Check out the Full Poll Results at:
Garnet and Black Attack!
February 7th — 13th
As my first “official” post here at the VN Blog, it is my pleasure to resume my duties as a voter in the SEC Hoops Power Poll (I am also a voter the SEC Football Power Poll, but that one will have to wait until Fall). At any rate, considering that this will be my first ballot post in the Power Poll here at VN, I figured that I should give a little bit of an introduction as to what the Power Poll actually is.
The SEC Power Poll is a collaborative weekly poll run by the the “brain-trust” of the SEC blogosphere (I have included links to the various voting members at the bottom). Each week, the voting bloggers evaluate and rank the teams in the SEC on an ongoing basis throughout the season. Our individual voting ballots are posted across the web at our various blogs and sites to garner comments, flames and thoughts from our readers. Our ballots are then submitted to the chief number crunchers, who reward us with a pretty table showing where the teams shake out relative to one another as well as a cross-section of the comments from the voters. The Football Power Poll is hosted by the guys over at Team Speed Kills, while the Hoops Power Poll is hosted by Garnet and Black Attack.
Thus, each week (at least in theory) I will be posting my ballot here on the VN Blog, and I freely invite you to offer let me know what you think of my futile and laughable attempts at ranking the powers of the SEC. Feel free to try and convince me that I am wrong — which is part of the way the Power Poll is supposed to work. I promise that I will consider all insults comments.
I have been a member of the Power Poll since 2008, and do think that it is a lot of fun. Hopefully, you’ll agree.
So, without further adieu…
We’re at the halfway mark in the season, and things are heating up a bit—especially in the SEC East. At any rate, here’s my ballot for this week in the 2010 SEC Hoops Power Poll, along with a feeble attempt at explaining why I’m such a moron. But, hey, at least I thought up some excuses for my decisions.
Here they are, my darlins:
| Rk. | Team | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
 |
The Kentucky Wildcats are currently the class of the SEC, sitting atop the SEC East by a one-game margin. As Sa’Karlina clearly showed, the Cats are beatable…
Tonight they face the Tide, before the Vols visit Lexington on Saturday. |
| 22-1 • 7-1 | ||
| 2. |
 |
The Vanderbilt Commodores’ win over Tennessee was the key to my ranking them above the Vols (despite the fact that the Vols are ranked ahead of them in the SEC Standings). Given that the Vols and Dores play tonight in Nashville, it stands to reason that the winner will be in good shape as tournament time approaches. |
| 17-5 • 6-2 | ||
| 3. |
 |
The Tennessee Volunteers are close on the heels of both Kentucky and the Fightin’ Commodes. Thus, a win tonight against the Dores is more important than ever. Especially since they face the Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Saturday… |
| 18-4 • 6-2 | ||
| 4. |
 |
The Florida Gators are tough to scout due to their nagging inconsistencies. That said, they have seemed to turn the corner lately and actually look like a team. They face the Thunder Chickens tomorrow night, followed by Xavier on Saturday. |
| 17-6 • 6-3 | ||
| 5. |
 |
The Mississippi State Bulldogs have surprised a few people this season, most recently the Gators who were lucky to come away with a win. Still, the Bulldogs have a way to go if they want to really make a run in the tournament. That means that they have to start beating quality teams… |
| 16-7 • 4-4 | ||
| 6. |
 |
The Ole Miss Rebels are a solid team, but the divide between the SEC East and the SEC West is really pretty wide. If the Rebs can best Miss State, then they have a chance. If Andy Kennedy doesn’t slug anyone, that is… |
| 17-6 • 5-4 | ||
| 7. |
 |
I doubt that many expected the Arkansas Razorbacks to be in the drivers seat in the SEC West, but as things sit, they are in a good position to bring home the division. The problem is that early losses to Morgan State, ETSU, and South Alabama make them seem awfully vulnerable. |
| 12-11 • 5-3 | ||
| 8. |
 |
I think that Bruce Springsteen best described the South Carolina Gamecocks: “One step forward, two steps back.” Fortunately, their game against the Gators on Wednesday is followed by one against the Dawgs in Athens. |
| 13-9 • 4-4 | ||
| 9. |
 |
At present, there isn’t too much to get excited about when it comes to the Alabama Crimson Tide. On the whole, they are a first-rate, second-rate, team. |
| 13-10 • 3-6 | ||
| 10. |
 |
After their abysmal 2009 season, anything amounts to improvement for the Georgia Bulldogs. Now, that roaring sucking sound from last year, is only a whisper. |
| 10-11 • 2-6 | ||
| 11. |
 |
Judging from their performance so far, I’d say that the Auburn Tigers have earned coach Jeff Lebo a new contract.
The problem is that contract will have to come from some school other than Auburn… |
| 11-12 • 2-6 | ||
| 12. |
 |
The 2010 LSU Tigers basketball squad has become the “Ying” to the 2009 Vanderbilt football squad’s “Yang.”
Major suckification… |
| 9-14 • 0-9 |
The Rest of the Power Poll
Now that you have wasted your time looking at my ballot, go check out what everybody else is saying over at Garnet and Black Attack, where the round-up will appear Wednesday-ish.
In the meantime, feel free to visit the other Power Poll members and consider what they have to offer:
| SEC EAST | SEC WEST |
|---|---|
|
|
Onward and Upward…
— So it goes … 
NOTE: I have not yet had time to update all of my Graphics from Gate 21 to the VN look. thus you’ll have to bear with me for a while, and put up with things that still have the “21” mark until I get things converted.
