re: Very early look at 2017-18 SEC hoops (KenPom)

USC will look different next season: they are losing three very impactful seniors this season - well, two definitely in Thornwell and Notice. Thornwell was the team's leading scorer and rebounder, and definite leader when it came to heart and effort. Notice was a dbl-digit scorer and along with Thornwell one of the team's top 2 defenders....

But thing was, last season USC lost it's top scorer, rebounder, and and big-heart and effort guy in Michael Carrera as well. Also lost two other starters in Chatkevicius and Kacinas who were dbl-digit scorers and along with Carrera were 3 of the team's top 4 rebounders (the 4th being Thornwell).

The team also lost 5 other role players to dismissals/transfers, so this season's team had a lot of returners as starters, but a totally new bench of inexperience and youth.

Silva has shown he can be a major player as long as he can stay on the floor. Towards the end of the season and the NCAA, he's shown improvement there. Dozier averaged 20 ppg during the 6-game stretch that Thornwell was suspended, and is also improved substantially defensively.

Kotsar showed freshman inexperience and a lack of physical development for a post player, but also has obvious offensive post moves and an off-season in the S&C program could do wonders for him. Felder was averaging 10.3 ppg in the first 3 NCAAT gms before shooting a blank in today's game, but he's a cocky kid from Brooklyn that isn't intimidated by anything.

USC also has a transfer who is red-shirting this season named Kory Holden who comes from Delaware who averaged 18 ppg there, and is a solid scorer.

This team gets what CFM and his staff try to teach much better than his early USC teams, and started to "get it" 2 seasons ago when they went 17-16. Next season Dozier may end up as a candidate All-SEC 1st Team, if not for SEC POTY....


The big thing is what this run in the NCAAT will do for future recruiting. SC produces quality talent that lately have been going out of state (Peak to Georgetown, Mack to Texas, Woods to UNC) because in-state programs haven't won on the big stage. Not anymore.....

Same thoughts as well. We are always picked 8th or 9th.

Early season the SEC needs to perform well to back up this NCAAt run. Florida and Arkansas will both have great chances in Portland in the Knight tourney.

Agreed. Interested to see the OOC schedules. Hopefully everyone has a marquee game or two.

Hopefully we can take a another step next year and get back to the tourney at the very least. With what we have back and the pieces we are adding, not dancing next year really would be inexcusable. I think I also read we are doing the international trip this summer which should give our new guys extra chances to gel early and start to define roles.

Very likely AU will be improved, but who in the SEC is expected to take a step back? UK probably worse than 16-2. UGA and Vandy could conceivably be worse. South Carolina maybe isn't quite as good without Thornwell and Notice. Everyone else should be better.