Top SEC Men’s Basketball performers of the week
Another week is in the books for basketball in the SEC. Here are the most impressive players from the last week.
Feb 8, 2017: Texas A&M Men's Basketball vs Missouri Tigers. Photos by Thomas Campbell/Texas A&M Athletics
Week of Feb. 13 to Feb. 20
J.J. Frazier, Guard, Georgia
Over the past few weeks, J.J Frazier has absolutely carried the Georgia Bulldogs. The senior guard has scored in double figures in seven straight games, four of which came against ranked opponents. In the last week, the Bulldogs have had a pair of home games against Mississippi State and Kentucky. The team only managed a 1-1 record, but Frazier played well in both contests.
Against Mississippi State on Tuesday, Frazier scored 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting. He also contributed five rebounds and six assists while playing 38 minutes and ultimately leading his team to a 79-72 victory. Frazier was even better against the Wildcats on Saturday night. Georgia’s leading scorer, Yante Maten, played only two minutes after injuring his knee, so Frazier was forced to carry the load against No. 13 Kentucky. He answered the call, scoring a season-high 36 points and adding three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Frazier’s superb play wasn’t enough, however, as the Bulldogs fell to the Wildcats, 82-77.
Antonio Blakeney, Guard, LSU
The Tigers have been mostly terrible this year, managing a record of just 9-17 (1-13 SEC). If there’s been a bright spot in the season, it’s been the play of sophomore guard Antonio Blakeney, who is fourth in the conference in points per game at 17.4. And although LSU lost both of its matchups this week against Ole Miss and Alabama, Blakeney continued his dynamic scoring.
He poured in 29 points against the Rebels on Tuesday, nailing five 3-pointers and playing 38 minutes in the process. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they simply weren’t able to keep their opponents from scoring and ended up losing, 96-76. Against the Crimson Tide, Blakeney managed to score 28 points in just 25 minutes, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 8-of-12 from the line. Again, the defense was LSU’s downfall, and Blakeney’s efforts were all for naught in a 90-72 loss.
Terence Davis, Guard, Ole Miss
Normally, Terence Davis can be a bit overshadowed by his teammates. Over the last week, however, the sophomore guard demanded the spotlight with a pair of dominant performances. Though the Rebels only went 1-1 on the week, Davis was still one of the more impressive players in the conference.
The only player to score more than Blakeney in Tuesday’s Ole Miss-LSU matchup was Davis, who finished with a career-high 33 points. He wasn’t just a one-dimensional scorer, however, as he added six rebounds, four assists and three steals while leading his team back from a nine-point second-half deficit to win by 20. Davis followed up that complete performance by putting up 24 points, 4 rebounds, two assists and two steals in a losing effort to Arkansas on Saturday.
Sindarius Thornwell, Guard, South Carolina
It’s hard to pick out many players that have been better than Sindarius Thornwell this season, and he continued that high level of play for No. 21 South Carolina despite a pair of upset losses. The senior guard has been putting on a show all season, and that continued in this week’s games against Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
South Carolina played host to the visiting Razorbacks on Wednesday, and Thornwell was not very courteous to his guests. He put up 27 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and a pair of blocks in 35 minutes. The visitors got the last laugh, however, as they stole an 83-76 victory. Thornwell continued to do a bit of everything on Saturday when his Gamecocks visited Vanderbilt. He contributed 21 points, six rebounds, one assist and three steals in 33 minutes to another losing effort.
Robert Williams, Forward, Texas A&M
Robert Williams has flown under the radar, but he’s been one of the best freshmen in the SEC outside of Lexington. At 11.7 points per game, he’s only fourth on his team in scoring, but he’s second in the conference in both rebounds and blocks per game. The 6-foot-9 forward was particularly impressive in those two areas this week.
The Aggies began the week with a 72-67 loss to Vanderbilt in which Williams put up 13 points and 13 rebounds along with three assists and a pair of blocks. When Texas A&M returned home to score a blowout victory over the Auburn Tigers, Williams again scored 13 points. This time, however, he did it on only eight shots. He also pulled down nine boards, dished two assists and came up with two steals. Most impressively, Williams also set a new career high with six blocks. His numbers may not have been as flashy as some other SEC stars, but Williams was both consistent and versatile, making himself a valuable weapon for the Aggies.
Edited by David Bradford
Featured image courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics
Quinn is an assistant sports editor for TNJN and a sophomore majoring in Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennesse. When he's not writing, he's probably doing something else. You can follow him on Twitter (@QuinnNotCook) or e-mail him at qpilkey@vols.utk.edu.
