Harrison Barnes

The following are NetScouts Basketball’s High Major players of the week ending February 19, 2012.

ACC

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, 6’8”, F, So.

The Tar Heels were able to pick up two much needed wins after dropping one game last week to stay atop of the ACC. Barnes, the 6’8” sophomore from Ames, Iowa was able to lead the Tar Heels with averages of 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game to victories over Miami and Clemson. Barnes ranks 2^nd in the ACC in scoring as well as 6^th in field goal percentage. The final two weeks of the regular season is going to be very exciting and Barnes will be a big reason on whether UNC stays where they are or slips down the stretch.

 Big East

Jae Crowder, Marquette, 6’6”, F, Sr.

The undersized forward from Marquette was able to have a dominating performance against the defending NCAA champions, the University of Connecticut. The game was a back and forth battle and got as close as 5 points in the second half but Crowder was huge down the stretch and led the Golden Eagles to a 15 point victory on the road. Crowder, who ranks in the top ten within the Big East conference in scoring (7^th), rebounding (10^th), steals (3^rd) and just outside the top ten in field goal percentage at 11^th was able to score 29 points and bring down 12 rebounds. Marquette is tied for second place in the Big East with Notre Dame behind Syracuse and will be a force to be reckoned with as the year winds down in one of the best basketball conferences in the country.

Big Ten

Matt Gatens, Iowa, 6’5”, G, Sr.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were able to defeat 20^th ranked Indiana decisively and a big reason was the stellar guard play by Gatens. He shot a strong 7-of-10 from beyond the arc including hitting four in a row in the second half to stop the Hoosiers attempt to climb back into the game. Gatens was able to set his career high in points (30) while grabbing 4 rebounds and getting 3 steals. Although the Hawkeyes fell short against Penn State, Gatens was able to shoot 5-of-7 from downtown. His averages on the week were 25.5 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 70% from deep. Even though Iowa hasn’t had the most successful year thus far, Gatens’ week was one that couldn’t be overlooked.

Big 12

Jeff Withey, Kansas, 7’0”, C, Jr.

Withey was able to bring home his second straight Player of the Week for the Kansas Jayhawks and the Big 12 Conference. He helped the Jayhawks take down their bitter rival Kansas State on the road and was just one block shy of a triple double. In the rivalry game Withey filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 11 rebounds including 6 on the offensive glass capped off with 9 blocks. Later in the week the Jayhawks were able to show how strongly they outmatched Texas Tech  winning by 33 points at home. Withey’s 13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game were good enough to help Kansas stay ranked in the top 5 in the nation and tied for first in a very competitive Big 12.

Pac-12

Justin Cobbs, California, 6’2”, G, So.

Led by the Minnesota transfer Cobbs, the California Golden Bears were able to pull off a sweep of the Oregon schools and stay atop the Pac-12 conference. Against Oregon Cobbs had a monster performance scoring 28 points, recording 8 assists and 4 steals all to go along with 3 rebounds. Two days later, Cobbs was more of a facilitator dishing out 13 assists to go along with his 10 points and 5 rebounds to help defeat Oregon State by 14 points.  Cobbs ended the week with averages of 19 points, 10.5 assists and 4 rebounds per game.

John Jenkins

 SEC

John Jenkins, Vanderbilt, 6’4”, G, Jr.

Although Kentucky was able to win their 50^th straight home game this week, the Player of the Week from the SEC is Vanderbilt’s Jenkins. The Commodores who are second in a very top heavy SEC were able to get wins on the road against Ole Miss and Georgia. Jenkins averaged 27 points and shot lights out from the charity stripe at 86%. Jenkins did much of his damage from three-point land. Against Ole Miss he was 4-of-4 from deep followed by 6-of-8 against Georgia. Although the SEC may not be as competitive as the other major conferences, the top teams will be ones to keep your eye on come March Madness.

Click image to enlarge

Source: Infographic World

Felicia Barron, Courtesy of Quinnipiac Athletics

Northeast Conference

Men: Jamal Olasewere, LIU Brooklyn, 6-7 junior forward

Olasewere averaged 26.5 points and 11 rebounds per game as the Blackbirds swept St. Francis during NEC Rivalry Week. The preseason All-NEC selection posted his eighth double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 11 boards in the first of two games. He then followed that performance with a career-high 32-point outburst at home, lifting LIU Brooklyn past St. Francis, 81-78.  Overall, he finished the week shooting 73% from the floor and 74% from the charity stripe. The 6-7 junior is the NEC’s second-ranked scorer (20.4) and fifth-best rebounder (8.5) in conference play

Women: Felicia Barron, Quinnipiac, 5-7 junior guard

On the week Barron averaged 18.5 points, 2.5 assists, 2 rebounds and 5 steals as Quinnipiac went 1-1 against Fairleigh Dickinson and Central Connecticut State.  Barron is currently leading the nation is steals at 4.6 per game and sits 2^nd in the NEC in points per game at 17.6.

