Frequent Flyer

Player of the Week

Charles Cooke, G, Senior, Dayton Flyers

The Flyers, who have been one of the best mid major reams in recent years, finally make an appearance on the list this year and should be involved more to come. They are led by their one of their seniors, Charles Cooke, who is my Player of the Week and has Dayton playing its best basketball. Cooke is having a tremendous senior season for the Flyers, who are sitting 14-4, 5-1 in conference play. Cooke is averaging 17.9 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game. He is also shooting a comfortable 47 percent from the field. What gets him on this list is his elevated, superb play over the last couple weeks in conference play. Going into conference play, the Flyers had been playing well overall but could not separate themselves from a talented and crowded Atlantic 10 conference. The Richmond Spiders started off very hot and was looking like the team to beat for a couple weeks, taking away some thunder from Dayton. Cooke and the Flyers have remained strong though, being led by their underrated senior backcourt of Cooke and Scoochie Smith. His best performance came in their largest game of the season to this point when the Flyers played first Richmond. In the biggest game of the year, with first place on the line, Cooke led the Flyers in scoring with 17 points and accounted for two steals in what was a hard fought, defensive game. The Flyers won 75-59 and are now sitting in first place in the Atlantic 10. Cooke has been performing well all year, but now he is showing the country that when it matters most and when the stakes are high, he will live up to the pressure and get his team the victory. Cooke is hitting his stride now, along with the whole Dayton squad. Dayton is always a scary team to play come March time because of how hot they get down the stretch. Cooke and the talented Flyers backcourt should be in stride going forward and looking to make serious noise in the postseason.

Who’s Hot

JaCorey Williams, G, Senior, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Remember last March when Middle Tennessee busted your bracket by upsetting Michigan State? Yup, me too. Did you see the Blue Raiders coming? If you didn’t then, you should now because those Blue Raiders are HOT HOT HOT. Last year, Middle Tennessee finished second in their conference and had to win their conference tournament just to get into the Big Dance. Since then, they have added a transfer from Arkansas who has put them in the driver seat to get back there. JaCorey Williams is a senior transfer who has put Middle Tennessee in first place in the Conference USA standings at 16-3, 6-0 in their conference. He is averaging 18.1 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game and an impressive 52 percent field goal percentage. In his last two conference games, he has scored 27 and 21 points respectively. He also has two double-doubles in the six conference games, have 10 and 11 rebound games. Williams has been exciting all season long, consistently performing at a high level and doing all the things to get his team the win. Barring an unforeseen collapse in the regular season or conference tournament, the Blue Raiders should be back in the NCAA Tournament and could be higher than the 15 they had last year. This team without Williams already has the experience in the tournament to win a game against a top opponent. You add Williams and his level of play and consistency and you could seriously see another upset or two this coming March.

FGCU and Illinois State

Both teams have made huge strides in the last month for different reasons. Florida Gulf Coast just a month ago was in trouble, with them sitting around .500 and their best player and leading scorer from last season, Marc-Eddy Norelia, not playing well and constantly battling injuries. The Eagles, who made the NCAA Tournament last year, were in jeopardy of missing out. Since December 20th, they have gone 7-1 and are in first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference at 14-6 and 3-1 in conference play. Norelia has recently come back from injury and further strengthened this Eagles team that found their way without him. Now sitting in the driver’s seat, FGCU is in prime position to get back to the tourney.

Illinois State has actually been playing very well all season, sitting at 15-4 and 7-0 in conference play. The biggest problem the Redbirds had was they could not catch Wichita State for the lead in the Missouri Valley Conference. That all changed January 19th, when Illinois State defeated the Shockers at home 76-62 and now have full control of the conference. These two teams meet again on February 4th, in what will most likely decide the regular season champion. The Redbirds are dominant right now and look in control so knocking them off will be a tough task.

