SEC Co-Players of the Week – Alabama guard Mark Sears and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier were named SEC Co-Players of the Week. Sears, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior from Muscle Shoals, Ala., averaged 32.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals against No. 15 Missouri and No. 17 Kentucky. Scoring 65 points on just 37 field goal attempts, he shot 54.1 percent (20-of-37) from the field, 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from 3-point range and 94.4 percent (17-of-18) from the free throw line on the week. He opened the week with a 35-point performance against the Tigers and then followed that up with 30 points against the Wildcats. He became the first player in Division I this season to have back-to-back 30-point games against ranked teams and is just the second player to do so in the last 20 years. Lanier, a 6-foot-5, 207-pound fifth-year senior from Nashville, Tenn., scored 30 points and had five rebounds in a win at No. 7 Texas A&M. He became just the second SEC player in the last 20 seasons (2005‐25) to score 30‐plus points in an AP top‐10 road win, including the only one to do so in league play. Lanier tied for the second‐most made 3‐pointers in a game in Tennessee history, becoming just the fourth person—fifth occasion—to hit eight in a contest.
SEC Freshman of the Week – Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, a 6-foot-4, 182-pound freshman from Joliet, Ill., averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals against No. 2 Florida and No. 21 Mississippi State. He registered a game‐high 22 points at No. 2 Florida (tied a career high with four 3‐pointers) along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Against Mississippi State, he notched his first career double‐double with 27 points, a career‐high 10, five rebounds, a block and a steal. Fears became just the second SEC player, regardless of class, since at least the 1996‐97 season to register at least 27 points, at least 10 assists and at least 5 rebounds in a game. His 14 free throw attempts against Mississippi State tied a career high and his 11 makes were one shy of his career best
SEC In The NET
· Four of the top six teams in the NCAA’s NET rankings are from the SEC: Auburn 1st, Florida 4th, Tennessee 5th, and Alabama 6th.
· The SEC leads the nation with seven teams ranked in the Top 25 and 13 in the Top 50 of the NET.
· SEC teams have amassed 89 Quad 1 wins and 151 wins against Quad 1 & 2 teams combined.
· The SEC averages 5.56 Quad 1 wins per team and 9.44 Quad 1+2 wins per team, both lead the nation.
· Ten SEC teams have at least five Quad 1 wins, five have at least seven and three have at least nine.
· More Metrics
· The SEC’s +21.85 KenPom rating is the highest rating in history, breaking the ACC’s +21.37 record of in 1997.
· Five of the top six teams in KenPom’s Adjusted Offensive Efficiency are from the SEC: Auburn 1st, Alabama 3rd, Florida 4th, Kentucky 5th, and Missouri 6th.
· Four SEC teams are ranked in the Top 10 of KenPom’s team rankings, eight are in the Top 25, 14 are in the Top 50 and all 16 teams rank in the Top 80.
In The Polls
· Five of the top six teams and eight of the top 25 teams in the Associated Press Poll are from the SEC.
· Auburn is ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the seventh week in a row while Florida is No. 3, Tennessee is No. 5, Alabama is No. 6, Texas A&M 12th, Missouri 14th, Kentucky 17th, and Mississippi State 24th.
· The SEC occupies four of the top six spots in the Coaches’ Poll: Auburn 1st, Florida 3rd, Tennessee 5th, and Alabama 6th.
· Eighty-eight percent (14 of 16) of the SEC’s teams have been ranked by the AP this season, tying the record set by the ACC in 1983-84 (7 of 8 teams ranked)
· The SEC has had at least nine teams ranked in 12 of the 17 Associated Press polls this season.
· The SEC’s 10 teams ranked in the Dec. 23, Dec. 30 and Jan. 27 polls are the most by a conference since the Associated Press began compiling a weekly poll during the 1948-49 season.
Worth Noting
· Alabama’s Mark Sears and Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier were named SEC Co-Player of the Week while Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears was tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week.
· Six SEC teams (Auburn 1st, Alabama 2nd, Florida 4th, Tennessee 5th, Texas A&M 6th, and Kentucky 10th overall) were listed in the NCAA Selection Committee’s Top 16 rankings on Feb. 15.
· Nine SEC schools have tied or broken their record for number of games played against AP Top 25 teams during the regular season: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M..
· The Feb. 15 Auburn at Alabama game marked the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 AP matchup in conference history.
