SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Missouri falls, Florida rises

Here are the SEC basketball power rankings following week one!

We are officially underway.

The 2021-22 college basketball season has officially begun. There haven’t been any incredible surprises so far, but rather overall the teams that are expected to compete have looked good early, and the ones that aren’t expected to compete have played like they don’t in fact want to.

Eight teams are still undefeated, with South Carolina, Missouri, Georgia, and Kentucky all taking losses over the course of week one. the fact that Texas A&M is 3-0 might be the only legitimate surprise the conference has had in this early season.

Here are the SEC power rankings after one week of basketball action.

Auburn basketball moves up in latest AP Top 25 Poll

Auburn is moving up!

The Tigers are on the move.

Auburn moves up one spot in the AP Top 25 Poll to No. 21 after being ranked No. 22 to open the season. The Tigers are currently 2-0 and are looking to improve to 3-0 with a win over South Florida later this week on Friday. There are currently six total teams from the SEC ranked.

Auburn opened the 2021-22 season with a win over Morehead State, an NCAA Tournament team from last year. They defeated ULM 93-65 last Friday after a sloppy first half.

Here is the AP poll in its entirety.

1. Gonzaga (55) 2-0
2. UCLA (6) 2-0
3. Kansas 2-0
4. Michigan 2-0
5. Villanova 1-1
6. Purdue 2-0
7. Duke 3-0
8. Texas 1-1
9. Baylor 1-0
10. Illinois 2-0
11. Memphis 2-0
12. Oregon 2-0
13. Kentucky 1-1
14. Alabama 2-0
15. Houston 2-0
16. Arkansas 2-0
17. Tennessee 2-0
18. North Carolina 2-0
19. Ohio State 2-0
20. Maryland 3-0
21. Auburn 2-0
22. St. Bonaventure 2-0
23. UConn 2-0
24. Florida 2-0
25. Southern Cal 2-0

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Five reasons why Auburn basketball is going to win the SEC

Sip the Kool-Aid with us, will you?

It’s never to late to pump some sunshine.

Auburn played decently well against Morehead State on Tuesday night in a 77-54 win. The Tigers let off the gas in the second half, but overall their talent was shining through, and as a fan that’s what I wanted to see most.

I know there are a lot of folks high up on teams like Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, and even LSU and Mississippi State. The Southeastern Conference has a loaded field of teams this season. But I think the Tigers of Auburn are going to be the ones that come out on top.

Here are five reasons why.

LSU vs UL-Monroe: How to watch the men’s basketball opener

LSU men’s basketball tips off the 2021-22 season on Tuesday night.

Opening night for LSU Tigers men’s basketball season has finally arrived. Last year head coach Will Wade led the team to a 19-10 season and a round of 32 appearance in the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers and Warhawks were set to play last year but pushed back to 2021-22 season due to the pandemic. Over the last three years, LSU leads the SEC with 39 conference wins and is the only team to finish in the top three each year.

Wade and the Tigers get ready for another run at the SEC crown and it all begins on Tuesday night. Darius Days will lead the team as he returns for his fourth season. Days averaged 11.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season. According to LSU’s press release, the Tigers were 19-1 when Days scored double digits.

Former Missouri guard Xavier Pinson makes his LSU debut after averaging 13.6 points per game a season ago. ULM is led by former LSU assistant Keith Richard.

How to Watch, Listen, and Stream

(Tennessean/USA TODAY Sports)

Game Details:

  • Location: Pete Maravich Center in Baton Rouge
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
  • TV: SEC Network+
  • Radio: LSU Radio Network
  • App: Watch ESPN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

Auburn basketball duo voted preseason All-SEC by league’s coaches

Auburn picked up two All-SEC selections in the Preseason Coaches All-SEC teams.

