The Extra Point: The SEC Player of the Year Race

The 2nd-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team not only has an argument for the best team in all of college basketball, it boasts one of the best players in all of college basketball.

Freshman Brandon Miller, a 6-foot-9 wing from Antioch, Tennessee, has taken the college basketball world by storm this season leading the Crimson Tide to its 17-2 start to the season. Additionally, Miller leads Alabama in scoring at 19.8 points per game and is its second-leading rebounder at 8.3 per contest.

These numbers have made him a standout among other players in the Southeastern Conference. Miller's numbers rank him first in the SEC in scoring and fourth in the SEC in rebounding. 

While Miller appears to be a frontrunner, a freshman winning SEC Player of the Year is not an often occurrence. The last freshman to win the award was Kentucky's Malik Monk in 2017, but he was named Co-Player of the Year along with South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell. 

The last freshman to win the award outright was Kentucky's Anthony Davis in 2012.

One of Miller's biggest challengers for the award comes from Kentucky as well in forward Oscar Tshiebwe, last year's winner. Tshiebwe has been a force this year averaging over 16 points and 14 rebounds per game, and his stock will only rise as Kentucky appears to have gotten its season back on track. 

Additionally, Arkansas' Ricky Council IV has a strong case as one of the best scorers in the league, but his stock has slipped as Arkansas has faced some struggles early in conference play.

Check out the video above where BamaCentral's Blake Byler and Austin Hannon discuss who the favorites are for SEC Player of the Year.