NBA-DRAFT.COM's Week In Review
Player of the Week: Drew Gordon, New Mexico
Drew Gordon and his Lobos team swept the awards this week with wins over a pair of top-25 teams and thus, vaulting his team into a two-game lead in the conference.
Gordon tallied a weekly total of 44 points and 37 rebounds, including 17 points and 17 rebounds on the road against San Diego State and then, put up another monster game, this time, resulting in a career-high 27 points and 20 rebounds against rival-UNLV. His inside dominance was performed with the utmost efficiency, including 20-of-35 from the field and 4-of-5 from the foul line in the victories.
Team of the Week: New Mexico Lobos
New Mexico secured redemption against the two league-favorites San Diego State and UNLV this week to not only even the season-series, but actually move into a two-game lead in the Mountain West with their latest wins. This is a team that has made tremendous strides since losing early on in the season to New Mexico State and Santa Clara, by way of the much improved offensive play.
Early in the week, the Lobos headed into Viejas Arena to take on San Diego State and the result was a scorching of the Aztecs. New Mexico shot 50 percent from the floor and made 10 3s, the first opponent in nearly two seasons to make at least as many shots as they took against SDSU.
And then heading home against the high-octane Rebels, the Lobos put the clamps down on defense and Drew Gordon had a career-game on the inside. UNLV shot just 31.1 percent from the field and their defense was not much better as they had no answer for the burly Gordon inside. He finished with a career-high 27 points and 20 rebounds to elevate the Lobos in the MWC standings.
Stat of the Week: 50.0
New Mexico shot 50 percent from the floor, including a scorching 10-for-19 (52.6 percent) from 3-point range when they upset San Diego State on the road. They were the first opponent to shoot 50 percent or better in the last 42 games against the Aztecs.
Notable Performances:
Jeff Withey, Kansas at Kansas State
For the third game in a row, Withey set or tied a career-mark, this time with 9 blocks to go along with his 18 points and 11 rebounds. In his last three games, he is averaging 20.3 points, 12 rebounds and 6.3 blocks.
Trey Burke, Michigan vs. Ohio State
The freshman point guard scored a team-high 17 points, including the clinching basket with 11 seconds left to go along with his 5 assists.
Jae Crowder, Marquette at UConn
The future-All-Big East selection sparked the double-digit Golden Eagle victory with his 29 points and 12 rebounds.
Jack Cooley, Notre Dame vs. Rutgers
The 6'9" forward scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half to go along with his 18 rebounds to lead the Fighting Irish past Rutgers.
Drew Gordon, New Mexico at San Diego State
Gordon and his Lobos took over first-place with the win and now Gordon has the inside track at conference player of the year. With his 17 points and 17 rebounds against the Aztecs, he has been a dominating force inside, averaging a double-double on the year.
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure vs. Rhode Island
On senior day, the Canadian-born forward scored 32 points and secured 13 rebounds to keep the Bonnies in the A-10 hunt.
Will Barton, Memphis at Tulane
The sophomore guard continued his impressive season by filling up the stat-sheet in the Tigers' win; he had 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, to go along with his 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. Ohio State
Williams poured in a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 from the floor with 9 rebounds, but the Golden Gophers dropped a second-straight game and fell into tenth place in the conference.
Trent Wiedeman, Charleston at UNC-Greensboro
The 6'8" forward had his eighth double-double of the year in the loss, posting a career-high 18 rebounds and nearly matching a career-high in points with 21.
Erving Walker, Florida at Arkansas
Walker found his shooting stroke from the beginning of the road game, knocking down 9-of-12 shots from the field and all eight free-throw attempts for a game-high 31 points.
Notable Scores:
Michigan 56, Ohio State 51
The Wolverines remained perfect at home with the victory over Big Ten power and rival Ohio State.
Syracuse 52, Louisville 51
The Cardinals rallied with a 15-2 run late in the second-half, but Syracuse responded by holding Louisville scoreless in the final 3.5 minutes, while going on a run of their own to take the lead and secure the one-point road victory.
San Francisco 66, Gonzaga 65
A late-leaner by the Dons with 3.3 seconds to go lifted USF to victory and at the same time, pretty much eliminated Gonzaga from their 12th straight conference title.
Murray State 65, Saint Mary's 51
Some wondered if Murray State would make the field if they did not win their conference tournament with their weak strength of schedule, but the Racers no longer have to worry about it with this win.
TCU 102, UNLV 97
Behind senior guard Hank Thorns' career-high 32 points, the Horned Frogs' fans stormed the court after coming back from an 18-point deficit in the second half and upsetting the Rebels.
Kansas State 57, Baylor 56
K-State held Baylor without a point in the final two minutes as the Wildcats clawed back in it and stole a road victory in Big 12 play.
UTEP 60, Memphis 58
The Miners converted 7-of-8 free-throws in the final two minutes to upset Memphis on the road and push the Tigers into a first-place tie with Southern Miss.
Virginia 71, Maryland 44
Although the Cavaliers fell out of the rankings this week, their defense stifled the Terps. A 40-13 second-half score buried Maryland.
Loyola Marymount 75, Saint Mary's 60
Saint Mary's has big postseason hopes, but their shot at winning a WCC title outright took a huge hit in this loss. Gonzaga is riding on the Gaels' heels with just a few games left to play.
George Mason 62, VCU 61
By winning their tenth game in 11 tries, George Mason has surpassed VCU and moved into a first-place tie with Drexel in the CAA. Senior forward Ryan Pearson led the charge with his 11th double-double of the season.
Baylor 79, Iowa State 64
Baylor ended a two-game losing streak by way of beating the Cyclones at home. Perry Jones had 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting after combining for 9 points on 3-of-20 shooting in last week's two losses.
LSU 69, Mississippi State 67
Renardo Sidney's first double-double of the year (10 points, 12 rebounds) was outdone by 21 team turnovers in the road loss.
UAB 47, SMU 28
Not exactly the best-looking game, but UAB's 34 percent was the field was nearly twice as good as the 17 percent SMU shot. The Mustangs' 28 points were the lowest scoring output ever in a C-USA games.
By President - Corey Ruff - 2-20-12
