8/2/24-Coast To Coast Hoops

Published Aug 2, 2024, 7:00 AM

Greg talks to Blake Lovell of Southeastern 16 about the recent roster acquisitions made by Oklahoma, the divide of teams in the SEC using small ball lineups and those with signs, Missouri’s upside, & teams he is bullish on entering the season.

The Mormon for the Low, the lovely Las Vegas. Because because with myself Creigip Speeders and now part of the Vison family and podcasts, we've got an excellent podcasts for us. We're going to be joining its segment number two by Polite Level. It does great workover at Southeastern sixteen used to be Southeastern fourteen, but as we know, we have seen some conference realignment and some expansions. So we're gonna be chatting with them about one of those newly minted teams into the SEC and Oklahoma. They've made a few moves over the last few weeks, bringing in Glenn Taylor Junior, bringing in Jeremiah Fears as well as originally class of twenty twenty five goes down to the class of twenty twenty four. So we're gonna be discussing some of the expectations for them, how big of a put up or shut up the year this is for Porterner Mosure. And then we're going to be taking a look at shall we say, logistics, and just the wide variety of different teams they're out there in the SEC. And I think that this is so important to do because in the SEC, you've got a big giant to vibe between teams that are going to be having a solid big man like Alabama now is two with them bringing in Cliff Amrui they had last season obviously what you were able to get out of Grand Nelson as well Auburn having g and I broomback. Tennessee always has a lot of big men. And then there are the teams that they're going to be playing a little bit more small ball, like Vanderbilt, so we're going to be running through that. And then additionally we're going to be taking a look at some of the teams in general that he's feeling a little bit bullish slash bear shown both in the SEC and nationally here in segment number one. Unfortunately, we did not get a lot of news. I know it's a college basketball over the last forty eight hours. I did my conference preview yesterday for the MAC, which is why I do need you to send in these questions, comments, segment ideas that you want here at the top of the show because we are really running dry in college basketball news. The biggest piece of news is at Dallas James, a seven footer for South Carolina State that averaged one point four points at one point seven rebounds per game in his career at South Carolina State. He is heading to Indiana, you have to figure that he's going to be a walk on, and you have to figure that he is going to be very much glued to the bench and as about all that we saw in college basketball over the last two days. So please let me know what you want to hear on this podcast, questions, comments, segment of you as they're all welcome. One or two ways. First one is my Twitter slashacks timeline at you and at under forty one. Keep in mind Larcy on they meet does that manders so as very usual, please send these into the timeline. Other ways, find an Apple podcast review if you rate this podcast I starts it is very much appreciated from their arable fire and whatever you'd like to hear on this podcast by the five star review. To get in a few questions as to want to make out of some of these, shall we say, international trips, like I know that a lot of people were buzzing about Louisville versus the Bahamas, and Louisville looked really really is singing good in that first game against the Bahamas, Like that is nice to be able to see. With that being said, they are going up against teams that there's just a different array of competition that they're going up against. Like I know that there was big time reaction when Houston got dropped by the Australian national team last year, but I mean that was literally Houston, a college basketball team going up against so the greatest international players on the face of planet Earth and actual pros. Like I don't make too much of these international foreign tours with regards to the final score. Now, I do upgrade a lot of these teams in terms of fact that they are getting extra practices when they do go through these foreign tours. I do like the fact that you have a form a little bit of chemistry, and sometimes you can find out if a guy has been like lifting in the offseason, has put on a little bit more mass. Some of these moves that these coaches make, they do translate to the regular season. Now, there are other times where a coach is just trotting out, there's something to trot out, there's something they're using. This as a practice, and for anyone that's ever played on a sports team and as practice, as we know, sometimes you try something in a practice and it goes to game. Sometimes you try something in a practice and you decide to put it into a time capsule, bury it and never to get back up because it lily did not work. So I don't take a lot out of these foreign tour results like great to see Louisville. I have a nice run of things, and I do think that Louisville's going to be able to have a solid you're out there in the a SEC. I'm not all of a sudden going to be running out and buying a whole bunch of Louisville suck and investing in their futures or anything like that, because they had one game in the Bahamas as well. So that's the way that I do take a look at it. And you'll notice on this podcast I've had that to a few of our guests. It feels like many of them do take the approach that I do. And I'll be asking a little bit more about this on the podcast within the next few weeks as well. But something that we've got to talk about today is the landscape of the SEC, how we think that Oklahoma's going to do, and so much more as Blake level it does such great work over at Southeastern fourteen. He joins me next right here on Tip's good seat with myself. Great Eats Peterson now a family Uckett. I want to here love be lost Megas. We're a good seat with myself, Greg Eats Peterson now part of the Decent Family podcasts. And it's always great to be dryed by this. As we got Blake Levell board. He does such great work over at the newly rebranded Southeastern sixteen. It used to be Southeastern fourteen, but as of July first, we've got a newly revamped SEC. We'll be seeing that go down here in the next few weeks with college football, but Blake does such an excellent job take a look at this great game that we all know in love of college basketball. You've already heard him on a few of my conference previews as well. And here we'll fall on Twitter slash x at the Blake level. Last name it'spelled l O V e LLL all together and Blake, it's always great to get you a board.

