Player of the Week
Johni Broome, Auburn
This week’s SEC Player of the Week is Auburn sensation, forward Johni Broome. The senior stepped up in his team’s biggest game of the season, dropping 19 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks on 7/16 shooting from the field. Broome played 33 minutes, and had he not gone down with an injury at one point, he could’ve played the full game. Auburn won 94-85, a big prove-it game for Bruce Pearl and the Tigers, and may not have been there without Broome’s efforts.
Who’s Hot
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
There’s a player that has defined the “who’s hot” section of this blog lately, and that’s Zakai Ziegler of Tennessee. Ziegler scored 22 points along with 8 assists and 1 block in the Volunteers’ 81-76 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. He scored 17 points in each of his previous 2 games before that, meaning he’s averaged 18.6 points in that span. The 5’9 senior has had a career year, averaging career highs in nearly every statistic, and has been a big reason why Tennessee has stayed in the top 10 nationally pretty much all year.
Mississippi State
After their loss to Florida, Mississippi State has fired off back to back wins, both coming against ranked opponents. They took down Ole Miss 81-71 on Saturday. Senior forward RJ Melendez showed out in that game with 17 points on 7/11 shooting from the field. Then on Tuesday night, they pulled off a big upset, defeating top-ten Texas A&M 70-54 at home. The leading scorer in that game was Josh Hubbard with 25 points and 4 steals. The Bulldogs’ next big game will be next Tuesday night when they go on the road to face No. 4 Alabama. If they keep winning, they could be a real threat come tournament time.
Who’s Not
Denzel Aberdeen, Florida
A 6’5 junior guard, Aberdeen had been on a recent hot streak but is coming off a pretty rough game. After scoring 20+ points in back to back contests, he scored just 7 points on 11.1% shooting from the field in Florida’s 85-63 win against Oklahoma. He shot 1/9 from the field and 1/5 from three in that game. However, Aberdeen still contributed by giving Florida 3 assists and 4 made free throws out of 6 attempts. The Gators next game isn’t until Saturday when they face LSU, giving Aberdeen plenty of time to prepare and hopefully get back on track.
Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats have been one of the more inconsistent SEC teams this season. First year head coach Mark Pope’s group lost 82-78 on the road to Texas over the weekend, causing them to fall to 17-8 on the season. Otega Oweh led the way with 20 points, 2 steals and 1 block, and Amari Williams had 18 points and 12 rebounds. That loss knocked the Wildcats to 6-6 in SEC play. Kentucky is still a good team, but they’ve definitely lost that dominant factor, and that could hurt them again in March.
Top 5: SEC Player of the Year Winners
It’s getting toward the end of the regular season, and fans are starting to think about awards. With that being said, let’s go back in time and rank the last 5 SEC Player of the Year winners.
Note: The list will include the last 5 solo winners of the award. The 2019-20 season will not be included.
5th: Herb Jones (SG/SF, Sr., Alabama), 2020-21
Kicking off our list is former Alabama guard/forward Herb Jones. In his senior season, Jones played 33 games while averaging 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks on 44.6% shooting from the field, 35.1% from three-point and 71.3% from the free-throw line. A defensive wizard, Jones helped the Crimson Tide earn the SEC’s regular season and tournament championships and a No. 2 seed in March Madness, where they lost to UCLA in the Sweet 16. He went onto be the 35th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to the New Orleans Pelicans, and in year 4 in the NBA, he’s one of their top players. However, he is out the remainder of the season.
4th: Oscar Tshiebwe (C, Jr., Kentucky) 2021-22
Next on the list is former Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe. What earns him the 4th spot over Herb Jones is his statistics from this season. In 34 games for the Wildcats, he posted 17.4 points, 15.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks on 60.6% shooting from the field and 69.1% from the charity stripe. Unfortunately, Tshiebwe’s season did not lead to much team success. Kentucky failed to win both the SEC regular season and tournament championships, and although they earned a No. 2 seed in March Madness, they were upset by St. Peter’s in their first game. Tshiebwe went undrafted but has had stints as a role player for the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz.
3rd: Grant Williams (PF, Jr., Tennessee) 2018-19
Williams has one of the more underrated seasons in recent memory. In 37 games that year for the Volunteers, Williams recorded 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks on 56.4/32.6/81.9 shooting splits. Like the aforementioned Oscar Tshiebwe, Williams’ Tennessee team did not achieve notable regular season success but still earned a No. 2 seed in the big dance, where they made it to the Sweet 16 before a close loss to Purdue. Williams’ college success led to him being drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall) by the Boston Celtics in 2019. He spent 4 seasons in Boston and even got to play in the 2022 NBA Finals, but has since played for the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets and is currently out for the year.
2nd: Brandon Miller (SF, Fr., Alabama) 2022-23
How Brandon Miller played during his freshman season is insane to think about. In 37 games that season for the Crimson Tide, Miller posted 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 BLK. He shot 43% from the field, 38.4% from beyond the arc and 85.9% from the free-throw line. His stellar play helped Alabama win both the regular season title and conference tournament title for the SEC, along with earning the team the top overall seed in March Madness that year. Unfortunately, Miller and company couldn’t make it 3 titles in a row, as Alabama was upset by San Diego State in the Sweet 16. Miller went on to be the 2nd overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, made by the Charlotte Hornets. While Miller is done for the year due to injury as well, he’s perhaps had the best professional career out of these players.
1st: Dalton Knecht (SG, Sr, Tennessee), 2023-24
Last year’s SEC Player of the Year has earned the top spot on this list. In his 36 games played, Knecht was awesome to watch, as he averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks. A great shooter, he posted 45.8/39.7/77.2 marks. The Vols made it the furthest out of any of these teams; they won the SEC regular season title, SEC tournament title, earned a No. 2 seed in March Madness and made it all the way to the Elite 8 where they lost to Purdue. Knecht was drafted 17th by the Los Angeles Lakers last summer, and while he nearly got traded in his rookie year, he’s had a solid start to his professional career.