Ohio Valley

Men: Isaiah Canaan, Murray State, 6-0 junior guard

Canaan averaged 27.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game and hit 68.2%  from the field, 66.7 % from 3-point range and 82.4 % on free throws last week as Murray State lost its first game of the season to Tennessee State but rebounded with a victory over rival Austin Peay. In the loss to TSU, Canaan hit 7-of-10 3-pointers on his way to 31 points, his fourth 30-plus point effort of the season. On Saturday Canaan hit 3-of-5 3-pointers and scored 23 points against Austin Peay.

Women: Heather Butler, UT Martin, 5-6 sophomore guard

Butler scored 32 points and led the Skyhawks to a 94-86 overtime victory over Eastern Illinios.  Butler was 13-of-18 from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range. She also had six rebounds and six assists. With the five 3-pointers, Butler set a new UT Martin record for the most 3-pointers made in a career (160)

Patriot League

Men: C.J. McCollum, Lehigh, 6-3 junior guard

McCollum scored 30 points with nine rebounds in a 71-62 loss to American on Thursday before finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals in Saturday’s 89-69 victory over Colgate. The outing against the Raiders marked McCollum’s 17th career double-double. McCollum is averaging 24.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 steals in Lehigh’s last six games, while committing only six turnovers in that span. He leads the Patriot League in scoring (21.7) and steals (2.6) per game, ranking in the top 10 nationally in both categories.

Women: Shelby Romine, Bucknell, 5-8 sophomore guard

The sophomore guard averaged 18.5 points and 3.5 assists in the victories over Colgate and Lafayette. Romine scored a season-high 26 points at Lafayette last Saturday on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-4 clip from 3-point range, and 11-of-13 from the free throw line.  In the victory over Colgate, Romine totaled 11 points and seven rebounds.  For the week, Romine shot 10-for-19 from the floor and 14-for-18 from the free throw line.

Southland

Men: Antonio Bostic, Stephen F. Austin, 6-2 junior guard

Bostic averaged 18 points and five rebounds in wins against Nicholls State and UTSA. He never left the floor in either game, including all 45 minutes in a four-point overtime win over the Colonels last Wednesday. He scored 17 points in the game to go with five rebounds and three assist.  Later in the week he recorded 19 points and five boards in a 59-51 road win at UTSA.

Women: Megan Herbert, Central Arkansas, 5-11 junior forward

Herbert set career milestones in wins against Texas State and McNeese State. Herbert topped the 1,000-rebound mark to move into 10th in Southland history and extended her double-double streak to five games. Herbert now has 60 double-doubles in her career, which is the most in the NCAA among active players. In the win against McNeese, Herbert recorded a game-high 26 points on 8-for-9 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc.  Against Texas State, Herbert pulled down 15 rebounds to hit 1,000 for her career in only 85 games. For the week, the Sugar Bears’ forward averaged 21.5 points and 13.0 rebounds.

Reggie Hamilton, Photo by Jose Suarez

Summit

Men: Reggie Hamilton, Oakland, 5-11 senior guard

Hamilton scored a game-high 31 points, draining 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Hamilton finished a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line and dished out five assists.   Hamilton is second in the nation in scoring at 24.6 points per game. He led the Golden Grizzlies to their 10th straight win over IPFW, 93-82, on Saturday.

Women: Amber Hegge, South Dakota, 6-1 senior forward

Hegge helped the Coyotes to a 3-0 record, including wins over rivals South Dakota State and North Dakota State. She averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals for the week. The senior forward had 28 points against both NDSU and SDSU and recorded her ninth double-double of the season in the victory over the Bison.  Hegge shot 50 percent from the field) and 64 percent from the three-point line.

Sunbelt

Men: LaRon Dendy, Middle Tennessee, 6-9 senior forward

Dendy was a force for the Blue Raiders last week, averaging 24.5 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists to lead Middle Tennessee to a pair of victories. He had a career day against rival WKU in a 72-64 win on Thursday, posting his fifth double-double of the season with 26 points and 14 rebounds, both career-highs.  He matched his career-high with four assists in the contest as well. The senior forward followed that up with his eighth game of 20 or more points this season, scoring 23 in an 68-60 victory over UALR.

