1. Pinson, Part III
There were nights this season when Xavier Pinson was the best player on the floor. Defenses had no way to guard the 6-foot-2 sophomore point guard, who when his game is sound gives the Tigers an electric slasher in the lane, a gifted passer and a reliable 3-point shooter. He set his career-scoring high in three straight February home games, with 24, 28 and 32 points. If he can consistently give the Tigers close to that kind of production as a junior he’ll push for All-Southeastern Conference honors. For the season, Pinson improved across the board from his freshman year, pushing his scoring from 6.