2024 NCAA Tournament: Ranking the Top 20 Players from the South Region
By Joey Loose
6. Antonio Reeves (Kentucky)
John Calipari remains a steadfast and successful recruiter of talent, making Reeves’ impact at Kentucky all the more important. Reeves developed into a dynamic scorer across three seasons at Illinois State before transferring to Kentucky two seasons ago. After some good numbers last year, Reeves has taken his game to another level in his fifth and final collegiate season.
Formerly a star in the MVC, Reeves is now one of the best offensive players in the SEC, averaging 20.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while hitting 44% of his outside shots. There are very few fifth-year players in the nation having this kind of impact. He’s had a myriad of hot shooting nights, including a 30-point effort against Louisville, and currently stands as the most impressive part of a Kentucky offense that can outscore any team in this Tournament field.
5. Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M)
A 6’0 guard from Texas, Taylor has developed into an elite point guard in recent seasons and helps form one of the best backcourts in the SEC. He’s been paramount to Texas A&M’s rise the last few seasons and now as a junior has the Aggies dancing for a second straight postseason.
This junior year has seen Taylor average 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, sitting among the conference’s leaders in many of those figures. Taylor is a decent shooter across the board and nobody in the SEC put up more shots than him. He’s fresh off a pair of 30-point performances during the SEC Tournament and is a threat to repeat that feat against any team in the Big Dance.