With no one true dominant team in the SEC this year, league coaches love to toss around the p-word — parity.
That’s the word they use to explain a giant jump in home winning percentage in league play this season. Home teams have won 71.4 percent of the time in SEC games, the highest home winning percentage in league play of any Division I conference according to STATS LLC. The league is on pace for its highest home winning percentage in league competition since 2006-2007.
It’s a dramatic change from last year, when SEC home teams won only 53.2 percent of league games. That was the SEC’s lowest home winning percentage in league competition since 1996-1997, according to STATS.
One reason for the parity is Kentucky is having a down year by its high standards. A year ago, the Wildcats won all of their conference games — home and away. This year with two games left in the regular season, the SEC doesn’t have a team ranked in the Top 10.
After climbing to No. 1 in the country following a 7-0 start that included a win over No. 5 Duke, the Wildcats have won just 12 of their past 19 games and have fallen to No. 15 in the polls. Of their six losses, only one has come against a ranked opponent.
But despite this, Kentucky still has the best chance to win the NCAA Tournament of any SEC team, with momentum and overall talent being the driving factors.
Kentucky’s roster features a combination of young talent and savvy veterans, which will greatly benefit the team in the postseason.
This parity that league coaches speak of — to me — means Kentucky isn’t as strong as usual and everyone else is just mediocre at best.
As of Saturday projections have the SEC with five teams in the NCAA Tournament. One of those five, Vanderbilt, was considered on the bubble heading into Saturday. But the Commodores’ 74-62 win over Kentucky changed that Saturday.
Vanderbilt has now won five of its last six games to move to 18-11 overall, 10-6 in the SEC. Those January projections that had the Commodores headed to the NIT look more premature than ever.
Kentucky, Texas A&M and South Carolina are the only SEC locks for the Big Dance.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
