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FAYETTEVILLE — A pair of Razorbacks have been recognized as all-conference players, the SEC announced Tuesday morning.
Arkansas guard JD Notae and forward Jaylin Williams were among nine players tabbed first-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches. Williams also made the five-man SEC All-Defensive Team.
Auburn was the only other school with multiple first-team selections.
It is the first time there have been multiple Razorbacks named first-team All-SEC by the coaches in the same season since 1995, when Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman did it for a second straight year.
However, it’s worth noting that Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon each got a first-team nod in 2018, but Barford’s was from the coaches and Macon’s was from the AP. (They were second-teamers in the other.)
Notae finished the regular season as the SEC’s second-leading scorer at 18.9 points per game, behind only Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. (20.5 ppg). He was also second in the conference with 2.2 steals per game, plus chipped in 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
A few publications have recognized Notae as an All-American, as well. The Sporting News selected him to its third team, while CollegeHoopsToday.com tabbed him an honorable mention.
Some speculated Notae might have a shot at winning SEC Player of the Year, but that award — as expected — went to Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe.
Williams was a double-double machine for the Razorbacks during conference play, notching 12 in their final 17 games. He averaged 10.8 points and 9.6 rebounds for the season, but those numbers went up against SEC foes.
During conference play, he averaged 13.6 points and 10.2 rebounds. That made him one of only six high-major players to average a double-double this season. Throw in his 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks, no other player in Division I averaged 10-10-2-1-1 in conference games this season.
First Team
JD Notae, Arkansas
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
Walker Kessler, Auburn
Jabari Smith, Auburn
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Tari Eason, LSU
Iverson Molinar, Mississippi State
Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee
Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt
Second Team
Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
Colin Castleton, Florida
TyTy Washington Jr., Kentucky
Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky
Darius Days, LSU
Kobe Brown, Missouri
Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
Quenton Jackson, Texas A&M
All-Freshman Team
Charles Bediako, Alabama
JD Davison, Alabama
Jabari Smith, Auburn
TyTy Washington Jr., Kentucky
Brandon Murray, LSU
Devin Carter, South Carolina
Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
All-Defensive Team
Keon Ellis, Alabama
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
Walker Kessler, Auburn
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Player of the Year: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jordan Wright, Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Jabari Smith, Auburn
Sixth-Man of the Year: Tari Eason, LSU
Defensive Player of the Year: Walker Kessler, Auburn
