By: Eric Fawcett -- October 14, 2024 Analytic tools and predictive metrics have become a huge part of college basketball, both with helping to contextualise how good teams are relative to the rest of the country and more importantly–as the main tools the NCAA uses to order teams when it comes to Selection Sunday. Whatever your views on analytic tools are, it looks like they’re here to stay, and it has become a huge part of covering the sport in 2024. Where The Predictive Metrics See Florida Going Into 2024-25 | GatorCountry.com
Here is the SEC predicted order of finish: 1. Alabama 2. Auburn 3. Tennessee 4. Arkansas 5. Texas A&M 6. Florida 7. Texas 8. Kentucky 9. Ole Miss 10. Mississippi State 11. South Carolina 12. Georgia 13. Missouri 14. LSU 15. Oklahoma 16. Vanderbilt
because we return 3 starters, I think we will be better than last year at the beginning of the season. that said, we have more depth, that once integrated into Golden's system will make us a very dangerous squad by the time SEC play rolls around
That's actually an important point. We've had slow starts in recent years that hurt us come Selection Sunday. We need to win more respectable out-of-conference games early to boost our RPI.
Bingo, especially with massive roster changes around the country I do agree we’ll be better to start this season, not just 3 starters but 6 key rotation players returning
Well, we have 6 tune ups (counting FSU) before we get 5 real OOC games. Wake (#30), Minnesota (no votes) or Withita state (no votes), Arizona State (#51), and UNC (#9). I'd like to see at least 8-3 headed into SEC.
Think he has in mind Condon, who played more per game than Handlogten--though that was partially because Handlogten missed several early games (he actually played about a minute more than Condon in conference games). That said, I'm not so sure it is just returning starters that help with continuity, but returning rotation players. We essentially have five of them (if you count Aberdeen, who was in and out of the rotation). Lots of analysis came out last year about the role returnees play in college hoops success now that we are a couple of years into the portal phenomenon. It's far better for the program as a whole when you have a critical nucleus returning that knows your system, knows your opposition, can participate in full offseason program, but also you know what you have in them, where they need to grow, etc. IMO, prep recruiting, development, and retention are even more important now than they once were. Kinda worried about next year on that score, but love what we have returning this season.