Women: Jerica Coley, Florida International, 5-8 sophomore guard

Coley led FIU to a perfect 2-0 week as the Panthers defeated North Texas and Denver.  She posted 25 points against North Texas to mark her 17th 20-plus point outing of the season and followed up with 18 points against Denver, averaging 21.5 points per game for the week. The point guard played all 40 minutes in both contests and had a stellar week at the free throw line, going 13-of-15. Coley also contributed 6.0 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists. The sophomore guard ranks second in the NCAA in scoring.

Related Articles

National Players of the Week

High Major Players of the Week

Mid-Major Players of the Week

Conference Players of the Week

Andrew Heath is a Correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. Thanks to Oakland and Quinnipiac Universities for the photos.

Darryl Partin, Courtesy of BU Athletics

The following are more of our conference players of the week ending February, 12, 2012.

America East

Boston University senior Darryl Partin averaged 23.5 points a game in the Terriers two wins. Facing a 16-point deficit against Albany, Partin scored 25 of his game-high 33 in the second half. For the game, he hit 12-of-17 shots from the floor, including 4-of-7 on three-pointers.

University of Albany junior forward/guard Ebone Henry led the Great Danes to a pair of victories to keep the team in the conference race. On Saturday against Maine, Henry put up a game-high 25 points, one shy of her season high, and collected five rebounds. For the week she averaged 20 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists per game. She shot 46 percent (14-of-30) from the field and 81 percent (9-of-11) from the free throw line.

Atlantic Sun

Sophomore guard Aloys Cabell of Jacksonville posted back-to-back 20-point games at USC Upstate and ETSU.  He led the Dolphins to their first-ever win at ETSU (61-55) with a game-high 26 points, shooting 10-of-13 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc. This marks eleven straight games Cabell has scored in double figures.

Jacksonville sophomore forward Jade Cargill posted back-to-back double-doubles last week in two road wins. Cargill has now put up eight double-doubles this season and is now fourth all-time in the Jacksonville record books. On the week, she averaged 18 points, 11.5 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Big Sky

University of Montana junior guard Will Cherry led the Grizzlies to wins over Idaho State, Northern Colorado and Sacramento State. These three wins tie them with Weber State for first place in the conference standings. During the three games, Cherry averaged 22.7 points on 57 percent shooting, three rebounds, three assists and 4.3 steals a game.

Eastern Washington’s Brianne Ryan scored 33 points in the Eagles one game last week in a 78-45 rout of Weber State.  The Eagles improved to 10-2 in the Big Sky, remaining in second place in the league race. Her 33 points tied her career-high and marked the fourth time this season she eclipsed the 30-point scoring mark. Ryan was 13-of-20 from the field, grabbing five rebounds and five steals in just 29 minutes.

Big South

Liberty senior guard Jesse Sanders opened the week with 19 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the Flames’ buzzer-beating win at Charleston Southern. At Presbyterian, Sanders had a double-double of 19 points and 10 assists. In the two road wins Sanders averaged 19 points, nine assists and shot 69.6 percent from the field (16-of-23).

Winthrop’s guard Dequesha McClanahan led her squad to a pair of Big South wins last week. After the 79-68 win against UNC Asheville she totaled 53 points on the week pushing her career total to 877, becoming the first Winthrop player in school history to reach 800 point plateau before her junior season. For the week she averaged 26.5 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Chris Wroblewski, Courtesy of Cornell Athletics

Ivy League

Cornell senior guard Chris Wroblewski was dominant in the two wins over Yale and Brown averaging 16.5 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and only one turnover in 76 minutes of play. In the 85-84 overtime win over Yale, he was just two rebounds shy of Cornell’s first-ever triple double. On the week he shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field and 62 percent (5-of-8) from beyond the arc.

Junior guard Megan Vazquez led Yale to two wins last week against Columbia and Cornell. In the 86-73 win over Cornell she matched her career-high with 25 points, passing the 1,000^th-point mark on her career. For the week, Vazquez averaged 26.5 points on 62 percent shooting (18-of-29), four rebounds and three assists.

Metro Atlantic Athletic

Loyola junior forward Erik Etherly helped lead the Greyhounds to a 1-1 record on the week. In the 87-81 victory over Iona, in a battle for first place in the league, he scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and earned his eighth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Etherly has now scored in double-digits for eight straight games. On the week he averaged 19.5 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Senior guard Miriam McKenzie of Loyola helped lead the Greyhounds to a pair of victories over Iona and Fairfield this past weekend. In the game against Fairfield McKenzie scored eight of her 18 points in the final three minutes, hitting four free throws to lead Loyola to the win. On the week, she averaged 20 points on 51.9 percent shooting, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Mid-American

Bowling Green junior forward A’uston Calhoun averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the wins over Ball State and Toledo last week. Against Ball State, Calhoun had 27 points and nine rebounds including 13 straight points in the second half after Ball State had built a three-point lead. He followed that up with his second double-double of the year, posting 20 points and 12 rebounds in the comeback win over Toledo. Calhoun also shot 54 percent from the field on the week.

