Player of the Week:
Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Jeremiah Fears earns the final SEC Player of the Week nod for the regular season. Fears averaged 22 points across both contests for the Sooners this week, including a season-high 31 points on Wednesday night against Missouri, his best game since scoring 30 points against Michigan on December 18th. His play helped Oklahoma go 2-0 on the week, beating the aforementioned Missouri, 96-84 along with Texas, 76-72. While Oklahoma finished 13th in the SEC, they still have a shot to make March Madness, and you can count on Fears to do his best to get them there.
Who’s Hot:
Johni Broome, Auburn
Broome had a very strong end to his fifth collegiate season and third at Auburn. Despite losing at home (in OT) to Alabama, Broome scored a season-high 34 points, also tallying 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks. He shot 53.6% from the field in that game. Losing to Alabama, as well as Texas A&M, is not how Broome wanted his season to end, but he’s got plenty of time to rest up for his first game of the conference tournament on Friday.
Jason Edwards, Vanderbilt
Like Broome, Edwards ended his week in a very strong way. After scoring just 2 points against Arkansas, he followed that up with 24 against Georgia. In that contest, he also posted 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals on 63.6% shooting from the field, 66.7% from three-point range and 80% from the free-throw line. Besides an 0-2 mark this past week, Edwards and the Commodores have made noise all season long and will look to continue that against Texas in round one of the SEC tournament.
Who’s Not:
Auburn Tigers
As previously mentioned, Auburn went 0-2 on the week, losing two ranked matchups. The first was on the road at Texas A&M, where they lost 83-72. The second was to Alabama at home, as they fell 93-91 in overtime. The Tigers struggled shooting the ball in both games; they made 50% of their shots in the first game and only 47.9% in the second. Despite their recent struggles, they still won the SEC’s regular season title and earned a bye to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament, but they’ll have to figure it out in time for that game.
LSU Tigers
It’s been a season to forget for LSU. The Tigers finished the season just 3-15 and are currently on a five-game losing streak. In their most recent game, a 66-52 loss to Texas A&M, they made a lowly 15 out of 50 shots (30%). The team’s leading scorer that game was Jordan Sears with 21 points. Cam Carter, their go-to guy, struggled with 7 points on 2/12 shooting. LSU enters the conference bracket with the second-lowest seed (15th) and will take on Mississippi State in the first round. A loss likely ends their season.
Top 5: SEC Players of the 2024-25 Season
Now that the regular season has come to an end, let’s go over the top five players in the conference from this past year.
No. 5: Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida
It was between Clayton Jr. and Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier for the fifth spot, but the Florida guard got the edge. Clayton Jr. had a solid season for the Gators, helping them reach heights few would’ve expected in the preseason. Florida finished the regular season 4th in the country at 14-4 in the conference and 27-4 overall. Clayton Jr. posted 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per night. He shot 44.1% from the field, his best mark in a season since 2022-23.
No. 4: Josh Hubbard, G, Mississippi State
After a successful freshman season with the Bulldogs, Hubbard took it a step further in year two. He improved in all but two major statistics this year. In 31 games played, all starts, Hubbard averaged 18.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists, while shooting 88.5% from the free-throw line. The 5’11 guard’s efforts led Mississippi State to an above .500 season at 20-11, and who knows what he can accomplish the rest of the year.
No. 3: Mark Sears, G, Alabama
Sears was my first SEC Player of the Week this season, and he kept up his stellar play all season long. He averaged 19 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5 assists on 41% shooting from the field. His efforts helped the Crimson Tide finish the regular season ranked 5th in the nation, as they earned the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament. While this wasn’t a career year for Sears at Alabama, he was still very reliable across six less games.
No. 2: Tre Johnson, G, Texas
Johnson had a stellar freshman year at Texas. His 20.2 points per game mark was the best in the SEC and tied for 13th best in the country. He also posted 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal per game. He ended the regular season on a high note with a 23-point performance that helped the Longhorns upset Mississippi State in overtime. Johnson’s success resulted in an SEC Rookie of the Year win, and it may earn him a top selection in this summer’s NBA Draft (if he chooses to declare).
No. 1: Johni Broome, F, Auburn
Despite ranking only 3rd in the SEC in the points per game department, Broome ranks 1st in my players of the year list. The two-way machine averaged a double-double on the year, 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds, as well as 3.3 assists and 2.6 blocks on 50.6% shooting. The fifth-year senior’s contributions earned Auburn the top overall seed in the upcoming conference tournament, and a top three ranking nationally. A candidate for the Collegiate Player of the Year, stay tuned for what Broome does in some of the biggest moments of the year very soon.