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By Josh Cochran and Joel Steiner
NCAA Power 16: February 15th

As we head into the last three weeks of the college basketball regular season, the debate as to whom will be Player of the Year will heat up. As of today our top five are as follows:

1. Evan Turner – 19.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 5.7 apg is almost unheard of in the college game and nobody is more important to his team in than Turner. When you talk upside Turner reminds you of a Scottie Pippen type of player.
2. John Wall –I can’t argue when somebody thinks Wall is the POY, but Turner just has to do more for Ohio State to win games than Wall does for Kentucky. Statistically this is evidenced by Turner’s +5.5 rpg margin over Wall. Wall will likely go Number #1 overall in the NBA Draft and some scouts compare him to Derrick Rose, but Derrick Rose wishes he could shoot like John Wall.
3. Scottie Reynolds – He is playing more efficiently than at any other point in his college career and I think scouts have taken notice. Reynolds has scored 20+ points in 12 of ‘Nova’s 24 games and may be the most clutch player in the country.
4. Wesley Johnson – Let’s give him a break after the nasty fall against Providence. Johnson is a deadly outside shooter while also averaging 8.8 rpg. The question scouts will ask is if he is more than a catch and shoot guy at the next level.
5. Damion James – Has really taken his game to another level becoming the Longhorns most consistent performer. His toughness and versatility could make him a lottery pick.

Honorable Mention
DeMarcus Cousins – He is the best low post scorer and rebounder in the college game right now and nobody finishes better after contact. If NBA front office personnel can get over his attitude concerns he could be a top 5 pick.

Others:
Luke Harangody, Dominique Jones, James Anderson

We would like to hear who you have as college basketball’s player of the year, so send us your comments. Now onto this week’s Power 16:

