Editor’s Note: The Dispatch asked members of the media who voted in the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball preseason poll to give their thoughts about how the league’s 14 teams fared in non-conference play and how they think those teams will fare in conference play, which begins today. The Dispatch thanks all of the media members for their participation in a busy holiday and bowl season. The media member’s name and affiliation is listed above the questions and answers.
Robert Cessna
Executive sports editor,
The Eagle, Bryan-College Station (Texas)
Which team is the biggest surprise, and why?
Mississippi State and Missouri. It’s hard to go through non-conference unbeaten, especially if you play at least three to four good teams. MSU winning at Iowa State was impressive. I thought Missouri would be better this year and be an NCAA tournament team, but the Tigers already have had a couple bad losses. Florida and Kentucky are others I thought would each have one to two fewer losses. Missouri and Florida have had personnel issues (injuries or Eleanna Christinaki quitting in Florida’s case), while Kentucky again lacks depth.
Which team isn’t doing as well as you thought it would, and why?
See above answer
How many teams do you think the SEC will get into the NCAA tournament?
I’d say eight. The league might be so balanced from No. 3 to No. 12 that teams will beat up on each other.
Which other teams are “on the bubble?”
Not answered
Which player has been the most surprising, and why?
Texas A&M senior point guard Curtyce Knox has gone from a three-year backup to Jordan Jones to leading the nation in assists (9.4 per game). She’s been nails.
Which player do you think will have the biggest impact on keeping her team where it is or helping it move up, and why?
The writer didn’t feel comfortable answering.
Who are your favorites for SEC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year?
The writer didn’t feel comfortable answering.
Which team has the best shot to dethrone South Carolina, and why?
I think Mississippi State has the best chance to beat South Carolina. I think it’s a two-team race. I think at least 10 teams on any given night will be able to beat the others.
Dana Sulonen, Opelika-Auburn News
Which team is the biggest surprise, and why?
Never in a million years would I have guessed Alabama would be off to a 12-1 start. I know the Crimson Tide hasn’t played the strongest schedule, but 12-1 to start the season is a nice confidence booster.
Which team isn’t doing as well as you thought it would, and why?
Has to be Tennessee. The Stanford win helped, but losses to Penn State and Virginia Tech were surprising.
How many teams do you think the SEC will get into the NCAA tournament?
I think it will be eight or nine like last year. I think a lot of teams will beat each other, but the talent throughout the conference to warrant eight or nine is there.
Which other teams are “on the bubble?”
I think Alabama will become a bubble team if it continues how it is playing, but will need to steal a few good conference wins. This could be one of those years that it’s a battle for the bubble.
Which player has been the most surprising, and why?
The writer didn’t feel comfortable answering.
Which player do you think will have the biggest impact on keeping her team where it is or helping it move up, and why?
The writer didn’t feel comfortable answering.
Who are your favorites for SEC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year?
The writer didn’t feel comfortable answering.
Which team has the best shot to dethrone South Carolina, and why?
Mississippi State has to be everyone’s answer, right?
Tom Turbiville,
Longtime broadcaster and former Texas A@M sports information director
Which team is the biggest surprise, and why?
Alabama was picked to finish 13th and stands at 12-1, even though it has played a weak non-conference schedule. I’ll give them kudos now before they play South Carolina (today).
Which team isn’t doing as well as you thought it would, and why?
That’s a tough one. I would say Tennessee, but then they up and beat Stanford and have played a tough schedule. Texas A&M lost badly to Dayton but then beat NCAA runner-up Syracuse by 21 the next day. Georgia has lost some that a Southeastern Conference team should not.
How many teams do you think the SEC will get into the NCAA tournament?
I’ll say five: Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the fifth will be Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, or LSU.
Which other teams are “on the bubble?”
Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, LSU, Alabama.
Which player has been the most surprising, and why?
Have to go with what I see and Jasmine Lumpkin of Texas A&M has been a difference-maker, as has current national assist leader Curtyce Knox of Texas A&M.
Which player do you think will have the biggest impact on keeping her team where it is or helping it move up, and why?
Again I have to go with what I see and that would be Kaila Hillsman of Texas A&M.
Who are your favorites for SEC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year?
Player of Year — A’ja Wilson, South Carolina; Coach of the Year — Vic Schaefer, Mississippi State; Freshman of the Year — Ashley Knight, Alabama
Which team has the best shot to dethrone South Carolina, and why?
Mississippi State just because they’re 14-0 and have plenty of confidence. They do have to play at South Carolina, so it will be tough.
Graham Doty,
Play-by-play broadcaster for Ole Miss
Which team is the biggest surprise, and why?
My biggest surprise team is LSU. I know they had injuries last season, but they have already matched last year’s win total and have nice wins over North Carolina, Wake Forest, TCU, and North Carolina State. Their only losses are to UConn and at Kansas State.
Which team isn’t doing as well as you thought it would, and why?
Last year Georgia won 21 games under first-year head coach Joni Taylor. This season, I think Taylor would be the first to admit her team hasn’t started as strongly as she would have liked. They are currently 7-5 and just lost a home game to Samford.