Ohio’s senior guard Tenishia Benson was very efficient in the 76-57 win over Ball State.. Benson scored 19 points, pulled in seven rebounds and dished out two assists. She also shot an impressive 80 percent (8-of-10) from the field. With her 19 points against Ball State, she is only 16 points shy of reaching the 1,000 point mark for her career.

Mid-Eastern Athletic

Norfolk State’s senior guard/forward Chris McEachin led the first place Spartans to a 2-0 record in MEAC play last week. He recorded 20 points and shot 50 percent (3-of-6) from beyond the arc in the win over Maryland Eastern Shore. Against Hampton he had a career-best 27 points along with five rebounds and three steals. He connected on 8-of-16 shots in the Hampton win, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

Maryland Eastern Shore’s senior forward/center Adobi Agbasi averaged 19 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in the Lady Hawks victories against Norfolk State and Morgan State. Against Norfolk State, Agbasi was one block shy of a triple-double, with 22 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks. She followed that performance with 16 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks in the win over Morgan State.

Edison Crawley is a Staff Correspondent for NetScouts Basketball.

Andrew Nicholson

The following are our conference players of the week honors for the week ending February 12, 2012.

Atlantic 10

After a 24-point, nine-rebound outing in a loss at UMass, Andrew Nicholson posted St. Bonaventure’s first 20-20 game since Bob Lanier in 1967 with 21 points and a career-high 23 rebounds in a win over Duquesne.  His performance marked the Atlantic 10′s best effort on the glass since Dayton’s Ryan Perryman in 1998, ranks as the second-best rebounding total in the NCAA this season, and ties for the third-best rebounding game in Bonnies’ history.

Megan Van Tatenhove, hit the game-winning shot with 23 seconds remaining Saturday as St. Bonaventure erased a 15-point deficit and defeated Dayton on the road, 56-55. The senior forward finished the outing with a game-high 17 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds to help the Bonnies remain in sole possession of first place in the A-10 (11-0) and maintain their perfect road record (12-0).

Big West

Casper Ware exploded for a career-high 38 points to lead the 49ers to a 74-66 win at Pacific last Thursday. Later in the week the senior dished out two assists to become Long Beach State’s career leader with 509, in an 89-69 win at UC Davis.

Pacific freshman Kendall Kenyon led the Tigers last week in their first contest against UC Riverside posting a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards in just 16 minutes of play.  Her 18 points tied her career-high, but just two days later she set a new career best with 22 points against UC Irvine in just 24 minutes of action.

CAA

Bradford Burgess averaged 23.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists per game in VCU’s 2-0 week. The senior guard posted back-to-back 20-point efforts for the first time this year with a team-best 22 points in a 66-43 win over Towson and a season-high 24 points in a 68-64 triumph at ODU.

Tarik Hislop led James Madison to back-to-back road victories at Drexel and VCU while averaging 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Against Drexel,  Hislop posted a game-high 22 points two of which came via a 17-foot jumper which forced overtime. She also hit the game-winning shot at VCU Sunday.

Isaiah Sykes

Conference USA

Isaiah Sykes of Central Florida averaged 21.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting an incredible 72.0 percent from the floor against Marshall and Southern Miss. Against league leader Southern Miss, Sykes recorded a career-high 27 points while adding 10 rebounds and three steals.

Jamierra Faulkner led Southern Miss to a 74-67 road victory over SMU in the team’s only game of the week, while scoring a career-high 28 points. The nation’s third best distributor of the ball also dished out six assists and came up with six steals.

Horizon

Roosevelt Jones controlled the paint last week as Butler went 2-0 on its road swing against Youngstown State and Cleveland State. The freshman averaged 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, shooting 10-for-19 from the field for the week.

Julie Wojta had a career-high 30 points and 20 rebounds, while also collecting eight steals and four blocked shots in Green Bay’s 64-59 win over Wright State. The 20 rebounds and eight steals were Kress Center Records, while the four blocks tied the facility record.