Rank (Last Week)
Record
Comment
1. Kansas (2)
24-1
The Jayhawks are rolling and they have just about put the Big 12 to rest. They reclaim the #1 spot this week after posting an impressive road performance at Texas. One huge reason for their recent success is the emergence of Marcus Morris. During KU’s current 10-game winning streak, Morris is averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He and Cole Aldrich form one of the best frontlines in the nation.
2. Kentucky (3)
24-1
The Wildcats showed some growth Saturday night by winning against a solid Tennessee team despite a sub par performance from DeMarcus Cousins. John Wall led the way this week with 22 pts and 10 boards against Alabama and 24 points against Tennessee. One concern remains with his game and that would be turnovers. He’s averaging 4.2 turnovers per game in SEC play.
3. Villanova (4)
22-2
22-2 ‘Nova proved me wrong by knocking off the Mountaineers in Morgantown last Monday. I still have questions about how far this team can go in March given its suspect defense, but they do have the third most efficient offense in the country. Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher have been on a tear over the last three weeks. Jay Wright will need his lead guards to continue their strong play, because the Wildcats’ remaining schedule is extremely difficult.
4. Syracuse (1)
24-2
The Orange flirted with disaster early in the week against UCONN, only to be bailed out by a questionable timeout call. No one was there to bail them out on Sunday versus a hungry Louisville squad. The common thread in Syracuse’s two losses is poor shooting. Jim Boeheim’s club shot 40.2% from the field and 25% from 3-point range in their games against UCONN and Louisville. They need Wes Johnson to return to form as he’s shooting just 30.2% from the field over his last four games.
5. Purdue (5)
21-3
The Boilermakers have won 7 in a row following a 3-game slide in early January and they’re right in the middle of an intense Big Ten race. Purdue’s “Big Three” led the way to a huge win at Michigan State last week. They’ll be looking for revenge as they travel to Columbus to battle Ohio State this Wednesday. The winner of that game may have the inside track to the Big Ten title.
6.
Kansas State (7)
20-4
Frank Martin’s team is playing excellent basketball and they could potentially earn a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Their remaining schedule is favorable, except for a road game at Kansas. The Wildcats can beat you in a variety of ways with four players averaging over 11 points per game.
7. Duke (9)
21-4
The Blue Devils completed a solid week by dismantling North Carolina in the Dean Dome and hammering 2nd place Maryland in Durham. Duke clearly looks like the class of the ACC and their favorable remaining schedule may give them an opportunity to play for a #1 seed. Coach K’s offense has been clicking all season as they lead the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency with 1.23 points per possession.
8. Ohio State (12)
20-6
We have to admit, this Ohio State team is better than we expected. Everybody knows about the exploits of Evan Turner, but the Buckeyes’ other starters have been very effective. William Buford, David Lighty and Jon Diebler are all averaging over 11 ppg in Big Ten play. If those three guys can continue their solid play, the Buckeyes could win the Big Ten title and potentially make a run in March.
9. Michigan State (10)
20-6
Kalin Lucas looks to be almost back to full strength by scoring 24 points and playing 35 minutes in the Penn State victory on Saturday. Lucas played 29 minutes against Purdue on Tuesday but was largely ineffective as Purdue won at the Breslin Center. The Big Ten has a virtual three-way tie between Sparty, Purdue and Ohio State. Sparty gets OSU at their place Saturday night but their defense must improve if they want to win the Big Ten as they are currently ranked 40th in the country in defensive efficiency per kenpom.com.
10. West Virginia (6)
19-5
WVU squandered an opportunity to make a move in the Big East by losing at home to Villanova and blowing a 7-point last minute lead at Pitt. Coach Huggins can’t be happy with his team’s defensive effort as they allowed 1.14 points per possession against Villanova and 1.20 ppp versus Pitt. The schedule eases slightly over the next two weeks before WVU closes with Georgetown and Villanova.
11. Georgetown (8)
18-6
Losing to Rutgers on the road is another example of how inconsistent the Hoyas have been in league play. Georgetown has not won three games in a row during the Big East slate and now are 8-5 with no chance at the conference title. As discussed in previous weeks, Chris Wright is usually the determinant if the Hoyas win or lose. In the Rutgers loss Wright had 6 points but the lack of contributions from Jason Clark and Julian Vaughn in that game is concerning.
12. BYU (13)
23-3
The Cougars played only one game this week and beat the Air Force Academy by 43 points. They shouldn’t have a problem this week with road games at Colorado State and Wyoming as they tune up for their biggest week of the season when San Diego State and New Mexico come to Provo.
13. Wisconsin (11)
22-3
The Badgers cannot be happy losing to Illinois at the Kohl Center putting them in the position where they need help if they want a piece of the Big Ten championship. Tricky game Tuesday night at desperate Minnesota that needs quality wins more than another team in the Big Ten. Interesting fact of the week is that Wisconsin scores 33.2% of their points from behind the arc ranking them 38th highest in the country. You normally think of Wisconsin as a team with a bruising front line but they are heavily reliant on Hughes, Bohannon and Taylor to knock down outside shots.
14. Texas (14)
19-4
Lost its heavyweight battle with Kansas and you never had the feeling watching that game that Texas was in the same class as Kansas. Its Big 12 title hopes are gone, so now Texas is playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament as they travel to Mizzou and Texas Tech this week. Texas is 2-3 on the road in Big 12 play, so expect a split from the Horns.
15. Butler (15)
23-4
The Bulldogs have the longest active winning streak in the nation at 15 games. All of those wins have come in Horizon League play as Butler has dominated its conference this year. The question remains as to how Brad Stevens’ club will fare out of the Horizon League in the NCAA Tournament. If Gordon Hayward realizes how good he can be and starts looking to dominate, I think this could be an Elite 8 team. If he continues to play passive and acquiesce to the system, this team won’t go far.
16. New Mexico (NR)
23-3
After winning at UNLV and escaping with a win on Utah’s homecourt New Mexico is 9th in the RPI and is 7-2 against the RPI top 50. The Lobos have won nine games in a row with two sub .500 opponents coming to “The Pit” this week. Steve Alford has built a squad that has only one Senior playing minutes so this team will be a force to be reckoned with in seasons to come.

