SEC Tournament Round 1 Takeaways: Can Vandy play spoiler in Tampa?

On the opening night of the SEC Tournament in Tampa, the first round featured a pair of blowouts.

In Game 1, Missouri shut down Ole Miss in a 72-60 win while Vanderbilt beat the brakes off of Georgia 86-51 in game two. For the Rebels and Bulldogs, a lot of questions need to be answered by the two worst teams in the SEC. Meanwhile, the Tigers and Commodores will now turn their focus on upsetting their second-round opponents.

Ole Miss: Where do the Rebels go after SEC Tournament loss?

Kermit Davis’ team had plenty to work with on this roster. Even after freshman Daeshun Ruffin injured his knee at the start of February and missed the remainder of the season, the backcourt was still deep enough with seniors Jarkel Joiner and Tye Fagan, as well as sophomore Matthew Murrell. The frontcourt was their weak spot, but Duke transfer Jaemyn Brakefield and Miami transfer Nysier Brooks were more than capable. Instead, the Rebels started SEC play 1-5 and finished it 1-9, including Wednesday night’s SEC Tournament loss to Missouri.

There will be roster turnover with this team, but to what end under Kermit Davis?

Davis is a more than capable coach as the league’s Coach of the Year in 2019. Ole Miss seems to still be still committed to Davis moving forward, but how long will that leash be if the Rebels miss another postseason or post another losing record in 2023? Finishing second to last in your conference will leave a bad taste in your mouth. With that said, it makes next season that much more important for the future of the program under Davis as it could now be a make-or-break turning point.

Missouri: Will Brown get help again against LSU?

The Tigers are essentially a one-man show. Missouri goes where Kobe Brown takes them and whoever makes the trip with him is more than welcome to join. Against Ole Miss, it was one of those games where his supporting cast came along for the ride. Brown still led the way with 16, but the other six players who saw significant time scored no less than six points apiece. That’s uncommon production for Cuonzo Martin’s group.

Now, can they get it again against LSU in the SEC’s second round? It’ll be a tall task as the Tigers boast one of the best defenses in the country and just recently beat Missouri by 20. Still, funky things have already started happening in conference games across the country and LSU hasn’t been the most consistent group down the stretch. If Mizzou’s supporting cast shows up again in Tampa, you could at least squint at this matchup and convince yourself that they could keep it interesting.

Vanderbilt: Commodores are ripe with SEC Tournament upset potential

Vanderbilt beating the brakes off of Georgia wasn’t necessarily a surprise. The Commodores handled their business and will now face Alabama in the second round. It’s very likely they won’t hang near 90 on the Tide or score 50 plus in a half again. Georgia and Alabama are not in the same universe on any measurable level. With their win, though, the Commodores proved why they have as much upset potential as anyone in the field because of SEC leading scorer Scotty Pippen Jr. and their 33.6% three-point percentage, third-best in the conference.

Nate Oats has more quality guards in total on his roster. That being said, Jerry Stackhouse may very well have the best guard in the whole game tomorrow. Guard play wins games in tournaments and in March, and Alabama is as hit or miss as they get for a top team. Vanderbilt had a ranked Alabama team on the ropes just a little over two weeks ago. If everything breaks right for them, the Commodores might very well have a shot to make Friday’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal against Kentucky.

Georgia: Who will be Crean’s successor?

All jokes aside, there’s no good reason to explain why Georgia was bad as they were this season. Although defensively challenged, they ranked high enough in several offensive categories in the SEC to warrant better than a 1-17 record in conference play. That’s not even mentioning the non-conference home losses to Georgia Tech, Wofford, George Mason, ETSU, and Gardner-Webb. Their roster suggests they’re better than 6-26, which leads us back to the question of when Georgia makes it officially official that Tom Crean is out?

After a 47-74 record in four years, no postseason appearances and only in-state star Anthony Edwards to show for their work on the recruiting trail, this season should be the final nail in that coffin. There’s no telling where Crean will be next season or who will be at the helm for the Bulldogs going forward. At the end of the day, though, this program, its staff and its roster will all likely and very well should look different in 2022-2023.