Auburn Guard Take Home SEC Freshman of the Week Honors

Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford received SEC Freshman of the Week honors for the first time this season.

Some recognition for the young fella 🤫 pic.twitter.com/TOPXvYf6vO
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 20, 2025

Pettiford averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 steals, 2.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game in the back-to-back wins over ranked SEC opponents last week. First, they dominated No. 15 Mississippi State 88-66 and then outlasted No. Georgia 70-23.

In the win over Georgia, Pettiford had a career-high 24 points. He was 7-of-13 field goals, 5-of-7 from long range and 5-of-8 from the charity stripe. This was his third 20-point game of the season. Pettiford is currently tied for third among Auburn freshmen all-time with three 20-point games.

Against the other Bulldogs, Mississippi State, he scored 12 points and had a career-best four steals in the game.

The way he stepped up this week helped Auburn overcome the absence of forward Johni Broome. The senior is out with an ankle sprain he suffered in the win over South Carolina on Jan. 11.

As a prospect, the freshman was the No. 29 player in the country and the second-ranked point guard in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports.

Auburn sits as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country according to the AP Top 25 and near unanimous in the Coaches Poll. They’re 17-1 overall and are undefeated in SEC play (5-0) and on a 10-game winning streak.

While the KenPom ratings bumped Auburn from the top spot after their game against Georgia went down to the wire, the writers and coaches agree Auburn is the top team.

Players stepping in the absence of a star player only reinforced the notice that Auburn has the depth to compete deep into March Madness. Perhaps they even have a shot at the National Championship. The Tigers have never reached the championship game and have only made the Final Four once (2019).