The Next Five: Gonzaga, UTEP, Wake Forest, Texas A&M, Tennessee

Games to Watch:

Monday February 15th

Kansas at Texas A&M – The Aggies have not lost a home game in Big 12 play this year and they get a crack at #1 Kansas on their home court. This game features good battle of big men with Bryan Davis going up against Cole Aldrich. I like Kansas in this game because Texas A&M is ranked 233rd in the country in three-point shooting and 262nd in free-throw shooting. Those rankings do not point to an upset unless Bryan Davis plays out of his mind.

Tuesday February16th

Wake Forest at Virginia Tech – These two teams have bubble profiles but they both could finish in the top three of the ACC race, which would guaranty an NCAA Tournament berth. Players to watch in this game will include Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen, Al-Farouq Aminu and Ishmael Smith. Based on the parity in the ACC you have to like the home team, but Aminu will be the best player in this game and he will need to dominate for Wake to pull out a big road win.

Cincinnati at South Florida – This is a key game for both teams as they currently sit on the bubble. Plus you get to watch Dominique Jones go head-to-head against Lance Stephenson. Cincinnati needs to pick up wins in their next three games against South Florida, Marquette and DePaul, because they close the season against West Virginia, Villanova and Georgetown.

Wednesday February 17th

Purdue at Ohio State – The first meeting provided two of the season’s signature performances. Robbie Hummel nailed eights threes in the first half and Evan Turner scored 23 points in the second half leading Ohio State to a come from behind victory. If Purdue is to get a major road win JaJaun Johnson will need to have more than five shot attempts as he did in the first meeting. Ohio State has not lost a home game this season and Evan Turner will give the Buckeyes the edge.

Thursday February 18th

Syracuse at Georgetown – In the first meeting Georgetown dominated the first 5 minutes and held a 14-0 lead. Then Syracuse flexed their muscles and showed why they are the more dominant team. The Cuse’ zone can suffocate your inside game, so Greg Monroe will probably not be a major factor in this one. Austin Freeman and Chris Wright’s ability to knock down outside shots will be the reason the Hoyas win or lose. I think Syracuse’s length will bother the Hoyas’ shooters enough and the Orange inches closer to the Big East title.

Friday February 19th

Cornell at Harvard – Harvard is one game back in the Ivy race and will need to win this game if they want the NCAA Tournament berth that is determined by the regular season conference champion. Plus you get to see Jeremy Lin, Jeff Foote and Ryan Wittman all NBA prospects.

Saturday February 20th

Kentucky at Vanderbilt – The year was 2005, Tubby Smith was Kentucky’s coach and the Wildcats were an Elite Eight squad. That was the last time Kentucky went to Memorial Gym and beat Vandy. DeMarcus Cousins was dominant in the first match-up and I can see him dominating again. Finally, Kentucky will have bragging rights over Vandy fans for the first time in half a decade.

Siena at Butler – This is the best mid-major battle during the BracketBuster weekend. Butler is a lock for the tournament field but Siena needs to get a road win or they will need to win their conference tournament in order to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Sunday February 21st

Villanova at Pittsburgh – I am still trying to figure out how Pitt lost to Indiana in December. The Panthers beat West Virginia and Syracuse but Nova has the ability to play with the same kind of toughness that Pitt uses to win these types of big games. Scottie Reynolds will be the difference maker in this one, as Nova will continue on its way to the collision course with Syracuse.

Virginia Tech at Duke – I don’t know if the Hokies have been brought up this season before this week, and all of a sudden they pop up twice. Seth Greenburg’s club could be tied for the ACC lead or they could be three games back by the end of next week. This week will be an opportunity for Malcolm Delaney to put his name on the map and outplaying Schyer would go a long way in scout’s eyes.

Follow Joel and Josh on Twitter at NBADRAFTNETJJ.

Questions or comments, email Joel and Josh at: [email protected] and [email protected]

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6 Comments

  1. PLAYER OF THE YEAR
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