SEC Basketball 2016: Preview and predictions

4 of 6

Feb 20, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Moses Kingsley (33) reacts after being called for a foul in the first half of a game with the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks won 84-72. Mandatory Credit: Gunnar Rathbun-USA TODAY Sports /

Player of the Year – Moses Kingsley, Arkansas

Kentucky has the most talented team in the SEC which is full of NBA prospects. That doesn’t mean they’ll have the Player of the Year, though. The recent versions of John Calipari’s team have seen players normally expected to contribute big minutes to be limited. It’s due to the wealth of talent these teams have, and leads to them not filling up the box score.

However, someone who’s going to have a chance to load their stat sheet is Arkansas power forward Moses Kingsley.

In 2015-16, Kingsley received his first chance at starting and made the most of it. He quietly exploded for 15.9 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals and became Arkansas’ best player. This was all done as a junior and with leading scorer Dusty Hannahs around. However, with an extra year of experience for both, expect an uptick in production, especially for the senior forward.

With Ben Simmons and Cinmeon Bowers, the two leading rebounds in the SEC, gone from college basketball, Kingsley is probably the favorite to lead the conference in boards. A majority of the top scorers from last season are gone too, which could mean he moves into that range. He’ll be the best player on a team that should improve on its 16-16 record, and could walk out with an award and improved NBA Draft status by the end of the season.