jmsdawg]

My take, one to one
POSITION. SOUTH CAROLINA. MSST ADVANTAGE
CENTER. BOSTON. CARTER. BOSTON
PG. HENDERSON. M. TAYLOR. M. TAYLOR
SG. Z. COOKE. MATHARU. Z. COOKE
F. SAXON. S. COOKE. S. COOKE
F. AMIHERE. JACKSON. JACKSON

My opinion only, MSST has advantage 3 to 2 in quality of players but in MHO a major advantage for South Carolina is coaching, Dawn over McCray. I personally believe coaching is the major factor associated with WBB performance, hence I give the nod to South Carolina. In my opinion, Dawn is the best coach in the SEC and even if Vic were still the MSST coach I would still choose Dawn as the better coach.

 

[JDuro]

My take, one to one
POSITION. SOUTH CAROLINA. MSST ADVANTAGE
CENTER. BOSTON. CARTER. BOSTON
PG. HENDERSON. M. TAYLOR. M. TAYLOR
SG. Z. COOKE. MATHARU. Z. COOKE
F. SAXON. S. COOKE. S. COOKE
F. AMIHERE. JACKSON. JACKSON

Center - Boston
PG - Henderson
Henderson is going to surprise a lot of people (outside of the fanbase), as she takes over PG1.
SG (PG2) - Cooke
Wing - Beal
F - Jackson

 

[bballnut90]

My take, one to one
POSITION. SOUTH CAROLINA. MSST ADVANTAGE
CENTER. BOSTON. CARTER. BOSTON
PG. HENDERSON. M. TAYLOR. M. TAYLOR
SG. Z. COOKE. MATHARU. Z. COOKE
F. SAXON. S. COOKE. S. COOKE
F. AMIHERE. JACKSON. JACKSON

My opinion only, MSST has advantage 3 to 2 in quality of players but in MHO a major advantage for South Carolina is coaching, Dawn over McCray. I personally believe coaching is the major factor associated with WBB performance, hence I give the nod to South Carolina. In my opinion, Dawn is the best coach in the SEC and even if Vic were still the MSST coach I would still choose Dawn as the better coach.

Boston is worth like 2 players though when you factor in impact on both ends. Even if Cooks winds up being better than Beal or Taylor over Henerson, the difference between those two is minimal compared to Boston vs. Carter.

 

[SECbbfan24]

If these transfers were to be deemed eligible immediately. Do y'all really think A&M could shoot up a few spots to that #3. They have a pretty dangerous roster lol

I think it depends on how those highly touted freshmen and Jordan Nixon do.Don't those other transfers have to sit?

I think LSU could finish higher as well depending on how Young and the new kids step up. LSU just wasn't the same team without Mitchell (which is understandable) and that is my main concern going into next year. Richard Harris really did some good things as a senior and stepped up at critical times. I expect the JUCO transfer to play and contribute a lot. I hope we can get some more outside shooting next year to compliment Aifuwa down low. Free throw shooting has to improve. I got annoyed how many points we gave away from not hitting those each game.

 

[SECbbfan24]

M. Taylor IMO is a better ball handler than Henderson but Henderson is a much better scorer.

 

[SECbbfan24]

I think Arkansas will be the #3 team with Slocum, Ramirez and Dungee on the perimeter. That's a terrific 3 headed monster going into next season. Kentucky is good but not dynamic enough IMO to surpass the top 3. Mitchell is a solid coach but I think he'll overuse Howard like how Blair overused Chennedy at Texas A&M. Need to have more balance.

I could see it but my theory with Kentucky is they don't have to lean on Howard completely this coming year. Chastity Patterson came into her own down the stretch last year. She averaged over 11 points a game. The. experience and confidence she got changed her as a player. Edwards is going to be a big impact for them, she can play. Add in Treasure Hunt on the wing who is a dynamic scorer and creator, I think they look very different next year, much less predictable. They now have way better options to score outside of Howard. Their 4 star freshmen last year (who didn't play due to injury), Deasia Merrill is now back and should be another solid body to lean on.

My concern with Arkansas is they can live and die by the outside shooting and that doesn't seem like a consistent recipe for success. I think they finish high up in the standings.

 

[jumpstart]

My take, one to one
POSITION. SOUTH CAROLINA. MSST ADVANTAGE
CENTER. BOSTON. CARTER. BOSTON
PG. HENDERSON. M. TAYLOR. M. TAYLOR
SG. Z. COOKE. MATHARU. Z. COOKE
F. SAXON. S. COOKE. S. COOKE
F. AMIHERE. JACKSON. JACKSON

My opinion only, MSST has advantage 3 to 2 in quality of players but in MHO a major advantage for South Carolina is coaching, Dawn over McCray. I personally believe coaching is the major factor associated with WBB performance, hence I give the nod to South Carolina. In my opinion, Dawn is the best coach in the SEC and even if Vic were still the MSST coach I would still choose Dawn as the better coach.

Now that's funny.....I think South Carolina has an advantage at Center....point guard....shooting guard and one of the forward positions....maybe both....it's all about "what we think"....not a fact. I am telling you that Miss St does not hold a 3-2 advantage in a starting 5.....not now...not next year.

 

[SimpleDawg]

The only spot we hold an obvious advantage in is Small Forward. Jackson over whoever their Small Forward is Beal or Saxton. It's ludicrous not to give us that one.

