TORIN FRANCIS Notre Dame Francis chose the Irish over Boston College and North Carolina and, at the time, Mike Brey was gloating over the get. He hasn't stopped smiling about it this season. Francis has been the perfect replacement for PF Ryan Humphrey averaging 11.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. He had 11 and 13 against Marquette, 20 and eight against Maryland and 21 and 10 in the win over Texas. He's even getting better at the line by going 7 of 8 Sunday.	ERAZEM LORBEK Michigan State The NBA scouts keep coming to see Lorbek and the Slovenian national finally gave them something to write about. He scored 16 points in 19 minutes, including making all four field goals (the one 3-pointer) and all seven free throws in a win over Cleveland State Sunday. Lorbek's importance is increasing with Adam Wolfe's injury keeping him out longer than expected. He could become the Spartans' scoring forward off the bench.	GARY NEAL La Salle Billy Hahn got a tremendous find in the 6-4 guard. He's a scoring, poised player, who doesn't take poor shots. He's averaging a team-high 20.4 points a game (in 28 minutes a game) and shooting 43 percent overall, 42 percent on 3s. He scored 21 in each of two games this week, beating James Madison on the road and losing in a three-point game to Villanova Saturday at the Palestra.	ANTOINE WRIGHT Texas A&M We might as well reserve a spot for Mr. Wright because he's going to be a regular in this category. He's leading the resurgent Aggies (5-1) with 18.5 points a game, making 45.7 percent of his 3s. The 6-7 forward scored 21 in an overtime win over Prairie View A&M (not a bad team this year after already beating Houston), and recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards in a stunning 17-point win over Tennessee.

On Our Radar
Jason Parker, Tulsa: We're going to take a little bit of liberty here with Parker. Parker is playing on a top 25 team ... but no one, and we mean, no one nationally had hear of this Jason Parker as a big-time scorer. But get ready to hear more. Parker is leading Tulsa with 17.5 points a game after averaging 8.6 last season. Dante Swanson and Antonio Reed got all the ink in the backcourt, but it's Parker who has been the standout. He scored 30 points, making all eight 3s, in a win over Wichita State.

Chris Kaman, Central Michigan: NBA scouts are starting to take notice of the Central Michigan center. The 7-foot junior is no longer a project. He's averaging team-high 19.2 points, scoring 30 and grabbing 21 boards in a seven-point win at Michigan. He then followed that up with an 18-and-10 effort in a win over Drake. He also has eight blocks in two games.

Darnell Archey, Butler: The Bulldogs aren't getting the same kind of love they were last season at this time, but they're undefeated again and trounced Ball State and then at Evansville -- the same week the Aces beat Western Kentucky. The senior guard broke out a bit against Evansville, scoring 17 points, dishing out five assists and grabbing three steals in the win. And he hasn't missed at the free-throw line, 14 of 14 in two games for 55 in a row over two seasons.

David Klatsky, Penn: The Quakers needed another scorer off the bench and the 5-11 senior was the answer against Temple. He scored 18 points, including 4 of 5 on 3s, in just 22 minutes. If he can get open, make shots, and not be a defensive liability, the Quakers could be even tougher to guard in the Ivy League.

Caught Our Eye Inside the Top 25: The Illini is quietly moving into contending status within the Big Ten. Illinois is getting the balance needed with senior leadership (Brian Cook) and impact freshmen (Dee Brown; 11 ppg, 4.5 apg). But more impressive than the points scored in the wins over North Carolina and at Arkansas is how many Illinois gave up against both teams. The Tar Heels scored 65 points, while Arkansas mustered only 58. Illinois is averaging 85 and is looking more like a contender than a pretender in the Big Ten.

Outside the Top 25: We waited for the Hoyas to get through with their requisite given games to play a real team, and the Hoyas passed with flying colors. Georgetown dismantled South Carolina 67-59 behind a monster effort from Michael Sweetney (27 points and 11 rebounds). Sweetney is averaging 21 points and 10 boards, while Gerald Riley has been a scoring surprise at 15 points a game. Georgetown is averaging 82 points a game, shooting 45.4 percent overall and 38 percent on 3s, not bad for a supposedly poor shooting team. The real stuff returns for the Hoyas at Virginia on Dec. 28.

WEST VIRGINIA: John Bielien is doing a tremendous job with only a handful of players. The win over the Gators was by far the most shocking in the country this season. It's hard to call it a bad loss for Florida since the Mountaineers followed it up with a win over UNC Greensboro for a 4-1 start.

ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks are struggling to score and Stan Heath could be looking at a long season after his magical run at Kent State last season. Arkansas is 1-4, averaging only 65.8 points a game, shooting just 30 percent on 3s.

INDIANA: The Hoosiers are no longer just the Big Ten favorites but rather a Final Four contender. The win over Maryland was convincing enough to put Indiana in that exclusive category.

TEMPLE: The Owls are winless, lack a point guard and are dog tired from a brutal schedule. If Temple can somehow keep its confidence by the time it gets to the Atlantic 10, the Owls might be able to save face in the league.

GEORGIA: The Bulldogs got back to even at 3-3 with a pair of wins this week at Colorado and over Cal in the Wooden Classic. Jim Harrick keeps talking about Steven Thomas' importance, and if that's the case, he better hit the books and get eligible by the end of his month.

MICHIGAN: Somehow the Wolverines are getting worse, even though they've got at least four players who would be coveted by most Big Ten teams. The schedule should (we underscore should) lighten up, with games against Charleston Southern and Eastern Michigan on tap in the next two weeks.

WASHINGTON: The Huskies had a rebounding week with a near-miss at Gonzaga in overtime and then followed that up with impressive wins over Wyoming and at Santa Clara before six straight home games.

LOUISIANA TECH: The Bulldogs scored only 38 points against Mississippi State. That doesn't bode well for a team that was supposed to be a sleeper in the WAC.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: With or without Mario Austin, holding Louisiana Tech to 38 points is worth noting. The Bulldogs have cleaned up against the home schedule, save an initial loss to Louisiana Lafayette. But the schedule gets tougher with Xavier and Oklahoma in two of the next three.

KANSAS: The Jayhawks played better basketball in the loss to Oregon and that's an acceptable defeat. So, too, would be losing at Tulsa. But, right now, Kansas still is far from being the team that could win the national title.

FRESNO STATE: The Bulldogs have quietly put together an undefeated stretch in Ray Lopes' first two weeks. Fresno State is 4-0 before it gets into a real tussle at Oklahoma State on Sunday.

OKLAHOMA: OK, so Oklahoma hasn't exactly been playing a top 25 schedule since New York. but the Sooners are playing better basketball. Ebi Ere scored 33 points in a win over Hartford and Oklahoma hasn't lost since New York. The next real tests, however, start Dec. 28 with a stretch of games at Mississippi State, then home against Michigan State (Jan. 4) and Connecticut (Jan. 7).

TEXAS TECH: The Red Raiders are 5-0 and gave up only 35 points to Nicholls State. The hard stuff starts again with Wyoming on the road, at Minnesota and even a home game against New Mexico State in the next three weeks.

IOWA STATE: Larry Eustachy hasn't challenged his Cyclones with a tough schedule yet, but that's OK because this squad needed confidence. Getting off to a 5-0 start was imperative for ISU to believe in itself.

IOWA: The Hawkeyes (5-1) are winning with limited numbers and rebounded from a crushing loss at Florida State by sweeping its home tournament against Montana State and Southern Miss.

AUBURN: The win Sunday over Rutgers was significant for a Tigers' team that has dropped off the national radar in a rugged SEC West. The 5-1 Tigers aren't having problems scoring, averaging 82 points a game.

KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats are off to a tough 2-4 start, losing to Wisconsin-Green Bay over the weekend. Kansas State has six winnable games in the coming weeks and if it doesn't get them then it will struggle to get to double-digits in the Big 12.

NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies were supposed to struggle early, but are off to a 5-1 start and could provide a serious challenge to Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt.

NEW ORLEANS: The Privateers are one of six schools to be 6-0, joining Oral Roberts, Indiana, College of Charleston, Alabama and Creighton. The Privateers' best win is over Tulane and they still go to Hawaii later this month.

FLORIDA STATE: The Seminoles are back as a player in the South with a 4-1 start. A one-point loss to Florida is the only blemish. The Seminoles kept the last three opponents under 70 points, the last two under 60.

USC: The Trojans are in a rut, losing at UC Santa Barbara and then to Missouri -- both decent losses, but it still doesn't bode well for a team that was supposed to challenge for a top four Pac-10 finish.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Watch, a look back at the week and a preview of the week ahead, runs every Monday.