Player of the Week

Jahvon Quinerly, Alabama

Following their loss to Davidson, Quinerly has the Tide back on track with consecutive wins over the past week over Conference foes Tennessee and Florida. Against Tennessee, Quinerly went for 18 and 3 assists and followed that up with 19 and 5 against Florida. Quinerly is a jet quick guard and shows great ball handling ability to get by defenders and into the paint. He still must work on becoming a more consistent outside shooter and cut down the turnovers, but the upside is intriguing with his great speed off the dribble.

Who’s Hot

Auburn Tigers

Auburn came up huge in a very important matchup against undefeated LSU. They won by 15 in a 70-55 domination. Defensively, Auburn held LSU to 28% shooting from the field, and blocked 14 shots. They made things very difficult all night, while shooting 43% on the other side. Led by Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith each scoring 16 points, the Tigers took an 11-point lead into halftime and never looked back. They followed this huge victory with a 15-point win over South Carolina. Wendell Green scored 22 points off the bench as the starters got a light workload in a game that they were in control of from start to finish.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Despite coming off a very bad loss to Davidson, Alabama found themselves facing a very good Tennessee team their next time out. Despite Tennessee missing Kennedy Chandler, this was still a much watch game. Alabama did just enough to escape with a five-point victory. They rebounded well, winning the battle by eight. Noah Gurley led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. While Quinerly led the starting unit with 18 points. While he didn’t shoot well from deep (1-7), he was 7-13 overall and added four rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes. Schackelford did not shoot well (5-17 overall, 2-10 from deep) which is surprising, because he is one of the best in the country. Alabama will for sure take every win against a team like Tennessee when he shoots that bad from three.

Oscar Tshiebwe– Center, Kentucky

Tshiebwe had a very solid week playing in three games. While they lost to LSU in his last game out, he grabbed 13 rebounds and hit four of his nine shot attempts. Against Missouri, Oscar recorded his second 20 plus rebound game in a row and fourth of the season. He struggled from the field, only shooting 2-10, but hit 9-10 free throws and ended with 13 points. Against High Point, he only played 25 minutes, but hit seven of his eight shots and dropped 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He has solidified himself as the best rebounder in the conference if not the country, and is an absolute force for Kentucky.

Who’s Not

Missouri Tigers

While they only played one game this week, they lost by 27 to Kentucky. Before the loss to Kentucky, Illinois beat them by 25. They have lost two straight games by 25 or more points and three of their last four by that margin. Rough stretch for sure, going up against three teams that started the season ranked, but they have gotten run out of the gym completely. Javon Pickett has been off in his last two games, combining to shoot 2-15 from the field scoring only 5 points in that span.

Arkansas Razorbacks

They have lost both of their games this week, after only losing two games in their first 12 played. Mississippi State beat them by 13 points, in a game decided at the free throw line. Arkansas shot better from deep, and around the same from the field, but they were out shot from the free throw line by 14. They followed this loss up with an absolute heartbreaking one point loss to Vanderbilt. Lykes missed the game tying free throw with 14 seconds left in a gut punch of a loss. Hopefully Arkansas can bounce back next week, because the conference is very competitive and these loses can send them free falling down the standings.

Aaron Cook– Guard, Georgia

The senior guard is having a week to forget about. Shooting a combined 4-15 from the field in his last two games, the 10 point per game player has been really struggling. In a bad loss to Gardner Webb, Cook was 2-10 from the field, and 0-5 from deep. He followed this up with a 2-5 performance and only 6 points against Texas A&M.

Top Five SEC Prospects

1. Jabari Smith-Forward, Auburn

The top recruit in the conference, has been one of the best and most consistent players in the country. Smith stands at 6’10’ 220 and has a great shot for his size. Smith can score from all three levels consistently, and is a very physical rebounder. For the season, Smith is averaging 15 points and over 6 rebounds per game, while shooting 44% from the field and 43% from deep. He is also a great free throw shooter, converting 84% of his attempts. He is also very active defensively, averaging over a block and two steals per game. Smith is the real deal and will for sure be a very high lottery pick.

2. [Player: TyTy Washington-Guard, Kentucky

TyTy is a very talented and efficient scorer. At 6’3”, he has great speed, and a very solid shot. He is shooting a very efficient 40% from three, and 48% from the field as a true freshman. TyTy is also a very capable passer, and when he looks for his guys, he finds them. Washington is not very turnover prone, and takes care of the ball pretty well. TyTy has a great build and should fit right into a team at the next level and be a difference maker from day one, as he was at Kentucky.

3. Kennedy Chandler– Guard. Tennessee

Chandler has stepped in and become a difference maker from his first day on campus. While he is a little small standing at just 6’, Chandler is a baller. He can score from all three levels, and possesses great vision as a passer. Chandler is also a very active defender, averaging two steals per game. There are so many good guards in the conference, and he might be the best of the bunch. Chandler is a legit playmaker on both sides of the court and I look forward to keep watching him get better.

4. Jahvon Qunerly-Guard, Alabama
The junior guard’s role has increased this year, and he has handled it pretty well. Taking about three more shots per game, he’s still shooting in the mid 40%, while he is averaging one more rebound and assist per game. His free throw percentage and his three-point percentage are both questions for sure, as he is a sub 70% free throw shooter, and his three point percentage has plummeted. Last season he showed growth from deep, shooting 43%, but taking almost two more attempts from deep has really hurt his number. Look for Quinerly to go on a good stretch, because he is very capable of being one of the top scoring guards in the class. At 6’1”, he possesses the speed and the intangibles to run the point at the next level, but he definitely needs to shoot better from deep.

5. Scottie Pippen Jr-Guard, Vanderbilt
The NBA greats son has been sensational this year as a scorer. Leading the conference in scoring at over 18 points per game, Pippen is shooting 43% from the field taking over 14 shots per game. He hasn’t shot incredible from three this year (31% on 5.5 attempts per game), but he is a very capable shooter that isn’t afraid to shoot the ball. At 6’3” Pippen has great size and length, and should fit well as at the minimum a scorer off the bench at the next level pretty quickly.

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