· Eleven of the 50 players listed on the USBWA’s Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List are from the SEC.
· Three SEC coaches rank among the winningest active coaches in the nation: John Calipari (1st/829 wins), Rick Barnes (2nd/828 wins) and Bruce Pearl (11th/687 wins).
· Eight of the 26 players announced as NBA All-Stars attended SEC schools: Kevin Durant (PHX/TX), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC/UK), Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK/UK), Anthony Davis (DAL/UK), Anthony Edwards, (MIN/UG), Darius Garland (CLE/VU), Tyler Herro (MIA/UK), and Trae Young (ATL/OU).
· Twenty-two percent of the players on NBA Opening Day rosters that attended college went to SEC schools. The SEC led all conferences with 103 players on NBA Opening Day rosters.
Non-Conference Recap
· SEC teams won 88.9 percent (185-23) of their non-conference games this season. That tops the nine-team ACC in 2003-04 that had a 88.2 winning percentage (75-10) in games before New Year’s Day.
· SEC teams are 59-19 (75.6 percent) against teams from the ACC (30-4), Big 12 (14-2), Big East (5-4) and Big Ten (10-9).
· SEC teams posted a 21-7 record against non-conference teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including a 6-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
· The SEC’s 21 regular-season, non-conference Top 25 wins were eight more than any other league has ever had in a season (per former ESPN researcher Jared Berson).
· The SEC entered conference play 51-22 (69.9 percent) vs. Top 100 teams in Bart Torvik’s ratings system. No other conference was better than .500 against the Top 100.
· The SEC dominated the second annual SEC/ACC Challenge, winning 14-2. The average margin of victory in the 14 SEC wins was 16.2 points while the margin in the two losses was 3.5 points.
· Five SEC teams won MTE titles this season: Auburn (Maui Invitational), Florida (ESPN Events Invitational), Oklahoma (Battle 4 Atlantis), Tennessee (Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship), and Texas (Legends Classic).
· The last three undefeated teams in the nation were all from the SEC with Tennessee being the last to fall and was preceded by Oklahoma and Florida.
Schedule/Results (All Times Eastern):
Tuesday, February 18
at #2 Florida 85, Oklahoma 63
at #21 Mississippi State 70, #7 Texas A&M 54
at LSU 81, South Carolina 67
Wednesday, February 19
at #17 Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 61
at #1 Auburn 67, Arkansas 60
at #15 Missouri 110, #4 Alabama 98
Saturday, February 22
#6 Tennessee 77, at #7 Texas A&M 69
at Oklahoma 92, #21 Mississippi State 87
at Vanderbilt 77, #24 Ole Miss 72
at #1 Auburn 82, Georgia 70
at #4 Alabama 96, #17 Kentucky 83
#2 Florida 79, at LSU 65
at Arkansas 92, #15 Missouri 85
at South Carolina 84, Texas 69
Tuesday, February 25
#3 Florida at Georgia SEC Network 7:00p
#24 Mississippi State at #6 Alabama ESPN2 9:00p
#5 Tennessee at LSU SEC Network 9:00p
South Carolina at #14 Missouri ESPNU 9:00p
Wednesday, February 26
Ole Miss at #1 Auburn ESPN2 7:00p
Vanderbilt at #12 Texas A&M SEC Network 7:00p
Texas at Arkansas ESPN2 9:00p
#17 Kentucky at Oklahoma SEC Network 9:00p
Saturday, March 1
#1 Auburn at #17 Kentucky ABC 1:00p
Arkansas at South Carolina SEC Network 1:00p
Oklahoma at Ole Miss ESPN/2 2:00p
LSU at #24 Mississippi State SEC Network 3:30p
#6 Alabama at #5 Tennessee ESPN 4:00p
#14 Missouri at Vanderbilt SEC Network 6:00p
Georgia at Texas ESPN2 8:00p
#12 Texas A&M at #3 Florida SEC Network 8:30p
Tuesday, March 4
Arkansas at Vanderbilt SEC Network 10:00p
Georgia at South Carolina SEC Network 6:00p
LSU at Kentucky ESPN2 7:00p
Texas at Mississippi State SEC Network 8:00p
Auburn at Texas A&M ESPN 9:00p
Wednesday, March 5
Florida at Alabama ESPN2/U 7:00p
Missouri at Oklahoma SECN+ 8:00p
Tennessee at Ole Miss ESPN2/U 9:00p
Saturday, March 8
Mississippi State at Arkansas ESPN/SEC Network 12:00p
Vanderbilt at Georgia ESPNU 12:00p
Kentucky at Missouri ESPN/SEC Network 12:00p
Alabama at Auburn ESPN 2:30p
South Carolina at Tennessee SEC Network 2:00p
Texas A&M at LSU SEC Network 4:00p