Thank you, Jeah, thanks as always having me on.

Greg, Thank you as always for joining me Blake and Blake. It has been interesting what we've been seeing the offseason in the SEC with Oklahoma and Texas. They're the newest teams and they've been some of the most interesting. Certainly not as much hooplout with them as you're seeing with Arkansas and Kentucky. But it has been interesting to watch Oklahoma this offseason because I certainly think that this is a put up, our shut up year for Porter Moser, and I thought it was big that over the last week so he was able to bring in a pair of guys. Jeremiah Fears, who was supposed to be a Class of twenty twenty five guy for Illinois at top fifty or so recruit, he's now going to be adding to Oklahoma in the class of twenty twenty four. And then they bring in the former double figure score from Oregon State and Glenn Taylor junior. What'd you make out of those moves because they're one of the few teams here in college basketball days making moves in late July early August to try to fortify the roster, and in my opinion, it was much needed.

Yeah, I agree, because I mean I think even back a month or so ago, you know, we started to try to compile our SEC rankings, and I mean, every single time we moved teams around and tried to figure out where teams were going to finish, and I mean Oklahoma was consistently kind of in the bottom four. And you know, it's just again you have to compare them to the other teams in the conference just based on what you see. But I think with some of these additions, I'm starting to get a lot more optimistic about Oklahoma. But it's always great, you got to pick somebody to finish one through sixteen, But I think that the ceiling for Oklahoma is higher than it was. You know, again, I think that's where when you look at what could be kind of the specialty of this team, something I didn't even realize. My colleague Max Barr put out a great stat when you sort of take the rosters as they stand now and you go back and see what every new transfer all that, what did they shoot from three last year? And when you combine it together, it's interesting. But like Oklahoma has the best three point percentage based on current roster than any you know, other team in the SEC. They shot thirty nine point five percent as a unit, meaning those individual players if you combine them all together, not to say they'll shoot thirty nine point five percent this season, but you know, and they obviously they shot I don't want to say about four hundred fewer than a team like Ole missed it last sear or Old Miss. Yeah, Old Miss attempted the most last season. So it's one of those things where if you're trying to find what could be a strength of this team, that was not something initially that I just maybe paid enough attention to. But when you see the way the rosters filled out, now this could be a team where, you know, when you consider adding in freshman and all that too, who knows. Maybe they are kind of a surprise just based on seeing you know, what you get out of them just from a shooting standpoint.

And I think that it is so interesting that you bring that up with Oklahoma because they hit the transfer portal line, a lot of these guys are going to be jumping up a level. Even a guy like at Kobe Elvis who was over at Dayton that's in the NA ten that goes up to the SEC. It's not quite the same leap as going from say a high point. You've got Duke Miles going out over from the Big South up to the SEC. I don't think that you need to be the Mona Lisavito of college basketball to know that that's going to be a little bit of a jump up Bryce and Goudai and going from the Metroy Atlantic up to the SEC, that's going to be a big jump. But when I do take a look at attributes, they're most likely to be able to translate. I always think that three point shooting is the one that says the most constant.

