Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky Wildcats’ Nerlens Noel will likely be the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. That is all fine and dandy, but who really knows if he will succeed in the NBA or not.

Yes, Noel has very high expectations, but the only problem with that little word right there–expectations–is that they do no guarantee success. Sure, Noel is probably the best defender in the draft and he is probably the best big man with the most upside.

Still, players like Cody Zeller and Kelly Olynyk had much better seasons. They also finished the season. Noel is coming off of a torn ACL, so really anything could happen. He could come back better than ever and he could come back and not be the same player as he was before.

We are so obsessed at what someone could be instead of what people actually are. As I say that, it is important to note that Noel did average 10.5 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, 4.4 blocks per game and 2.1 steals per game. Those numbers are great for a freshman to say the least and for a player that played on a team that was completely stacked.

We can analyze Noel’s game all we want and say what he needs to improve on and what not, but who really knows how he will do at the next level. He was a great player when he was on the court for Kentucky, people were just shocked that the Wildcats weren’t as good as they were supposed to be, instead of listening to John Calipari when he said his team was not that good.

Many people thought that Greg Oden would be one of the best centers to ever play the game of basketball, but look what happened to him–injuries. It’s pointless to play the what if game, but still, life happens. Noel is an unpolished player and he needs to work on his game just like anyone else to succeed at the next level. He still has to be picked up by the right team and have the right players around him. Dwight Howard couldn’t win a national championship by himself (still hasn’t won one) and either could LeBron James. This will more than likely be the case with Noel.

I think Noel definitely has the potential to be great, but who knows if that potential will pan out. I don’t, you don’t and guess what? No one else does either.

If you’re a tweeter, feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry.

Kelly Lambert-USA Today Sports

When the Alabama Crimson Tide received the commitment of 6-foot-8 forward Devonta Pollard, the excitement was obvious. Pollard was a top 100 prospect coming out of high school, and a major boost for the Crimson Tide and head coach Anthony Grant moving forward.

Well, after a lackluster freshman season in which Pollard averaged only 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, expectations were shot, but remained intact for the most part. An off-season that should have been about preparing for a breakout sophomore season have turned into a complete disappointment that has left Pollard’s future uncertain for the time being.

Well, contrary to earlier reports from the Associated Press and CBS Sports, Pollard remains on the team according to ESPN. While it may ultimately mean nothing in the long run, Pollard apparently is still listed on the school’s directory and the ESPN report credits a source that says there has been no official decision regarding his status as a member of the Crimson Tide program.

All of this fluff aside, Pollard’s future is certainly in major trouble. A trial date is set for Aug. 6 in relation to a kidnapping charge that Pollard, among others, have been found in connection with. In the case, Pollard is accused of helping his mother kidnap a six year old girl. While his mother is facing life in prison, Pollard’s charge carries a max sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

You can read more about the case and the details, by clicking HERE.

Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels won the SEC tournament this past season, but it would take a miracle for them to do the same thing in the 2013-14 college basketball season. There will be many teams predicted to finish ahead of Ole Miss in the conference entering the season, to say the least.

Kentucky and Florida will be at the top of the conference and then Alabama, Tennessee, LSU and Missouri will all likely be ahead of the Rebels.

Sure, the Rebels did finish tied for No. 2 in the standings this past season, but don’t expect the same thing to happen in the upcoming one, especially with Murphy Holloway no longer on the team. There is a chance that Ole Miss could finish in the top five of the standings, but I do not think it will take the conference by storm or anything like that.

Marshall Henderson will be returning, which is huge for the team, but the Rebels will not be loaded with talent.

You never know though. Maybe this team will enter conference play with only two losses once again. For that to happen, Henderson will have to be even better and other players will have to emerge on the team.

The SEC may not be as highly rated as conferences such as the Big Ten or Big East–at least the old one–but there is still plenty of talent in the conference and there very well could be at least five teams that dance in the SEC. If Ole Miss wants to be one of those teams, it will likely have to finish in the top five in the standings, which is pretty much the case with every team in this conference.

