JRich 2.0

Player of the Week

Josh Richardson – Tennessee

Richardson was electric in the second half against Butler.  The Vols were down double digits early in the second half when Richardson decided to take over.  He had four straight buckets that ignited a run just minutes into the second period that brought the Vols back.  He was playing the passing lanes extremely well, hustling to every loose ball and couldn’t be stopped once he got going to the basket, especially on the fast break.  He scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and was the emotional leader for a Tennessee team that looked out of it at times during the first 20 minutes.  Richardson plays the two spot but he brought the ball up most of the night and got the Vols into their offensive sets.  Guard Kevin Punter was the only other Tennessee player to score in double figures are the Vols beat a ranked Butler team at home.  Richardson has been and will continue to be the difference maker for this team as they’ll look to build off of wins against Kansas State and now Butler as they head into a showdown with NC State on Wednesday night.

Who’s Hot

Riley LaChance – Vanderbilt

LaChance was the SEC Freshman of the week after scoring a career high 26 points in a win over Purdue this past week.  He lit the Boilermakers up from seemingly everywhere on the court as he finished 9-13 from the floor including 3-4 from behind the arc.  The freshman from Wisconsin bounced back from his worst outing of the season against Baylor where he finished with a season low 2 points on 1-7 shooting.  With a trio of talented freshman guards including LaChance, Wade Baldwin and Shelton Mitchell, the rebuilding project for Kevin Stallings in Nashville may be quicker than most anticipated.

Who’s Cold

Alex Poythress – Kentucky

Poythress suffered an ACL tear last week during practice while going up for a routine layup.  The injury is both devastating to his draft prospects as well as the team’s hopes of making back to back Title appearances.  Poythress hasn’t really lived up to the hype that he came in with as a freshman.  He’s never really seemed comfortable in Calipari’s system and has struggled to find himself offensively.  He’s extremely athletic and has an NBA body but his skill set just hasn’t developed like most thought it would.  He likely would have been a fringe first rounder at best before the injury so the likelihood of him coming back for his senior season just increased dramatically.

His Coach and his teammates are well aware of how much he means to this team both on and off the court and they’ve shown as much since his injury on Twitter and before the game as they wore "Roar for 22" shirts during warm ups.

Top Five Juniors

1.  Willy Cauley-Stein – Kentucky

Cauley-Stein continued his hot streak this past week in leading his team to wins against Columbia and North Carolina.  The big man is playing himself back into the lottery early on this season and is arguably the nation’s best all-around big man.  He has taken a huge step forward this season and with the loss of Poythress, will be counted on even more as a team leader as he is the elder statesman for this Wildcat team.

2.  Alex Poythress – Kentucky

While Poythress hasn’t played up to his potential, even after his ACL tear, he’s still the second best junior in terms of draft potential.  He’s losing his grip on that spot but he’s still got potential and NBA teams love potential.  His athleticism alone keeps him at the top of this list and what he could become defensively with some work will be attractive to teams when he comes back.  The injury, while not the best way, will give him an opportunity to work on his shot while rehabbing.  That could be a blessing in disguise as that is one of the weaker parts of his game.

3.  Michael Frazier – Florida

Frazier is the best shooter in the SEC hands down.  In a season that has seen the Gators be wildly inconsistent from night to night, Frazier has been the one constant.  He has become the focal point of this offense.  Over half of his shots come from deep so he still needs to work on his game inside the arc and getting to the free throw line more.  He hasn’t been as efficient as he was last season but that’s due in large part to his expanding role in the offense and the struggles of other players around him.

4.  Dorian Finney-Smith – Florida

Finney-Smith has come back from a hand injury that kept him off the court early in the season.  He and Frazier are the engines that make this team go and when both guys are playing at the top of their games as they were against Jacksonville on Sunday, this Gator team will be hard to beat.  The biggest improvement in Finney-Smith’s game has been his shooting touch.  He’s becoming a reliable three point shooter and he’s picking his spots better when deciding to launch it from deep.  He’s a versatile player that should find a spot on a roster at the next level.

5.  Michael Qualls – Arkansas

Qualls is one of the more athletic guys in the SEC.  He and Bobby Portis make up one of the better 1-2 punches in the league.  He, like Finney-Smith has really improved his shooting this season.  His percentages are up across the board and he’s become more assertive of offense this season.  The Razorbacks have been a pleasant surprise early on this season and Qualls has a lot to do with their success.

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