BEST of the WEEK | Jan. 26 | Awards based on games from Monday-Sunday

	Rice

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Darius Rice, Miami
Darius Rice turned in a brilliant performance last Monday night against Connecticut, scoring a career-high 43 points. Rice came through with the biggest play of all, stealing an inbounds pass in the final seconds and hitting the game-winning trifecta as the Hurricanes stunned coach Jim Calhoun's Huskies 77-76.

After that brilliant effort, Rice followed up with a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) in a loss to Syracuse.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Arizona
Coach Lute Olson's Wildcats didn't have an easy time against in-state rival Arizona State earlier in the week. Olson benched Salim Stoudamire for most of the second half in that game, and the message came through.

Stoudamire scored 32 points on Saturday as Arizona rallied from a 20-point deficit (44-24) to score a 17-point victory over Kansas (91-74). Arizona outscored Kansas 52-22 in the second half.

Olson's squad never quit when it fell behind, so the Wildcats earn my Team of the Week honors.

COACH OF THE WEEK: Herb Sendek, N.C. State
What a double dip for Herb Sendek and the Wolfpack! First N.C. State rallies to knock off Duke, slowing down J.J. Redick after a brilliant first half (20 points at intermission, four points after). That was an important W to impress the NCAA selection committee. Remember, this Wolfpack unit has been inconsistent, losing to the likes of Massachusetts and Boston College.

Then N.C. State followed up on Sunday with a big home victory over North Carolina. Julius Hodge was sensational, posting a double-double, including 30 points.

There were a number of good candidates this week, including Kentucky's Tubby Smith for beating Auburn and Alabama, Evansville's Steve Merfeld and SMU's Mike Dement.

DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK: Kevin Bookout, Oklahoma
The Sooners have needed help inside following the departure of Aaron McGhee. Kevin Bookout has been coming on strong, improving and adjusting to life on the college hardwood.

The all-around athlete had 15 points and eight boards against Texas Tech in a tight win on Big Monday. Bookout came through with 18 points and nine rebounds in a win at Baylor.

SHOCK OF THE WEEK: Colorado over Kansas
The Jayhawks saw a number of streaks go by the boards: 10 straight wins, 27 consecutive victories over Colorado and 23 straight Big 12 regular-season wins.

Stephane Pelle hit the winning shot to cap off a 27-point, eight-rebound effort. The Jayhawks were held to 59 points, their second-lowest output of the season (North Carolina limited Kansas to 56 points at the Preseason NIT).