If you’re a tweeter, feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Billy Donovan suspended Florida Gators point guard Scottie Wilbekin for a violation of team rules for the second time in less than eight months. He averaged 9. 1 points and 5.0 assists on the season for the Gators, who were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the Elite Eight by the Michigan Wolverines.

With his high assist average that led the team, you would think that the Gators would be in more trouble without him on the court. However, Florida is such a talented and well coached team that, even if Wilbekin is not reinstated, the Gators should still be a top-25 team with a definite NCAA berth this year.

Florida is returning arguably their best player, Patric Young, this season. As long as someone can feed the ball into Young at the post and he can play consistently, the Gators have nothing to worry about. Casey Prather, Michael Frazier and Will Yeguete are all capable of helping out Young on the perimeter. Donovan will have great players coming off the bench like always, and he even has some outstanding incoming freshmen to choose from that includes a 5-star point guard, Kasey Hill.

Wilbekin is a good basketball player and brings valuable skills (specifically passing) to this Florida team that can lead them to another deep run into the NCAA tournament. If the suspension for a violation of team rules stands, his absence will be missed.

However, with the talent that the Gators will have on the court this season, his absence may not be as big of a deal as it could be.

Taylor Sturm is an SEC Basketball Writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS or add him to your network on Google. 

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

No one expected the Ole Miss Rebels to be as good as they were last year, except maybe Andy Kennedy, his team and a few extremely crazed Ole Miss fans.

Still, the Rebels had one of the best records in the SEC and were ranked for a majority of the season.

A lot of NCAA and SEC basketball supporters finished last season focusing not on the Rebels’ SEC championship upset win over the Florida Gators and NCAA tournament upset win over the Wisconsin Badgers, but the antics of Rebel shooting guard and SEC scoring leader Marshall Henderson. Head coach Kennedy was called to control his star’s emotions a little more in the upcoming season.

However, Kennedy should not try and control Henderson’s actions. His energy and passion for the game are what gave the Rebels the extra boost to win some of the games late in the season that led to the NCAA tournament appearance. An effort to calm him down and control his emotions would only hurt the team.

I’m not a fan of Henderson’s actions, but when it works, it works. A good basketball player is a good basketball player, and Henderson is that and then some.

I’m not saying Kennedy should let him do whatever he wants; that would be stupid and potentially damaging to the team. However, he should let Henderson be himself as long as it isn’t too far over the line. Henderson’s in-game emotions can cause the Rebels to play at a level that could see them once again in the mix for an NCAA tournament berth.

This season, the Rebels will be largely Henderson’s team. The big men that helped them last year are gone, and Ole Miss needs him to step up to make up for their absence. Kennedy will need Henderson to be as passionate and slightly crazy as ever if the Rebels are to have any hope of competing in a much tougher and more experienced SEC.

Taylor Sturm is an SEC Basketball Writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS or add him to your network on Google. 

Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

Everything that goes on in the realm of college sports is treated like a business except how the players are dealt with. Why? Well, there has been a long standing argument by the NCAA that has to deal with upholding some wildly ineffective meaning of the word amateurism. Universities have so much power at their disposal that they are starting to wield it in the most bitter, abusive ways. This has recently been highlighted by the Vanderbilt Commodores blocking Sheldon Jeter‘s transfer to the Pittsburgh Panthers because, well, that is why.

Make sense? Of course not. Kevin Stallings, Vandy head coach, didn’t have Pittsburgh on his list of schools that Jeter could not transfer to. Still he felt the need to block Jeter’s desire to go play at a school outside of the SEC, a slew of miles away and one that would likely have zero factor on Vanderbilt’s success during Jeter’s career. Instead, the move may have been made because Jeter did not see Stallings face to face to discuss the transfer. Because, as we all know, basketball coaches are really swell at letting their players know to their face that they would be leaving for another program, for more money.

