SEC Spotlight: Top five players heading into this season
With the college basketball season quickly approaching, Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst Travis Graf highlights the top five players from each Power Five conference heading into the 2022-23 campaign.
Today, he takes a look at the SEC.
MORE IN THIS SERIES: Top five in the ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12
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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
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OSCAR TSHIEBWE, Kentucky
The reigning unanimous National Player of the Year returns after putting up historic numbers on the glass and leading the Wildcats in scoring. While Tshiebwe might not need to put up the numbers he did last season for Kentucky to be successful this go around, look for him to be one of the most dominant big men in the country once again, helping John Calipari to back up the Wildcats' No. 1 preseason ranking in the conference.
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JAHVON QUINERLY, Alabama
In his first season at Alabama, Quinerly put up a career high in points per game, totaling just under 14 per contest. He shared facilitating duties with JD Davison last season, and should get more dedicated playmaking reps as a senior for a Crimson Tide offense that will look to run and score a lot of points per usual.
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COLIN CASTLETON, Florida
Castleton opted to use his extra COVID year to come back and play for first-year head coach Todd Golden in 2022. The super senior was dominant at times throughout last season and averaged a career-best 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest.
He’s also a consistent rim deterrent, and has averaged more than two blocks per game over each of the last two seasons. Castleton will play a huge part in the Gators trying to outplay their preseason ranking of seventh in the league.
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SANTIAGO VESCOVI, Tennessee
Vescovi is going to be one of the upperclassman leaders in the Volunteers' locker room yet again this season as a senior. A year ago, he broke through the 40-percent threshold from behind the 3-point line for the first time in his career.
Vescovi and Zakai Ziegler form one of the more underrated backcourts in the country for Tennessee.
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NICK SMITH, Arkansas
Smith comes into the season with the most upside of anyone in the conference, and as the best draft prospect early on. The Arkansas freshman was in strong talks for the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class among the Rivals national analysts, and the former five-star is a consensus top-10 pick on preseason draft boards.
Smith, along with the other talented freshmen and transfers, are the reason Eric Musselman’s squad was picked to finish second in the SEC.