Dec. 5, 2005

WEEKLY AWARDS

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Houston Cougars

Tom Penders has done an outstanding job with the Cougars, which beat back-to-back ranked opponents for the first time since 1984. First Houston stunned LSU in Baton Rouge as Oliver Lafayette enjoyed his homecoming by scoring 32 points. Then the Cougars knocked off Arizona as Lafayette tallied 28. Penders called me after I said Memphis was going to walk away with the Conference USA championship this season. His team is certainly making its point as a league contender after these two wins.

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Fazekas, Nevada and Justin Gray, Wake Forest

Fazekas and Gray both came through big-time. The Nevada center scored a career-high 35 points while grabbing eight rebounds in a win at Kansas. He followed that up with 23 points and 11 rebounds in a victory over a tough Pacific squad.

Justin Gray scored a career-high 37 points, including 13-of-13 from the foul line, as the Demon Deacons edged Wisconsin. He added 22 points in a victory over Elon.

CO-SHOCK OF THE WEEK: North Carolina over Kentucky and UC-Davis over Stanford

Tubby Smith's team couldn't have expected a tough time from Roy Williams' Carolina team because the Tar Heels are so young. On any given day, this North Carolina squad can challenge anybody. There will be some days where this team loses to someone it shouldn't, but on Saturday, coming off a loss to Illinois, the Tar Heels came through as Reyshawn Terry scored 25 points. The trifecta was a big factor as North Carolina made 10 in the upset, while Kentucky was 7-of-21 from behind the arc.

UC-Davis had lost to Dartmouth, Harvard, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State. The Aggies walked into a tough situation facing Stanford and walked out with a 64-58 shocker.

COACH OF THE WEEK: Jay Wright, Villanova

Imagine if Curtis Sumpter and Jason Fraser were healthy? Sumpter is out for the season after knee surgery, and Fraser sees limited minutes. Wright often utilizes four guards and he also gets something out of his role players. Villanova scored a big victory over a tough Oklahoma team on Saturday.

DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK: Antonio Anderson, Memphis

For the second straight week, a Memphis player garners this honor. Anderson put on a show at Cincinnati, a hostile environment for a player on the road. He scored 32 points, hitting 11-of-15 shots from the field, including 7-of-9 from three-point range.

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.