Player of the Week
[Player Kira Lewis] Jr., Alabama – The a 6-foot-2, 165-pound sophomore guard posted an average of 18.5 points, 8.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and one block against No. 11 Auburn and No. 25 LSU. His performance against Auburn marked him as the second player in history to mark a triple-double with 10 points and career-best numbers of 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Of his 13 assists, 12 set up teammates for made 3-pointers. Lewis accompanied that effort with a game-high 27 points alongside four assists and three steals against LSU.
Who’s Hot
Kentucky – After suffering a nine-point loss at the start of this month to Auburn, the Wildcats have turned six-straight tallies in the win column. In their last matchup against LSU, they continued to display how capable they are of staying in games even throughout scoring droughts. Despite shooting a poor 31.6% in the first half and missing eight of their first 10 3-pointers, they still never trailed by more than four points. They took command shooting an impressive 73.9% in the second half.
[Jaden Shackelford], Alabama – One of the other guards here for the Crimson Tide. At 6-foot-3,195-pounds, the freshman averaged 27 points, 4.5 rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals against back-to-back ranked opponents in No. 11 Auburn and No. 25 LSU. He drilled 7-of-17 threes to lead the Tide in setting single-game conference records for threes made (22) and threes attempted (59) against the Tigers. Shackleford closed out the game with 28 points and then went off for 26 against LSU.
Who’s Not
Arkansas – The Razorbacks have dropped five straight now and simply cannot find their touch. They’ve been without their preseason All-SEC selection Isaiah Joe, who recently had surgery on his right knee and it’s clearly impacted them in negative fashion. It’s apparent that this team won’t be the same until Joe returns; in fact he ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 16 PPG, and is top three on the team in 3-point shooters and perimeter defense.
[Player A.J. Lawson], Texas A&M – As the Aggies leading scorer scoring roughly 14 PPG, Lawson plays a big role in influencing wins and losses for his team. As of lately though, his play has been pretty subpar as he has posted 9-point and 12-point performances against Tennessee and Mississippi State. His field goal average was under 40% and he had two turnovers in each game as well.
Top 5 Team Offensive Scoring Efficiencies (no order)
Alabama – Ranked first in scoring offense, the Tide post an average of 83.2 PPG and has a season total of 2079 points so far. They also rank first in 3-point percentage (35.1%) as well as 3-pointers made averaging 10.8 a game; good enough for 269 total 3s.
LSU – The Tigers roll in at second in the conference for scoring offense as they generate 80.8 PPG this season with 2019 overall points scored. They’re also first in field goal percentage (47.7%), and third in the SEC with a scoring margin of +8.0.
Auburn – Here, the other Tigers are ranked currently at third in the SEC in scoring offense with 1998 total points off an average of 79.9 PPG. In addition they have the second-best scoring margin (+8.8), and are third in made 3-pointers with 8.2 per game (204 total).
Kentucky – No surprise here, as the Wildcats rank within the top 5 in nearly every offensive category. Most notably, they lead the conference in scoring margin with an impressive +9.6, and are at third for field goal percentage (46%).
Mississippi State – The Bulldogs are ranked second in the SEC for field goal percentage (46.5%) and are fourth in 3-point percentage (33.3%). They also are second in offensive rebounding with 312 off an average of 12.5 per game resulting in many second-chance scoring opportunities.