Yeah, I mean I agree with you, and I look back at the numbers from last year. You know, Oklahoma was kind of a you know, middle of the road type team last year, thirty four point five percent. Nothing wrong with finishing, you know, in the top one fifty basically. But you know, as we've said, if you're looking for something, we're in the SEC that you can kind of separate yourself. We've seen the team that have been able to do that, and that is the teams that can make the three. I mean, go back to Missouri a couple of years ago. Right, Certainly, last year was not what they wanted, But a couple of years ago, I was Missouri as successful as they were, came out of nowhere. Well, they were one of the best three point shooting teams in the country. And we know last year, even for the defensive woes that a team like Alabama had or a team like Kentucky had, which we know caught them in the first round. Same with Florida, but those teams were still winning games because they could shoot the ball and played pretty well in terms of scoring. So I think that's what I'm really curious to see with this Oklahoma team. Like you said, if you have these guys where you feel like there is a little bit more confidence in it translating and being able to step in and shoot somewhat similar percentages, then I think that, you know, if you want to make the argument for Oklahoma not being in the bottom four, I'm curious to see where they're going to be picked at.

I don't know if there'll be a consensus.

To me, I feel like Oklahoma is one of those teams that could be picked all over the place. I'm curious, you know, to see how it kind of unfolds. And again, if that's the argument you want to make, I would probably start with the three point shooting and the fact too that they have a lot of older guys are going to be in that rotation, which when you look around at the rest of the SEC, that's kind of the same case and a lot of other places too.

And I do think that it's going to be interesting to see how Oklahoma matches updown low because the one issue I do have with them is that other than Sam Godwin, they don't sally a aton of size. And you brought up a team that I also think is going to be so interesting in the SEC, as we do have Blake Lolo does great workover at Southeastern sixteen joining me on coastco Soupset. I feel like they might be lacking a little bit of size, but you know that two years ago it did not matter for them, and that'd be Missouri. And maybe it's just where I am in the country, out here in lovely Las Vegas, having come from the great state of Wisconsin. But I feel like this team is being so badly slept upon because I thought they had one of the best transfer portals in all of college basketball, and the fact that they land to Mark Mitchell, a starter from Duke that was a former top forty, top fifty recruit, I think that they've done tremendous work. Couple with the fact that Caleb Grill was a hard and soule guy a few years ago that I at IOWA say that missed pretty much the entirety conference played last season. I think there's so much upside with this Missouri team that not a lot of people are talking about.

Yeah, if you want to know what the impact of going over in power conferences, this is it. Because I think there are so many people who are just looking at last year and just assuming that you can't possibly upgrade a roster to be anything more than, let's say, again a bottom four type team in the SEC. But when you look at the roster that Dennis Gates has brought in, whether it's like you mentioned, you bring in a Mark Mitchell, like a potential top.

Star in the league.

You've got other guys that you're going to bring back Caleb Grill, who remember didn't play a lot last year. You're bringing in some very exciting I think options, and someone like you know, Jacob Cruz from U two Martin who I mean just an absolute spark plug. I think it could be on this team. You know, Tamar Bates, one of the more underrated players in the league last year, again talked about a lot because again they didn't win an SEC game. And then you know, Tony Perkins comes in having played a lot of minutes we know for Iowa and can kind of steady things at the point.

A bit with no Nick Honor there.

