With the SEC Tournament bracket set, there are a few things we know heading into college basketball's crowning few weeks. First, the Kentucky Wildcats aren't going anywhere. Led by the 2019-20 SEC Player of the Year Immanuel Quickley and SEC Coach of the Year John Calipari, the Wildcats have the fourth-best odds to win the NCAA Tournament, and they're the No. 1 overall seed heading into the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament.
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Aside from the blue-blood of the group, several teams are looking to cement tournament bids — like Auburn, LSU and Florida — while a team like Mississippi State, which is one of ESPN analyst Joe Lundardi's "First Four Out" of the NCAA Tournament, needs to win one or two games to earn their spot.
And with the regular season finished, the conference's top men's basketball players were honored by the Southeastern Conference.
Kentucky claimed the two most prestigious awards, while LSU's Skylar Mays was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Georgia's Anthony Edwards was named Freshman of the Year, Mississippi State's Tyson Carter earned Sixth Man of the Year honors, and Tennessee's Yves Pons was named Defensive Player of the Year.
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Kentucky Wildcats led the way with four players from each team being named all-conference. Florida earned three nominations, while Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt each had two. Arkansas, Georgia, and Ole Miss had one representative apiece.
All-SEC Men's Basketball Teams 2019-20
He won his sixth SEC regular season title this year. @UKCoachCalipari is the #SECMBB Coach of the Year. https://t.co/OmkNLidieS pic.twitter.com/cPV4AoZAkP
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 10, 2020
All-SEC First Team
Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama
Mason Jones, Arkansas
Samir Doughty, Auburn
Keyontae Johnson, Florida
Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
Nick Richards, Kentucky
Skylar Mays, LSU
Breein Tyree, Ole Miss
Reggie Perry, Mississippi State
All-SEC Second Team
John Petty Jr., Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
Maik Kotsar, South Carolina
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Saben Lee, Vanderbilt
All-Freshman Team
Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Scottie Lewis, Florida
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
Trendon Watford, LSU
Jermaine Couisnard, South Carolina
Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt
All-Defensive Team
Herbert Jones, Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
Nick Richards, Kentucky
Yves Pons, Tennessee
Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky
Player of the Year: Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Skylar Mays, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Sixth-Man of the Year: Tyson Carter, Mississippi State
Defensive Player of the Year: Yves Pons, Tennessee
This article was originally published March 10, 2020.
