The shoo-in was inexplicably the only one left out.After a banner week of Kentucky basketball, UK just missed out on sweeping all four Southeastern Conference basketball awards this week. Victoria Dunlap was named Player of the Week for the women, A’dia Mathies was tabbed Freshman of the Week for the women and DeMarcus Cousins was picked as the Freshman of the Week for the men. Dunlap earned her fourth Player of the Week award after averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in UK’s wins over Florida and South Carolina, Mathies averaged 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, and Cousins notched his fifth SEC honor this season after averaging 19.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. What’s even more impressive is that it’s a league record 13 SEC honors for the men and the second time the women have swept the awards this year.Yet, it feels like something missing. It feels like someone was left off. Who, you might ask. None other than Patrick Patterson.I’m not here to argue how the SEC chooses its weekly award winners or make a big deal out of a seemingly arbitrary award, but how does Patterson, after his best week of the season, not get the SEC Player of the Week honors?Of the four awards given to the men and women, he had the strongest case of any of them.Patterson notched back-to-back doubles last week, scoring 19 points and 13 rebounds against Mississippi State, including the game-tying basket in regulation. He followed that up with a 13-point, 13-rebound performance at nationally ranked Vanderbilt. Those numbers aren’t overwhelmingly spectacular until you look at the other individual performances last week.Nothing against this week’s winner Wayne Chism, who is hands down one of the best players in the league, but his numbers did not meet those of Patterson’s. Patterson scored more points, more rebounds, shot a better percentage from the field and free-throw line, committed fewer turnovers and had the same amount of blocks. The only categories Chism beat Patterson in were steals and assists.Numbers can sometimes be manipulated to value worth, but there’s no questioning that Patterson was the most valuable player in Kentucky’s wins over the second-place team in the SEC East (Vanderbilt) and first-place team in the West (Mississippi State).For what it’s worth, you’ve got my vote, Patrick.

Related Stories

View all