South Carolina basketball star earns high spot in analytics player rankings
This offseason, South Carolina basketball star sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles has been the Gamecocks’ most-covered player. NBA Draft projections and preseason All-SEC picks virtually all have included the 6’7″ forward. When discussing the best players in the conference (and even the country) for the 2024-2025 season, Murray-Boyles’ name has come up consistently.
College basketball analytics guru Evan Miyakawa thinks Collin Murray-Boyles is even better than most. After finishing his freshman campaign as, arguably, South Carolina’s top player, Miyakawa believes there will be no argument this season.
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According to Miyakawa, CMB is the 22nd-most valuable player in the entire country. He also views Murray-Boyles as the 6th-most valuable player in the SEC.
Murray-Boyles’ high place in Miyakawa’s rankings stems from his well-balanced skillset. Potentially an elite player on both ends, he ranks 47th on offense and 49th on defense in the sport. Those numbers are good for 6th and 15th, respectively, in the SEC.
Miyakawa’s rankings are based on BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating), an analytical rating that measures a player’s impact on offense (OBPR; points-per-100-possessions above average) and defense (DBPR; points-allowed-per-100-possessions better than average).
These ratings make a lot of sense when one analyzes the South Carolina native’s game.
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On offense, CMB shot just under 60% from the field last season. That number would have led the SEC had he taken more total shots (he missed the start of the season with mononucleosis). His post-up game was solid, he became a better player as the year went on in transition and the pick-and-roll, and he had no issue using a comfortable handle to get past bigger players in space. Murray-Boyles also was elite last season at finishing through contact, helped tremendously by his 245-pound frame.
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On defense, he was one of just two Southeastern Conference players to average both one block and one steal. He joined Florida’s Tyrese Samuel in that regard. Murray-Boyles also guarded players all over the court, earning defensive assignments against guards, wings, forwards, and true bigs. His strength and long arms helped him to hold his own against bigger players, and his plus-athleticism allowed him to stick with shifty guards and bouncy forwards.
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If Collin Murray-Boyles can lead his team to match his high-level play, another big season could be on the horizon.
As it stands, though, Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball team is still fighting for respect in the SEC. Despite finishing the 2023-2024 campaign tied for second in the conference (tying an all-time Carolina record for wins in the process) and bringing in a talented group of transfers and freshmen, national analysts are leaving the Gamecocks out of the majority of their NCAA Tournament projections this offseason.
Paris, Murray-Boyles, and transfer center Nick Pringle will be in Birmingham next week for the SEC Tip-Off, and the Gamecocks will play an exhibition game against the College of Wooster (Paris’ alma mater) at the end of October. The regular season begins for South Carolina basketball on November 4th against the North Florida Ospreys at Colonial Life Arena.
