December 11, 2006
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Arizona
The Wildcats went away from the friendly confines of Tucson to score a pair of big W's. First Arizona went to the Jimmy V Classic and knocked off Rick Pitino's Louisville squad. The 'Cats also enjoyed an impressive showing against one of the top teams in the Mountain West, Steve Fisher's San Diego State Aztecs. In fact, that game was blowout city and Chase Budinger struggled, scoring just five points.
COACH OF THE WEEK: Mike Brey, Notre Dame
Brey's squad enjoyed a pair of big wins, beating Maryland and Alabama in a five-day span. Notre Dame has suffered so many heartbreakers in recent years, but these two wins will help as the Irish try to return to the big dance.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chris Lofton, Tennessee and Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
Lofton put on a show against John Calipari's Memphis Tigers. He scored 34 points, hitting six treys in the win over Memphis. Tucker had a huge game against in-state rival Marquette, finishing with 28 points (13-of-22 field goals) and seven boards. Tucker also scored 21 points in a win over Winthrop earlier in the week.
CO-DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK: Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall and D. J. Augustin, Texas
Harvey, a guard from Brooklyn scored a career-high 27points (10-of-18 field goals, six-of-seven free throws, five rebounds, four assists in all 40 minutes) in a win over Penn State. He also scored 14 points in 17 minutes (six-of-10 field goals) in an earlier win over Monmouth. Augustin was brilliant in leading the Longhorns to a win over LSU Sunday night. He had a career-high 25 points in the victory.
SHOCK OF THE WEEK: San Diego over California
There were a few surprises on Saturday, like UNLV over Nevada and Drexel over Villanova. Brad Holland's Toreros went into Berkeley and snapped California's 12-game non-conference home win streak in the Golden Bear Classic. San Diego entered the game 5-4, while the Golden Bears came in at 7-2. Brandon Johnson scored 23 points to lead the Toreros to a 72-67 upset.
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.
