Player of the Week
Colin Castleton (Florida) — The towering 6-foot-11, 231-pound junior forward posted an average of 17 points, six rebounds and three blocks against Vanderbilt and at No. 11 West Virginia. He shot 70.6% from the field and 90.9% from the charity stripe where he missed just one of those attempts. In a tough matchup against the Mountaineers, Castleton headed the Gators recording 21 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. He managed to drop 15 of his 21 second-half shots and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line: All on top of blocking five shots for the third time in his last five games. It’s safe to say this kid has been a menace on the floor as of recent!
Who’s Hot?
Georgia — The Bulldogs have landed back-to-back victories over Ole Miss and at Auburn. In their matchup with the Rebels, they shot incredibly well as a team going 55.3% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc: When a squad is connecting on that many shots it makes them pretty difficult to beat. In a closer matchup with Auburn, Ty Fagan pumped in 16 points and Toumani Camara added 15 in the five-point win.
Jaden Springer (Tennessee) — The 6-foot-4, 204-pound freshman guard marked 11 points, four assists and four rebounds in wins over Mississippi State and No. 15 Kansas. Against the Jayhawks, Springer landed his first start since returning from injury in which he managed to score 13 points, grab four boards and deliver three assists, all while drilling 7-of-7 attempts from the foul line.
Who’s Not?
Trendon Watford (LSU) — The sophomore forward had some pretty high expectations after an impressive freshman season, earning himself a 1st Team All-SEC Media Preseason prediction for the 2021/22 season. Despite saliently growing as a player in a year, his statline has increased thus far. Recently though, Watford has underperformed in the Tigers last two games where he averaged just 8.5 points (8.8 under his season avg.). He has the 2nd-most minutes on the team and plays a huge role in aiding this team: For them to succeed, Watford needs to get back to the game he knows.
John Fulkerson (Tennessee) — Like Watford, the 5th year Vol had more than enough expectations entering this season as a pure SEC veteran. This highly talented team has relied on Fulkerson for years to perform but it seems like they’re pulling his reins back a bit this go around. He’s averaged three less floor minutes and three less points than last season which I find coming as a result of his role now being eased by the skill around him, or maybe he’s just struggling to really emerge as a top player in the SEC right now.
Top 5 Rim Protectors:
1. Isaiah Jackson (Kentucky) — In just 15 games and 19.9 minutes per game (MPG) Jackson has registered 44 blocks highlighting 2.93 per game.
2. Colin Castleton (Florida) — Similar to Jackson, he has not played many games (13) but is getting a ton of floor time with 23.6 minutes per game. Thus far, Castleton averages 2.31 BLKPG with 30 total.
3. Connor Vanover (Arkansas) — Vanover has the lowest amount of floor time of the group (18.8 MPG), but he’s totaled 38 blocks and two per game.
4. Abdul Ado (Mississippi State) —On the other hand, Ado has recorded the most floor time with 27.7 MPG going for 1.89 BLKPG with 36 total.
5. Yves Pons (Tennessee) — In 16 games, Pons is averaging 1.69 BLKPG this season successfully swatting 27 blocks.