The Southeastern Conference has a men's basketball league rich in history. Kentucky and Arkansas have brought national respect to it for the past few decades and in part continue to do so now. Kentucky is recognized for their legendary programs from decades ago; however, their basketball team is just as strong today.
The Florida Gators have also risen to become a powerhouse in not only the SEC but the entire nation. As Georgia fights to keep up with the pack, the likes of Alabama,, Mississippi and Mississippi State have also played strong ball in the past few years, and represented the conference well in the NCAA tournament.
The SEC had a showcase like none other coming into Tuesday night as their best two teams, the No. 1 Florida Gators and the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats faced off in Lexington, Ky. Many expected the game to be a closely-fought, bitter battle between these two highly-respected clubs; however, Kentucky thought otherwise.
Instead, Head Coach Tubby Smith's Wildcats showed why they are the best team in the SEC.
The final score of the game was 70-55, in favor of the Wildcats. However, the domination demonstrated by Kentucky was unlike any done to a No. 1 ranked team in quite some time. The Wildcats' top two scorers, senior guard Keith Bogans and junior guard Gerald Fitch, finished the game with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Bogans had 15 by halftime, while Fitch had 11 of his 14 midway through the game.
The Wildcats played tough defense and mastered the transition offense to an art form against the supposed best team in the nation.
Florida is no pushover, however. The Gators went into Tuesday on the heels of a 14-game winning streak. They were perfect in conference and had beaten such national powerhouses as Kansas and Maryland, as well as being ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history.
Florida has the size and speed to match most teams in the nation. Their defense keeps them in games while their offense shuts their opponents out. Freshman guard Anthony Roberson led the Gators with 18 points Tuesday night. Along with freshman forward Matt Walsh, these two present a world of talent to a team that has great senior leadership in Bogans, forward Matt Bonner, and guard Justin Hamilton.
Georgia is not to be forgotten either. The Bulldogs have quietly remained third in the SEC while Florida and Kentucky have duked it out. The No. 17 Bulldogs are 5-2 in conference, 13-5 overall.??Senior guard Ezra Williams has led this team in scoring the past five games with his 17.9 points per game average while junior guard Rashad Wright has led the Bulldogs in assists with almost six per contest.
While the SEC East is well represented in the Associated Press Top 25, the SEC West is not as strong. Auburn is in the lead of the West, but Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are only one game behind the Tigers. Many of the teams started the season off strong, but when the conference games came, they all fell apart.
Considering the strength of the Wildcats so far this season, Kentucky should be able to win out the SEC all by themselves, and play their way into the Final Four. However, they will not be the only team from this conference in March Madness. Georgia, Florida and maybe even Auburn or Tennessee may be getting bids to play in the March Madness. No matter how it works out, the type of basketball that is typical in the SEC will not only allow it to win games in the Big Dance, but also bring with it a national championship.
