STF Conference Reports: SEC 12/17

How do, folks? Chris here again with another look at the SEC Basketball conference. This past week was a slower week for the SEC with only 11 games, but there were a few worth noticing. The upcoming week promises a lot more games with school being out and teams are gearing up for conference play. And with that, let's get to our preview/review. Enjoy.

Team of the Week - Vanderbilt
That's right, the Commodores are making their second straight appearance here and with a sterling come-from-behind against DePaul earlier in the week, they certainly deserve it. Playing on the road, the Dores were trailing by 12 at halftime and fought back to take the game to overtime. From there, Vandy secured their undefeated start by beating the Blue Demons, 91-85. Kevin Stallings team is now 10-0 and have a great chance to begin SEC Conference play undefeated.

Player of the Week - Dan Werner, Florida Gators
Werner had 20 points and 14 boards to lead the defending National Champs over a 7-2 Georgia Southern team. Because of the lack of SEC games this week, the Florida sophomore almost wins the award by default. Without Werner's contributions, the Gators would have been upset by the Eagles. Instead, they find themselves sitting at 10-1.

Team with the Worst Week - Mississippi State
This award could have easily gone to UK for a second week in a row after they lost their third straight with a choke-worthy performance against UAB on Saturday. However, the Rick Stansbury's team lost 2 in a row this past week, 64-58 to the Hurricanes of Miami -- in Starkville -- and 71-67 to South Alabama. With these losses, Mississippi State is 5-5.

Games to Watch:
12/18 Kentucky at Houston - can UK stop their losing streak with a tough road game?
12/19 Baylor at South Carolina
12/19 LSU at Wichita State
12/20 Ole Miss at DePaul
12/22 Tennessee at Xavier
12/22 Oregon State at LSU
12/22 College of Charleston at South Carolina
12/22 Florida at Ohio State
12/22 Ole Miss vs. Clemson

Alright folks, that's about it for me. There are plenty of SEC games on the docket this week and we'll learn a lot more about the make-up of this conference. Is it down like some are suggesting (looks that way) or can the SEC field a competitive team or two when March rolls around? See you next week.