Player of the Week
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
This week’s SEC Player of the Week is South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles. Murray-Boyles is a sophomore forward and has arguably been the Gamecocks’ best player this season. Standing 6’7 and 245 lbs., he’s the team leader in points per game (16.5), rebounds per game (9.5) and blocks per game (1.3). In the team’s last game against No. 25 Clemson, Murray-Boyles stepped up big time, scoring 22 points to go with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. His 80% shooting from the field led South Carolina to a 91-88 OT victory.
Who’s Hot
Jason Edwards, Vanderbilt
A 6’1 transfer from North Texas, Edwards has been a great offseason addition for Vanderbilt. In the Commodores’ last 4 games, he’s scored in double digits each outing; 19 points against Virginia Tech, 23 points against Tennessee Tech, 26 points against Drake and 30 points against TCU. On the season, the junior guard has averaged 18.4 points and is shooting 49.4% from the field, 35.6% from beyond the arc and 87.1% from the charity stripe. Vanderbilt is 9-1 thus far and Edwards is a massive reason for the team’s early success.
Amari Williams, Kentucky
A senior big man, Williams is in his first year with the Wildcats after 4 seasons at Drexel. Through Kentucky’s first 11 games, he’s only scoring 10.2 points per game but is still shooting 56.9% from the field. Where he’s really showing out is on the defensive side. He’s grabbing 9.1 rebounds each night and posting 1.6 blocks as well. His 2.4 assists per night also help him do a great job of creating shots for others on the team. Kentucky faces Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic this weekend and will rely on Williams’ defensive ability to keep winning.
Who’s Not
Cam Scott, South Carolina
Scott has struggled to get it going for the Gamecocks so far this season. Through the team’s first 11 contests, he’s only averaging 2.7 points on 15.8% shooting from three-point range, 63.6% shooting from the free-throw line and 22.7% shooting overall. He also averages 1.8 rebounds per game. A positive is his 7-point performance against South Carolina Upstate on December 14th which saw him shoot 50% from the field and 75% from the free-throw line. Scott is only a freshman after all, so he could see higher leverage opportunities later in the season.
JP Pegues, Auburn
Pegues has the same case for struggles as Cam Scott did, that being limited opportunities. However, Pegues is a senior, transferred in from Furman, and is coming off a very successful 2023-24 season. His averages are all down from the previous campaign, most notably in points (18.4 to 1.9), field goal percentage (42 to 23.1) and three-point percentage (36.2 to 23.8). Additionally, he’s dropped off in rebounds (4.3 to 1.5), assists (4.8 to 1.2) and steals (1.2 to 0.4). If given opportunities, maybe Pegues can revert to his Furman form and be an x-factor for Auburn.
Top 5: SEC Sophomores
(NOTE: This list will exclude Collin Murray-Boyles, who belongs at 1. Since he was mentioned above as this week’s Player of the Week, I will be highlighting a different sophomore).
1. Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Hubbard’s high-scoring ability has the Bulldogs out to a 10-1 start thus far this year. In his second collegiate season, he’s averaging 18 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals. He’s shooting 44.3% from the field, 40.7% from three-point range, and 82.9% from the free-throw line. He’s scored in double digits in each of his last 5 games, with the most being 25 points against Prairie View A&M on Sunday, December 8th. Expect him to be a big-time player in the Bulldogs’ game on Saturday against Memphis.
2. Silas Demary Jr., Georgia
While it’s not impressive as Hubbard’s season, another sophomore is doing big things for another Bulldog team. In his second year at Georgia, Demary Jr. has gotten more involved, averaging more points (13) than the previous season (9.7), along with a better field goal (43.8) and free-throw (82.3) percentage. The Bulldogs are 9-1 and while not ranked, could be a threat come conference play time thanks to the great start from Silas Demary Jr. The next chance you’ll have to watch him play is Thursday night against Buffalo.
3. Alex Condon, Florida
Condon has been a big contributor to Florida’s undefeated season. Thus far, the Gators are 11-0 and coming off an impressive 90-84 win against unranked, but still noteworthy, North Carolina. In that game, Condon had a near double-double; 9 points and 10 rebounds, along with 5 assists and 3 blocks. On the season, he’s posting 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 54.7% from the field. You can watch Condon in the Gators’ statewide battle with North Florida Saturday afternoon.
4. Anthony Robinson II, Missouri
Robinson II is a 6’3 guard who has made the most of his chances in his second year with the Tigers. Seeing an uptick in minutes per game (13.3 in 2023-24 to 24.4 this season), Robinson II’s two-way ability has helped the 10-1 Tigers tremendously. Each night, he’s putting up 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.5 steals on 53.1, 31.3, 82.8 shooting splits. Missouri’s next game is a big one; Sunday afternoon against Illinois, so expect Robinson II to be a key contributor in that one.
5. D.J. Wagner, Arkansas
A rare in-conference transfer after his first year, Wagner followed head coach John Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas for his sophomore season. Continuing to play under Coach Cal has seen him improve this year and earn more playing time. He’s playing 33.7 minutes per game, scoring 10.1 points, grabbing 3.2 boards, and passing for 3.3 assists. Like Anthony Robinson II, he’s showcasing his two-way skills, posting 1.5 steals per game as well. He’s scored in double figures in 3 of his last 4 contests, including a 16-point performance against No. 14 Michigan on December 10th. Your next opportunity to watch Wagner and the Razorbacks will be on Saturday afternoon as they host North Carolina A&T.