Around the SEC: Basketball results from Nov. 14-Nov. 20
With the college basketball season now underway, it’s time to check in and see how the SEC fared over the last week.
Rupp Arena on Aug. 13, 2007. Photo obtained via creativecommons.org, no changes made.
The college basketball season is fully underway now, and it’s already been interesting.
Kentucky has looked every bit as good as the hype, there were several standout performances and the SEC as a whole proved it may not be as bad as many thought — the conference finished the past week with a 24-5 record. Before this week of action gets underway, here are some of the things that went down last week.
Kentucky impresses and goes 2-0
Water is wet, the sun is hot and Kentucky has yet another ultra-talented freshman class of players. Some things never change.
Star freshmen Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox are both averaging over 15 points per game so far this season — Monk is averaging 19.7 and Fox is averaging 15. Monk is also leading the SEC with seven assists per game.
The Wildcats don’t just have freshmen talent, though. Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe is averaging 16.3 points per game on the season, providing Kentucky with a third scorer who causes a lot of problems for opponents.
Last Tuesday, in the State Farm Champions Classic, the Wildcats handily defeated Michigan State, 69-48. Monk and Briscoe both scored more than 20 points to lead Kentucky’s impressive performance against a top-15 team.
In their second game of the week, the Wildcats defeated Duquesne 93-59 on Sunday. Kentucky had six players score in double digits en route to the easy win.
Georgia bounces back with a 2-0 week
After a 74-64 loss at Clemson to begin the season, Georgia was able to respond and win both of its games last week.
On Monday, Nov. 14, the Bulldogs of Georgia defeated the Bulldogs of UNC-Asheville, 60-46. Georgia controled most of the game, outscoring UNC-Asheville by seven in both halves. Yante Maten had another big game against the Bulldogs by scoring 19 points, bringing in nine rebounds and blocking three shots. J.J. Frazier added 16 points, six assists and five rebounds, as he and Maten led Georgia to a solid win.
On Thursday, the Bulldogs played their final game of the week and pulled out an 84-78 victory over the Furman Paladins.
Unlike the previous game, this was a much closer affair, with Furman able to remain within striking distance for the entirety of the game. However, like against UNC-Asheville, Georgia was led to victory by its two best players — Maten and Frazier.
Maten tallied 27 points and seven rebounds, while Frazier recorded 28 points and two assists. Both players are averaging over 19 points per game on the season and are in the top six in scoring in the SEC.
Ole Miss continues to win
Ole Miss was one of three teams (Missouri, Mississippi State) who played three games last week. The Rebels were the only ones to come out without a loss.
Last Monday, Ole Miss fought back to defeat the Massachusetts Minutemen, 90-88. The Rebels trailed by eight at halftime, but a huge performance from Sebastian Saiz led the team back. Saiz registered 22 points and 19 rebounds in the game. Cullen Neal added 21 points and Deandre Burnett added 12 more.
Then, on Friday, Ole Miss escaped overtime with a 95-88 win over the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. In a back-and-forth contest, the Rebels were again led to victory by a huge individual performance. This time it was Burnett, who scored 41 points, tallied four assists and hauled in four rebounds. Burnett shot an impressive 12-for-19 from the field and 9-for-12 from three-point land.
The team then ended its week with an 81-68 win over Saint Joseph’s on Sunday. In what was the Rebels’ largest margin of victory so far this season, both Burnett and Saiz again stepped up. Saiz had his second double-double of the season with 26 points, a career high and 12 rebounds. Burnett added another 20 points (the third time in four games he’s scored 20 or more points) as well as four assists and four rebounds. After his big week, Burnett now leads the SEC in scoring.
All Results
Alabama Crimson Tide – L 77-72 vs Dayton, W 77-59 vs Ball State
Arkansas Razorbacks – W 90-55 vs South Illinois, W 71-67 vs UT-Arlington
Auburn Tigers – W 83-65 vs Georgia State, W 85-64 vs Eastern Kentucky
Florida Gators – W 73-66 vs Saint Bonaventure
Georgia Bulldogs – W 60-46 vs UNC-Asheville, W 84-78 vs Furman
Kentucky Wildcats – W 69-48 vs Michigan State, W 93-59 vs Duquesne
LSU Tigers – W 78-61 vs Southern Mississippi, W 78-70 vs North Florida
Mississippi State Bulldogs – L 86-61 vs UCF, W 80-68 vs Boise State, W 61-54 vs UTEP
Missouri Tigers – L 83-82 vs Xavier, L 70-55 vs Davidson, W 67-62 vs Tulane
Ole Miss Rebels – W 90-88 vs Massachusetts, W 95-88 vs Oral Roberts, W 81-68 vs Saint Joseph’s
South Carolina Gamecocks – W 70-69 vs Monmouth, W 92-50 vs South Carolina State
Tennessee Volunteers – W 103-94 vs Appalachian State
Texas A&M Aggies – W 76-53 vs American, L 65-63 vs USC
Vanderbilt Commodores – W 80-66 vs Belmont, W 75-52 vs Norfolk State
Edited by Nathan Odom
Featured image by Fuzzy510
Adam is the Assistant Sports Editor for the Tennessee Journalist and a Junior at UT. Most of his free time is spent watching sports, listening to good music, and enjoying life. If you wish to contact him, you can email him at amillike@vols.utk.edu, follow him on Twitter, @AdamMilliken14, or find him at https://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-milliken/109/a89/a32.
