Cardinal Rule

Player of the Week

Josh Huestis, Stanford

Huestis has been a great rebounder all season, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. He works hard on the glass on both ends of the floor. The forward is also good on defense and is one of the best shot blockers in the Pac-12, ranked third in the conference averaging 2.0 blocks per game. In the win against USC, the senior recorded a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. He also contributed with three blocks. In the Wildcats upset victory over #23 UCLA, Huestis scored 22 points, matching his career-high on 8-12 shooting from the field and 5-6 from the free-throw line. Also adding six rebounds, three assists and a season-high five blocks to his final stat-sheet total. He averaged 16.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.0 assists in the two home wins for the Cardinal. The senior has now moved into first in Stanford’s career blocked shots list with 174 up to this point. He averages 11.3 points per game and has recorded six double-doubles on the season.

Who’s Hot

Nigel Williams-Goss, Washington
The freshman is a great all-around player for the Huskies. He’s a great passer with a high basketball IQ that doesn’t force the ball when distributing to his teammates. The guard is also good in transition and can get to the bucket strong for two points in the paint. For being such a young player, he’s not afraid to demand the ball and take control of the offense.
In the win against Oregon State, Williams-Goss posted his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds on 7-10 shooting from the field. The freshman guard averages 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game with three 20-point games on the season.

TJ McConnell, Arizona

The leadership McConnell brings to the Wildcats has been vital to the success of the team throughout conference play. He sets the table on offense and when he’s at his best, so is the team. His scoring has gone up since Brandon Ashley’s been out. In five games without Ashley he is averaging 10.8 points per game and has scored in double figures three of the five games.
McConnell scored nine points along with 10 assists and four steals in the win over Colorado, just missing out on a double-double. The junior is averaging 5.6 assists per game, ranking him third in the conference. He also is ranked third in the conference in steals, averaging 1.9 per game.

Who’s Cold

Hallice Cooke, Oregon State

The freshman had a tough time shooting the ball in the Beavers two games this week. He went 2-14 from the field (.146 FG %) combined between the two games, scoring six points against Washington State and three points against Washington. Also, Cooke put up a goose egg from behind the arc, going 0-of-8 on 3-point shots. The Beaver guard has been an efficient shooter for the most part from 3-point range with a .486 3-point percentage, but the team takes a hit on offense if his outside shots are not falling regularly.

Richard Solomon, California

The usually efficient Solomon struggled to get his shots to drop in California’s two games this week. He shot just 2-11 (.196 FG %) from the field and if it wasn’t for his multiple trips to the free-throw line (7-10) he would have scored less this week. In the win over USC, he made up for his poor play on offense by contributing two blocks and three steals on the defensive side. The senior is an important piece to the Golden Bear offense, leading the team with a .557 field-goal percentage and averaging 10.0 rebounds per game. Cal is going to need everything out of Solomon with Arizona next up on the schedule.

Top 5 Duos

1. Kyle Anderson & Jordan Adams, UCLA

Anderson’s versatility helps the Bruins offense flourish. He Scores and distributes, with Adams on the receiving end of many passes from him. Anderson leads the conference, averaging 6.9 assists per game and is second on his team in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting and outstanding 50 percent from behind the arc. He also contributes defensively, ranked fourth in the conference with 1.7 steals per game. The 6-9 guard has registered 14 double-doubles (most in conference) and eight 20-point games. Adams is a wing player with great catch and shoot ability. He leads his team in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game. The guard also leads the conference averaging 2.9 steals per game. Adams has posted 10, 20-point games up to this point.

2. Nick Johnson & TJ McConnell, Arizona

Neither of these players lead the conference in any of the major stat categories, but their cohesion in the backcourt for the Wildcats makes them both excellent players. The team wouldn’t be first in the conference without the leadership and big time play produced by these two. Johnson leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game and always looks to take the big shot when the game is in its final minutes. He does a great job at getting to the free-throw line, where he is shooting .770. The guard has posted eight 20-point games so far. McConnell is the assist man on the team, averaging 5.6 assists per game and also puts in work on defense, averaging 1.9 steals per game. He leads the conference with a 2.9 assist/turnover ratio.

3. Roberto Nelson & Devon Collier, Oregon State

Nelson leads the Beavers and the conference in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game. He also leads the conference in 20-point games with 15 on the season. The guard can score from all spots on the floor, but is particularly good driving the lane and picking up fouls. He ranks third in the conference with a .852 free-throw percentage. Collier is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. He’s a very efficient shooter when he gets his touches in or around the paint and his .614 field-goal percentage ranks him second in the conference in that category. Nelson (1,623) and Collier (1,425) are looking to become the first Pac-12 teammates to reach 1,500 career points in the same season since 2010.

4. Justin Cobbs & Richard Solomon, California

Cobbs and Solomon may pose the best two man game in the conference as they both feed off one another on the offensive end. Cobbs is the primary ball handler that sets everything up and Solomon is a post presence on both ends of the floor. The guard leads his team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game and is second in the conference averaging 6.1 assists per game. Solomon is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double with 11.3 points and 10.0 (leads conference) rebounds per game. He’s also sporting a .557 field-goal percentage and has seven double-doubles on the season.

5. Jordan Bachynski & Jahii Carson, Arizona State

Bachynski is all over the block on defense. He leads the league in blocks per game, averaging 4.4, and even when not recording a block he is still altering the shot of the opponent entering the paint. His improvement on the offense end has given the Sun Devils an option to feed the ball down low compared to recently in his college career. Along with being a blocking machine, he’s averaging 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting .571 from the field. He has 11 double-doubles on the season. Carson leads the team in scoring and assists, averaging 18.4 points (fifth in conference) and 4.6 assists per game while creating most of the offense as the floor general. The guard has registered two double-doubles and has cashed in nine 20-point games so far.