Player of the Week
[Player Immanuel Quickley], Kentucky – The 6-foot-3, 188-pound sophomore guard has boasted an average 23.5 points, three rebounds, three steals and 2.5 assists in back-to-back wins at LSU and against Florida. He started the week by putting up 21 points in their matchup with the Tigers, adding a career-high five assists and a career-high three steals. In the Wildcats’ next game, Quickley scored 22 of his career-high 26 points in the second half. Looking at purley second-half stats, he averaged 18.0 PPG and shot 75% from the field as well as 71.4% from 3-point range.
Who’s Hot
[Player Anthony Edwards], Georgia – Here, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound freshman balled-out for an average of 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in wins against No. 13 Auburn and at Vanderbilt. The upset against Auburn was huge for the Bulldogs as they proved to themselves that they can hang and take down powerhouse teams within the SEC. The two teams were nearly nodded up in every statistic but Georgia managed to out-shoot the Tigers from field goal range and beyond the arc. Edwards’ efforts marked his 22nd and 23rd double-digit scoring performances of the season and led his team offensively for the 16th and 17th times in 27 games thus far.
[Player Breein Tyree], Ole Miss – The veteran guard for the Rebels has continued his leadership role throughout this season and has just recently averaged 22 points, three rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal in their last two games against Alabama and No. 15 Auburn. In the matchup with the Crimson Tide, Tyree posted 28 points shooting 67% from the field to accompany his four assists.
Who’s Not
[Player Noah Locke], Florida – Not one of the Gators’ obvious stars as he falls into more of a role player centralized around his ability to shoot from deep, but still gets solid minutes each game. But in Florida’s last two games, he scored zero points at Kentucky shooting 0-of-5 and three points against LSU as he shot 1-of-5. Two very poor outings for the sophomore as he couldn’t find his touch from anywhere.
Vanderbilt – Well, the Commodores just cannot seem to figure it out. Extending their losing streak to six-straight, they are ranked second-to-last (SEC) in scoring defense allowing 74.6 PPG and have the worst scoring margin as well (-2.7). They also are ranked in the bottom three in offensive rebounds per game (8.9) and assists (11.5).
Top 5 Underclassmen NBA Prospects
1. [Player Anthony Edwards], Georgia – Coincidentally our SEC Player of The Week, but cannot be left out of this conversation. I’d say most would argue that this kid is ready for the next level any day now. He leads his team in points per game (19.5), steals per game (1.4) and blocks (0.6) — a pure versatile threat.
2. [Player Tyrese Maxey], Kentucky – One of the stud guards for the Wildcats here as being a member of one of the best all-around back courts in the conference. He is ranked second on his team for assists per game (3.1), 3-pointers (30 total) and FG shooting (44%).
3. [Player AJ Lawson), South Carolina – The sophomore guard is posting averages of 13.5 PPG (leads team) as well as grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game and dishing out 1.9 assists per game. He has now had three-straight double-digit scoring performances joined by snatching six or more rebounds in each of those games.
4. [Player Josiah James], Tennessee – Not viewed often as a scoring threat, but this kid is a sleeper as one of the NCAA’s most balanced players. He leads his team in assists per game (2.8), and is ranked second in rebounds per game (5.5) and third in blocks per game (0.8). James also has the highest 3-point percentage on the team at 35.6%.
5. [Player Scottie Lewis], Florida – This long, athletic guard has played a key role in the Gators’ big wins this season. He is ranked first for his team in blocks per game (1.3) and steals per game (1.2). This dude is 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan allowing him to do miraculous things at both ends of the floor.