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Player of the Week

Co-Players of the Week

Player of the Week

Player of the Week

Player of the Past Two Weeks

Michael Dixon, Missouri

Michael DixonPlaying on a very guard-heavy Missouri Tiger basketball team, the junior is doing his best to make his presence felt. The 6'1" Kansas City native is the current front-runner for national Sixth Man of the Year award. In a victory over William and Mary on December 18th, he exploded for 30 points on 13-19 from the field. He also shot an efficient 3-7 from three-point land. Against nationally ranked Illinois on the 22nd, he helped Mizzou stay undefeated by contributing 18 points, four assists, and two rebounds, while sinking an impressive 10-12 free throws. On almost any other team in America, Michael Dixon would be a starting guard. That shows you exactly how dangerous and deep Missouri's guards are this season.

Who's Hot

Rodney McGruder, Kansas State

The Kansas State Wildcats are off to an impressive start this season at 10-1. If they can get consistent play from their 6'4" star shooting guard, it could be another banner year for K-State. The junior showed off his impressive offensive arsenal in a 77-60 victory over Long Beach State this week. He scored 28 points on 10-11 shooting from the field, as well as 2-3 from 3-point range and 6-7 from the free-throw line. He pulled down six rebounds as well for the Wildcats, and was the steadying force the young team will be relying upon all season. He tends to disappear in some games, but from here on out, Kansas State can't afford for such a talented player to be so inconsistent.

Player of the Week

Chris Singleton

Chris SingletonThe Florida State Seminoles are looking like the second best team in the ACC this season, and a large portion of their success goes to the remarkable offensive improvement of 6'9" forward Chris Singleton. The past two seasons Singleton has been held back by a poor shot-selection, an inconsistent jumper and an abysmal free throw shooting percentage. This season he's managed to boost his three point shooting percentage from 29.7% to a very respectable 38.8%. Even more impressively, he’s raised his free throw shooting percentage from 49.6% to 76.8%. Singleton is taking full advantage of his newfound shooting ability; not by taking more jump shots, but by forcing the defense to play closer to him. This gives him the opportunity to use his outstanding quickness and athletic ability to attack the basket more aggressively, awarding him with more free throw attempts (an area he conveniently doesn't suck at anymore). Defensively, Singleton is still the same player. He uses his length, athleticism, strength, instincts and tenacity to force the opposition into tough shots. In his Christmas Day game against Baylor, Singleton did a fantastic job limiting Perry Jones to 4 points and 4 turnovers in 31 minutes. Singleton is rebounding and blocking shots at a very high rate for someone who projects to be a wing player at the next level. He's also second in the ACC at steals with 2.4 per game. Chris Singleton was a likely first rounder last season as a defender/athlete, and his willingness to work on other areas of his game is something that an NBA team in the lottery could fall in love with.

Hot

Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Miami is playing Duke this Sunday, so this is their chance to prove that they mean big business. I like the makeup of their roster, and while I don't believe that they are the best team in the ACC, I do believe that they are capable of putting a nice scare into the team that has yet to be scared this season. Miami has a strong backcourt with Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott to go along with a LARGE frontcourt with Reggie Johnson and Adrian Thomas. Miami's only loses this season have come from quality teams (Memphis, Rutgers, Central Florida), and they project to match up well against ACC competition. Expect Miami (FL) to enter the postseason (in a few months) on a high note.

Player of the Week

Kris Joseph

Kris JosephJoseph scored 27 in a grind it out win over Providence Tuesday night, playing 40 minutes and hitting a career high 4 three pointers. He's becoming the lead guy the Orange hoped he'd be heading into the season, scoring 20 or more 3 of his last 4. His athleticism and defensive potential as a swingman are unquestioned, but if he can continue to improve his outside shot and expand his game off the dribble, look for Joseph's stock to rise as a potential mid first rounder.

On the Rise...

St. Johns knocked off West Virginia this week in what was Steve Lavin's first big win as coach of the Red Storm. Seniors D.J. Kennedy, Justin Brownlee and Dwight Hardy combined for 54, using their experience and smarts to get to the line and keep West Virginia off of it. The big three combined to shoot 25-26 from the stripe in what was the clear difference in the game. With 5 seniors in the starting lineup, don't expect West Virginia to be the only team the Storm knock off in the Big East.

Player of the Week

Klay Thompson

Klay ThompsonThompson is the first two-time “Player of the Week” winner this season. His performance in Hawaii surely opened the eyes of some of his critics. Thompson finished the week averaging 26.3 points, 3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per contest. He was 25 of 46 from the field good for 54.3 percent and made 13 of his 25 attempts from the three point line (52%). Thompson has eclipsed the 20 point mark in eight of Washington States’ 12 games this season. Had the Cougars finished off the Butler game with a solid second half and a win, they would likely be the Pac-10s lone ranked team entering conference play.

Hot/Cold

With conference play set to begin, here's a hot and cold for each of the teams in the Pac-Ten through the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Arizona Wildcats

Record: 11-2

RPI: 40

Best Win: North Carolina State (RPI 65)

Worst Loss: Brigham Young (RPI 3)

Player of the Week

Doron Lamb, Kentucky

Doron LambLamb broke the UK freshman scoring record (formerly held by Jamal Mashburn) with a 32-point outburst versus Winthrop. His efficiency was mind boggling, connecting on 11-12 field goals, 7-8 threes and 3-3 free throws in 29 minutes. Lamb is now shooting 52% from the floor on the season, including 56% from distance (4 attempts per) and 81% from the FT stripe. He had always been praised for mastery of the intermediate game at a ripe age, but his range was heavily questioned entering collegiate ball. No longer. The long-range shot is now an offensive staple. Lamb has now scored in double figures in seven of eleven games, and appears to be the 'Cats most reliable playmaker in crunch time.

Hot

South Carolina's Freshman Backcourt

The youthful duo of Bruce Ellington (31) and Brian Richardson (15) combined to score more than half of SC's points in a 16-point road loss at Furman. They lit it up from behind the arc, with Ellington drilling 6 trifectas and Richardson adding 4 more of his own. Their accuracy from downtown is not an aberration, as they make over four three-pointers per game at a nearly 40% clip. Perimeter defense, however, leaves much to be desired.

Player of the Week