SEC Player of the Week
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
This week’s SEC Player of the Week is Auburn forward Tahaad Pettiford. A freshman out of Jersey City, NJ, Pettiford had the best game of his young collegiate career on Saturday against Georgia. In 22 minutes off the bench, he scored a career-high 24 points on 7/13 shooting from the field, 5/7 from three and 5/8 from the free-throw line. In addition, he amassed 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Someone Auburn can now rely on during Johni Broome’s absence, Pettiford’s season averages are up to 12 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a 45.4 field-goal percentage.
Who’s Hot
Mark Sears, Alabama
It’s hard for someone who’s already very good to get even better, but Mark Sears has done that as of late. When he’s on, Alabama is winning. It’s as simple as that. In Alabama’s last 4 wins, he’s scored 20+ points, most recently scoring 21 against Vanderbilt, as well as 24 against top-ten Kentucky. A great facilitator, Sears has at least 4 assists in each of his last 5 games, with as many as 9. His heroics have the Crimson Tide all the way up to the No. 4 spot in the recent AP Poll. You should definitely keep your eye on Sears as we get into the later months of the season.
Adou Thiero, Arkansas
Do you know who hasn’t been good? Arkansas. Do you know who has been? Adou Thiero. While the Razorbacks are consistently adding to the L column, Thiero is consistently getting buckets. While he isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, he’s scoring double-digit points and doing his best to help the team. In Arkansas’ recent loss to Missouri, Thiero posted 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks on 45.5% shooting from the field and 100% shooting from the charity stripe. The junior transfer from Kentucky has been a constant contributor, which will soon hopefully lead to some wins for his team.
Who’s Not
South Carolina
With how bad the Arkansas Razorbacks have been, I bet you didn’t know that the South Carolina Gamecocks are also winless against SEC teams. However, there’s no denying that they’ve faced some tough competition. 3 of their 5 losses have come against ranked teams; Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn. They’re two most recent losses were to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, the Sooners’ win being their first in-conference win since joining the SEC. Their next chance to right their wrongs will be tonight, but also won’t be easy, as they take on the No. 5 Florida Gators. The good news for the Gamecocks? The Gators have lost twice since conference play began.
Andrew Carr, Kentucky
One of the Wildcats’ more consistent players, Carr is coming off a rough showing against the Alabama Crimson Tide. In the team’s last game against Alabama, Carr scored just 4 points, along with a rebound, assist and steal on 25% shooting. The good part about Carr’s game is his free-throw shooting; he hasn’t missed a shot from the line in his last 4 games. If he can get to the line for Kentucky, he will give them tons of edge in matchups. His next game will be Saturday against Vanderbilt.
Boogie Fland, Arkansas
It was announced Tuesday night that Arkansas freshman Boogie Fland will miss the remainder of the season with a hand injury. It’s a big blow for the Razorbacks, a team that’s been struggling since conference play began. Prior to the injury, Fland was averaging 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 39.1% from the field. Coach John Calipari will have to rely on the rest of his roster to help Arkansas get back on track, and hopefully win without their freshman x-factor. Fland had a strong first half of the season, but his injury likely hurts his draft stock some as he will be unable to continue to develop and establish himself as one of the top freshman guards available.
Top 5 SEC Teams
We’re almost 3 weeks into conference play, so it’s time to go over the top 5 teams in the conference during that span.
1. Auburn Tigers (5-0, 17-1)
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. The only surprise is how well the Tigers are playing without their best player, Johni Broome, who’s their team leader in points, rebounds, assists and blocks per game. Besides Broome, their leading scorer is guard Chad Baker-Mazara at 13.1 points per game; he also leads the team in steals at 1.2 per night. The best team in the country, Auburn’s best wins are against Mississippi State and Georgia, and they next play Saturday in a top-six matchup against Tennessee.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1, 16-3)
The aforementioned No. 4 Crimson Tide have been nearly perfect in conference play thus far, with their only loss being to Ole Miss. Besides that game, they have some impressive wins against Texas A&M and Kentucky. Besides their leading scorer Mark Sears, another player to highlight is Grant Nelson, averaging 12.6 points and 8.7 rebounds. Alabama’s next game will be Saturday night when they host LSU.
3. Ole Miss Rebels (4-1, 15-3)
Another team that’s been awesome in the conference is Ole Miss. They lost their in-state battle against Mississippi State, but have been perfect otherwise. Their wins have an outlier, as they were victorious over Alabama. The Rebels’ leading scorer is Sean Pedulla, averaging 14.2 points per contest, as well as 2.4 steals. Ole Miss’ upcoming schedule features back-to-back games against ranked opponents, their first being No. 13 Texas A&M.
4. Tennessee Volunteers (4-2, 17-2)
The Vols have had some rocky moments (no pun intended) since their conference schedule began. With losses to Florida and Vanderbilt, they were able to get back on track with wins over Georgia and Mississippi State. Their best player is the sensational Chaz Lanier, one of the better SEC scorers, who’s averaging 18.4 points a night. The number 6 team in the country, Tennessee will once again be put to the test this weekend as they face the top team in the nation, the Auburn Tigers.
5. Missouri Tigers (4-2, 15-4)
One of the pleasant surprises in the SEC this season? The Missouri Tigers basketball team. They’re 4-2 in the conference, with their best win being a thriller over Florida. Their go-to guy has been Mark Mitchell, a transfer from Duke, who’s the team leader in points (13.4), rebounds (5) and blocks (0.8) per game. Missouri has a tough test this weekend, when they play host to the red hot Rebels. Catch the No. 22 Tigers take on No. 16 Ole Miss this Saturday.