Missouri Valley

Wichita State senior, Joe Ragland averaged 21.5 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 76.2 percent (16-21) in WSU’s two wins last week against UNI and No. 15 Creighton. Against Creighton, he scored 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, while adding six assists and a block.

Shannon Thomas led Indiana State to a pair of home victories last weekend, posting double-doubles in each game. The senior went for 24 points and 11 rebounds on Friday night against Bradley and followed that performance with 13 points, a season-high 18 rebounds and a career-high five assists on Sunday against UNI.

Mountain West

Mike Moser led No. 16 UNLV to a 65-63 win over No. 14 San Diego State on Saturday, moving the Runnin’ Rebels into a three-way for first place in the Mountain West standings. The sophomore forward scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed a game-best nine rebounds as the Rebels snapped a six-game losing streak to the Aztecs. He also recorded career-highs of six steals and four blocks while adding two assists in 36 minutes of action.

Colorado State senior Kim Mestdagh had 21 points, a career-best eight assists, four rebounds and two steals Saturday to lead the Rams to a 61-59 victory over TCU. The win was Colorado State University’s first over TCU in 13 years and kept the Rams in sole possession of second place in the league.

Southern

UNCG’s Trevis Simpson averaged 26.5 points per game last week as UNCG picked up road wins at Samford (71-69) and Chattanooga (77-76) to move into first place in the North Division. The sophomore poured in a game-high 25 points and season-high 7 rebounds at Samford as the Spartans came away with a two-point victory.

Western Carolina’s Kalia Shea Menendez led the Catamounts to a 2-0 week, defeating Wofford and Furman on the road. In Monday night’s 51-48 overtime victory at Furman, the guard led all players with 23 points, including 7 points in overtime which accounted for all of her team’s points in the period.

Kevin Pangos

West Coast

Gonzaga freshman Kevin Pangos averaged 24 points and 5.5 assists while not committing a turnover as the Bulldogs beat previously-unbeaten Saint Mary’s and Loyola Marymount last week. In the victory over the Gaels, Pangos scored 27 points, including 5-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc.

Kim Parker’s 16 points was key in BYU’s 70-40 win over No. 18 Gonzaga last Thursday. Parker also added five rebounds, four assists and one steal in BYU’s only game last week.

WAC

Idaho junior Kyle Barone dominated the paint while leading Idaho to a 3-0 record during the week. The Vandals’ forward averaged 15.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 assists per game, shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 73.3 percent from the free throw line.

Shantale Bramble-Donaldson led Louisiana Tech to a pair of road wins last week at second-place Utah State (82-76) and at Idaho (61-57). In the win over the Vandals, she scored a career-high 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.

Michael Plesha is a Correspondent for NetScouts Basketball and can be followed on twitter @MichaelPlesha. Thanks to St. Bonaventure University and Central Florida University for the photos.

• In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, how many teams play with heart?  Truly play hard on defense, come prepared and compete?  I’ve seen so many lopsided scores (even double ups) this year, especially in women’s basketball, that it makes me wonder about a lot of things going on in those programs but especially heart.
• 

  Reuters Photo

  Jeremy Lin is all the rage right now and yet still has detractors.  Why can’t people just be happy for the guy?  He’s playing great and is good for the league coming off of a lockout.  I was fortunate enough to see him play many times at Palo Alto HS here in the Bay Area and personally told at least 3 college assistants that they should offer him…none did.  He was tough, competitive, smart, got to the basket at will, and his team won a lot of games including the California State Championship by beating Mater Dei.

• More Lin:  I had the chance to witness the “BAM Testing” at the Portsmouth Invitational after his senior year of college.  Landry Fields, his New York Knicks teammate, was also there and had a great showing although another “under the radar” type of guy.  Lin is 6’3/200 and was the quickest guy in the squared cone drill they did of all the 64 players in attendance, yet we’ll hear 20 times tonight on ESPN that he’s “not athletic” or “not very quick,” crazy talk.
• Gonzaga is going to do it again…St. Mary’s thrashed BYUin Provo and beat the Zags handily as well in Moraga and looked poised to break the Bulldogs 11 year WCC Title streak but losses at Gonzaga and LMU have changed all that.  Their 2-game lead over Gonzaga and BYU is gone and they are limping down the home stretch.  Canadian PG Kevin Pangos (pictured, thanks RTC) and German PF Elias Harris have keyed the Zags run.  I’m scouting them tonight.
  