Ole Miss at Florida SEC Network 6:00p
Oklahoma at Texas SEC Network 8:00p
SEC Freshman of the Week – Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, a 6-foot-4, 182-pound freshman from Joliet, Ill., averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals against No. 2 Florida and No. 21 Mississippi State. He registered a game‐high 22 points at No. 2 Florida (tied a career high with four 3‐pointers) along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Against Mississippi State, he notched his first career double‐double with 27 points, a career‐high 10, five rebounds, a block and a steal. Fears became just the second SEC player, regardless of class, since at least the 1996‐97 season to register at least 27 points, at least 10 assists and at least 5 rebounds in a game. His 14 free throw attempts against Mississippi State tied a career high and his 11 makes were one shy of his career best
SEC In The NET
· Four of the top six teams in the NCAA’s NET rankings are from the SEC: Auburn 1st, Florida 4th, Tennessee 5th, and Alabama 6th.
· The SEC leads the nation with seven teams ranked in the Top 25 and 13 in the Top 50 of the NET.
· SEC teams have amassed 89 Quad 1 wins and 151 wins against Quad 1 & 2 teams combined.
· The SEC averages 5.56 Quad 1 wins per team and 9.44 Quad 1+2 wins per team, both lead the nation.
· Ten SEC teams have at least five Quad 1 wins, five have at least seven and three have at least nine.
· More Metrics
· The SEC’s +21.85 KenPom rating is the highest rating in history, breaking the ACC’s +21.37 record of in 1997.
· Five of the top six teams in KenPom’s Adjusted Offensive Efficiency are from the SEC: Auburn 1st, Alabama 3rd, Florida 4th, Kentucky 5th, and Missouri 6th.
· Four SEC teams are ranked in the Top 10 of KenPom’s team rankings, eight are in the Top 25, 14 are in the Top 50 and all 16 teams rank in the Top 80.
In The Polls
· Five of the top six teams and eight of the top 25 teams in the Associated Press Poll are from the SEC.
· Auburn is ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the seventh week in a row while Florida is No. 3, Tennessee is No. 5, Alabama is No. 6, Texas A&M 12th, Missouri 14th, Kentucky 17th, and Mississippi State 24th.
· The SEC occupies four of the top six spots in the Coaches’ Poll: Auburn 1st, Florida 3rd, Tennessee 5th, and Alabama 6th.
· Eighty-eight percent (14 of 16) of the SEC’s teams have been ranked by the AP this season, tying the record set by the ACC in 1983-84 (7 of 8 teams ranked)
· The SEC has had at least nine teams ranked in 12 of the 17 Associated Press polls this season.
· The SEC’s 10 teams ranked in the Dec. 23, Dec. 30 and Jan. 27 polls are the most by a conference since the Associated Press began compiling a weekly poll during the 1948-49 season.
Worth Noting
· Alabama’s Mark Sears and Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier were named SEC Co-Player of the Week while Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears was tabbed SEC Freshman of the Week.
· Six SEC teams (Auburn 1st, Alabama 2nd, Florida 4th, Tennessee 5th, Texas A&M 6th, and Kentucky 10th overall) were listed in the NCAA Selection Committee’s Top 16 rankings on Feb. 15.
· Nine SEC schools have tied or broken their record for number of games played against AP Top 25 teams during the regular season: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M..
· The Feb. 15 Auburn at Alabama game marked the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 AP matchup in conference history.
· Eleven of the 50 players listed on the USBWA’s Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List are from the SEC.
· Three SEC coaches rank among the winningest active coaches in the nation: John Calipari (1st/829 wins), Rick Barnes (2nd/828 wins) and Bruce Pearl (11th/687 wins).
· Eight of the 26 players announced as NBA All-Stars attended SEC schools: Kevin Durant (PHX/TX), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC/UK), Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK/UK), Anthony Davis (DAL/UK), Anthony Edwards, (MIN/UG), Darius Garland (CLE/VU), Tyler Herro (MIA/UK), and Trae Young (ATL/OU).
