Player of the Week
Jordan Mickey – LSU
While the Tigers have let some winnable games slip away from them in recent weeks, a bright spot for Johnny Jones’ squad has been the play of Mickey. He’s averaging close to 22 points per game over his last five contests including 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks against a Kentucky front line that is the best in the country. Mickey and fellow teammate Jarell Martin held their own against the Wildcats and were a possession away from handing the #1 team in the country their first loss. Mickey has really been showing out for LSU since the beginning of the season as he’s leading the conference in blocked shots and defensive rebounds while ranking third in offensive boards. One of the knocks on Mickey after last season was his average rebounding numbers and he has made an effort to thwart that criticism by being more focused on attacking the glass and making sure every lose ball ends up in his hands. The Tigers are still a solid bet to make the NCAA Tournament but they’ll need to finish strong these last few weeks as their SOS and RPI aren’t high enough for them to skate in if the lose any more games like the one against Auburn earlier this month.
Who’s Hot
Kourtney Roberson – Texas A&M
Roberson has really turned it on of late for an Aggie team that has NCAA Tournament aspirations. At the time this piece is being written, Joe Lunardi has A&M in the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed. That could change depending on the outcome of the next game or two but at the moment they are in and that’s all that matters. A big reason why they are in is the play of Roberson, who has come on this last month averaging 14 points per game (6 more than his season average) over that stretch. He had 20 points and 6 boards in a win against Florida on Saturday and followed that up with 16 points and 11 boards in a win against LSU on Tuesday night, a win that got them back into NCAAT conversations. The 5th year senior has been a monster inside recently (both scoring and on the glass) and has been doing it with great efficiency shooting close to 70% from the field. Roberson has given the Aggies another scoring option down low behind Alex Caruso and should take the pressure off the backcourt duo of Daniel House and Jalen Jones.
Who’s Not
Georgia Bulldogs
Just over a week ago, Mark Fox and the Bulldogs looked like a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament. They sat at 16-7 and 7-4 in conference with 5 of their remaining 7 games against teams with losing records in SEC play. By winning just the games they were "supposed" to win that would have been enough to get them back to the Tournament for the first time since 2011. But that was a week ago and oh how things have changed. Back to back losses two Auburn and South Carolina (both at home) now have the Dawgs squarely on the bubble with some work to do to get back in good standing with the Committee. Injuries have really hurt this team recently as reserve guards J.J. Frazier and Juwan Parker have missed time as did Marcus Thornton who hasn’t been the same since coming back from a concussion that cause him to miss two games just over a month ago. They have a very winnable game coming up this weekend against Alabama. Win that one and they’ll be in a position to right the ship, lose it and it will likely take knocking off #1 ranked Kentucky for this team to get back on the right side of the bubble.
Florida Gators
Remember when some idiot ranked the Gators #2 in his SEC Conference Preview? The team that began the season ranked #7 in the Coaches Poll has fallen flat on their faces and barring some magical run in the SEC Tournament, which is entirely possible, will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 and for just the 5th time in the Billy Donovan era. Sitting below .500 for the first time in nearly a decade and a half, this Gators squad, albeit talented, just hasn’t been able to put it all together. This is largely a team that barely played a season ago apart from guard Michael Frazier and forward Dorian Finney-Smith who has been, by far, the team’s most consistent player. Chris Walker, Alex Murphy, Eli Carter, Kasey Hill and Jacob Kurtz all saw time a season ago but not much. Combine that with the two freshman in [Player Chris Chiozza] and Devin Robinson and you’ve got a team that lacks an identity. This season will be a teaching point for Donovan and one that none of the players on the roster will forget but teaching points don’t get you a 5th straight Elite Eight.
Top Five Most Underrated Players
1. Tim Quarterman – LSU
Quarterman gets lost behind guys like Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey but he is every bit as important as those two guys when it comes to this team’s success. He’s one of the best wings in the conference and he does a little bit of everything. If he can add some weight (only 187 pounds) and work on his stroke over the next two seasons, he’s a player that NBA Coaches and GM’s will give a long look at come 2017.
2. Dorian Finney-Smith – Florida
As difficult as it may seem to call Finney-Smith underrated since he’s the second leading scorer on the team, no one really gives him the credit he deserves. Without Finney-Smith, the Gator team would have been lucky to win 8 games this season. He’s a glue guy that should be able to find himself a spot on an NBA roster due to his motor and versatility.
3. Josh Richardson – Tennessee
Richardson, like Finney-Smith is the main reason that his team has as many wins as they do. Cut in the mold of former teammate Jordan McRae, Richardson seemingly does everything and takes every big shot for the Vols. And while this season won’t end in a magical NCAAT run like last season did, Richardson deserves some credit for how well he’s played. He’s a second round pick and a potential steal if he can put on some weight in an NBA weight room.
4. KT Harrell – Auburn
Leads the SEC in scoring and most outside of Alabama have no clue who he is. Unless of course you are a Virginia fan salivating over what might have been if you had kept a player that can score the ball like he can. Auburn isn’t a very good team and the program is in a state of flux, which is why Harrell doesn’t get any media attention. But he’s averaged 18.3 and now 17.9 points per game in a major conference. That has to count for something.
5. Marcus Thornton – Georgia
Arguably Georgia’s most important player, the 6’8 senior from Atlanta has really taken a large leap forward this season. While Thornton has cooled off a bit lately after a concussion kept him out of two games earlier this year, he’s a guy that the Bulldogs need to be on his "A" game down the stretch. He’s really the only low post scorer this team has as fellow front court mate Nemanja Djurisic is more of a perimeter player with sub-par post skills. Thornton will have to provide this team with an option down low to balance out a somewhat guard heavy offense of late.
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