Player of the Week
Tamar Bates, Missouri
This week’s SEC Player of the Week is Tigers’ senior guard, Tamar Bates. Bates had an exceptional performance in Missouri’s 76-67 upset win over No. 1 Kansas on Sunday. In 34 minutes, he scored 29 points on 9/15 shooting, including a perfect 9/9 from the charity stripe, and went 2/5 from beyond the arc. He also amassed 1 rebound and 1 assist. On the season, Bates is averaging 14.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2 steals per game on 54.2% shooting from the field and 95.8% shooting from the free-throw line.
Who’s Hot
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
You could argue that Lanier has been the best player in the SEC so far this season. His stellar play has the Volunteers all the way at the top of the AP Poll, and he doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. A transfer from North Florida, he’s averaging 19.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 48% from the field. In Tennessee’s last game, a 75-62 win over Miami (FL), the senior posted 22 points, on 8/15 shooting, with 4 rebounds.
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
While Johni Broome has been Auburn’s leader in mostly every statistic, Tahaad Pettiford has been a great role player as of late for the Tigers. This season, the freshman guard is averaging 11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 steal each night on 42.6/44.9/100 shooting splits. He’s scored double digit points in 4 of his last 5 games; 20 against No. 9 Duke, 15 against Richmond, 14 against No. 5 Iowa State, and 10 against No. 12 North Carolina.
Who’s Cold
Kerr Kriisa, Kentucky
A transfer from West Virginia, Kriisa has taken a step back after a career year for the Mountaineers last season. A good majority of his averages are down; from 11 to 4.4 points, 2.5 to 2.4 rebounds, 4.7 to 3.8 assists, 42.9 to 27.9% shooting from the field and 42.4 to 26.3% from downtown. A bright spot in Kriisa’s game has been his free-throw percentage, up from 77.5 to 85.7%. The senior guard has scored either 0, 8 or 9 points in his last 5 games.
Tramon Mark, Texas
While he’s playing less minutes, Mark has seen an extreme drop off in production so far this season. An in-conference transfer from Arkansas, he’s regressed in every statistical average; 16.2 to 8.2 points, 4.3 to 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 to 1 assist, 48/36.4/80.4 shooting splits to 39.5/35.3/62.5. The senior guard has had 2 solid games as of late (15 points against Delaware State and 10 points against NC State), but struggles with consistency.
Top 5: SEC Coaches
5.. Nate Oats, Alabama
Since arriving in 2019, Oats has the Crimson Tide basketball program closing the gap on the once dominant football program. There’s room for two dominant teams apparently. With a 124–56 (.689) record at Alabama, Oats has compiled a near 70% record in one of the most competitive basketball conferences.
4.. Mark Pope, Kentucky
Kentucky has been great, and Mark Pope has been great, but I can’t put him any higher than this. He’s in his first year with the program, but there’s no denying that he’s made a difference. The Wildcats are 8-1 with their only loss coming against Clemson on the road. However, they’re 6-0 at home and 2-0 in neutral sites with wins against top teams like Duke and Gonzaga.
3.. John Calipari, Arkansas
Putting Calipari higher than Mark Pope does go against better judgement, but body of work is a factor, and it’s Coach Cal. After a slow start to his first season with the Razorbacks, his coaching has catapulted Arkansas to 8-2. Arkansas is 6-0 at home, 1-0 on the road, but 0-2 in neutral sites. Their top win this season has been against No. 14 Michigan.
2. Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Pearl has been at Auburn for quite some time and has succeeded mostly every season. His Tigers are off to an 8-1 start this season. Their only loss was to No. 9 Duke by a score of 84-78. They’ve won every other game, including contests against No. 4 Houston and No. 12 North Carolina and are a perfect 4-0 at home.
1. Rick Barnes, Tennessee
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Barnes’ Volunteers are one of three SEC teams to start the season undefeated, joining No. 9 Florida and No. 13 Oklahoma. Their best win this season was against No. 13 Baylor, 77-62, to win the Baha Mar Championship title. 5 of Tennessee’s 9 wins have been at home, 1 on the road, and 3 at a neutral site.