Player of the Week
Walter Clayton Jr. Florida
This week’s SEC Player of the Week is Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. He’s really stepped up lately for the Gators, leading them to two straight victories against ranked opponents. They beat No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, a game Clayton Jr. played every single minute in. Then, the Gators took down No. 22 Mississippi State last night. Clayton Jr. scored 19 points and shot 100% from the free-throw line in both contests. In both games, he averaged 6 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1 steal and 0.5 blocks. The senior guard is a 45% shooter from the field this season and has been a player Florida can lean on in tough matchups.
Who’s Hot
Jarin Stevenson, Alabama
The Crimson Tide sophomore made a name for himself in his most recent game. In 20 minutes against Texas, he scored a season-high 22 points with 4 rebounds and 1 block. In that game, the forward from Chapel Hill, NC shot 87.5% from the field, 80% from beyond the arc and 100% from the charity stripe. For reference, had Stevenson not played, Alabama would’ve only won by 1 point. Only averaging 5.5 points on the year in limited opportunities, Stevenson took his chance to step up big.
KeShawn Murphy, Mississippi State
The 6’10 junior has been a consistent force for the Bulldogs as of late. He’s averaging 16 points and 10.5 rebounds in his last 2 games. That stretch included a double-double, as he notched 18 points and 13 assists in 32 minutes off the bench against Florida. Murphy’s next game will be against Ole Miss, who he had 18 points and 11 rebounds against the last time Mississippi State faced them. If his recent success continues, the No. 22 Bulldogs could go places this season.
Who’s Not
Missouri Tigers
It’s a rough week to be a Tiger isn’t it. Auburn lost over the weekend, and now Missouri has lost 3 of their last 5 games (and 2 in a row). Despite their recent struggles, I’ll still give them some benefit of the doubt because 3 of those losses were against ranked teams, but 2 in a row is still 2 in a row. In their last loss, a 67-64 defeat to Texas A&M, they shot 5/21 from the three-point line. Had two of those gone in, the result of the game would’ve been different, but it still shows an area Missouri is clearly struggling. Lucky for them, the No. 21 Tigers still have time before the SEC tournament.
The South Carolina Bench
I’ve had to come up with creative ways to describe South Carolina’s struggles in recent weeks, but I think this one takes the cake. In the Gamecocks’ game against Kentucky on Saturday, their bench scored a total of…4 points. In fact, all 4 points were scored by guard Cam Scott. While all 5 of South Carolina’s starters played at least 23 minutes in that game, their 5 bench players still accounted for 62 total minutes. They shot a total of 1/11 collectively. Again, while they don’t have as much of an impact as the starters, some more offense could’ve saved the Gamecocks from an 80-57 loss.
Top 5: SEC Teams in the AP Poll
It’s been a while since we checked out the Associated Press Poll when talking about the SEC, so let’s take a look at the top 5 nationally ranked teams from the conference.
1st. Auburn (1st AP)
Getting to stay at number 1 in the country after losing must be a pretty nice feeling. I’m not saying Auburn doesn’t deserve to still be the top ranked team, but their loss to Florida could’ve knocked them down a spot or two. Nonetheless, they proved they still belong at the top with an 80-68 win over Vanderbilt and head to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama this weekend. That will be a big opportunity to back up their ranking.
2nd. Alabama (2nd AP)
After last week’s action, Alabama only received 23 votes for the top spot compared to Auburn’s 34, but many could argue they’re the best team in the country right now. They’ve won 7 consecutive games with 2 of those coming against ranked opponents. They survived a big collapse against Arkansas over the weekend and followed that with a 23-point win against Texas. As mentioned, they’ll host Auburn this weekend, a big test for Nate Oats’ crew.
3rd. Florida (T-3rd AP)
The Gators are tied with Duke in this week’s AP Poll, and if you ask me, they should have sole possession of the third spot. On Saturday, Florida took down top-ranked Auburn on the road while Duke lost to unranked Clemson. They both are 20-3 on the season, but the Gators are on a 3-game winning streak. After seeing 2 ranked teams in a row, things should get easier for Florida with 4 straight unranked opponents ahead.
4th. Tennessee (5th AP)
One person gave the Volunteers a vote for the top spot in the country after last week, which was a valid argument at the time, but they just lost to Kentucky for the 2nd time this season. While being swept by the Wildcats could hurt their spot in the SEC standings a little, they still deserve to be a top 5 team. When star players like Chaz Lanier and Zakai Ziegler step up, Tennessee isn’t a team you should want to face, and those two will look to get the Vols back on track this weekend against Vanderbilt.
5th. Texas A&M (8th AP)
How about those Aggies? With 4 straight wins, they’ve shot all the way up to the 8th spot in the AP Poll and are showing no signs of slowing down. 3 of their last 4 victories had deficits of 7 points or less, a reason why you shouldn’t want to face this team in crunch time. That being said, 4 of their next 6 games are against ranked opponents, and some of the toughest in the SEC at that, so we’ll see how this team responds as we get even closer to the tournament.