Player of the Week
Jordan Adams, UCLA
The sophomore guard has become a better all-around player for the Bruins this season. He is the leading scorer on his team averaging 21.6 points per game while shooting 51 percent from the field. His points per game rank him fourth in the conference, having yet to score fewer than 16 points on the season, which came in the season opener. His improvement on defense is what stands out about Adams right now. He’s averaging 3.3 steals per game, good for second in the conference and fifth in the entire league.
Adams is a very difficult matchup for defenders this season. He’s physical and gets to the free-throw line a lot because of it (7.9 fta per game) shooting .859 when he gets to the stripe. He’s also a great catch and shoot perimeter shooter.
In his last two games against UC Santa Barbara and Missouri, he put up 22 points in each. In the loss to Missouri, Adams recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds to go along with his 22 points. Also, adding three steals and an assist to his stat sheet total. Adams is a valuable weapon on this UCLA squad right now.
Who’s Hot
Spencer Dinwiddie, Colorado
Dinwiddie was huge this past week for the Buffs in their games against Colorado St and #6 Kansas. The junior guard averaged 21.5 points and 5.5 assists with just one turnover in 67 minutes during those games. His strong suit is getting into the paint and getting to the line a lot, where he is deadly (.863 FT%). He can also hit the 3-point shot when given the opportunity, shooting 40 percent on the year.
Dinwiddie’s the primary ball handler for Colorado when the game is on the line. He’s tough, smart, strong, and is excellent in transition getting buckets or getting to the foul line. His great court vision is another attribute to his game. When driving to the rack he keeps his eyes up, always looking for the cutter to the basket for an easy two.
Delon Wright, Utah
Wright has been amazing so far this season, there’s no other way to put it. He’s leading the nation shooting a ridiculous .743 from the field and making it difficult for defenders every time he’s on floor, averaging 3.4 steals per game (4th in the league).
Averaging 16.1 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, 6.4 assists per game, 1.1 blocks per game, and 3.3 steals per game, Wright is contributing in every aspect of the game. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles in games against Boise St (15 points and 11 rebounds) and Fresno St (23 points and 12 assists) this past week. The 6-5 guard is a stat sheet stuffer, leading the Utes to an impressive 8-1 start.
Askia Booker, Colorado
Have to shout out Booker this week for his amazing last second shot to win the game for the Buffaloes against #6 Kansas. Up to this point he’s been taking a lot of bad shots, usually off balanced or hard challenged. However, against Kansas he broke out and showed his 3-point ability nailing 3-6 from behind the arc. He totaled 15 points on the night, but his last second shot is the main clip in this games highlight tape as it gave Colorado the win and ended a 19 game losing streak against the Jayhawks.
The junior guard averaged 13.5 points per game during the team’s two games last week. He also added two steals to his stat sheet in the game against Colorado St.
Who’s Not
Tony Parker 44190, UCLA
Parker needs to improve offensively. It’s understandable that he’s not scoring much because of the other great talent on the Bruins roster, but when he gets his touches down low he doesn’t give coach Alford any reason to feed him the ball more. He doesn’t move his feet well which usually results in him having to give up the ball quickly before committing a turnover. The biggest problem for Parker this season is getting into foul trouble early. This is taking away from his time on the court, averaging just 20 minutes per game. He’s currently averaging 7.2 points per game on the year.
Tyrone Wallace, California
Wallace started the season off hot, scoring 20 and 16 points in the Golden Bears first two games but has cooled off scoring as of lately. It looks like the same problem might have arisen that hampered him last season, his ability to consistently put the ball in the basket. Wallace has shown potential to be a contributor this season, but has to improve his ability to shoot the ball with Justin Cobbs being the primary ball handler for Cal. While he’s a solid contributor in other aspects of the game, Wallace’s 9.1 points per game should improve with a more consistent shooting output.
Top 5 Distributors
1. Johnathan Loyd, Oregon
The senior point guard is a pure distributor for the Ducks offense. He’s ranked third in the nation (1st in conference) averaging 7.4 assists per game. Loyd is impacting the Oregon offense significantly; the team has five other players averaging double figures in points per game besides Loyd. His great ability to set up his teammates in transition and in the half-court game has been crucial to his success as a distributor. At Ole Miss over the weekend Loyd dished out 15 assists in the Ducks overtime win against the Rebels.
2. Kyle Anderson, UCLA
Anderson is so versatile when he’s on the court for the Bruins. His distributing ability is just one asset to his game. He is 6-9 with point guard skills and that makes it tough for defenders trying to guard him on-ball. Anderson is a very poised player on the floor with a great basketball IQ, averaging 7.1 assists per game (2nd in conference). His ability to find open teammates consistently allows him to dominate the game without even scoring.
3. TJ McConnell, Arizona
The transfer from Duquesne has filled the role of a true point guard that this team has been lacking for many seasons. He’s averaging 6.8 assists per game for the Wildcats, ranking him third in the conference. McConnell is the floor general for this squad and does a good job of keeping the team organized when he’s out on the court. His outstanding vision with the ball in his hands impacts his distributing ability and he makes the team better when he’s out there.
4. Justin Cobbs, California
Cobbs is more of a floor general for the Golden Bears this season than in year’s past. He has always had good scoring ability, but this season he has improved on his distributing ability, getting his teammates more involved. A big reason for this could be because he has better players surrounding him this season. He still puts the ball in the basket (14.0 points per game) but it’s worth taking note of the increase in his assist totals compared to last season (4.8 to 6.6 assists per game). Cobbs’ 6.6 assists per game have him ranked fourth in the conference in that category.
5. Delon Wright, Utah
Again we see Wright on another top 5 list this week. He contributes in so many ways for his team and of course, distributing is one of them. His 6.4 assists per game is good for fifth in the conference and his 6-5 height gives him the ability to play above many of the defenders that are placed on him around the perimeter. Wright’s aggressiveness going to the hole brings in defenders to help out and that’s when he kicks it out to an open teammate for a high percentage shot.