Player of the Week
Tim Quarterman – LSU
Quarterman’s week started out with a bang as he was arguably the best player on the court, no offense to Ben Simmons, on Tuesday night’s showdown against Kentucky. He was all over the court for that highly anticipated and and hyped matchup. He finished with a near triple double, posting 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. It was a coming out party of sorts for the junior from Savannah, Georgia but as has been his MO this season, he followed it up by having one of his worst games of the season in a loss against Florida on Saturday. But that has been an issue for LSU all season. They can look like world beaters at times but then look like an average team, at best, other times. Still, his poor performance Saturday can’t overshadow what he did on Tuesday with the entire country watching. The Tigers will need to see more of that guy in the coming weeks if they intend on getting off of that NCAA Tournament bubble that they are squarely on at this point.
Who’s Hot
Stefan Moody – Ole Miss
One of the more overlooked players in the country at this point has to be Moody. He plays for an Ole Miss squad that no one outside of Oxford knows much about but what he’s done on the court for this team that I figured would finish at the bottom of the SEC has been anything but unnoticeable. In 15 games this season, Moody has yet to score below 13 points in a contest and has a streak of 10 straight games with 20+ points heading into the team’s matchup at LSU on Wednesday. Moody can be a bit erratic with his play and has the highest usage rate of anyone in the SEC which can temper the hype a little but he is a proven scorer who is getting better and better at distributing the rock as teams start to send a double his way. He has led the Rebels to a 12-3 record overall (better than anyone would have thought) and has them sitting at 2-1 in the SEC all while remaining undefeated on their home floor. Moody will likely continue to not get the praise he deserves but as the team gets into conference play against the likes of LSU, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Florida he is sure to turn a few heads.
South Carolina
Another surprise in the SEC has been the play of Frank Martin’s Gamecock’s. Raise your hand if you thought this team would be one of the two remaining unbeaten teams from a Power Conference at this point in the season. Someone?…Anyone?…Didn’t think so. South Carolina has just recently cracked the Top 20 in the AP poll and is still a team that no one is buying into, including me. I don’t think they are as good as their record might say because, outside of Memphis, their OOC was below average at best. But you can only win the games on your schedule and that’s exactly what this team has done so give them credit. After wins against Auburn and Vandy, they have opened their conference slate 2-0 with a trip to Alabama on the horizon this week. Their upcoming schedule to close out January is by no means daunting and outside of a trip to play Ole Miss a little over a week from now, this team could be headed into their February 6th matchup at Texas A&M 22-0. That would be their first true "test" in a streak where they would play both LSU and Kentucky at home in consecutive games. Sindarious Thornwell is this team’s leader and best all-around player. He is a name to watch come March and into NBA Draft evaluation periods if he decides to leave early.
Who’s Not
Charles Matthews – Kentucky
The former Top 50 recruit hasn’t been able to find his role on the Kentucky team. After being in the rotation and playing solid minutes for the first 10 or so games, the freshman has been relegated to the bench recently and has notched single digits in minutes during each four of the last six games while playing no more than 10 minutes in the other two, one of which he got the start filling in for an injured Isiah Briscoe. Matthews hasn’t really provided much in terms of production on the floor which has forced Coach Calipari’s hand lately but he also hasn’t been given much of an opportunity to do anything when he is on the floor. Virtually no plays are fun for him and he’s not a guy that’s going to command the ball when he doesn’t feel like he’s getting his. Calipari’s system isn’t built around giving guys chance after chance and he has enough depth to bench even the highest recruited players if they aren’t performing. That seems to be the case with Matthews as he’s lost out on minutes recently to Dominique Hawkins and Mychal Mulder. With Briscoe and potential lottery pick Jamal Murray both playing so well, Matthews might not see a lot of PT down the stretch unless he can get it going in his limited minutes.
Top 5 Senior Draft Prospects
1. Alex Poythress – Kentucky
Poythress has been through it all at Kentucky. Missing the NCAAT, a National Championship game, two Final Fours and a big time knee injury. He’s battle tested and keeps getting up when life knocks him down. He was a potential lottery pick two years ago but decided to come back to school. He could end up sliding into the late first round if someone falls in love with his physical tools at the combine but should find himself on a roster or in the D-League working on finding a true position next year.
2. Tyler Harris – Auburn
Harris has the skill set to make an NBA roster. He’s long, athletic and can score from anywhere on the floor. He has a great basketball IQ and pedigree but just hasn’t put it all together for long enough stretches during his stints with NC State, Providence and now Auburn. Some team will take a flier on him either in the draft or as a free agent invite to Summer League. Add a few pounds to his frame and would be a high second round prospect.
3. Dorian Finney-Smith – Florida
Finney-Smith is having a down year according to his standards and really hasn’t taken over this Gator team like most thought he would over the last two years. He’s a versatile forward who can do a little bit of everything and should hear his name called on Draft Day, but it could have been higher had it not been for his team’s struggles the last two seasons.
4. Kevin Punter – Tennessee
The senior is averaging close to 23 points per game for the Vols this season while shooting over 50% from the field and over 40% from distance. He’s a fringe NBA prospect on his best day but could hear his name called in the second round if he keeps this up the rest of the season and shows he’s more than just a scoring guard.
5. Charles Mann – Georgia
After his sophomore campaign, some in Athens thought Mann was definitely NBA bound but after two sub-par seasons with the Bulldogs, he’s regressed in his overall game and isn’t anything more than a fringe prospect with elite athleticism and an ability to score the basketball.
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