Mid Major Blog | Brandon Moore

Player of the Week:

Mike Moser, UNLV, PF, Sophomore, 6-8 195 lbs.

Mike MoserMoser has earned back-to-back Mid-Major “Player of the Week” honors after his performances against UC Santa Barbara, #1 North Carolina and USC over the past week. On Wednesday (Nov 30), UNLV beat UC Santa Barbara, 94-88, in double overtime, and Moser’s 34 points and 10 rebounds paved the way for the Rebels to reach an 8-0 record for the season. Last Saturday against #1 North Carolina, Moser was not intimidated by one of the top frontcourts in the country that included John Henson, Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes. Moser out-performed all of them, finishing with 16 points, 18 rebounds and 6 assists. He did foul out and have four turnovers, but he was one of the deciding factors in UNLV’s huge upset against the #1 ranked Tarheels. Against USC, Moser’s 10 points and 13 rebounds helped UNLV to an 11-point victory. For the season, Moser’s stat line is impressive: 17.5 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 BPG and 2.5 SPG. He also leads the nation in rebounding.

Who’s Hot?

Doug McDermott, Creighton, SF, Sophomore, 6-7 210 lbs.

McDermott is a repeat winner of the weekly “Who’s Hot?” award for Mid-Major players after guiding Creighton to a pair of impressive victories against San Diego State (7-1) and Campbell (5-1) this past week. In both games, McDermott had a double-double and shot “lights out” with 52.9 FG% against San Diego State and 68.4 FG% against Campbell. Against San Diego State, McDermott posted 25 points and 12 rebounds and eventually found his sharp-shooting efforts broadcasted on Wednesday (Nov 30) night’s edition of SportsCenter. Against Campbell, McDermott scored 31 points, gathered 11 rebounds and shot 66.7 percent from “trifecta” country. Creighton (5-0) will undoubtedly enter the Top 25 rankings released next week and McDermott is the main reason why the Blue Jays have been so successful.

Player of the Week:

Mike Moser, UNLV, PF, Sophomore, 6-8 195 lbs.

Mike MoserUNLV is off to a great start this season with a 5-0 record and two wins this past week against Cal Poly (75-52) and Morgan State (92-55). Moser has been the Rebels’ standout player early on this season, averaging 16.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.2 BPG and shooting 51.6 percent from the field. Against Cal Poly he contributed 14 points and 8 rebounds with four steals, and against Morgan State he had one of the best all-around performances of any player this year with 23 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and shot 52.6 percent from the field. Moser will get an opportunity to showcase his skills against USC tonight and again on November 30 when UNLV squares off against an undefeated UC Santa Barbara team. Moser sat out the 2010-11 season after deciding to transfer from UCLA where he was recruited by UCLA coach, Ben Howland.

Who’s Hot?

Doug McDermott, Creighton, SF, Sophomore, 6-7 210 lbs.

The young sophomore has played at an elite level in each of Creighton’s four wins this season. Creighton (4-0) won three games this past week: Iowa (82-59), UAB (70-60), and Chicago State (95-61). McDermott scored above 20 points in each of those games, including a standout performance against UAB where he scored 27 points (11-18 shooting) and collected 7 rebounds. Against Iowa, McDermott chipped in 25 points (10-15 shooting), 9 rebounds and 1 assist. For the season, McDermott has filled up the stat sheet, averaging 21.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 64.3 FG%, 58.3 3P% and 87.5 FT%. His shooting percentages are scorching.

Who’s Cold?

Wesley Witherspoon, Memphis, SF, 6-9 210 lbs.

After opening the season with a 22-point performance against Belmont, Witherspoon brought the ice cooler to the Maui Invitational and played well below his potential. In three games during the Maui Invitational Tournament, Witherspoon averaged 6.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG and shot 33.3 percent from the field. He struggled to gain any sort of rhythm on offense and did not contribute very much on defense, aside from his 8 rebounds against Georgetown in Memphis’ last game of the tournament. He wears possibly the longest shorts of any player in the country and it may be hindering his movement, who knows. For Memphis to compete against upper level competition, Witherspoon has to play better and be a factor on the court.

Player of the Week

Will Barton & Wesley WitherspoonWill Barton, Memphis, SG, Sophomore, 6-6 175 lbs.