Sports writer Chris Gibson breaks down the status of Southeastern Conference teams that have the possibility to be among the 64 chosen for the NCAA Women’s Tournament. (Note: Teams presented in order of regular-season conference record and all rankings are Associated Press rankings.)
1) No. 4 Tennessee
(28-4, 14-0 SEC)
Breakdown: Undefeated in the toughest conference in America. This one is easy, despite being dominated by LSU in the SEC Tournament Championship game.
Possible seed: Locked in with a No. 1 and will be hosting in Knoxville.
2) No. 3 LSU
(27-3, 11-3)
Breakdown: Undoubtably the most improved team in the nation thanks to the addition of freshman Seimone Augustus. LSU did not just beat Tennessee in the SEC Tournament Championship game, but they clobbered the Vols by 16 points on a neutral court. Victories on the road at Arizona, Mississippi State and South Carolina stand out, as do home wins against Vanderbilt, Georgia, Arkansas and UC-Santa Barbara.
Possible seed: Virtually a lock for a No. 1
3) No. 19 Georgia
(19-9, 10-4)
Breakdown: The Lady Bulldogs have gone South quickly despite finishing third in the SEC regular season standings. The fact that second leading scorer, center Kara Braxton, was suspended a couple of weeks ago for the remainder of the season does not help.
Possible seed: 5 or 6
4) No. 12 Mississippi State
(23-7, 10-4)
Breakdown: State’s one-point buzzer-beating loss to Tennessee in the semi’s of the SEC tournament broke up a seven game winning streak. Although she may not win player of the year, State’s LaToya Thomas (25.6 points per game) deserves it. She will give any team MSU plays a defensive nightmare.
Possible seed: 4 or 5
5) No. 16 South Carolina
(22-7, 9-5)
Breakdown: The Lady Gamecocks have won eight of their last 11 games and have a prolific scorer in Jocelyn Penn at 24.9 ppg. Do not let its 9-5 conference record fool you, USC is a very dangerous team.
Possible seed: 5 or 6
6) No. 13 Vanderbilt
(21-9, 9-5)
Breakdown: Vandy has been playing good basketball lately, going 8-2 in its last 10 games. The Commodores have beaten LSU and Georgia over that time. Senior 6-foot-6 center Chantelle Anderson (18.1 ppg) will give everybody Vandy faces serious problems.
Possible seed: 4 or 5
7) No. 24 Arkansas
(21-10, 7-7)
Breakdown: Once upon a time Arkansas was on top of the world after knocking off No. 2 LSU at home. Since then the Lady ‘Backs have tumbled down with a 4-8 record. Arkansas could be a dangerous second round matchup for a No. 1 seed.
Possible seed: Anywhere from an 8 to a 10.
8) Auburn
(18-11,5-9)
Breakdown: As difficult as the SEC is, a 5-9 conference record would not get you in. It’s a shame, because Auburn was competitive in both of its games against Tennessee and in its home contest with LSU. No NCAA’s for the Lady Tigers.
Possible seed: None, WNIT bound
SEC Notes: Freshman forward Seimone Augustus can add another piece of hardware to her collection. The Baton Rouge native was chosen as the SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press.
Two SEC teams will be looking for new coaches for the upcoming season. Ole Miss fired Ron Aldy as the school’s coach after Aldy directed the Lady Rebels to a 1-14 conference mark this season. Kentucky’s head coach Bernadette Mattox resigned. Mattox is best known for her stint as an assistant coach to Rick Pitino when Pitino was the head coach of Kentucky’s men’s basketball program.