Coaches have the right to move from one program to another without penalty. If they were to have one solid season and another school comes calling with more money, as well as being a higher profile gig, lookout as their bags would be packed quicker than quick. Players, however, have to sit out a year if they want to transfer from a program. Even if the reason they came to the school — a coach — left for a better opportunity, the player is left at the program to suffer through the aftershocks of a coaching change.

There is certainly an argument for blocking transfers. It could help if a free agency like feel happened in college sports. But blocking a transfer just because? Yeah, that is not really something the NCAA should allow. Stallings didn’t have Pittsburgh on his “blocked list” of schools which Jeter could not attend. Even if it had something to do with tampering or not coming to talk to you about it first, maybe giving the kid — because he is just a kid after all — a chance to talk to you about it could do wonders. Instead, Stallings looks like a bitter, out of touch accountant looking fool. Which, unfortunately, is a recurring theme with generally unsuccessful college basketball coaches.

Vanderbilt is not alone in blocking transfers for the sake of abusing their own power. This happens far too often with universities wielding too much power. So really, blaming the coaches or the programs is counterproductive. All they are doing is using the rules which benefit them to protect their assets. It is no different from how a Fortune 500 company would protect an asset such as an up and coming executive. The difference, though, is if a Pepsi employee gets an offer from Coca Cola and his current contract doesn’t block the move he can leave. Pepsi cannot all of a sudden change their minds because the employee didn’t tell the boss to his face.

Like so many things that go on in college sports, this is an NCAA problem. A problem that could be fixed if they really wanted it to be. Although, I would be silly not to point out that the NCAA has essentially become an organization that represents the universities as a whole rather than the governing body of college sports that also oversees the well-being of the amateurs that they claim they care so much to protect.

Jeter can still technically transfer to play for Pitt. But if he was expecting to receive a scholarship he would be wrong. Thanks to how (poorly) the NCAA rules are built and since Stallings blocked the move, Jeter would be prohibited from receiving a scholarship from Pittsburgh for his initial season. I mean, all he would have to do is take out loans and the like — you know, so he can make the university and the NCAA some money while he can be presumably struggling financially.

I don’t know if the NCAA or universities know the definition of amateurism, but I am pretty sure they think the picture next to the word is that of a sweatshop.

Joseph is a contributor for Rant Sports. For the love of Sam Cassell, follow him on the mean streets of Twitter @JosephNardone

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats may have not met expectations in the 2012-13 college basketball season, but that did not stop a couple of freshmen dashing off to the 2013 NBA Draft, with one of those players being Archie Goodwin. So, let’s take a look at his stock for the upcoming draft.

Goodwin’s stock is ranging from the mid teens all of the way to the later part of the first round. Who knows if he could fall all of the way to the second round, but more than likely he will go right outside of the lottery.

Goodwin led the Wildcats in scoring this past season with 14.1 points per game. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds per game and 2.7 assists per game. I think another season in college hoops would have done Goodwin wonders, but he still is capable of being a good NBA player.

With some work on his outside shot, he could be an elite scorer at the next level. He only shot 26.6 percent from behind the arc this season, but 44 percent from the field. Still, Goodwin can finish at the rim and he was the best offensive player on Kentucky this past season.

It is too bad that Goodwin and the rest of the Wildcats couldn’t have done more this past season, but it is in the past and it will be interesting to see if Goodwin can make an impact at the next level.

The talent is certainly there, which is why Goodwin seems to be a lock for the first round.

If you’re a tweeter, feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

I remember the first time I heard that the Missouri Tigers’ Michael Dixon Jr. was suspended indefinitely for a second sexual assault accusation. I believed that the school should have immediately tried to force him to transfer, and that he shouldn’t have been given any leeway. It didn’t matter to me that both accusations later turned out to be dismissed; he shouldn’t be placing the Missouri basketball program in the position to have to deal with situations like that.

Naturally, my opinion wasn’t well received with Missouri fans. I had Tigers’ fans cussing me out; I even had friends and classmates of Dixon’s telling me they were going to find me and beat me up on Twitter. At the time, I just deleted the tweets and moved on.

