Player of the Week
Mark Mitchell, Missouri
This week’s SEC Player of the Week dates back to last Wednesday, but it’s Missouri guard Mark Mitchell. The Duke transfer showed out for the Tigers in their 110-98 upset victory over top ranked Alabama, scoring a career-high 31 points. The 6’9 junior also tallied 3 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 11/15 from the field and 8/12 from the free-throw line. This was a big win for Missouri, their 20th of the season, and helped them rise to No. 14 in this week’s AP Poll.
Who’s Hot
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
Murray-Boyles has been the best player for South Carolina this season by far, but he’s turned it up a notch as of late. His double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds helped South Carolina earn their first conference win of the season on Saturday, an 84-69 victory against Texas. They followed that game with a blowout loss to Missouri, but Murray-Boyles still had 27 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 28 minutes. The 6’7 sophomore is averaging 16.1 points on 58.5% shooting from the field this year, season-wide stats that have made him one of the most sought prospects at this summer’s NBA Draft.
Tennessee Volunteers
Following a loss to Kentucky for the second time on February 11th, many were unsure about how legit Tennessee was. Since that game, they’ve rattled off three consecutive victories. Their best win in that span came against Texas A&M on the road by a score of 77-69. They also beat a gritty Vanderbilt team 81-76, as well as LSU 65-59. The 5th ranked Vols’ next game is a massive one, as they host No. 6 Alabama on Saturday. A win in that game could re-establish Tennessee as a big time threat entering the SEC tournament.
Who’s Not
LSU Tigers
There’s no denying that LSU has been one of the worst teams in the SEC this season. Things were finally starting to look up after back-to-back victories over Oklahoma and South Carolina, but they’ve followed that up with two straight losses against Florida and Tennessee. While those teams are both ranked and top squads in the nation, it was a big opportunity for LSU to stay above .500 that was completely squandered. The Tigers are now back at 14-14 with three ranked opponents left to face to close out the season.
Mississippi State Tigers
Last week, Mississippi State was in the who’s hot section. This week, they’re bumped down to the who’s not after two straight losses on the road. They fell to Oklahoma, 93-87, and were blown out by Alabama, 111-73. In that game against Alabama, the Bulldogs shot 6/30 from the three-point line, with Josh Hubbard leading the way at a 3/12 mark. Still ranked at 24th in the nation, they’ve got a lot to figure out, but thankfully have some easy opponents ahead.
Top 5: SEC Three-Point Shooters
Whether we like it or not, the three-pointer has revolutionized the game of basketball. So, let’s take a look at the five best three-point shooters in the SEC this season (who all happen to be guards).
1. Koby Brea, Kentucky
A senior for the Wildcats, Koby Brea leads the way in three-point percentage for the conference at 44.6%. He makes an average of 2.6 threes per game on 5.8 attempts. His best game from beyond the arc this season was against Florida on January 4th when he shot 7/9 from distance for 23 points.
2. Caleb Grill, Missouri
The master of the Grill is shooting 44.2% from downtown this year. The 6’3 senior makes 2.8 threes per night on 6.4 attempts. His best game three-point wise this season was on November 11th against Eastern Washington when he shot 8/10 and scored 33 points.
3. Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
Third on the list we have Chaz Lanier, who shoots 41.3% from beyond the arc. His 3.5 three-pointers made per game is the best mark in the SEC. The senior shoots an average of 8.4 threes per night. Very recently, on February 22nd, he made 8 threes against Texas A&M for a 30-point explosion.
4. Jaxson Robinson, Kentucky
Shifting the focus to another Kentucky Wildcat, Jaxson Robinson is the fourth-best in the SEC at 38.1% from three-point land. The senior shoots an average of 2.7/7 from downtown per game. His highlight game from beyond the arc came against Mississippi State on January 11th, when he shot 7/10 from three for 27 points.
5. Tre Johnson, Texas
Is there anything this freshman can’t do? Tre Johnson shoots the three ball at a 37.5% clip, and makes 2.5 threes per game on 6.7 attempts. His best three-point shooting nights were surprisingly the first two games of his career. He made five threes against Ohio State for 29 points and five threes against Houston Christian for 28 points.