BEST of the WEEK | March 15, 2004
Awards based on games from Monday through Sunday

CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
John Gilchrist, Maryland and Taylor Coppenrath, Vermont
Gilchrist did a dynamite job handling the ball and making clutch shots in the ACC tournament. His performance against Duke in the final was simply amazing. He would not allow the Terps to go down to defeat.

Coppenrath came back from a wrist injury to lead the Catamounts to the NCAA Tournament by winning the America East, knocking off Maine. Coppenrath scored 43 points in the championship game.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Connecticut
The Huskies won the Big East tournament despite missing Emeka Okafor for two games. Ben Gordon stepped up, and coach Jim Calhoun was happy to win another Big East championship.

COACH OF THE WEEK: Gary Williams, Maryland
The Terps rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit to beat NC State in the ACC semifinals. Then came the championship comeback against Duke after being down 12 late. To beat the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds to win the ACC championship is impressive.

SHOCK OF THE WEEK: Florida A&M
That's right, give some love to the MEAC champion. The Rattlers beat the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds to make the NCAA Tournament despite having a losing record.

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.