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Published Mar 1, 2021
SMU PG Kendric Davis: 'I feel like I'm AAC Player of the Year'
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Damon Sayles  •  TheHillTopics
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@DamonSayles

A season riddled with COVID-19 issues has robbed Kendric Davis of putting on more of a show on the court -- but he feels he's done enough to earn the AAC's top basketball honor.

A slightly frustrated Kendric Davis took to social media Sunday evening to express his opinions on who should be named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

The SMU point guard, never shy about honestly speaking his mind, ranks among the top five players in five different categories and ranks in the top 10 among players in a sixth category. He took to Twitter Sunday evening with his thoughts that he is the best player in the conference.

Unfortunately, SMU has been the proverbial tree in the forest with nobody to hear it making a sound in previous weeks. SMU has an 11-4 record but hasn't played a game since Feb. 8, when it beat East Carolina on the road.

SMU was a victim of COVID-19 for most of last month, and a four-game home stand that could have have really helped the program's chances for a NCAA Tournament bid never had a chance to execute.

Hence, the frustration.

"Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right, everyone has their opinion that I respect," Davis tweeted Sunday, "but I feel like I'm AAC Player of the Year from all the games we played.

"I think I showed enough. I can't control our COVID pause, just the time we [are] living in."

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Davis' numbers support his opinion. He's averaging 17.7 points, 7.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He ranks first in the AAC in steals, third in the conference in points -- trailing East Carolina's Jayden Gardner (18.1) and Houston's Quentin Grimes (17.9) -- and fourth in the conference in steals.

"Nobody on our team spends more time in the gym when we're not at practice than he does," SMU coach Tim Jankovich said earlier this season. "He's the No. 1 in living at the gym."

Davis ranks third in the nation in assists, behind Oakland University's Jalen Moore (8.4) and Prairie View A&M's Cam Mack (8.1). Davis also ranks first in the AAC in assist-to-turnover ratio. His 2.9 ratio ranks among the nation's top 20 players.

To add, Davis is shooting 86% from the free throw line and 47% from the floor. He ranks third in the AAC in free throw shooting and ninth in the conference in field-goal percentage.

Davis' unselfishness on the floor has benefited other players statistically. And when he has the ball, he forces teams to game plan accordingly.

"What he poses to the other teams in terms of trying to guard him and how they have to shift their game plan to him is why other guys grab opportunities," SMU assistant coach Yaphett King said after the team beat Memphis on Jan. 28 -- which, ironically, was SMU's last home game this season.

The Mustangs have had seven consecutive games postponed because of COVID-19 concerns. The latest game, a March 4 road test at Cincinnati, was officially canceled by the AAC on Sunday.

SMU has one final regular-season game scheduled March 7 at home against Tulsa. There is no word on whether or not postponed games against Wichita State, Tulane, South Florida or UCF will be made up, but with the AAC Tournament set to kick of next week, rescheduled games do not look promising for the Mustangs.

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