Wiedmer: SEC hoops should be improved

Just in case you're one of those misdirected college football fans who believes your basketball counterparts begin too early, ESPN's Joe Lunardi has already released his first NCAA tournament bracket.

And unlike the real one that North Carolina dominated last spring on its way to the national championship, this one includes six Southeastern Conference schools, rather than the three that reached last year's Big Dance.

So when most of the SEC tips off its new season on Friday night, there is at least some reason to believe this winter will be far better than last winter for a league that's won the men's tournament five times since 1994 and reached the title game on three other occasions.

But is there a Final Four contender in this bunch? And beyond that, is Lunardi actually selling the league short?

According to the ESPN bracketologist, Kentucky will earn a No. 1 seed under first-year coach John Calipari, along with Kansas, Michigan State and Texas.

His second seeds are Duke, North Carolina, Purdue and Villanova, which sounds about right.

Throw in Tennessee as a No. 3 seed and you find yourself struggling to quibble with any of the first 12 to 15 selections.

But it's the rest of the SEC that seems a little underappreciated, especially Mississippi State if super recruit Renardo Sidney ever gains his eligibility. The Bulldogs are not only the reigning SEC Tournament champs, but have basically everybody back, including shot-blocking king Jarvis Varnado. If Sidney is ever cleared by the NCAA, this could become the league's best team.

Yet Lunardi seeds them sixth, then fails to include Ole Miss in the tournament at all, despite the fact that Andy Kennedy's crew just might be no worse than the fourth best outfit in the conference behind Kentucky, Tennessee and State.

And speaking of Big Blue, good as the Wildcats should be come March when Calipari's young but outrageous talent has finally grasped his dribble-drive offense, Tennessee should again finish ahead of the Cats during the regular season, which Bruce Pearl has already done each of his four seasons in Knoxville.

The Vols don't have a point guard to match UK super freshman John Wall, but they have a better off-guard in Kentucky native Scotty Hopson, a more polished strong forward in Wayne Chism and a better wing in Tyler Smith. Plus, most of Pearl's gems can shoot 3-pointers as well as they can jam, which is something Cal's Cats can't.

Throw in the fact that the Vols will start no fewer than four seniors and there's no way UT shouldn't win the regular-season title over both Miss. State and UK.

In fact, the SEC East should look something like this at March's dawn: 1) Tennessee, 2) Kentucky, 3) South Carolina, 4) Vanderbilt, 5) Florida and 6) Georgia.

As for the West, expect Miss. State to win it, followed by 2) Ole Miss, 3) LSU, 4) Auburn, 5) Alabama, 6) Arkansas.

But the NCAA tourney is a different matter. Either Tennessee or Kentucky to earn a No. 2 seed, depending on whether or not UT knocks off Kansas in Knoxville on Jan. 10. A UT win would probably seed them ahead of the Wildcats. A KU win would benefit UK.

And once into March, expect Kentucky to reach the Final Four if everyone -- especially rookies Wall and DeMarcus Cousins -- remain healthy and happy.

Just don't be surprised if either State or Tennessee joins them there as long as they can avoid Kansas or North Carolina in a regional final.

Yet regardless of who gets to the last weekend, the SEC is back in basketball. The early evidence is in ESPN's preseason bracket. The real proof will come in March, when the league could place three teams in regional finals, rather than three total within the 65-team field.