March 4

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
There were a number of standout performances last week. UNLV's Trevor Diggs scored 49 points in a win over Wyoming. Isaac Spencer of Murray State had 42 points in an Ohio Valley Conference tournament game.

My pick for Player of the Week comes from the same league as Spencer. Guard Kyle Hill of Eastern Illinois was super, scintillating and sensational in averaging 33 points per game to lead the Panthers to the Big Dance.

The 6-foot-2 Hill has been one of the nation's top 10 scorers all season. He started the OVC tournament with 40 big ones against Morehead State. He had 28 in a win over Murray State, followed by 31 in the title game against Austin Peay.

DIAPER DANDY OF THE WEEK
Charlotte's Rodney White is a big-time talent. If he hadn't been hurt earlier this season, he would have had one of the super diaper-dandy years. People raved about him early in the campaign.

He responded in routs over DePaul and Marquette, averaging 16.5 ppg. He was a huge presence on the baseline for Bobby Lutz's 49ers.

TEAM OF THE WEEK
Here's a salute to Maryland and coach Gary Williams. Talk about a comeback -- think about the Terps, who were 15-9 after a bad home loss to Florida State.

Maryland has responded since then, including two impressive showings last week. Williams' team made up for the earlier loss to Duke, a game which saw Maryland's 10-point lead disappear in the final minute. For the second straight year, the Terps won at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

They followed it with a big-time blowout over a Virginia team which beat the Terps badly down in Charlottesville. Juan Dixon and company were on fire -- keep an eye on them. Maryland can be like North Carolina was last season. The Tar Heels came on at the right time and made it to the Final Four.

COACH OF THE WEEK
Charles "Lefty" Driesell gets the nod as he led Georgia State to the Big Dance. That's right, Lefty has pulled off the grand slam. Georgia State is the fourth different school he's taken to the NCAA tourney, joining Eddie Sutton as the only two coaches to accomplish that feat. He's also taken Davidson, Maryland (a program he called the "UCLA of the East") and James Madison to the Dance.

The Panthers are now 28-4, the first team to win that many games for the lefthander. Georgia State has a veteran backcourt with Kevin Morris, the transfer from Georgia Tech, and Georgetown transfer Shernard Long.

Make no mistake, Georgia State will be a tough out in the first round of the NCAA tourney. Congratulations to Lefty, the former Duke student.

SHOCK OF THE WEEK
Speedy Morris' LaSalle Explorers shocked St. Joseph's. Any time you hook up in the Big Five, emotions will run high. It was a shock because of the way the Hawks have played this season, climbing into the Top 25.

St. Joe's is one of the nation's surprise teams, right up there with Boston College and Mississippi. LaSalle, led by Victor Thomas, responded to the challenge in a high-scoring affair, 91-90. The Hawks were 24-4 coming in and the Explorers were 10-16 entering the contest.