SEC Basketball: Midseason award predictions for 2021-22 season
By Matt Melton
SEC Player of the Year
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
While there are a few notable candidates for the 2021-22 SEC Basketball Player of the Year, it certainly feels like the honor is Tshiebwe’s to lose at this point. The West Virginia transfer has been phenomenal for the Wildcats averaging a career-high 15.8 PPG and 15.8 RPG (leads country), as well as having added 10 double-doubles in 12 games this season and four 20+ rebound games.
SEC Coach of the Year
Bruce Pearl, Auburn
While there are multiple candidates for SEC Coach of the Year at the moment, you could certainly make an excellent case for Bruce Pearl. We know that Auburn would be good in 2021-22, but the Tigers have risen from preseason No. 22 to a likely Top 10 team in next week’s AP Poll.
Don’t necessarily count out a few others either for Coach of the Year, most-notably LSU’s Will Wade, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, Kentucky’s John Calipari, and Alabama’s Nate Oats.
SEC Freshman of the Year
Jabari Smith, Auburn
While also a possible candidate for SEC Player of the Year, Smith is emerging as the easy choice for SEC Freshman of the Year. Don’t necessarily count out a few other high-profile freshmen in the conference as SEC play gets going, however, most notably Tennessee guard Kennedy Chandler.
SEC Sixth Man of the Year
Tari Eason, LSU
While there are a few other candidates across the SEC, you could certainly make the argument that Eason is the choice here. Leading the 12-1 Tigers in scoring, Eason is averaging 23.4 MPG off the bench for LSU while averaging a phenomenal 15.8 PPG and 7.4 RPG on 53.4% shooting.
Next. Latest ACC power rankings. dark
SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Walker Kessler, Auburn
Similar to previous awards, there are obviously numerous potential candidates to receive SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021-22, but it’s hard to look past what Kessler is doing in his first season on the Plains. Ranking third in the country in BPG at the time of writing with 4.2, the North Carolina transfer has firmly cemented himself as one of the top interior defenders in the entire country.