BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Mississippi State sophomore guard Tyson Carter was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday by the league office and College Sports Madness.
It is the first weekly award for the former standout from Starkville High School.
Carter helped MSU improve to 7-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 season by scoring a career-high 35 points against North Dakota State. He added 20 points Sunday in a 61-59 victory against Dayton.
“It’s nice to get this honor, but I like the fact we are undefeated more,” he said. “I have been confident in my shooting, and my shots have been falling. A lot of credit goes to my coaches and teammates for getting me into the position to have success.”
Carter leads MSU in scoring at 15.7 points per game. He was 19-for-29 from the field against the Bison and the Flyers. He was 12-for-20 from 3-point range in those games.
Carter also leads MSU with 18 3-pointers, 16 free throws, and 38 field goals.
MSU will play host to North Georgia at 4 p.m. Saturday to close a season-opening eight-game homestand.
Auburn’s Chuma Okeke is the SEC Freshman of the Week. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward from Atlanta, averaged 11 points and eight rebounds in wins at Dayton and against George Mason.
n In related news, Florida (No. 5), Texas A&M (No. 7), and Kentucky (No. 8) are ranked in the top 10 this week in The Associated Press Top 25. Tennessee moved into the poll at No. 24, taking the place of Alabama, which slipped out after a loss to UCF.
Alabama, Mississippi State, and Georgia are also receiving votes.
No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Missouri, No. 13 Arkansas, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 18 Alabama, and No. 20 Kentucky are ranked in the top 20 of the NCAA’s first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of the season. The NCAA tournament selection committee uses RPI as a guideline for selecting the at-large teams for the annual tournament.
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