Now you've got a very talented freshman, multiple talented freshmen on this roster, you know, bringing to Josh Gray, who was an important complimentary piece last year, and you mentioned like Warwick and those guys. I mean, this is a team to me where if you're just comparing rosters, I don't know how Missouri is not a top half team in the SEC based on the talent that's there. And if you're a top half team in the SEC this year, that's probably getting to the NCAA Tournament with ease maybe because I think the SEC could get it, you know, up to ten teams maybe in the tournament this season. But I'm curious to see again where they're able to kind of fix some of those weaknesses because if you think about it, Greg, I feel like, especially last year, right you want to talk about places that took a big dip for Missouri, I mean they just could not shoot the ball. I mean they were a thirty two percent three point shooting team last year. We know the rebounding has been an issue for past couple seasons, but they made up for it because they did have Kobe Brown and d Mooy Hodge and those guys coming out scoring the way they did a couple of seasons ago. Just didn't happen last year. And I think the most important thing with Missouri. They went eight and twenty four last year, did not win a single SEC game. But I think we talked about throughout last season, they were not losing a lot of games by like twenty plus points, right, They were right there in a lot of games. They just did not have the depth to overcome some of the injuries they had last year. This year, I think they've got significant depth. You could even make an argument if you wanted to, that they may be too deep at each position with guys who can actually play productive minutes in the SEC. So I do think Missouri is the team. Not hard to figure that they could make the biggest jump just because they were at the bottom last year. But I'm with you, I don't think people are giving this team enough credit. But I can also understand the hesitation based on the fact that they did not win an SEC game last year, and.

The argument you can make for them as well when they were closer to full force. We remember that game on the road against Minnesota where I think they were down like eighteen points with ten minutes remaining, came back and won that game at the barn, which a lot of teams out there in the Big Ten could not win at the bar. And that's a nice selling point there. And what else I think is going to be very interesting about the SEC this year is just between the haves and the have nots down low because they mentioned it with Oklahoma, big gripe that I have for them is that they don't necessarily have a ton down low. I think Missouri is better this year because Mark Mitchell is going to be able to fortify that quite a bit. But I still think that there's a little bit of something to be desired there. But we noticed that Auburn with G and I Brewman company, they're going to be dominant down low. Tennessee always does a great job of ending the glass. Absolutely love what Alabama was able to do in the offseason as well. When you've got the duo of Grant Nelson along cliff On Maruia I'm not sure how you take a look at the SEC, but I think that there's going to be a just different dynamic in general between these teams that have big men that are really able to clog up the lane, they're able to do a nice job of fitting the glass, and other teams are really going to be relying upon the three ball.

Yeah, agreed.

I mean, and that's why I think, you know, Alabama is going to be such a dangerous team because you know, they had that combination of both and you know, it's bringing Grant Nelson back, it's bringing in big Cliff Stevenson comes back, and we talk about all the size in the front court. I mean, even look at Arkansas, they're intriguing for a lot of reason. Kentucky as too, They've got a brand new team. But you know, Arkansas with a jonas a du Trevn Brazil pairing, you know, Big Z's there. We've seen, you know, kind of what he can be and now going into his second season under cow, how big of a jump does he make. I think there's intriguing, you know, kind of pieces at Florida. Florida's got a lot of depth in the front court, even without Micah Han Logdon. You can go to Kentucky to talk about the Andrew Carr, Maury Williams, Brandon Garrison combination, and you just keep going down the line, Like I think, there is a lot of opportunity, you know, this year to have some of those just absolute standout big men. Colin Murray Boyles, you know, not your traditional six ' ten, six eleven guy, but he plays like a big you know guy we saw good he was as a freshman. They're going to need him at South Carolina, I think to keep things going, you know, you bring in an Arthur calum at Texas. You know, certainly look at the unit they have at Tennessee. You mentioned with Miliciic, with Okpara, those kind of guys. So it is a pretty exciting, I think group when you look at just kind of the front court stability for a lot of these teams, maybe you have questions about who's going to start, what the minutes distribution is going to be, But it does seem like there's some pretty good depth for a lot of SEC teams in the front court. And like you said, that may mean that some of the teams that don't have as much depth in the front court may have to get a little bit creative, perhaps get a little more small ball oriented, or try some different things out and find some of that depth because you're going to be battling in the laying as always in the SEC.

