Player of the Week
Johni Broome, Auburn
This week’s SEC Player of the Week is Sr. forward Johni Broome from Auburn. Broome’s stellar play has the Tigers at an undefeated start. In 27.3 minutes per game, he is averaging 20 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 3.3 blocks. He’s shooting 65.5% from the field. Not only is he standing out for Auburn, Broome is standing out in the whole conference. He’s 4th in the SEC in points per game, 3rd in rebounds per game, and 1st in blocks per game.
Who’s Hot
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Florida is 4-0, the 21st-ranked team in the country, and sitting atop the SEC conference standings. They wouldn’t be there without Walter Clayton Jr. His averages are leading his team to success, as he is putting up 18.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks across 33.2 minutes per night. He’s a solid shooter, making 55% of his field goal attempts, 38.2% of his threes, and 92.9% of his free-throws.
Asa Newell, Georgia
Newell made the top 5 freshmen list in my previous blog, and he’s proved his spot on that list with another great week. He’s Georgia’s leading scorer in his first collegiate season, posting 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks per contest. Despite shooting just 16.7% from three-point and 50% from the charity stripe, he’s knocking down 57.8% of his shots from the field.
Who’s Cold
Myles Stute, South Carolina
The senior guard is off to a bit of a rough start. Stute is averaging 3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.3 steals, on 19% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc. His overall stats? 9/31 field goals made and 7/24 three-pointers made, for 25 points. While it’s still early in the season, he’s top 5 in total minutes played (94) and minutes per game (23.5) for South Carolina, and you’d expect him to put up better stats in that sample size.
LaMont Paris, South Carolina
Some blame has to be placed on the Gamecocks’ head coach. South Carolina currently has the worst record in the SEC, sitting 2-2 through their first 4 games. They have wins against SC State (86-64) and Towson (80-54), both being at home. However, they opened up their season with a home loss to North Florida (74-71), and are coming off a loss to 16th-ranked Indiana in Bloomington, 87-71. With that being said, there’s still time to turn things around. South Carolina’s next contest will be a home game against Mercer on Thursday. Then, they’ll face Xavier at home on Monday.
Top 5: SEC Teams in This Week’s AP Poll
#1. Auburn Tigers
The newest AP Poll released on Monday, and the highest-ranked SEC team was the Auburn Tigers. At 4th in the country, Auburn has put together some nice victories. They kicked off their season with a 94-43 win over Vermont, then followed that up with a very impressive 74-69 road win over previously 4th-ranked Houston. They also have wins against Kent State (79-56) and North Alabama (102-69). The Tigers have another tough road matchup next Monday, when they take on 5th-ranked Iowa State.
#2. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama started off their season as the 2nd-ranked team in the country. They justified that ranking with wins over UNC Asheville (110-54), Arkansas State (88-79) and McNeese (72-64). However, their first matchup against a top team did not go according to plan. They lost to the 13th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers, last season’s national runner-up, by a score of 87-78. Despite the loss, they are still a top-10 team, slotting in at number 8 in the nation ahead of their next big game against a Big Ten team, the 25th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini.
#3. Kentucky Wildcats
Under new head coach Mark Pope, the Wildcats started the season toward the bottom of the AP Poll. As the 19th-ranked team in the country, they rattled off 4 wins in a row to start the season. Kentucky took down Wright State 103-62, Bucknell 100-72, and Lipscomb 97-68. Their positive streak is highlighted with an impressive 77-72 win over 6th-ranked Duke. That win alone slingshot them into the top 10, as they are now AP’s 9th best team in the nation. Their next game will be Friday against Jackson State.
#4. Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols are another SEC team to kick off the young season 4-0. Their most impressive win was against the Louisville Cardinals, 77-55. They have also beaten Gardner-Webb (80-64), Montana (92-57) and Austin Peay (103-68). Despite Auburn, Alabama and Kentucky sitting toward the top, don’t sleep on the Volunteers. Now the 11th-ranked team in the country, Tennessee will face the Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday.
#5. Arkansas Razorbacks
It wasn’t the prettiest start for new coach John Calipari and the Razorbacks. The Coach Cal era began 1-1, with a 77-60 win over Lipscomb and a 72-67 loss to 8th-ranked Baylor. Since that loss, Arkansas has added 2 wins to their record, beating Troy (65-49) and Pacific (91-72). Those wins kept them in the top 25, slotting them as the 20th best team in the country. They’ll have an opportunity to improve to 4-1 against Little Rock on Friday.