However, one Missouri fan made a point that stuck with me. He said that the Tigers’ program didn’t matter; what mattered was that Dixon got away from Missouri and the negative media surrounding him there. Now that I look back on it all, he was right. It isn’t about the program; it’s about the players and their futures. Dixon deserved a second chance, and I hope to see him succeed with the Memphis Tigers.

Josh Pastner not only gained a top-notch basketball player by bringing in Dixon, but also is giving him a chance to prove his worth once again on a basketball court rather than face the judgment of the media in Missouri.

Dixon won’t disappoint; he will finish out the rest of his collegiate career in Memphis in a big way. He’s the type of player that can take control of an offense and average 20+ points scoring; his offense absence is what hurt Missouri the most last season. He will immediately make a positive impact on the Memphis team.

Memphis, Dixon and Pastner are a perfect match. Dixon is getting a second chance to prove himself, and Pastner may be getting his last chance with the Tigers. He’s coached well for them, but Memphis has a winning history and won’t be happy with early NCAA tournament exits too much longer.

His job may not seem to be on thin ice, but I firmly believe that at the end of the season Memphis will have a new coach who used to be on Rocky Top with the Tennessee Volunteers and who will be done with his NCAA punishment – Bruce Pearl.

Pastner needs Dixon to be successful almost as much as Dixon himself does. Both have extremely high expectations and a lot riding on their performances this season. Good luck to both of them, because the new is going to be much tougher than Conference USA.

Brendan Maloney-USA Today Sports

At this point, most incoming collegiate basketball players are on campus and getting a jump start on their school work and their workouts. For the Florida Gators and their top incoming prospect, this has yet to become the case.

Chris Walker, who is widely considered to be the top center prospect within the class of 2013, has yet to receive academic clearance. According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, Walker has yet to receive a qualifying ACT score and he is still taking three separate online courses to gain enough core requirements to enroll at the university.

With the return of Patric Young in the team’s front court, the expectations were top ten worthy for the Gators and at this point, they still are, but this could be a potential speed bump. Walker is a unique talent at 6-foot-10. He can handle the ball particularly well for his size and he has undeniable athleticism that makes a him a potential NBA prospect even though he is fresh out of the high school ranks.

Walker still has plenty of time to gain eligibility, but this is certainly a red flag and one that Florida cannot afford if they hope to compete atop the SEC standings this upcoming season. No, Walker isn’t the tipping point for the Gators’ expectations by any means, but he’s still a very important factor. Throw in the recent suspension of starting point guard Scottie Wilbekin and Florida’s expectations could potentially be taking some off-season hits that could not have been predicted.

Gators’ fans should be patient though as it is only June. Hopefully Walker can get eligible because he is a true talent that can certainly send some instant shock waves through the conference in 2013-14.

Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The SEC will likely be dominated by the Kentucky Wildcats and Florida Gators in the 2013-14 college basketball season. Although there are still some teams that will compete, those two teams will enter the season with a lot of hype. However, how do the Georgia Bulldogs match up with the rest of the SEC?

Considering that Georgia will be losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who averaged 18.5 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, it could be a disappointing year for the Bulldogs. Caldwell-Pope basically scored a third of the teams points this past season, so the offense will be taking a huge hit.

Not to mention, Tennessee, Alabama and LSU could be NCAA tournament teams in the upcoming season. Who knows how Missouri will fare, but it will have some talent returning to the team. Marshall Henderson will be returning to the Ole Miss Rebels, so they very well could be a competitor in the upcoming season.

Georgia did finish with a 9-9 record in the SEC in the 2012-13 season, so it was not like it was horrible. Still, some players will definitely have to step up. There is some talent on this team, but without Caldwell-Pope, Georgia could be one of the worst teams in the conference.

This conference may not be as highly rated as the Big Ten or some of the other power conferences, but it is still one of the better ones in college hoops. Even the bottom teams in the conference have a chance to pull off upsets from time to time, and Georgia very well could be one of those teams if they are taken lightly and if they can find a new identity before conference play tips off.

If you’re a tweeter, feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry.