Player of the Week
BRACEY WRIGHT, Indiana
Wright gets the nod for this, our final player of the week honor of the season. Wright scored 32 points Sunday in the overtime win over Michigan State, a victory that puts the Hoosiers back in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Earlier in the week, Wright scored 27 points in a home win over Purdue. In each of the two games, Wright was an identical 5-of-8 on 3s. He made every free throw he attempted, converting 13 of 13 in the two games. A high ankle sprain dogged Wright from Feb. 2-20, forcing him to miss three games in which the Hoosiers went 1-2 (although one of the games was at Illinois). He returned but struggled to go 1 of 8 in a win at Michigan. But Wright seems to be back and if that's the case then the Hoosiers are a realistic threat to make a run toward an NCAA Tournament berth. Wright has had big games in his career at Indiana but none may have had as much impact as Sunday's game. That one win could end up being the difference for the Hoosiers getting a bid, assuming they take care of business and beat Northwestern at home over the weekend.

  • Past players of the week
    • Supporting Cast
    HAKIM WARRICK, Syracuse: Warrick went out in style at the Carrier Dome. He scored 35 points and grabbed 10 boards in a win over St. John's and then busted out for 36 and six against Providence. The numbers were certainly worthy to be player of the week but the wins were over two of the worst teams in the Big East. The significance of Wright's numbers played a larger role in choosing him to be player of the week.

    KEVIN PITTSNOGLE, West Virginia: Pittsnogle has put the Mountaineers on his back and carried them back on the bubble. West Virginia won at Pittsburgh and beat Rutgers last week. Pittsnogle scored 22 points in the win over the Panthers and then chipped in with 14 in a win over Rutgers. West Virginia has won six of their last seven games.

    EDDIE BASDEN, Charlotte: Basden made a strong case for Conference USA player of the year with his 24 points, seven boards and three steals in a win over Memphis. Basden followed that up with 17 points, eight boards and six blocks in a home win over Southern Miss. Charlotte has won nine of their last 10 games and Basden has been one of the main reasons for its consistency.

    PATRICK SPARKS, Kentucky: Once again, a tough call to choose Sparks over Wayne Simien here. Simien was sensational with 32 points in Kansas' home win over Oklahoma State. But Sparks scored 26 and made seven 3s in a road win at Alabama Saturday which enabled the Wildcats to maintain its stronghold on the SEC and reassert itself as a No. 1 seed. Sparks scored a mere six points in an earlier win over Auburn whereas Kansas lost earlier in the week at Oklahoma.


    Team of the Week
    UCLA: The Bruins had one shot to get solid footing on the bubble: Win at Notre Dame. They did. The Bruins started the week by beating USC and then took out the Irish Sunday in convincing fashion. UCLA is being driven by a senior in Dijon Thompson and a core of freshmen that might be the top first-year class in the country. Ben Howland made a commitment to go with the youth movement and it has taken some time, but it has been worth the wait. The Bruins simply need to take care of business and sweep the Oregon schools at home this week to get into the NCAA Tournament. Don't expect them to collapse in the Pac-10 tournament and fall out of favor that fast. This should be an NCAA team in two weeks.

    Others To Watch
    Florida: The Gators are actually playing with poise and purpose this month. Florida beat Vanderbilt and won at South Carolina last week to have momentum going into the final week of the season.

    Washington: The Huskies put themselves in position to win the Pac-10 by sweeping Arizona State and Arizona in exciting fashion last week. The Huskies also made a strong statement that they could be a team to beat in March.

    Indiana: The Hoosiers climbed back into the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation with wins over Purdue and Michigan State at home. Indiana made sure that the Wisconsin game on the road in Madison Tuesday matters. The Mike Davis talk is officially on hold with the Hoosiers headed for the postseason.

    Connecticut: The Huskies are rolling, beating Notre Dame at home and Pittsburgh on the road. Connecticut is peaking at the right time and has the look of a team that could get to the Final Four. The Huskies would love another crack at Boston College and could meet the Eagles in the final of the Big East tournament.

    LSU: The Tigers continue to roll and are tied with Alabama for the top spot in the SEC West. LSU beat Alabama and won at Auburn and if the Tigers beat Ole Miss in Oxford and beat Vanderbilt then the Tigers could win the SEC West (if Alabama loses at Mississippi State) and get a decent seed in the NCAA Tournament.

  • Past teams of the week
    		•