Anthony Edwards, UGA
AP Photo/John Amis

UGA's Anthony Edwards Named SEC Freshman of the Year

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.

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

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.

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