Absolutely, and I think that that means that this is probably the biggest mystery in the conference, and it's the team that is in your city of Nashville, Tennessee. Because I love the mark buying Tenney are over at Vanderbilt. He has brought in some high flight transfers, and I love the pickup of AJ Hogard, like bringing him in from Michigan State, I thought was a great coup for Vanderbilt. But they really don't have guys that are above like six foot seven, six foot eight that figure to play meaningful minutes this season. And I want to get your thoughts on Vanderbilt because I think that in another conference they might be a little bit better equipped than they are going to be in the SEC. Despite the fact that you've got a nice go to score on Jason Edwards. Devin mcglocked in is someone that has had success at the Power Conference level, But I think that that lack of size that they could be a big detriment to their success this season in conference playing.

You know, Vanderbult is a team that I've gone back and forth on a lot, but for some reason over the past several weeks, like they're the team that's probably grown on me the most. And I think, you know, one of the starting point is Hoguard, as you said. To have a guy like that leading the way with the ball in his hands as much as he's going to have it in his hands for this team, I think that's a huge strength because then you're saying, Okay, you've got a guy who can at least get everybody in the right place. I mentioned a second ago you like, some teams are gonna have to get creative. Vanderbulst, the team's gonna have to get creative. But I think that's where bringing Mark Byington, you feel confident that he's going to find the way to do that when you just look at the way that he plays, and that's that's you know, that was kind of one of the big appealing things I think when you looked at Mark Byington as a coach and why they brought him in, you know, talking about the spacing and all the buzzwords right that we hear in this era. But when you look at the way he played with James Madison last season, and you kind of look at just, you know, the overall I think philosophy that he has of getting up and down the floor, finding teams that are gonna certainly from a percentage standpoint, like you're looking at some of the percentages, you're trying to see how they're going to play, They're going to force turnovers. Honestly, Greg, one of the things that I think is similar to Vanderbilt, and I'm not saying that it's going to be the same, but you know, we did kind of bring up the Missouri team with a couple of years ago, where a team that can find a way to force turnovers and also be able to knock down shots. You know, that's where bringing in re Tyler Nicchol someone like that, Like, they brought in a bunch of guys who have played at the Power Conference level, and I think that's a good thing for this team. And I do feel like Vanderbolt's the team that I keep kind of identifying as the potential sleeper here because they do feel a lot different than a lot of other teams in the SEC. But I think sort of that contrast potentially in styles and maybe having some opportunities knowing that is a smaller roster, that could give them some advantages too, just is they'll have some disadvantages. It could also give them some advantages in terms of how they approach, you know, playing some.

Of these teams.

But anytime you do that, you know that's where you're going to need really good shooting to be able to throw.

I think.

But that's again when you look at Mark Binson and what he wants to do, I think try to do that's a big part of it. So I would say Vanderbilt is probably the most intriguing team I think in the SEC. Heading into the season. You're bringing in a first year, you know, a coach that it is now in a different spot, You've got an entirely different roster, but you've got some of those pieces in place to where if you can just find a way to put it together. I would not be shocked at all if Vanderbilt's the kind of team where we look up and say, I'm not saying they're gonna be South Carolina last year. You don't get men South Carolina as a last year Greg where it's a team that was kind of a consensus number fourteen and they're in the SEC title race in the final week of the season.

I don't think that's going to be Vanderbilt.

But if you're looking for a team that maybe just comes out of nowhere and is not getting enough love going into the season, I would probably peg them as one I would pick that.

Is going to be such a fun team to watch out for. And I do think that with Vanderbilt, if they're able to get everything flown right, if they're able to just have the concepts that Mark Bryington brings with them from James Addison, this team has a whole bunch of upside. It is joining me on the show. We do have our good friend Blake Level of Southeastern sixteen joining me on Cocos SOUPSI. This is always one of my favorite questions because you do such a great job gauging all things college basketball. You've been diving in on so many of these teams all off season long over the last few weeks. Is there a team or two, whether it's in the SEC, whether it's in a power conference, at the mid major level, it's a dealer's choice on this one that you're just diving in on and you're starting to feel a little bit more bullsh on them coming into the season.

