Player of the Week
Wendell Green Jr – Guard, Auburn
Auburn’s diminutive point guard has proven to be extremely clutch in recent weeks. Wendell came off the bench against Alabama and put on a show. In 27 minutes, he scored 23 points on 8-17 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists. He followed this up with a start against Georgia, where he scored 19 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. He also hit the game winning shot late in the game to help them survive what would have been a tough loss.
Who’s Hot
Auburn Tigers
Still ranked number one in the country, Auburn is playing incredible basketball. They have not lost since November and are riding a 19-game winning streak. They needed a buzzer beater to escape Georgia, but a win is a win. They play incredible team basketball on both sides of the court, but their defense can be suffocating. Led By the top shot blocker in the SEC Walker Kessler. Offensively they play very unselfishly and every night is a balanced scoring game. They have beaten Kentucky, LSU and Alabama (twice). This week they scored 100 points against Alabama with only Wendell Green jr being the only player with over 20 points.
Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats are playing their best basketball of the season right now. In a huge matchup against Alabama, Kentucky held them to 55 points! In an 11 point victory, the Wildcats held the Crimson tide to shooting 8-64 from the field (28%), and 3-30 from deep. Kentucky knew Alabama has a habit of shooting themselves out of games, and attacked them on the inside. 49 of their 60 shots came from inside the three-point arc, and they shot 40% as a team. Before their victory over Alabama, Kentucky had taken down Vanderbilt 77-70.
Who’s Not
LSU Tigers
After a surprising start to the season, LSU has hit a wall. Offensively, they are not very consistent, and defensively they have taken a step backwards as well. The Tigers have lost three in a row and four of their past five. The loss to TCU was a very crushing loss, because it was a game they barely competed in on the offensive end. If LSU doesn’t figure it out on the offensive side, their season will come crashing down quickly.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama has been such a disappointment this season, and it is mostly self-inflicted. They shoot themselves out of games almost every night. They have so much talent but insist on living from the outside. They have lost three of their last four with one of those loses being against Georgia who was previously 0-7 in the SEC. Somehow, they ended up beating Baylor, just to get smoked by Kentucky and Auburn their next two games. 3-30 from deep against Kentucky is a tale too familiar for the crimson tide this season, as they genuinely can’t hit shots from deep with any consistency.
Top Five Rebounders
Oscar Tshiebwe– Kentucky
Oscar is one of the most dominant players in the country, and is by far the best rebounder in College Basketball. While being a little undersized at the five (6’9”), he is averaging over 15 rebounds per game this year. His ability to put himself in position to go up and get any missed shot is impressive. He does a great job of tracking the ball and positioning himself to get his hands on the ball. Oscar has grabbed 139 more rebounds than anybody else in the SEC and averages over six more per game as well.
Jaylin Williams– Arkansas
The 6’10” sophomore has had a very solid season so far on the glass. If not for Oscar being Oscar, Williams would be in first for the SEC in rebounds by a solid margin. Averaging over nine per game, he has grabbed 210 rebounds through 23 games. Williams has eight games this season with double digit rebounds, and his season high is 15 against WVU.
Kobe Brown– Missouri
Kobe is another undersized big man that really eats on the glass. At 6’8”, he has grabbed 179 rebounds in 21 games this season. He averages the third highest number of rebounds per game (8.1) while playing around 30 minutes per night. Brown has recorded double digit rebounds in seven games, with a career high 23 rebounds against Paul Quinn.
Walker Kessler– Auburn
The 7’1” shot blocking beast has had a very solid season on the glass as well. Playing about 25 minutes per night, he is averaging just under eight rebounds per game. He has also recorded double digit rebounds eight times with three games having nine. Kessler is a very solid rebounder who uses his size to dominate down low. He also blocks a lot of shots which limits his rebounding chances because so many shots get sent into orbit.
Tari Eason– LSU
While the last two spots were very close between Nysier Brooks, Kessler, Days and Eason, I gave Eason and Kessler the edge due to similar numbers in less minutes. Eason only averages 24 minutes per game, and is averaging just under seven rebounds a night. In 22 games, he has grabbed 148 rebounds. Eason has five double digit rebound games this year, with a season high of 14 against McNeese.