The following is a release from Auburn Athletics.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Auburn’s Allen Flanigan and Jabari Smith earned preseason All-SEC honors as voted on by the 14 coaches in the Southeastern Conference, the league announced Tuesday. Flanigan was a First Team selection while Smith made Second Team.

Flanigan, who will miss the beginning of the 2021-22 season due to injury, is coming off a season in which he averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. The junior was the most improved scorer in the SEC last year and scored in double figures in 22 of the team’s 27 games, including six games with 20 or more points.

Flanigan was one of three players in the SEC to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game and was the only guard in the league to rank in the top 15 in both points and rebounds per game during conference play.

Smith is the only freshman to be voted All-SEC by the coaches. He was the highest-rated player to sign with Auburn in the history of the program and was the fourth player in program history to make the McDonald’s All-American Team. He was a Naismith First Team All-American and was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia in 2021.

Last week, the 6-foot-10 Smith was named Second Team All-SEC by the media. He was also one of 20 players to make the 2021 Karl Malone Award Watch List.

The coaches preseason All-SEC first and second teams consist of a minimum of eight players on each squad. Auburn was one of six teams with multiple selections.

The 2021-22 campaign begins Nov. 9, with conference play set to begin Dec. 29. The 2022 SEC Tournament will be held March 9-13 at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

First Team All-SEC
Jaden Shackelford – Alabama
Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
JD Notae – Arkansas
Allen Flanigan – Auburn
Colin Castleton – Florida
Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
Darius Days – LSU
Iverson Molinar – Mississippi State
John Fulkerson – Tennessee
Scotty Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC
Davonte Davis – Arkansas
Jabari Smith – Auburn
Keion Brooks Jr. – Kentucky
Kellan Grady – Kentucky
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Xavier Pinson – LSU
Garrison Brooks – Mississippi State
Keyshawn Bryant – South Carolina

Darius Days and Xavier Pinson named to preseason All-SEC teams

LSU had two players selected to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC teams.

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LSU basketball players Darius Days and Xavier Pinson were named to the preseason All-SEC teams, the SEC announced on Tuesday, with Days being selected to the first team while Xavier Pinson was voted to the second team. A total of 38 different players received votes for the coaches’ teams.

Days, who returned for his senior year after testing the NBA waters during the summer, started 28 games last season. He averaged 11.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal per game. In 2021 he shot over 50 percent from the field (51.9%), including 52 three-pointers. He has in double figures over 44 times three seasons and his 16 double-doubles for his career is the most for any currently active player in the SEC.

Xavier Pinson transferred to LSU after three seasons at Missouri. He started 26 games during the 2020-21 season and averaged 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. He had 18 games where he scored in double figures.

The LSU opens the season on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. against ULM.

Here are the first and second-team as voted on by the coaches.

First Team All-SEC
Jaden Shackelford – Alabama
Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
JD Notae – Arkansas
Allen Flanigan – Auburn
Colin Castleton – Florida
Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
Darius Days – LSU
Iverson Molinar – Mississippi State
John Fulkerson – Tennessee
Scotty Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC
Davonte Davis – Arkansas
Jabari Smith – Auburn
Keion Brooks Jr. – Kentucky
Kellan Grady – Kentucky
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Xavier Pinson – LSU
Garrison Brooks – Mississippi State
Keyshawn Bryant – South Carolina

LSU Basketball: Adam Miller out for the season

LSU basketball just lost a huge piece of their team to a season-ending injury.

The injuries on the football field are spilling over into other sports for LSU.

Adam Miller, one of the most coveted transfers in the offseason, is out for the season with a serious leg injury.

Earlier on his Twitter, Miller commented on his situation. “I was raised to get through every situation possible. I’m a soldier. The game can’t be played without me for too long… I’ll be back,” He said. No official diagnosis had been released yet.

LSU’s season starts in two weeks against ULM. This is a huge blow for LSU’s depth at guard after losing Cameron Thomas to the NBA this past season. Xavier Pinson is going to have to step up in a big way now.

