The most important part of the college basketball season is bearing down on us. Conference play begins Saturday for the SEC, marking the start of a two-month marathon for position in the SEC Tournament.

The Razorbacks started the season 9-3, but must navigate a conference slate filled with talent across the board. In this article, we’ll touch on a few players that could give Mike Anderson and the Razorbacks all they can handle.

We’ll avoid the obvious names, such as Mississippi State’s Quinndary Weatherspoon and LSU’s rising star Tremont Waters. Instead, we will focus on players who had a strong start to the season and are poised to become household names across the conference this year.

G Breein Tyree, Ole Miss

Stats: 17.3 pts., 3.5 reb., 3.3 ast.

The junior point guard has seen his role increase each year on campus and has become a stud this season for first-year head coach Kermit Davis Jr.

Tyree was a volume shooter last season, but made only 39.4 percent of the 9.7 shots he took per game. This year, he’s taking 10.9 shots per game and hitting on 51.9 percent of them, with the result being six 20-point games. The New Jersey native had just four such games in his career coming into the year.

Tyree could be a handful for Arkansas’ backcourt on Jan. 19 (Oxford, Miss.) and March 2 (Fayetteville). He’s created excellent shot opportunities for himself and has been efficiently cashing in on those chances. His effective field goal percentage of 61.8 percent ranks second in the SEC.

While his shot IQ has improved, his aggressiveness and ability to get to the free throw line has become an integral part of his game, as well. Tyree is attempting 4.7 free throws per game and making 82.1 percent of them. His penchant for reaching the stripe could single-handedly get a key member of Arkansas’ front court in foul trouble.

F Nicolas Claxton, Georgia

Stats: 13.3 pts., 10.2 reb., 3.1 blk., 2.5 ast.

From guard to the post we go, Claxton is another player who has found new life with a coaching change. Former Indiana head coach Tom Crean has turned Claxton into a star after the 6-foot-11 forward logged 14.7 minutes per game last year.

Currently averaging a double-double, Claxton has been a stat-stuffing machine for the 8-4 Bulldogs. Claxton has six double-doubles on the year, including three in a row. He’s also riding a four-game streak of 11 or more rebounds.

Claxton has done it all for Georgia thus far. While inconsistent at times, he’s a constant threat as a scorer and he’s leading the SEC in rebounds per game. Claxton has made himself into an elite-level rim protector, as well, leading the conference in blocks per game.

Daniel Gafford vs. Claxton could be a premier matchup that many NBA scouts will have their eyes on. Arkansas plays the Bulldogs just once this year, hosting them on Jan. 29.

F Simi Shittu, Vanderbilt

Stats: 14.4 pts., 7.8 reb., 2.1 ast.

Another player who could provide Gafford with a challenge is freshman forward Simi Shittu out of Vanderbilt. After Darius Garland went down with injury, it’s been a team effort by the Commodores. Four players are averaging double digit points per game and Shittu is leading the way.

While still raw, Shittu was the No. 7 overall player in the Class of 2018 and is talented enough to be Bryce Drew’s No. 1 option on offense. More than 26 percent of the Commodores' possessions end with Shittu, who is currently putting up 10.2 shots per game.

Shittu is a sound rebounder, as well, grabbing 7.8 boards per game. His work in cleaning up the glass on the defensive side is a big reason why opposing teams often struggle to find second chance scoring opportunities.

As a main focus in the offense, Shittu is also dishing out 2.1 assists per game. Still a work in progress, he’s also averaging 2.6 turnovers.

While not as dominant as Claxton, Shittu has displayed a lot of potential and will likely become a more refined product later in conference play. Arkansas gets to see Shittu twice, on Feb. 5 at Bud Walton Arena and near the end of the regular season on March 6 in Nashville.

G Lamar Peters, Mississippi State

Stats: 13.2 pts., 6.2 ast., 2.1 reb., 1.4 stl.

Ben Howland’s squad is getting better each season and this year’s Mississippi State team has title-winning potential. A big part of the Bulldogs’ early success has been Lamar Peters. The junior could very well be the most complete point guard in the league this season.

Peters has dominated the floor during non-conference play with crisp passing and sharp shooting. While defenses may focus on the aforementioned star in Weatherspoon, Peters can light up the scoreboard in a hurry if he isn’t checked.

The majority of Peters’ shots come from long range, where he’s shooting a cool 42.4 percent. His 39 made three-pointers ranks third in the SEC.

As a floor general, Peters is fourth in assists per game and second in total assists with 80. An estimated 38.1 percent of made field goals while he is on the floor comes from a Peters pass, which is the highest assist percentage in the conference.

Jalen Harris will get a first-hand look at Peters on Feb. 16 at Bud Walton Arena, the only time during the regular season the two will meet.

F Chuma Okeke, Auburn

Stats: 10.7 pts., 6.4 reb., 2.4 ast., 2.0 stl., 1.4 blk.

Bryce Brown and Jared Harper have been the focal point of a hot start to Auburn’s season, but the most integral piece of the Tigers’ stifling defense has been Chuma Okeke.

Okeke has become a grind-it-out player for Bruce Pearl in his sophomore season. The forward is second in the conference with 26 steals and 10 of them have come in the last two games. He’s also made his mark on the boards, leading the SEC with 37 offensive rebounds.

He gets his blocks in, as well, totaling 18 thus far and at least two blocks in five of the last seven games. Okeke has a decent perimeter jumper, too, to go along with his interior-banging tendencies. He’s hitting 1.2 three-pointers per game and making 34.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Okeke primarily slots in at the four-spot next to Austin Wiley and could create problems for Arkansas’ trio of power forwards. The Razorbacks clash with Okeke once during the regular season on Feb. 20 in Auburn.