FEB. 18 (awards based on games played Monday-Sunday)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Steve Logan, Cincinnati
Logan has a big game later this week against Marquette. Last week he came through big-time. First, he had 21 points against Saint Louis and then followed up with a 41-point performance against Southern Miss. How good was he against the Golden Eagles? He outscored USM himself, 41-38. Logan is one of the unheralded players in college basketball who should be among the top 15 in the nation, and he's clearly the best player in Conference USA.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Wisconsin
Bo Ryan's team went on the road and came up with two big victories at Indiana and Minnesota. I know they beat the Hoosiers without Jared Jeffries, but it was the Badgers' first win in Bloomington since 1977. And Minnesota is so tough at home. Wisconsin started the year 1-4 and looked like it was going nowhere. Now the Badgers are 9-5 in the Big Ten and a threat in their league. Kirk Penney had 30 big points in the win over the Gophers.
COACH OF THE WEEK: Gary Williams, Maryland
Certainly, the Terrapins were well-prepared at Cole Field House on Sunday for their big victory over Duke. Give Williams a lot of credit. Chris Wilcox had a big game for the Terrapins, and Juan Dixon had a strong second half as Maryland took care of Duke.
DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK: Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
In the miracle win against Boston College, he was one of the keys, yet you wouldn't find Okafor strongly in the offensive stat line. He changes shots and makes a big difference inside. He had nine points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks in the victory over BC. He also had five blocks Monday in the victory over Villanova.
SHOCKS OF THE WEEK: Houston over Memphis, 76-73
I know the Tigers have been hurting with Kelly Wise injured and seeing limited minutes. It's still a shock at Memphis. With the Tigers coming off a two-game losing streak, I thought they would be ready. Now Memphis has to try to rebound Wednesday against South Florida, a team that is very dangerous at home. John Calipari's team gets shocked by the Cougars.