Who’s Not

Jon Elmore, G, Junior, Marshall Thundering Herd

Just two weeks ago, Elmore was a player on the “Who’s Hot” list, when he had Marshall at 10-6 and within striking distance of Middle Tennessee in Conference USA. His numbers are still good, averaging 20.1 points per game and 6.1 assists per game. It has been the last week or so that has hurt him and his team. Marshall now sits at 11-8 and 4-2 in conference play. They have lost their last two conference games and in those games, Elmore has only scored 10 and 13 points respectively. He also shot well below his average of 40 percent from the field. Up until then, he was playing very well and was 4-0 in conference play. Now, his team has dropped some crucial conference games and his play has dipped tremendously. There probably isn’t any shot for Marshall to win the conference regular season title since Middle Tennessee is running away with it. If Elmore doesn’t not only return to old form but take on a greater role soon, the tournament hopes for the Herd will be evaporated.

Top 5 Busts/Disappointments

5. Temple Owls (10-10, 1-6)

It has certainly been a disappointing and unfortunate season for the Temple Owls. After reaching the NCAA Tournament last year, they would need a miracle to get back this year. Head coach Fran Dunphy is one of the most savvy, experienced coaches in basketball and just about every year he puts together a competitive, hardnosed team that makes the postseason. This season will most likely not be the case. Earlier in the season, they were hitting stride and even beat ranked West Virginia and Florida State teams. Down the stretch, they lost their way and have currently lost six of their last seven. The positive of this: Dunphy is good enough to rebound and be right back in it next year.

4. Northern Iowa (7-11, 2-5)

The Panthers have had great success under head coach Ben Jacobson in his tenure, making the NCAA Tournament a few times and winning some games. They have almost always been a competitor in the Missouri Valley Conference year in and year out. That is what makes this year so tough on the Panthers, dealing with the unexpected. Wichita State lost their two core value pieces in Fred Van Vleet and Ron Baker, but they have remained solid and are sitting at the top of the standings. In a year that Norther Iowa could have overtaken Wichita State and the conference, they have failed.

3. Terry Larrier, G, Sophomore, UCONN

When Larrier transferred from VCU last year and was set to make his Huskie debut this season, there was great hype that he would lead them far. Just FOUR games into the season, when he got off to a hot start and was averaging 13.5 points per game, he tore his left ACL and was out for the season. UCONN lost arguably their most impactful performer to an injury that certainly could be reinjured in the future. The Huskies season has been a forgettable one to say the least and this bad news early on set the ball rolling.

2.UCONN Huskies (7-11, 2-4)

One of the biggest team busts this year is hands down the Huskies, as previously talked about. After reaching the Big Dance last year and even winning an early game, National Champion head coach Kevin Ollie and UCONN came into this season ranked 18 and with high hopes. They were expected to at least compete for the American Conference, but have not gotten it going. They got off to a horrible start, losing four of their first six including home losses to Wagner and Northeastern. Soon after, Terry Larrier went down to damper the season even more. The struggles continued all the way up to conference play, where they only have two wins and four losses. Unless they spark some late season magic and win their conference championship, this ship is surely sunk. The output and performances they have given at times have been very unlike a Kevin Ollied coached squad. Many will just write this season off as a bad egg and move on. Larrier will hopefully be back next year and they will be able to play at a higher level. Anything is possible for this season, but for right now the Huskies have been the biggest team bust so far.

1. Malik Pope, F, Junior, San Diego State Aztecs

Pope tops this list after taking a huge risk and having it all crash down. Last season, Pope made huge strides as a player and had great potential in the NBA. He is a 6’10”, 220-pound small forward with length and athleticism. Many expected him to declare for the draft, but surprisingly he decided to come back for one more year to increase his draft stock. This could not have been a more dreadful season and poorer decision he made. This season, he has averaged 8.1 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game. His season high in points is only 16 and he has only scored in double figures twice. He has battled injuries all season, missing nine games which has not allowed him to develop rhythm. He has not been a factor for the Aztecs all season, even when he has been on the court. Pope was supposed to be one of the premier players to watch this year in mid major basketball and it just has not been so. San Diego State has not been very good this season, not good enough to make the Big Dance. Injury certainly can’t be fully blamed on him for his disappointing season but he certainly has not performed while out there playing. Pope may certainly come to regret his decision to stay another year.