Player of the Week
Roberto Nelson, Oregon State
In the final non-conference game of the season the senior scored 19 points to go along with five rebounds and six assists. Seven of those points came from the foul line as he made seven of eight attempts. In the previous game, the final game of the Diamond Head Classic against Hawaii, he dropped 24 points with five rebounds and again picked up a big chunk of his points from the free-throw line (9-10 FT). Over the course of the week he averaged 21.5 points per game and shot .888 on 18 free-throw attempts.
Nelson leads the Beavers in both scoring and assists on the season. His 21.4 points per game rank him first in the conference as well. He is also adding 3.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game to his season state sheet. What he does really well is get to the line often, he’s averaging 8.4 free throw attempts per game and shoots .861 from the stripe when he gets the attempts. His defense is starting to improve, averaging 1.2 steals per game. Along with Devon Collier, the two combine for one of the best scoring tandems in the league.
Who’s Hot
CJ Wilcox, Washington
Wilcox is the second leading scorer in the conference, averaging 20.5 points per game. He has recorded six 20-point games thus far this season. In the Huskies victory over Hartford he posted 23 points on 6-12 shooting from the field, adding 12 points from behind the arc (4-8) and seven from the free-throw line (7-8).
The senior guard does a great job seeking out a good spot behind the arc for a catch and shoot 3-pointer. He gets a lot of his points from downtown each game with an average of three 3-point baskets a game. Wilcox has also been solid defensively, averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Richard Solomon, California
Solomon has been a solid all-around contributor for the Golden Bears this season. He is averaging a double-double on the year with 11.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. His rebound totals per game are best in the conference right now. He’s been really good on the defensive end too, averaging 1.5 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.
The senior is efficient when he gets his touches shooting .558 from the field, doing most of his damage near the rim. In the teams win over Furman, Solomon dominated with 10 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Who’s Not
Zach LaVine, UCLA
LaVine has cooled off since bursting onto the scene in the Pac-12 at the beginning of the season. He’s failed to score in double figures the last three games with a high of just eight points in that span. The freshman was a huge spark of the bench for the Bruin offense, but with his lack of production and depth on the squad he has had fewer shot opportunities.
LaVine is too electrifying and has too good of a jumper to stay cold forever, so look for him to bounce back and regain his off the bench energy with conference play starting this week.
Top 5 Transfers
1. Delon Wright, Utah
Wright is in the top five in the conference in field-goal percentage (.707, 1st), steals per game (2.6, 2nd) and assists per game (5.9, 5th). He’s smooth with the ball in his hands and is constantly under control. The JUCO transfer has really helped propel the Utes to their impressive start on the year with his efficient shooting and smart decision making with the ball in his hands. He’s averaging 14.9 points per game.
2. Joseph Young, Oregon
The Ducks are headlined by many transfers this season, but Young looks to be the biggest contributor so far. The senior guard is averaging 20.2 points per game and has posted double figures in all 12 games this season. His points per game total ranks him third in the conference and his shooting has been efficient with a .548 shooting percentage. He also adds 1.4 steals per game to his season stat sheet total.
3. Jermaine Marshall, Arizona State
Marshall has been a solid backcourt mate along with Jahii Carson since coming over from Penn State. He is averaging 14.6 points per game and has improved both his field-goal percentage (.391 to .476) and 3-point percentage (.339 to .443) since the move. His 3-point shooting ability provides the Sun Devils with a solid contributor from behind the arc.
4. Mike Moser, Oregon
The senior forward has provided the Ducks with pretty good all-around play this season. He’s averaging 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and has also helped out on defense, averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. After much bouncing around throughout his college career, Moser has found a team where he can play freely and contribute on this deep squad.
5. Perris Blackwell, Washington
Blackwell has really improved on the defensive side of the ball since coming to Washington. His blocks per game total has risen from 0.3 to 1.3 this season. He is also an efficient scorer when he gets the ball in his hands in the paint, averaging 11.8 points per game on .577 shooting from the field. His rebounds per game total has also improved this season (6.1 to 7.3).