BEST of the WEEK | Dec. 1 (awards based on games from Monday-Sunday)

	UNC freshman guard Rashad McCants averages 19 ppg and 5.3 rpg.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rashad McCants, North Carolina
Rashad McCants, UNC's diaper-dandy guard, showed his explosiveness and confidence in helping the Tar Heels to the Preseason NIT championship with wins over Kansas (in the semis) and Stanford (in the final).

McCants showed why he's getting big-time publicity, and he set the tone in the first few minutes against the the second-ranked Jayhawks with a monster dunk.

McCants finished with 25 big points against Kansas. He followed up with a solid showing despite early foul trouble against the Cardinal. The Tar Heels jumped up by 20 in the championship game and never looked back.

COACH OF THE WEEK: Matt Doherty, North Carolina
The Tar Heels' coach took a lot of heat last season as his team went 8-20. He and his staff rolled up their sleeves and went to work, getting three of the nation's premier freshmen in McCants, Raymond Felton and Sean May.

Doherty also worked hard to blend the diaper dandies in with his sophomores, and his super-soph trio (Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott) has stepped it up. Doherty's brilliant leadership helped give North Carolina the Preseason NIT championship. There was also a road win at Old Dominion before the trip to the Big Apple.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: College of Charleston
Tom Herrion is a diaper-dandy head coach after coming over from Virginia, where he was an outstanding lieutenant under Pete Gillen. Herrion, who took over from legendary coach John Kresse, made his mark as the Cougars won three big games en route to the Great Alaska Shootout championship.

Charleston started by surprising one of the favorites in the Mountain West, Wyoming. Then came a victory over Eddie Sutton's Oklahoma State Cowboys, followed by a thrilling victory over Villanova on A.J. Harris' game-winning basket with 11 seconds left. Six-foot-3 senior guard Troy Wheless was the tournament MVP, scoring 22 points in the final while Thomas Mobley added 17 in the title game.

A salute to the surprising College of Charleston of the Southern Conference.

DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK: Bracey Wright, Indiana
Imagine if Bracey Wright ever plays like he performs in practice ... so says Hoosiers coach Mike Davis. Wright earned MVP honors in the Maui Invitational, and Indiana did not have an easy road to the title, beating Massachusetts, Gonzaga and Virginia to earn the championship.

Wright totaled 47 points in the three victories, giving the Hoosiers their first title in Maui.

SHOCK OF THE WEEK: San Diego over UCLA
The Bruins opened 0-2 for the first time in 41 years. The fact that UCLA lost its second game, to Duke at the Wooden Tradition in Conseco Fieldhouse, is not a surprise.

But the opening loss at home to the University of San Diego was Shock City, baby! Give former Bruins guard Brad Holland credit for leading San Diego past his alma mater.

UCLA coach Steve Lavin is feeling some heat already. In the past, when his back has been up against the wall, he has had his troops perform at their very best. We'll have to see what happens this time.