Player of the Week
Isaiah Joe (Arkansas) — The 6-foot-5, 167-pound sophomore guard reeled in 24 points and five rebounds in an away victory at Indiana. Joe racked up 15 of the Razorbacks’ final 32 points; via three 3-pointers, one field goal and four free throws. He shined in leading his team to overcome trailing by double-digits in the second half. In the final 16 minutes of the game, Arkansas battled back with a 32-14 run.
Who’s Hot
[Player: Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky) — The stud freshman guard out of Garland, Texas, chalked 27 points and seven rebounds in a win against top ranked, No. 3 Louisville. This stat marked the highest amount of points by a Wildcat in the series (UofL vs, UK) since Jodie Meeks scored 28 in January of 2009. Maxey displayed clear scoring efficiency going 64.3% (9-of-14) from field goal range as well as hitting 80% (4-of-5) from beyond the arc.
Nick Richards (Kentucky) — A 6-foot-11, 247-pound junior posted 13 points and 10 rebounds in a huge win for the Wildcats over No. 3 Louisville. Richards was able to draw a game-high 11 fouls, including two major calls on charges that completely shifted the momentum of the game in favor of Calipari’s boys. Richards also finished off an and-one with 2:21 left in the game which tied the score, thus going on a tear where he put up seven consecutive points. HE nailed his final free throws with 27 seconds to go and gave the Wildcats a 72-70 lead that they did not give back up.
Who’s Not
South Carolina Gamecocks — Coach Martin’s team just dropped a game they simply shouldn’t have to a 5-9 Stetson team in a 63-56 loss. Malik Kostar led the Gamecocks in scoring with only 11 points. Despite coming back from a 13-point deficit in the second half, South Carolina could not answer when it came time for it. They really let the game get away from them as they went 1-of-8 shooting as the Hatters busted off a 28-19 to start the game. South Carolina’s best scorers this season, AJ Lawson and Jair Bolden combined for only eight points as they shot 3-of-11.
Tennessee Volunteers — Putting up only 48 total points, the Volunteers handed Wisconsin their first away win of the season in a 20-point defeat. Tennessee trailed by 28 points at one time and never once had the lead. Tennessee struggled without one of their stars in Turner, who is second on the team in scoring and tied for ninth in assists out of all of Division I basketball. The Vols have brought in Satiago Vescovi from Uruguay who is still on the bench awaiting SEC clearance.
Top 5 Scorers Leading Into Conference Play:
1. Aaron Nesmith (Vanderbilt) — The sophomore forward is averaging 22.9 PPG this season with 275 total points thus far. He’s shooting 51.6% from field goal range and 50% from 3. Nesmith has scored over 20 points in eight of his games this year including two of which being above 30-point performances.
2. Mason Jones (Arkansas) — Jones is at 217 total points, averaging 19.7 PPG. He has scored double-digits in all except two games as well as posting a 32-point effort and a 41-point effort this season.
3. Anthony Edwards (Georgia) — The Bulldogs’ big-body guard in Edwards is currently averaging 18.8 PPG contributing to his season total of 226. He’s posted six games finishing with over 20 points with one of which includes his 37-point show-out.
4. Isaiah Joe (Arkansas) — Joe is averaging 17.4 PPG on top of scoring double-digits in all but two games this season. His running total right now is 209 points.
5. Breein Tyree (Ole Miss) — The veteran guard has piled up 205 points so far throughout his senior campaign. He’s averaging 17.1 PPG and has nine double-digit scoring performances including an impressive 34-point bout.