· Twenty-two percent of the players on NBA Opening Day rosters that attended college went to SEC schools. The SEC led all conferences with 103 players on NBA Opening Day rosters.
Non-Conference Recap
· SEC teams won 88.9 percent (185-23) of their non-conference games this season. That tops the nine-team ACC in 2003-04 that had a 88.2 winning percentage (75-10) in games before New Year’s Day.
· SEC teams are 59-19 (75.6 percent) against teams from the ACC (30-4), Big 12 (14-2), Big East (5-4) and Big Ten (10-9).
· SEC teams posted a 21-7 record against non-conference teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including a 6-2 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.
· The SEC’s 21 regular-season, non-conference Top 25 wins were eight more than any other league has ever had in a season (per former ESPN researcher Jared Berson).
· The SEC entered conference play 51-22 (69.9 percent) vs. Top 100 teams in Bart Torvik’s ratings system. No other conference was better than .500 against the Top 100.
· The SEC dominated the second annual SEC/ACC Challenge, winning 14-2. The average margin of victory in the 14 SEC wins was 16.2 points while the margin in the two losses was 3.5 points.
· Five SEC teams won MTE titles this season: Auburn (Maui Invitational), Florida (ESPN Events Invitational), Oklahoma (Battle 4 Atlantis), Tennessee (Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship), and Texas (Legends Classic).
· The last three undefeated teams in the nation were all from the SEC with Tennessee being the last to fall and was preceded by Oklahoma and Florida.
Schedule/Results (All Times Eastern):
Tuesday, February 18
at #2 Florida 85, Oklahoma 63
at #21 Mississippi State 70, #7 Texas A&M 54
at LSU 81, South Carolina 67
Wednesday, February 19
at #17 Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 61
at #1 Auburn 67, Arkansas 60
at #15 Missouri 110, #4 Alabama 98
Saturday, February 22
#6 Tennessee 77, at #7 Texas A&M 69
at Oklahoma 92, #21 Mississippi State 87
at Vanderbilt 77, #24 Ole Miss 72
at #1 Auburn 82, Georgia 70
at #4 Alabama 96, #17 Kentucky 83
#2 Florida 79, at LSU 65
at Arkansas 92, #15 Missouri 85
at South Carolina 84, Texas 69
Tuesday, February 25
#3 Florida at Georgia SEC Network 7:00p
#24 Mississippi State at #6 Alabama ESPN2 9:00p
#5 Tennessee at LSU SEC Network 9:00p
South Carolina at #14 Missouri ESPNU 9:00p
Wednesday, February 26
Ole Miss at #1 Auburn ESPN2 7:00p
Vanderbilt at #12 Texas A&M SEC Network 7:00p
Texas at Arkansas ESPN2 9:00p
#17 Kentucky at Oklahoma SEC Network 9:00p
Saturday, March 1
#1 Auburn at #17 Kentucky ABC 1:00p
Arkansas at South Carolina SEC Network 1:00p
Oklahoma at Ole Miss ESPN/2 2:00p
LSU at #24 Mississippi State SEC Network 3:30p
#6 Alabama at #5 Tennessee ESPN 4:00p
#14 Missouri at Vanderbilt SEC Network 6:00p
Georgia at Texas ESPN2 8:00p
#12 Texas A&M at #3 Florida SEC Network 8:30p
Tuesday, March 4
Arkansas at Vanderbilt SEC Network 10:00p
Georgia at South Carolina SEC Network 6:00p
LSU at Kentucky ESPN2 7:00p
Texas at Mississippi State SEC Network 8:00p
Auburn at Texas A&M ESPN 9:00p
Wednesday, March 5
Florida at Alabama ESPN2/U 7:00p
Missouri at Oklahoma SECN+ 8:00p
Tennessee at Ole Miss ESPN2/U 9:00p
Saturday, March 8
Mississippi State at Arkansas ESPN/SEC Network 12:00p
Vanderbilt at Georgia ESPNU 12:00p
Kentucky at Missouri ESPN/SEC Network 12:00p
Alabama at Auburn ESPN 2:30p
South Carolina at Tennessee SEC Network 2:00p
Texas A&M at LSU SEC Network 4:00p
Ole Miss at Florida SEC Network 6:00p
Oklahoma at Texas SEC Network 8:00p
