KSR's favorite ESPN writer picks Kentucky to make the Final Four, Mark Pope to win COY

ESPN dropped its “megapreview” for the upcoming college basketball season this morning, complete with top storylines, All-Americans, and conference and NCAA Tournament predictions. Only one member of the four-person panel picked your University of Kentucky Wildcats to make the Final Four: Myron Medcalf.

KSR’s favorite ESPN writer is high on the Cats in Mark Pope’s second year, picking Kentucky to win the SEC and make it to Indianapolis, along with Houston, Purdue, and BYU. He didn’t shove all of his chips in on the Cats, picking Houston to win it all, but Pope is his pick for Coach of the Year. I think BBN would be satisfied with a regular-season SEC title and a Final Four banner, the program’s first in over a decade.

The rest of the panel picked Florida to win the SEC, with Jeff Borzello and Neal Paine also putting the Gators in the Final Four. Borzello has Louisville also making it to Indianapolis (ew), while Joe Lunardi went with Duke, Purdue, Michigan, and UConn. Medcalf and Paine predict that Houston will win the national championship. Borzello chose Purdue, and Lunardi chose Michigan. Joey Brackets is very high on the Wolverines, picking Yaxel Lendeborg to win Player of the Year and Dusty May to win Coach of the Year. Borzello’s choice? Pat Kelsey. Again, ew.

The SEC sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament last year. This year, the panel doesn’t think the conference will be quite as top-heavy, but will still send plenty of representatives to the Big Dance. Both Borzello and Medcalf think Florida and Kentucky are a cut above the rest.

“Last season, the league produced two 1-seeds, two 2-seeds, a 3-seed, and a 4-seed among its 14 NCAA tournament teams,” Borzello wrote. “With the expected improvement of LSU, we could see up to 15 teams fighting for tournament bids this season — and I would have at least 13 projected as of today. But it’s difficult to foresee four teams in the top eight again. Florida is a title contender and Kentucky isn’t far behind, but none of the other teams is a surefire Final Four threat.”

“Florida and Kentucky are real contenders,” Medcalf said. “It seems as if Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, and Arkansas could all be second-weekend teams too. Last season’s SEC, however, had three players who made the Associated Press’ All-America first team and one who made the third team. Those were dominant squads with star power.”

You can see all of their predictions below. If Medcalf’s comes true, we’re taking him to Waffle House.

[ESPN College Basketball Megapreview]