Feb. 25

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Maryland's Juan Dixon has been truly sensational after a poor performance against Florida State.

The Terps' guard regrouped and went to the gym late at night, shooting, shooting, shooting. It paid off big-time, as displayed last week. He scored 30 points against N.C. State, hitting 11-of-12 shots from the field. Dixon was automatic in that ACC triumph.

Then against Oklahoma on Saturday, he rallied after a slow start to score 23 points. It wasn't easy against a tough and tenacious Sooners squad. He hit big threes to give the Terps momentum against Kelvin Sampson's team.

Dixon has a couple of interesting tests this week, against ranked ACC foes Duke and Virginia.

DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK
At Mississippi, Justin Reed has been a positive factor for the Rebels. He had 21 points and nine rebounds as his team got to the winner's circle on Saturday against a pesky Auburn club.

Reed has been a catalyst and an important member of Rod Barnes' surprising squad all season. The forward is this week's diaper dandy.

TEAM OF THE WEEK
Let's give a big-time salute to the Florida Gators. Billy Donovan has done a terrific job keeping this team together despite injury after injury.

Florida has played a difficult schedule, but that seems to be paying dividends. Last week, the Gators easily took care of two ranked opponents, Mississippi and Alabama. Both were clear-cut KOs, baby!

Donovan is using an eight-man rotation right now and it is working well. Brett Nelson has become one of the real superstars of college basketball, handling the ball well and creating for his teammates. Udonis Haslem has been a force on the interior, with 49 points in those two wins.

The Gators could challenge for a spot in the Final Four. Imagine what would have been if Donnell Harvey and Mike Miller didn't leave early!

COACH OF THE WEEK
Jim O'Brien has done an outstanding job with the Buckeyes this season. When Ohio State lost Michael Redd to the NBA early, a lot of people figured this would be a down year in Columbus. Think again.

O'Brien has gotten the maximum out of Ken Johnson on the inside with his shot-blocking ability. And Brian Brown is one of the most improved players in America.

O'Brien orchestrated a big-time win over Illinois. He made sure his team avoided a letdown in a win over Northwestern just two days later. That's why he's my Coach of the Week.

SHOCK OF THE WEEK
Bill Carmody is doing a great job at Northwestern. He is creating a winning attitude already and the Wildcats have pulled off several surprises this season. If you don't believe me, go ask Henry Bibby at USC.

Last week, Northwestern pulled off a big one against a Penn State team which was pushing for an NCAA bid. It was a tough week for the Nittany Lions, and the Wildcats were one reason for that difficulty.

That shocker put Penn State down, and Jerry Dunn's team also fell at home to Michigan State.