You know, Greg, I've finitel like I'm kind of at that point. And we may have talked about this before, but I think one of the things that I really like to do is study this time of year. Like, you know, we know how hard it is, right to get to the final fourhim back to back years. We know how hard it is to win back to back national championships like Yon has. But what I've been doing is really looking at some of those teams that made these runs last year and trying to figure out exactly, Okay, it's so hard to replicate that. And certainly, you know, one of the reasons for doing this is Alabama, because you can look at Alabama and be like, all right, that team had an unbelievab run last year. Can they make that same type of run this year? And I think the answer is obviously yes with them Studying Yukon somewhere right, and we've talked about some of the movement that Yukon's had in the offseason.

I think I continue to get intrigued by just.

I want the season to start because I'm like, I want to see, like, is it actually possible for this team.

To continue to dominate?

And I think when you look at again the way the rosters filled out, you've got to feel pretty confident I think about what they can do. You know, Purdue is obviously an interesting team. When you look at just you know how different things are now going to be without Zach Edy in there. And so I think seeing some of those teams and when you have players the way that you know, have a Zach Edy, when you have some of the other guys at Yukon that have now gone to the next level, I'm always curious this time of year to start to see what are the coaches saying about maybe some of the differences with this new team that doesn't have maybe this you know, superstar guy like a Zach Edy, Like even Tennessee Greg, I think is a great example. There's no Dalton connect there. We've talked about the upside scoring wise they could have which has Lanier and guys like that, But how easy is it to replay just kind of what it feels like generational type guys in these programs, And so I think that's always interesting this time here to look at teams like that, like Purdue, some of the pieces that Yukon has to replace, adult and connected Tennessee and really start to see, Okay, how do they keep this going? A lot of talent on these rosters, But I think it's always kind of fun to see the differences when you kind of start to build the next evolution of your program without some of those guys on the roster.

Oh, it is going to be fun to see how those teams that were a will make deep runs in the NCAA tournament are going to be able to piggyback off of one another. Sometimes it was a team that was able to catch lightning in a bottle. We saw that with Miami Laze hear go from the final four and then turns the bottom of the acc And then we've seen other teams like Ukon be able to carry that over and be even better the next year. And a man that is the ladder, a man that just gets better and better every single year, that'd be you, Blike you do such amazing workover at Southeast and for sixteam taking a look at this wonderful game of basketball. So love to get people at them. Know it's all de for you and how people can fall on on social media and all the platforms.

Listen, Greg, I'm glad you caught yourself there almost saying Southeastern fourteen because I do that on a daily basis. Now everything I have to go back and be like, did I say fourteen or sixteen?

But I get it.

We are Southeast and sixteen. Now you can find us on YouTube, any podcast app. Yeah, we do SEC basketball year round, so you can find all that there. And then yeah, all my other college basketball stuff you can find me on Twitter slash x at the Blake level.

And Blake does such an amazing job caging this great game that we all know and love of college basketball and always does a great job on this podcast. So big thanks Blake for joining me on Good soups out are the Vcon Family podcasts And if you do like Fearing from this fine podcast, because God sets, you're able to subscribe wherever your podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Google Bay, Spotify, sit you're injun If you have a question, comment seg you one idea? What I have you for this podcast? You have one of two ways vo far those in. First one is my Twitter slash ximline at GENA unders forty one. Keep in mind LETTERCM they mean as I'm at her, so as pre usual, please send us into the timeline the other ways finding an Apple podcast review. If you rate this podcast so I started, that is very much appreciated. From there, you're able to fire on whatever you'd like to hear on this podcast via the F five star review. And please do send in those Twitter slideshaks questions. We are in the dog days of summer. I want to know what you want to be hearing on this fine show, so please do send those in. And I'm with you guys all three hundred and sixty six days of the year on this podcast, regular season, off season, during the NCAA Tournament, just after the NCAA Tournament. Every single day I am with you on this podcast. So appreciate you today and I'll be back with you once. Good Tom, thank you,

VSiN Coast to Coast Hoops: The College Basketball Betting Podcast

Greg Peterson hosts the VSiN Coast to Coast Hoops, a podcast about college basketball betting. Greg  
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