How many teams do you think the SEC will get into the NCAA tournament?
I think six or seven teams will make the NCAA tournament.
Which other teams are “on the bubble?”
I would say Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, and Missouri are bubble teams.
Which player has been the most surprising, and why?
Danni Williams at Texas A&M is my most surprising player. She went from averaging three points per game to leading the SEC in points per game with 18.
Which player do you think will have the biggest impact on keeping her team where it is or helping it move up, and why?
I think Ole Miss’ Chrishae Rowe will have a big impact for the Rebels. She was the PAC 12 Freshman of the Year at Oregon and her last game for Ole Miss she scored a season high 20. Ole Miss will need her offensive production in SEC play.
Who are your favorites for SEC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year?
Player of the Year — A’ja Wilson, South Carolina; Coach of the Year — Vic Schaefer, Mississippi State. They are currently ranked No. 5 in the country and if they can navigate conference play as they have their non-conference schedule, Schaefer would be worthy of consideration; Freshman of the Year — Jordan Lewis, Alabama. She has been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice.
Which team has the best shot to dethrone South Carolina, and why?
I think Mississippi State has the best chance to dethrone South Carolina. They are talented and have the depth to match up well with South Carolina.
Adam Minichino,
Sports editor of The Dispatch
Which team is the biggest surprise, and why?
Mississippi State. It’s hard not to select a team that has won 11 games on the road or at neutral sites. Vic Schaefer likely has his frequent flier miles stocked for the next few years thanks to a schedule that saw his team travel more than 17,000 and visit scenic locales like Hawaii and California. While some of MSU’s non-conference opponents aren’t doing as well as hoped, come-from-behind wins at Iowa State and at Southern California are the most impressive. For instance, USC beat No. 20 Colorado 79-54 on Friday night. USC also has a victory against Texas A&M. No. 5 MSU (14-0) was expected to do well in non-conference play, but it deserves a lot of credit for not slipping up against the nation’s most challenging non-conference travel schedule.
Which team isn’t doing as well as you thought it would, and why?
Georgia. It isn’t that the Bulldogs (8-5) have lost to Oklahoma State, Virginia, and Samford, as well as Georgia Tech, but it is how the team has lost. Georgia lost by 20 points at Oklahoma State and by 23 at home to Virginia, which is a bubble team for the NCAA tournament. It also lost to Samford at home. Bad losses like that count more than just one game when it comes to picking the 64 teams for the NCAA tournament field. Georgia’s biggest wins are against Minnesota and Cincinnati, two nine-win teams that will finish in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten and the American Athletic conferences.
How many teams do you think the SEC will get into the NCAA tournament?
Eight (South Carolina, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt).
Which other teams are “on the bubble?”
Florida, Ole Miss, and Alabama. Ole Miss and Alabama have longer roads to travel based on their Ratings Percentage Indexes (RPI) entering SEC play. Ole Miss (109) and Alabama (118) are the league’s only teams not ranked in the top 100. The NCAA uses RPI to gauge the strength of teams when it selects its field of 64 teams.
Which player has been the most surprising, and why?
Texas A&M’s Danni Williams and Curtyce Knox are great choices, but Auburn’s Kate Frerking is right there with them. The senior forward is ranked in seven SEC individual statistical categories: third in scoring (15.7 points per game), first in steals (3.1 per game), fifth in 3-pointers made (27), seventh in free throw percentage (80.4), 10th in rebounding (7.5), 15th in field goal percentage (43.6), and third in minutes (34.1). She ranks behind Williams and Knox in minutes. Frerking is my choice because she is helping the Tigers so many ways and she has elevated her game from 11.7 ppg., 5.1 rebounds, 38.7 percent field goal shooting, and 70.3 free throw percentage from last season.
Which player do you think will have the biggest impact on keeping her team where it is or helping it move up, and why?
Florida senior forward Ronni Williams. The McDonald’s All-American had a career-high 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 102-51 victory against Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday. She has increased her scoring average from 10.1 and 11.1 ppg., which led the team the last two seasons, to 17.9 ppg. this season. That number is even more critical considering sophomore guard Eleanna Christinaki quit the team after nine games. Florida also is without injured forward Simone Westbrook, so Williams will be counted on to do a lot to help carry the Gators.
Who are your favorites for SEC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Freshman of the Year?
Player of the Year — A’ja Wilson, South Carolina; Coach of the Year — Nikki Fargas, LSU; Freshman of the Year — Jordan Lewis, Alabama.
Which team has the best shot to dethrone South Carolina, and why?
It’s unlikely a team will be able to go to Columbia, South Carolina, and beat South Carolina, but Mississippi State is the best-equipped team to tackle that chore Jan. 23. Kentucky also has a good chance considering it will play South Carolina on Feb. 2 in Lexington, Kentucky. South Carolina will play host to Tennessee on Jan. 30, so it could be ripe for the picking on the back end of a two-game stretch.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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