Questions from the College Basketball World

Is there anyone in the SEC that Kentucky can beat?

Certainly there are a lot of teams beating Kentucky right now. Last weekend they fell to the West Coast Conference's third best (at best) team. So you wouldn't think they will fare to well in the SEC this year. Still, I like Billy Gillespie and I think this Wildcat team will get better. I certainly don't expect them to not win in the SEC. I truly think that they should end up right around 500 in conference play. And don't be shocked to see them beat Vanderbilt in their conference opener next Saturday.

Thoughts on the Orange up until this point?

The Orange is tremendously talented. Very young and not very deep. However, Jim Boeheim never plays with a real deep bench. The injury to Devendorf has forced Scoop Jardine into the action a bit more than expected and it makes them vulnerable to some zone defenses. But I think this team gets better as the season goes on. They played a very good non-conference schedule (particularly if you like the RPI) but the pair of home losses are treacherous. I think they'll get double digit wins in the Big East. Tomorrow versus South Florida should show us something.

How good is Michigan State?

The Spartans are one of those teams that have truly surprised me. They always have a little bit of hype, and I never buy into it. But the results that the Spartans have produced have earned my respect as well. Wins at Bradley and BYU may not be overly impressive to the casual fan, but they are good stuff. In addition, they beat a decent Missouri team in Kansas City and their only loss is to UCLA. I wouldn't be surprised to see them lose only 3 or 4 Big Ten games and end up with a Top 3 seed in the tournament. At that point, they could be very dangerous.

Is Andy Kennedy the difference at Ole Miss?

He just might be. And you know what, the next time a big time job opens he'd have to be considered. Ole Miss has several quality wins over South Alabama, Clemson, New Mexico and Winthrop and the like. They aren't going to go quietly in the SEC which is a bit watered down. I could see them winning 25 games and being a Top 4 seed. A good effort by Kennedy and his squad.