  Kevin Pangos

• Speaking of the Gaels, they play Murray State in the Bracket Buster.  Murray State and St. Mary’s both lost after the match-up was announced so I ask you this…is this a good match for both?  Will the loser find themselves on the outside looking in come “bubble Sunday?”
• BYU has been good for the WCC as many teams have bumped up their level of play while others will have some decisions to make.
• Draymond Green is one of the smarter players I have seen this year, he really gets it.  His Michigan State squad, coached by Tom Izzo, is one that does play with heart and competes every night.
• How about Kansas Jayhawk big man Jeff Withey?  Dude was a nobody and has really stepped up his game playing alongside Thomas Robinson who is an absolute stud by the way.  Withey had a crazy good week last week and was National Player of the Week.
• Dana Altman is doing a great job with the Oregon Ducks, he’s had to piece together his squad and they are playing very well with a huge swing to the Bay Area schools this weekend with a chance to finish the weekend in first place.
• Duke’s win over Carolina was amazing, we’ll see how both teams respond after such an emotional game.
• Speaking of Duke, former Blue Devil Kyle Singler is enjoying a good season with Real Madrid in Spain.  They play in both the ACB (Spain) and in the Euroleague.  His teammate, Sergio Rodriguez (former NBA’er) is leading the EL in assists per game.
• Missouri has really been defending well and is a tough match with their 4-guard looks.
• Drew Gordon is playing well for New Mexico, the 6’9 PF had 17 points and 17 rebounds as the Lobos (21-4) beat a ranked San Diego State squad.  His little brother Aaron is one of the top high school players in the nation as a 6’7 Junior in San Jose, CA.
• Jim Calhoun should have retired after winning the title last season.
• Kentucky could win both the SEC men’s and women’s titles respectively.

That’s enough rambling for now, I’ll post some more thoughts next week.

Tyler Zeller

The following are NetScouts Basketball’s high major conference players of the week ending February 12, 2012.

ACC

Tyler Zeller, North Carolina, 7’0”, F, Sr.

It was very difficult to not pick Austin Rivers as ACC Player of the Week after the performance he had against North Carolina including the game winning three-pointer to bring Duke back to end the Tar Heels’ 31-game home winning streak. But overall Zeller’s week was too good to overlook. Although they fell short against 9^th ranked Duke, Zeller still had 23 points and 11 rebounds to go along with his two blocks. North Carolina wanted to bounce back strong after the loss to Duke and they did just that against 20^th ranked Virginia, winning by 18. The games leading scorer was Zeller who filled the stat sheet with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. His averages on the week were 24 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Zeller ranks 5^th in scoring and 3^rd in rebounding in the ACC.

Big East

Jack Cooley, Notre Dame, 6’9”, F, Jr.

The Big East’s leader in field goal percentage is this week’s choice of Player of the Week. Cooley helped the Fighting Irish defeat DePaul as well as West Virginia on the road. Cooley led 25^th ranked Notre Dame with an average of 21.5 points, 13 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on 80% shooting. He pulled down 7 offensive rebounds against West Virginia while shooting 77% from the field. Cooley will be very important in Notre Dame’s final 6 games in conference play in a loaded Big East conference.

Draymond Green

Big Ten

Draymond Green, Michigan State, 6’7”, F, Sr.

Michigan State’s Green is our Player of the Week after leading the Spartans to a huge win at Ohio State and a home win against Penn State. The Big Ten is a very top half heavy conference with 5 of the 12 teams ranked in the top 25. Green helped the Spartans upset the 3^rd ranked Buckeyes falling just one rebound short of a double-double. He was very dominant against the Nittany Lions with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Green averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and got to the charity stripe an average of 8 times per game on the week. The 8^th ranked Spartans are going to be a force to be reckoned with as the season comes to a close.

Big 12

Jeff Withey, Kansas, 7’0”, C, Jr.

Withey was vital in Kansas’ victory over 6^th ranked Baylor as well as their victory over Oklahoma State. Against Baylor, currently trailing Kansas and Missouri for first place in a very deep Big 12, Withey scored 25 points, had 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. Three days later Withey was very active all over the floor not only providing steady offensive production but cleaning the glass and being a defensive force with 18 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks. For the week Withey averaged 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5 blocks a game, while shooting 63% from the field. The stretch run in the Big 12 is going to be very exciting with Missouri, Kansas and Baylor all pulling away as the conference’s top teams.

Pac-12

E.J. Singler, Oregon, 6’6”, F, Jr.

The Oregon Ducks had a strong week in beating Washington and Washington State at home to put them in the driver seat for a first round bye in the Pac 12 Tournament. Oregon has been getting production from all over but the last few games much of the credit goes to E.J. Singler. The 6’6” junior was all over the stat sheet averaging 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game all while shooting 62.5% from behind the arc. Oregon has a big road trip coming up to face Cal and Stanford as they try to improve their position heading into Pac 12 tournament play.

