BEST of the WEEK | Feb. 23, 2004
Awards based on games from Monday through Sunday

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Matt Freije, Vanderbilt

	Freije

A number of players enjoyed great games last week. Oregon's Luke Jackson scored 42 points in a loss to Arizona. Arizona's Salim Stoudamire posted a 37-point performance, while Stanford's Josh Childress scored 36 against USC.

But Vanderbilt senior forward Matt Freije gets the honor with two solid efforts. He scored 32 big points vs. Alabama and then 22 vs. LSU, both Commodore triumphs.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Wake Forest
Coach Skip Prosser's team recorded a couple of big victories. First came an upset over Duke, followed by Sunday night's W against Georgia Tech.

COACH OF THE WEEK: Jay John, Oregon State
It hasn't been an easy season for the Beavers. But John's team just had a nice home stand, beating Arizona State before stunning Arizona. The win over the Wildcats had added meaning, because John was a former assistant on coach Lute Olson's Arizona staff.

SHOCK OF THE WEEK: Alabama over Mississippi State
The Tide came in with a 1-6 record in its previous seven games. The Bulldogs entered with an eight-game winning streak. Sophomore forward Kennedy Winston scored a career-high 31 points in Alabama's 77-73 shocker at Starkville.

DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK: Chris Paul, Wake Forest
Freshman guard Chris Paul gets my vote for ACC diaper dandy of the year. He scored 30 points in a win over Cincinnati, then recorded 23 points and eight assists in an upset over Duke.

Dick Vitale coached the Detroit Pistons and the University of Detroit in the 1970s before providing color commentary for ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979 (he's been an analyst for ESPN ever since). Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.