The other spots can only be decided during the year. It's hard to tell based on Mississippi State and South Carolina both promoting two players that haven't played as much as they should up until this point.

 

[SCspur]

The only spot we hold an obvious advantage in is Small Forward. Jackson over whoever their Small Forward is Beal or Saxton. It's ludicrous not to give us that one.

The other spots can only be decided during the year. It's hard to tell based on Mississippi State and South Carolina both promoting two players that haven't played as much as they should up until this point.

Beal is our Small Forward. Jackson was better offensively but Beal is definitely better defensively. Beal also made it tough for Jackson in Greenville, while also picking up a double double herself. We’ll get to see more battles in the future but I don’t think either one has an advantage over the other at this point.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Beal is our Small Forward. Jackson was better offensively but Beal is definitely better defensively. Beal also made it tough for Jackson in Greenville, while also picking up a double double herself. We’ll get to see more battles in the future but I don’t think either one has an advantage over the other at this point.

Based on that reasoning, I could say Taylor > or = Henderson based on her defense being better.

You're essentially giving SC a 5 out of 5 advantage, homerist.

 

[SCspur]

Based on that reasoning, I could say Taylor > or = Henderson based on her defense being better.

You're essentially giving SC a 5 out of 5 advantage, homerist.

Henderson plays great defense. Lol how am I a homerist? The results tell it all...

 

[bballnut90]

I could see it but my theory with Kentucky is they don't have to lean on Howard completely this coming year. Chastity Patterson came into her own down the stretch last year. She averaged over 11 points a game. The. experience and confidence she got changed her as a player. Edwards is going to be a big impact for them, she can play. Add in Treasure Hunt on the wing who is a dynamic scorer and creator, I think they look very different next year, much less predictable. They now have way better options to score outside of Howard. Their 4 star freshmen last year (who didn't play due to injury), Deasia Merrill is now back and should be another solid body to lean on.

My concern with Arkansas is they can live and die by the outside shooting and that doesn't seem like a consistent recipe for success. I think they finish high up in the standings.

All valid points. Kentucky will be one to watch. I think Arkansas's success ultimately comes down to Dungee and if she returns back to sophomore form. If she does, they're a lot more potent. I also think Slocum could really be electric in the system and thrive in a less rigid offense.

 

[bballnut90]

Beal is our Small Forward. Jackson was better offensively but Beal is definitely better defensively. Beal also made it tough for Jackson in Greenville, while also picking up a double double herself. We’ll get to see more battles in the future but I don’t think either one has an advantage over the other at this point.

Jackson is clearly a better player than Beale at this point.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Beal is our Small Forward. Jackson was better offensively but Beal is definitely better defensively. Beal also made it tough for Jackson in Greenville, while also picking up a double double herself. We’ll get to see more battles in the future but I don’t think either one has an advantage over the other at this point.

I would take Jackson over Beal but that doesn’t mean Beal isn’t great. I think Rickea would benefit significantly from graining some more muscle in the offseason

 

[militarydog]

I would take Jackson over Beal but that doesn’t mean Beal isn’t great. I think Rickea would benefit significantly from graining some more muscle in the offseason

Last season Coach Schaefer said R Jackson one of if not the best back to the basket players on the team. I wonder if after another year in the weight room Coach McCray-Penson considers playing her more at the four.

 

[bballnut90]

Based on that reasoning, I could say Taylor > or = Henderson based on her defense being better.

You're essentially giving SC a 5 out of 5 advantage, homerist.

I don't see how either Taylor or Henderson gets an edge on the other. Henderson is clearly a better scorer than Taylor but Taylor has proven she can run the show and play efficiently unlike Destanni. Destanni's role was to bring scoring and energy off the bench, so she could be a stronger decision maker while she's running the show, but at this point I don't think anyone objectively can say one has the edge over the other right now.

My take is:

Taylor = Henderson...outlined above

Cooke > Matharu...Matharu was excellent in limited minutes but Cooke is the clear choice headed into next year

Beale < Jackson....no brainer

Saxton/Amihere = Cooks...haven't seen enough of Cooks but she had decent numbers at Michigan State. I think Saxton/Amihere will fill in well at the 4. Hard to give one team a clear edge IMO.

Boston > Carter...no brainer. Carter is good but the gap between the 2 is enormous.

So 2-1 for SC with 2 ties. The gap between Boston and anyone she goes up against is a huge difference maker.

Most important though is that SC has a far more proven coach and players who know her system and coaching style. Mississippi State doesn't, which further puts them behind SC IMO. SC is a legitimate title threat, Mississippi State a potential final four threat. Both should finish top 2 in the SEC and hopefully we get a great matchup during the regular season again.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Last season Coach Schaefer said R Jackson one of if not the best back to the basket players on the team. I wonder if after another year in the weight room Coach McCray-Penson considers playing her more at the four.

Rickea is perfect at the 3 but she has the size to post up near the basket. She isn’t an ideal 4 but can move there at times briefly. As I said, bulking up a little more would help transform her game. She is very tall and lengthy

 

[bballnut90]

Last season Coach Schaefer said R Jackson one of if not the best back to the basket players on the team. I wonder if after another year in the weight room Coach McCray-Penson considers playing her more at the four.

I think she's perfectly suited for the 3 if she continues to improve her perimeter shot. She is best attacking the basket and from mid range. Her game reminds me of Sheryl Swoopes. Would rather see her continue to develop on the perimeter than focus on battling more inside.