SEC

Anthony Davis, Kentucky, 6’10”, F, Fr.

Kentucky freshmen forward Davis is having one of the most memorable first years in college basketball history. Davis is a likely candidate to win freshmen of the year as well as defensive player of the year because of the numbers he has consistently been putting up. Over the last two games Davis has been extremely important for the Wildcats leading them to victories over 7^th ranked Florida and unranked Vanderbilt. He averaged 15.5 points, 7 rebounds and a strong 5.5 blocks per game. Davis leads the NCAA in blocks per game at 4.88. His play has largely helped Kentucky to be ranked 1^st in the country four consecutive weeks and counting.

Justin Lehrbaum is a correspondent for NetScouts Basketball and can be followed on twitter @JustinLehrbaum Thanks to the Michigan State University and University of North Carolina Athletic Departments for the photos.

Brittney Griner

NetScouts Basketball has named junior center Brittney Griner of Baylor as our Women’s National Player of the Week ending February 14, 2012. The 6’8 Griner led Baylor to wins over Oklahoma and Texas A&M, the two second-place teams in the Big 12 race. She led all scorers in both games while helping the Lady Bears remain undefeated at 25-0 overall and 12-0 in conference play as they extended their league lead to four games. Griner averaged 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 blocks while shooting .516 (16-of-31) from the floor and .941 (16-of-17) from the free throw line. With her 48 points last week, Griner moved to No. 11 on the Big 12′s career scoring chart. She has 2,068 points and ranks No. 1 on the league’s blocks list with 527.

Jeff Withey of Kansas is our Men’s Player of the Week. Withey, a 7’0 junior center, was vital in the Jayhawks’ victories against #8-ranked Baylor and Oklahoma State. Against Baylor, Withey scored 25 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots. Three days later, Withey was very active all over the floor not only providing steady offensive production but by clearing the glass and being a defensive force. In the 81-66 win over Oklahoma State he scored 18 points, brought down 20 rebounds and blocked seven shots. For the week Withey averaged 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and five blocks while shooting 63% from the field..

Gerardo Suero

Albany’s Gerardo Suero is our International Player of the Week. The 6’4 junior from the Dominican Republic averaged 25.3 points, six rebounds and four assists in a 1-2 week for the Great Danes.  In a tough loss (81-78) to Boston University he scored 28 points and pulled down nine rebounds while shooting a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Suero followed that up with a 20-point game in a loss at New Hampshire (69-64) and a 28-point, five rebound, six assist, three steal performance in the win at Maine (76-68). Suero shot 20-of-23 from the free throw line for the week and is currently 5^th in the nation in scoring at 22.0 per game.

Thanks to Baylor University and Albany University Athletics for the photos.

Latif Rivers

Northeast Conference

Men: Latif Rivers, Wagner, 6-1 sophomore guard

Rivers averaged 19 points in a pair of double-digit home wins over Robert Morris and St. Francis.  Against Robert Morris, the 6-1 guard led all scorers with 28 points, including 17 in the first half and 15 from the charity stripe as Wagner prevailed 80-69.  He also shot 50% from downtown and grabbed four boards. Two days later, Rivers scored in double-figures again, this time chipping in 10 while collecting four rebounds and a pair of steals in a 72-54 triumph over Saint Francis (PA). Rivers is currently the NEC’s 11th-leading scorer at 15.0 ppg.  He is also the league’s second-ranked free throw shooter at 89.6 percent which also ranks him 11th in the nation.

Women: Aylsha Womack, Monmouth, 5-7 junior guard

Womack totaled 46 points against Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac, teams that entered the weekend with a combined 32-10 overall record.  She tallied 19 points and four rebounds against Quinnipiac and came back even stronger against Sacred Heart with 27 points.  Womack shot 60 percent (18-for-30) from the field, made 4 of 7 attempts from three-point range and was perfect (6-for-6) from the charity stripe.

Ohio Valley

Men: Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech, 6-7 senior guard

Murphy had a huge week as he averaged 35.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists while hitting 59.3 percent from the field, 54.5 percent from 3-point range and 85.7 percent at the free throw line in three Tennessee Tech victories. Included in those totals was a 50-point game last Monday against SIUE.  Murphy followed that by scoring 33 points and pulling down seven rebounds in a victory at rival Austin Peay.  He finished the week by scoring 23 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists at Jacksonville State. Murphy is currently ranked 4^th in the nation in scoring at 21.8 ppg.

