Player of the Week
Nick Smith Jr.- Guard, Arkansas- The top recruit in the conference had a great week, recording two double digit scoring games. In his first real game of the season, after only playing five minutes against Troy, Smith scored 16 points on 6-14 shooting while also dishing out five assists. He followed this performance up with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. He struggled from deep in this game, but did show off his free throw shooting, hitting 9 of his 11 attempts from the line. Now that Smith is healthy, look for him to keep stacking quality games, as he is quickly taking over as the team’s leader.
Who’s Hot
Ricky Council IV- Guard, Arkansas- While he had a rough last game out, he had a strong week nonetheless. Before his forgettable game last time out against UNC Greensboro, where he only scored 8 points on 1-7 shooting, he recorded 17 points on 5-6 shooting and 27 points on 12-18 in his previous two matchups. Even with this showing, he is still ranked 2nd in points per game in the conference. Look for him to keep building throughout the season, working towards earning the #1 spot for points per game.
Tennessee- The Vols won both of their matchups this week to extend their win streak to six games. They easily beat both Alcorn State at 94-40 and Eastern Kentucky at 84-49. They played great team basketball against Alcorn State with six players recording double digit points. They followed this game up with five players scoring double digits against Eastern Kentucky. This team plays very unselfish basketball, and it has led them to a lot of success so far. With two absolute blowouts, they have a ton of momentum built up for their next matchup against #13 Maryland.
Oscar Tshibwe– Center, Kentucky- The best rebounder in the country did what he does best against Michigan, grabbing 14 rebounds and 13 points. Oscar was very efficient shooting 5-10 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line. This was Tshibwe’s fourth straight game with at least 12 rebounds, and fifth out of six total games.
Brandon Miller– Forward, Alabama- The freshman has put together some really solid performances so far this season. Coming off a dreadful game shooting the ball, Miller bounced back with 16 points on 5-11 shooting, while also grabbing 9 rebounds. Miller has scored double figures in all eight games to start his career. The talented forward has been playing extremely well, but came back to Earth in their most recent game, struggled in Alabama’s win over Houston, going 0-8 from the floor and finished with 8 points.
Who’s Not
Florida- Despite winning a game this week, Florida’s performance against UConn earned themselves a spot on the Who’s Not list. Losing by 21 points in an not-very-competitive game at home, which is unacceptable. Not to mention they shot 30% from the field and got outrebounded by 14. This was not a good showing for the Gators, who find themselves currently at 6-4 with a matchup vs Ohio coming up. With a matchup with Auburn on the horizon, the Gators must beat Ohio and Oklahoma, or they will find themselves in some trouble.
Justin Hill– Guard, Georgia- The junior guard had a really rough week, scoring only 11 points on 2-11 shooting, and seven of those points coming from the free throw line. For the season, Hill is now shooting under 40% from the field, and has really struggled getting his shot to fall.
Freshman of the Week
Noah Clowney– Forward, Alabama- The 6’10 freshman had a really tough game in his last time out, but bounced back well in his only game of the week. Clowney scored a career high 22 points on 8-17 shooting. He also grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in a great all around showing. He also hit a career high five threes and showed off his ability to knock down shots from deep. Look for Clowney to build off this great game in a really tough matchup vs Houston.
Top Five Freshman
1. Nick Smith Jr.- Guard, Arkansas- After missing some games early due to injury, Smith has hit the ground running. He has recorded double figures in two of his first three games, while only playing 5 minutes in debut. Look for Smith to keep growing as he continues to get more comfortable playing at this level. He was the number one recruit in the entire country for a reason and he has shown why in his limited action.
2. Anthony Black– Guard, Arkansas- Black carried the load early for Arkansas when Smith was out. Since Smith’s debut, he has taken more of a back seat. He has shown he can shoot the ball from deep, rebound and facilitate all season. Shooting 50/40/75, Black is a very efficient scorer. Look for him to continue to play his role on a very good team that should make a lot of noise this year.
3. Brandon Miller– Forward, Alabama- The freshman is leading the conference in scoring currently averaging over 19 points per game paired with 9 rebounds. A true three level scorer, Miller is shooting 40/46/80. In eight games, Miller has scored 20+ points three times and has hit double figures in every game. Miller will likely be a lottery should he keep performing the way he has so far.
4. GG Jackson– Guard, South Carolina- The 6’9” freshman from Columbia, SC has been a huge contributor for his hometown team. Averaging 17 points and over 7 rebounds per game on 43/37/65 shooting splits. Jackson is a two-way player who can block shots and has active hands to force steals. In eight games, Jackson has had three 20-point games already, showing an intriguing ability to shoot from the mid-range and has hit double figures in every game so far. Look for Jackson to carry the load all season for an underwhelming South Carolina team that will likely finish around the bottom of the conference.
5. Cason Wallace– Guard, Kentucky- Wallace is a defensive menace who causes havoc on both sides of the court. Wallace has at least one steal in every game this season and has five games with two or more so far. He has shown he is a capable scorer as well, with five double figure scoring performances through eight games. The freshman has shot lights out from deep (50%) on over three attempts per game. His biggest weakness so far? His inability to take advantage of his attempts from the line, shooting only 50%. Wallace’s stats are definitely impressive overall, averaging 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game on 53% shooting from the field.