Katz: Downey Is P.O.W.

Published: January 31, 2010

Jayhawks, Downey earn plaudits for the week

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

Editor's note: This edition is for games played from Monday, Jan. 25, through Sunday, Jan. 31.


Team Of The Week: Kansas

Last week: Beat Missouri 84-65; beat No. 13 Kansas State 81-79 (OT)

How do you know you're watching a possible title contender? Well, just look at how they handle difficult situations in which poise comes into play.

Rival Missouri came into Phog Allen last Monday and got completely ripped apart by the Jayhawks.

With No. 1 at stake -- but, more importantly, frontrunner status in the Big 12, as well as a chance to create distance from its rival Kansas State -- Kansas beat K-State in rocking Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday. KSU had its chances. Sherron Collins was ailing, but still couldn't be stopped as he finished the game off for the Jayhawks with the game-winning drive to the bucket.

Kansas is clearly the best team in the Big 12 and the top team in the country. I can't see any arguments for Villanova, Syracuse or Kentucky over Kansas -- this week, at least. You can make your plea for either of those three teams if you insist. For now, KU is the best team in the country.

Other Contenders

South Carolina: Why the Gamecocks? Well, I hate to state the obvious, but South Carolina did knock off the last remaining unbeaten team in the country, Kentucky, while it was No. 1. The Gamecocks then followed up that win with a home victory over Georgia to move to 4-3 in the SEC and back within reach of an at-large bid.

Michigan State: You could argue that Sparty should beat Michigan on the road and Northwestern at home, but nothing should be a given. The Spartans are off to a 9-0 start in league play and looking like a lock for the Big Ten title and a possible No. 1 seed.

Rhode Island: The Rams had to split a road swing to Xavier and Dayton to be taken seriously as A-10 contenders and an NCAA team. URI beat Dayton and followed that up with a solid home win over George Washington to move to 5-2 in A-10 play, a game behind Temple, Charlotte and Xavier in the loss column.

Arizona: Think about this for a second. After squashing Stanford on Thursday and then pulling off a thrilling 76-72 win over Cal on Sunday, Arizona is tied with the Bears for first in the Pac-10 (6-3) at the halfway point. For such a young team, that is remarkable. With five of their final eight games coming at home, the Wildcats are contenders for the long haul.

Syracuse: The Orange crushed Georgetown on Big Monday after being down 14-0 to start the game. The final 30 minutes of that game were as impressive a performance as any team has put on this season. It's easy to knock Syracuse for not playing as well in a win at DePaul over the weekend, especially for getting down by 18 at one point. But the Cuse still came back, made the right plays and won the game on the road.

Charlotte: Charlotte upset Louisville in early December, but then faded from the national picture for a month. Beating Temple at home and then following it up with a win at UMass means the 49ers are in a three-way, first-place tie in the loss column and a real threat to win the A-10 and get a bid.

UTEP: The Miners took out Tulane as expected to start the week, but then outlasted UAB on the road in double overtime. The wins put UTEP into a first-place tie in C-USA with UAB and Tulsa.

New Mexico: UNM outlasted BYU in a classic Pit game and then won at TCU to move just a game back of the Cougars in the loss column and even with UNLV in the Mountain West. The win over BYU is yet another reason the Lobos will likely be in the NCAAs.

Arkansas: Are the Razorbacks finally showing some signs of life? They knocked off both the co-SEC West leaders, beating Mississippi State at home and then surprising a top-20 Ole Miss team on the road Sunday night in a game that was delayed a day because of weather.


Player Of The Week: Devan Downey
Could there have been a more obvious choice?

The diminutive Devan Downey came up huge by scoring 63 points in two Gamecock victories.South Carolina guard Devan Downey scored 30 points in an upset of No. 1 Kentucky in Columbia, S.C., on Tuesday, with 23 of those points coming off the dribble. He drew nine fouls and converted 10 free throws and was the dominant player on the court when there were a few NBA-bound players on the other side.

Downey was driven to get the W and made plays when it mattered most. Of course, that was just one game, and it would have been a shame if he couldn't follow it up later in the week.

He didn't disappoint. It was Downey, of course, who led the Gamecocks to a tight victory over pesky Georgia on Saturday.

Downey scored 33 points in the win over the Bulldogs and once again saved his best for last, scoring 12 of South Carolina's 24 points in the final 10 minutes. Downey's driving hoop with 50 seconds remaining gave the Gamecocks the 78-77 win and kept them in the running for an NCAA bid.