Where have you gone, SEC Basketball?

Ok, just to start things off today, I want to comment on the now lack of Tampa Bay Rays hats found on campus after last night's clincher in Philly. About this time last week, there were more Rays hats than Bama hats around here.

Money well spent? Not so much.

Ok, anyways, in other news, the first poll of the college basketball season was relased today by USAToday, and the Crimson Tide are...no where. Not one single vote landed in the Tide's favor to start off the season. In fact, the SEC has only two representatives in the Top 25 to begin the season: Tennessee, the defending East and regular season champions, start off at number 13 and Florida will start the season at number 19 after missing the NCAA tournament all together, thanks in part to a big Bama victory in Atlanta last March.

None the less, here is the top 5 to start the season.

1. North Carolina
2. Connecticut
3. Louisville
4. UCLA
5. Duke

For the first time in the poll's history, the number one team recieved every first place vote. Safe to say, if the Tar Heels come up short this season, it will not be pretty in Chapel Hill.

But back to the SEC and their sudden drop in basketball abilities.

Sure, the Big East, ACC, and Pac-10 have taken over the college basketball landscape recently, but the drop of the SEC has been sudden. The SEC used to get record number of teams in the Big Dance. Now, from the pre-season outlook, six SEC squads would be a great year. Just look at the major (BCS) conference breakdown of the Top 25.

• ACC: 4
• Big East: 7
• Big 10: 3
• Big XII: 3
• Pac-10: 3
• SEC: 2

Major ouch. Traditional power Kentucky is in one of their roughest patches in their storied history. LSU, a Final Four team just a few seasons ago, just picked to finish second in the West and has a new coach. Mississippi State had a big fallout of graduates and transfers this off-season. Vanderbilt is a toatl unknown and doesn't have the big name shooters that everyone in the conference should fear. Alabama is coming off of two straight disappointing seasons.

In summation, the SEC is about as down as you can get right now, but there are plenty of chances to gain respect as the season moves on, and the Tide has the first big chance in the Maui Invitational.

The Tide will get a chance to potentially face North Carolina, Notre Dame, or Oklahoma and start off against 2008 tournament team Oregon. A couple wins here and the SEC, and the Tide, will get a lot of national respect heading into December.