Alabama Adds Pollard

Devonta Pollard, the No. 22 player in the country according to Rivals, opted to attend Alabama over offers from Texas, Georgetown and Missouri.

The Kemper County small forward is the only commitment for Anthony Grant in the class of 2012 but it's clear Alabama is headed in the right direction.

Coach Grant has added another talented prospect during the late signing period, as he did last year with Trevor Lacey. Pollard won a state championship his senior year at Kemper County (MS) with Anthony Grant in the stands watching.

Grant Secures First Big Win Against Kentucky

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Down 20-points on the road against the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-7, 3-1 SEC) wasn't something John Calipari and his twelfth ranked Kentucky Wildcats (14-4, 2-2 SEC) envision.

One game removed from losing to Arkansas 70-65, and shooting 2-of-10 (20%) from deep, Alabama picked up its first marquee win on the season.

Alabama deserved this win after taking the lead with 11:01 left in the first half and not allowing Kentucky to get back into the game.

JaMychal Green paced Alabama with 18-points, and 11 rebounds on 7-of-15 (46%) shooting. "I just knew i had to come out here and give it my all and that's what I did," said Green following his magnificent performance.

"I wanted to win badly and my teammates did a great job on offense and defense."

Sophomore Tony Mitchell provided his contributions to the upset loss of Kentucky. Mitchell scored 15 points, and grabbed seven rebounds, despite picking up his fourth personal foul with 10-minutes left to play.

"I just helped my team as much as possible," said Mitchell. "I tried to do whatever I can to contribute to my team."

This loss places Alabama at (3-1) and in the driver seat of the SEC conference. With a solid core of players in Green, Mitchell, and freshmen Trevor Releford, Alabama could be looking at its first SEC divisional championship since '05.

For Kentucky, the Wildcats drops to (2-2) and is now tied for third place in the SEC East.

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SEC Basketball: New No. 1 Leader Not Named Kentucky

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Last season, the Kentucky Wildcats almost ran the tables in the SEC. They were rarely tested and prevailed by big numbers every game. However, Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss and Georgia all have something to say about that this year.

This upcoming 2010-11' season the Florida Gators are conceived to win the SEC. They did return all five starters from last year's NCAA Tournament squad that lost a heartbreaker to BYU. Not to mention, the Gators picked up a highly touted freshman in Patric Young that will pose as a key threat off the bench.

With Chandler Parson leading the way for the Gators Head Coach Billy Donovan should be smiling a lot during the conference slate of games.

The Gators received eight first place votes with the Ole Miss Rebels trailing with three, and the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers each with two.

Ole Miss returned their senior lead guard Chris Warren, and surrounded him with an elite freshman like Demarco Cox. Not to mention, starters Zach Graham, Murphy Holloway, and Terrance Henry were reserved for the upcoming season.

Expect the Rebels to be dancing this season rather making a run at the NIT Championship.

Kentucky, as expected, reloaded for another year of College Basketball. They retained DeAndre Liggins, and brought in Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, Enes Kanter and many other freshmen that can make an instant impact.

With the notion that Kanter will not receive eligibility, the Wildcats deserve the spot given. With Kanter, the Wildcats could challenge for the top spot in the SEC.

My sleeper is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Freshman guard Trevor Releford will have the Tide rolling high with returning players JaMychal Green, Tony Mitchell, Senario Hillman, Chris Hines and more.

This year's team to watch is the Georgia Bulldogs. Yes, they received one first place vote, but they should have gotten more. Trey Thompkins, and Travis Leslie both returned for the Bulldogs. Last season, the duo almost scored 50 percent of the Bulldogs points.

This year they added freshman Marcus Thornton, and returned starters Jeremy Price, along with Dustin Ware.

With electrifying Travis Leslie, the Bulldogs will challenge for the first place slot in the SEC. Brandon Knight of Kentucky, Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins of Georgia, Jeffery Taylor of Vandy, and Chris Warren of Ole Miss were all First SEC-Team.

Overall, the SEC Conference should be among the toughest basketball conferences in all of College Basketball. The SEC has some of College Basketball's most electrifying athletes.

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Alabama's Trevor Releford Is Looking To Fill Mikhail Torrance's Shoes

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Last season, Alabama was able to pull out a decent season because of their guard Mikhail Torrance.


Torrance did it all. He shared the ball, rebounded and scored. 


There were only three games throughout the season where he was not able to score in double-digits. 


What made Torrance so good was his ability to step up in big games. 


When playing top-tier talent, Torrance always brought his A-game with a little more pizazz. 


He was a great shooter and made all the right plays for his team to stay competitive.