Player of the Week
Mark Sears, Alabama
This week’s SEC Player of the Week is Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears. Sears cemented himself as the leader of the 2nd ranked team in the country. Across Alabama’s first 3 games, Sears has averaged 18 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.3 steals in 31.3 minutes played. His shooting splits have also been impressive; 50% from the field, 42.9% from three, and 76.9% from the line. Sears’ stellar play has set the tone for Alabama’s season.
Who’s Hot
Kentucky Wildcats
Under new head coach Mark Pope, the Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start, highlighted by an upset win over 6th-ranked Duke on Tuesday. Currently ranked 19th in the country, Kentucky also has blowout wins over Wright St. and Bucknell, scoring 100 or more in both games. They’re highlighted by leading scorer Koby Brea, a senior guard, who is averaging 15.3 points per game. Kentucky will look to maintain their hot start ahead of their next big test, December 3rd against Clemson.
Alabama Crimson Tide
As previously mentioned, the Crimson Tide are off to a great start. Their season kicked off with a blowout win over UNC Asheville, 110-54. They’ve had two closer games since, an 88-79 win over Arkansas St. and a 72-64 win over McNeese. The Crimson Tide have five players averaging double-digit points. Besides aforementioned Mark Sears, the most notable is guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr, who is giving them 12.3 points a night. Alabama’s first big test of the season will be this Friday night when they take on 13th-ranked Purdue.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are off to a solid start to the young season, winning all three of their games thus far. Georgia has taken down Tennessee Tech 83-78, Texas Southern 92-64, and North Florida 90-77. Georgia’s scoring spread is more impressive than Alabama’s, with six double-digit scorers. A player worth mentioning is guard Dakota Leffew, who is scoring 17 points per game along with 1.7 steals and 1 block. Georgia will face their statewide foe Georgia Tech on Friday night.
Who’s Cold
Arkansas Rzaorbacks
Arkansas hasn’t been off to the best start under new leader John Calipari. Despite being ranked 18th in the nation, Coach Cal’s Razorbacks are 1-1 with a 76-60 win over Lipscomb, but most importantly, a 72-67 loss on their home floor to 8th-ranked Baylor. One positive to take away is that one of their key transfers, junior forward Adou Thiero, is averaging 16 points on 66.7% shooting in their first 2 games. Luckily, the Razorbacks have a lot of time to build some chemistry and figure things out, as their next real challenge won’t be until a Thanksgiving matchup against Illinois.
Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies are 2-1 but started their season off with a home loss to UCF, 64-61. Ranked 23rd nationally, Texas A&M has rebounded since with wins over East Texas A&M (87-55) and Lamar (97-71). Their leading scorer is senior guard Wade Taylor IV with 12.7 points per contest. Texas A&M has a big game coming up this Friday, as they take on the team who already took down one SEC opponent, the 21st-ranked Ohio St. Buckeyes.
South Carolina Gamecocks
The Gamecocks are like Texas A&M but may have kicked off their campaign in worse fashion. They were upset at home, 74-71 by North Florida. Since that game, South Carolina has put together two nice wins, 86-64 over South Carolina St. and 80-54 over Towson. The man leading the charge is sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles. Early on, Murray-Boyles is putting up 21 points a night. South Carolina has their first power-5 conference of the year this Saturday, as they take on 16th-ranked Illinois.
Top 5 Freshmen
1. Boogie Fland, Arkansas
Guard Boogie Fland is the leading scorer for Coach Cal’s bunch. In the team’s first two contests, he is putting up an average of 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in 37.5 minutes. While Fland struggles a tad from the field (38.7%) and from downtown (38.8%), he has yet to miss from the free-throw line.
2. Tre Johnson, Texas
The freshman guard for the Longhorns is off to a fantastic start to his collegiate career. In 3 games for Texas, Johnson is averaging 25.3 points, 3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 steal and 0.7 blocks in 30.3 minutes. He’s shooting a stellar 58.3% from the three-point line, along with 57.4% from the field and 80% from charity stripe.
3. Asa Newell, Georgia
A first-year forward, Newell has done a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs. In his first three games, he is averaging 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.3 steals and 3.3 blocks in 27.7 minutes per night. While he hasn’t made a three-pointer yet, Newell has a 54.5% field goal percentage and 55.6% free throw percentage.
4. Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Fears has played a big role so far for the Sooners. In his first two games with Oklahoma, playing an average of 28 minutes per night, he posts 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Fears’ shooting strength has not come from beyond the arc (16.7%), but rather the overall field (52.4%). He’s a solid free-throw shooter, currently maintaining an 80% clip.
5. Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
Pettiford’s strengths are shown throughout his overall shooting percentages; 43.8% from the field, 50% from three and a perfect 100% from the free-throw line. He gets less run compared to the rest of the freshmen on this list (21.5 minutes per game) but has been productive in his opportunities. In 2 games for the Tigers, he’s averaging 10.5 points, 2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1 steal.