Women: Raven Berry, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 6-1 junior center

Berry averaged a double-double last week with 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds. She shot 57.1 percent from the floor while dishing out nine assists over the three games. Berry scored a career-high 26 points versus Morehead State to go with 12 rebounds for her 20th career double-double.

Patriot League

Men: Charles Hinkle, American, 6-5 senior forward

Hinkle delivered in the clutch for the Eagles, hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with 33 seconds to play as American went on to a 59-58 victory at Colgate on Saturday. The shot put American up 59-57 after Hinkle had given the Eagles a 56-54 edge with a three-pointer with 1:11 to go. He scored eight of the final 10 points as the Eagles rallied from a 52-49 deficit.  Hinkle led the Eagles with 23 points in the game. He made 9-of-19 shots from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range. It was Hinkle’s 13th 20-point game of the season, and he stands second in the Patriot League and in the top 20 nationally with 19.7 points per game for the year.

Alexa Williams

Women: Alexa Williams, Lehigh, 6-3 senior forward

Williams tied her career high with 23 points in a 75-73 victory at Holy Cross.  She finished with a pair of assists and two steals, including a critical theft in the final minute to help seal the victory for the Mountain Hawks.  The 6-3 forward leads the team in points, rebounds, blocks and steals. She leads the league with 9.1 rebounds per game and ranks third in free-throw percentage at 73.9 percent. 

Southland Conference

Men: Dantrell Thomas, Nicholls State, 6-2 sophomore guard

Thomas averaged 22.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 rebounds in leading the Colonels to a pair of home-court wins last week against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Texas State. Against the Islanders, the sophomore set career highs with 23 points and four 3-pointers. He followed that up with a 22-point performance against Texas State.  In the two games, he made 18 of 27 field goals (66.7 percent) and was 5 of 11 from 3-point range.

Women: Megan Herbert, Central Arkansas, 5-11 junior forward

For the second consecutive week, Herbert receives our player of the week. Herbert helped Central Arkansas to a 2-0 conference record last week with back-to-back double-doubles in wins against Northwestern State and UT Arlington. In both contests, Hebert had her best effort in the second half. At UT Arlington, the 5-11 junior had 18 points and six rebounds in the second half.  For the game, Herbert scored 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. The forward also pulled down 14 rebounds.  At Northwestern State, Herbert recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds, to pace Sugar Bears to a crucial divisional road win. Herbert shot 56.0 percent (14-for-25) from the field on the week while averaging 22.5 points and 13.5 rebounds.

Nate Wolters

Summit League

Men: Nate Wolters, South Dakota State, 6-4 junior guard

Wolters averaged 27.5 points, 6.5 assists and 3.0 steals in a pair of wins.  Against Oral Roberts, he finished with 24 points and nine assists. Two nights later, Wolters scored 31 points, converting 10-of-16 shots from the field and 11-of-13 from the free throw line in a win over Southern Utah. He added four steals, four assists and three rebounds in the contest.  On the week, Wolters totaled 13 assists while committing just four turnovers for an assist to turnover ratio of 3.3.

Women: Kevi Luper, Oral Roberts, 5-10 junior guard

Luper tallied  41 points against North Dakota State. The 5-10 guard eclipsed the Summit League career scoring record during the game, which ORU won 84-75.  Luper’s 41-point outburst was the second-highest single-game total of her ORU career. The junior was 16-of-28 from the field in the win.  For the week, Luper averaged 25.0 points and 4.5 steals per game.

Sunbelt

Men: Chris Udofia, Denver, 6-6 sophomore forward

Udofica helped lead the Pioneers to a 1-1 split last week, including a 75-60 win over Middle Tennessee.  Udofia averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 blocked shots and 1.5 steals in the two games. In front of a national audience on ESPN2, Udofia exploded for a career-high 27 points and nine rebounds. The sophomore added four blocked shots, leading the Pioneers to a 75-60 win over SBC-leading Middle Tennessee.  Udofia went 10-for-14 (.714) from the field, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.  In Thursday’s one-point loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, Udofia had 12 points, five assists and three blocked shots.

Women: Sarda Peterson, South Alabama, 5-6 senior guard

For the week, Peterson averaged 16 points while shooting 50% from the field and 46.7% from the three-point line.  In a 66-57 victory over Florida Atlantic on Wednesday, Peterson had 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting.  On Saturday, Peterson posted her third-straight double-figure outing with another 16-point effort against Western Kentucky.  She has now recorded double digits in seven of her last 10 games.

Andrew Heath is a Correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. Thanks to Wagner, Lehigh and South Dakota State Universities for the photos.