BEST of the WEEK | Dec. 6, 2004
Awards based on games from Monday through Sunday
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: J.J. Redick, Duke
Looking more toned, Duke guard J.J. Redick guard helped the Blue Devils to a pair of wins. Redick had 21 of his 29 points in the first half of a win over Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. He hit 5-of-9 trifectas overall.
Redick then scored 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting in a victory over Valparaiso.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Illinois
The Illini looked unstoppable in a 91-73 win over then-No. 1 Wake Forest. Illinois had a 30-point lead in the second half. Coach Bruce Weber's team has a number of scoring threats, led by Dee Brown and Deron Williams. And don't forget about Luther Head and Roger Powell.
Illinois didn't suffer a letdown on the road at Arkansas, handling the Razorbacks 72-60.
DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK: Ronald Steele, Alabama
Freshman point guard Ronald Steele struggled in a triple-overtime win over Charlotte, he had an eye-opening school-record 18 assists in a win over East Tennessee State and Tim Smith.
Coach Mark Gottfried felt that point-guard play would be important this season, and Steele has already impressed.
CO-SHOCKS OF THE WEEK:
Miami-Florida over Florida and Winthrop over Providence
The Hurricanes had lost to South Carolina State, yet they found a way to stun coach Billy Donovan's Gators 72-65. Anthony Harris scored 23 points for Miami and first-year coach Frank Haith.
The Friars, coming off tough games against Wake Forest, Michigan and Florida, got caught in a tough spot as coach Gregg Marshall's squad scored a shocker at Providence. The Friars shot 3-of-23 from 3-point range in the loss.
COACH OF THE WEEK: Karl Hobbs, George Washington
In just his fourth season at the helm of the Colonials, Hobbs has hit team favored to win the A-10. Anyone questioning that can simply look at the weekend performance at the BB&T event.
First George Washington handled Michigan State 96-83. Then came another stunner against its second straight ranked foe: a 101-92 win over Maryland.
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