Player of the Week:
Moses Moody (Arkansas) — The 6-foot-6, 205-pound freshman guard from Little Rock, Arkanssas averaged 21 points, 8.5 rebounds and two assists in a combined 48-point margin defeating UT Arlington and Lipscomb. This Arkansas team is scary hot and with Moody headlining the scoring as only a freshman, the Razorbacks are getting a glimpse of a potential-filled season. He posted 24 points and nine rebounds against UTA in becoming the first Arkansas freshman since Bobby Portis (2014) to record at least 24 and nine in a single game. Moody has been one of the top freshmen in the country and there is even some chatter about him possibly being a one-and-done first rounder.
Who’s Hot?
Mark Smith (Missouri) — The 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior guard hailing from Edwardsville, Illinois, averaged 17 points, 3.5 rebounds and two assists in back-to-back victories over No. 21 Oregon and at Wichita State. Smith was super hot in both matchups; shooting 52.6% from the field, 45.4% from 3-point land and to top it off, a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. He scored a game high pouring in 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting that accompanied six rebounds against the Shockers. Although it is still early in the season, his current PPG average (17) is up seven points from where he finished last season (10 PPG). It definitely looks like he’s taking on the lead scoring role for this team thus far.
Keyontae Johnson (Florida) — Back again for the Gators this season, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior forward is packing the stat sheet, per usual. Johnson leads the team in both points (19.7 PPG) and rebounds (6 RPG). In his last few performances against Boston College and Stetson, he scored a combined 43 points and added 15 rebounds in total. This kid is on everyone’s SEC POTY watchlist and it’s going to be very exciting watching him grow even more as a player this year.
Johnson collapsed walking back onto the court after breaking a first-half timeout in the Gator’s game against Florida State on Saturday. Medical attention was immediately called while members of both teams, including players and staff, were noticeably shook-up. Johnson was stretchered off the court and rushed to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The latest statement of his status was released by the school, stating that he remained in critical but stable condition and is “following simple commands.” Prior to the school’s statement, Johnson’s grandfather, Larry DeJarnett, told USA Today early Monday that his grandson was in a medically induced coma and that doctors planned to bring him out later that afternoon. He has now been transported to UF Health where he is undergoing further tests. Floating around the topic, according to The Associated Press, is that Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 months ago over the summer. Despite the cause of his collapse still being unknown, it is confirmed that COVID-19 can potentially lead to myocarditis, a viral infection that can result in over-inflammation of the heart muscle. The Gator’s did not practice Monday as well as canceling their game Wednesday against North Florida and are off until after Chritsmas.
Who’s Not
AJ Lawson (South Carolina) — The junior guard from Canada is seemingly dropping off in his gameplay this season compared to his prior two. He finished the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons averaging 13.4 PPG and is currently putting up around 11 PPG. In addition, his ability to grab rebounds as a guard has diminished as well as Lawson is only getting roughly 2.7 boards per game: Fairly subpar compared to his 4.3 and 3.7 RPG recorded in his last two seasons.
South Carolina — Well, the only other team in the SEC with a losing record aside from Kentucky, the Gamecocks have underperformed according to most preseason polls and expectations in general. Within their conference, they are currently ranked in the bottom 3 of the following statistics: Scoring offense, scoring margin, free throw percentage, 3-point percentage, rebounding offense, and assists. So, it seems fairly apparent that Coach Martin’s squad has some figuring out to do.
Top 5 FG Shooters (At least 3 Games Played):
1.[Player: Jeremiah Tilmon (Missouri) —Through four games, Tilmon has successfully shot 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the field, averaging 8.5 PPG
2. Andrew Garcia (Georgia) — Averaging 11.5 PPG over four games, Garcia has shot 14-of-21 (66.7%) from the field.
Quenton Jackson (Texas A&M) — The second highest scorer out of the group averaging 14.7 PPG, the Aggies’ guard has shot 17-of-26 (78.8%) from the field, giving him the highest FG percentage in the SEC for those who’ve played 3+ games.
Keyontae Johnson (Florida) — THE leading scorer of this crew with 19.7 PPG, Johnson’s name is going to be hard to avoid this season. He’s easily put up the most shots, going 23-of-36 (68.1%) from the field.
Tye Fagan (Georgia) —Fagan has gone 17-of-27 (63.9%) from the field this season. In addition, the Bulldogs’ guard posts an average of 9.3 PPG thus far.