Miller is a sophomore who transferred from Illinois. He averaged 8.3 points per game during his freshman year. He would have been a key cog in this year’s team. He would have most likely been a starter for the Tigers.

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Follow Lance on Twitter: @DawePound

Auburn basketball picked to finish 5th in SEC in preseason poll

Where do you think Auburn will finish in the SEC standings?

Auburn is getting their respect in the preseason.

The Tigers are projected to finish 5th in the SEC, as picked by the national media in the 2021-22 SEC preseason media poll. Auburn is behind Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and Kentucky.

Here is the entire SEC preseason media poll.

Preseason SEC Media Poll
1. Kentucky
2. Alabama
3. Arkansas
4. Tennessee
5. Auburn
6. LSU
7. Florida
8. Mississippi State
9. Ole Miss
10. Missouri
11. South Carolina
12. Texas A&M
13. Vanderbilt
14. Georgia

Auburn finished 13-14, 7-11 in the SEC last season, which was good for 11th place. The Tigers did not participate in the SEC tournament because of their self-inflicted postseason ban.

Incoming freshman Jabari Smith was named a 2nd team All-SEC player. He was the only freshman as well as the only Auburn player to make the All-SEC list.

Here are the first and second teams.

First Team All-SEC
Jaden Shackelford – Alabama
Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
Colin Castleton – Florida
Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
Iverson Molinar – Mississippi State
Scotty Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC
Davonte Davis – Arkansas
Jabari Smith – Auburn
Keion Brooks Jr. – Kentucky
Kellan Grady – Kentucky
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Darius Days – LSU

Auburn opens up the season on November 9th against Morehead State at 7:00 p.m. central time.

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LSU, Nicholls Set For Charity Exhibition Oct. 23 In Thibodaux

LSU basketball will be playing in a charity exhibition game on October 23rd!

LSU basketball will be holding a charity event.

Nicholls State and LSU will face off on Saturday, Oct. 23 on Nicholls State’s campus in Thibodaux for a charity exhibition game. Tipoff between the Tigers and the Colonels will be at 1 p.m.

The event will be the first time LSU has traveled over to Thibodaux for a basketball game. LSU holds a 19-1 record in the all-time series against the Colonels, and defeated Nicholls State 86-80 last season behind a 29-point performance from current Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas. All proceeds from the exhibition will go towards relief efforts for from the extensive damage in the Houma-Thibodaux area from Hurricane Ida.

Last season, Nicholls finished 18-7 and won their regular-season Southland Conference title.

The official press release from LSU is on page two.

LSU announces men’s basketball nonconference schedule

The full nonconference schedule for the LSU men’s basketball team for the 2021-22 season.

The LSU Tigers have finalized their nonconference schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 men’s basketball schedule. They are looking to improve from the 19-10 (11-6 SEC) record from a season ago.

Will Wade and the Tigers will tip off the season against in-state foe Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday, Nov. 9. They won’t officially play on the road until Friday, Nov. 26 against Penn State in the Emerald Coast Classic. The tournament takes place in Niceville, Florida. They will either play Oregon State or Wake Forest on Nov. 27.

This season the Tigers will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on the TCU Horned Frogs in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 29.

Per a release from LSU Athletics:

LSU MEN’S NON-CONFERENCE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS; TIMES, TV TBD

November
Tuesday 9 ULM
Friday 12 TEXAS STATE
Monday 15 LIBERTY
Thursday 18 MCNEESE STATE
Monday 22 BELMONT
Emerald Classic – Niceville, Florida
Friday 26 Penn State
Saturday 27 Wake Forest/Oregon State

December
Wednesday 1 OHIO
Holiday Hoopsgiving – Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday 11 Georgia Tech
Tuesday 14 NORTHWESTERN STATE
Saturday 18 Louisiana Tech (in Bossier City)
Wednesday 22 LIPSCOMB

January
Saturday 29 at TCU (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)

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