College Hoopla- Feb. 22

With the Olympics still overshadowing the final weeks of the college basketball season, there is one more week of the spectacle in Vancouver, just in time for the best part of the college season. As usual, the bubble watch is on for teams like UConn and Maryland. With mid-major conference tourneys starting in the next week and a half, it is almost time to start filling out your bracket. Here are this week's awards:
Player of the Week:
Ali Farokhmanesh, G, Northern Iowa
After fellow senior leader Jordan Eglseder was suspended for three games, Farokhmanesh had to step up and he did. Going 5-10 from 3 point range in a win against MVC rival Creighton on Tuesday and then showing the country what the Panthers are capable in the BracketBuster game against Old Dominion, going 5-9 from beyond the arc and scoring 23 points.
Team of the Week:
Purdue
The Boilermakers are yet again showing that they are the class of the Big 10. With wins over Ohio State and Illinois this week, Matt Painter's team remains in the top five in the nation and can possibly steal a number one seed if they beat Michigan State on Sunday and win the Big 10 tournament.
Game of the Week:
Maryland 76, Georgia Tech 74 (Saturday)
Both the Terps and Yellow Jackets needed this game to improve their tournament resumes and they played like it. Most games like this come down to the last possession and it did. Down one with 1.5 seconds left, Maryland guard Cliff Tucker led a three point shot go and it landed in the net giving bringing the Terps to 9-3 in the ACC and putting them in second behind Duke.
Upset of the Week:
Loyola Marymount over Gonzaga 74-66 (Thursday)
In the Lions' biggest win since the 1990 NCAA Tournament, they upset the Zags in impressive fashion. Down three at the half, the Lions went on a second half run to put them ahead eight at the end of the game. Led by Ashley Hamilton with 17 points and Drew Viney, who played the whole game, with 16 points and 10 boards. The loss puts Gonzaga only one game ahead of St. Mary's in the WCC and with another loss could lose the regular season title.
Injury that Hurts the Most:
Dogus Balbay, G, Texas, Torn ACL
The Longhorns' point guard and best defender got hurt on Saturday in the first half in Lubbock against Texas Tech. Balbay had been one of the most underrated players in college basketball this season and will force Texas to find someone to play point consistently quick.
Games to Watch this Week:
Monday: West Virginia @ UConn (7, ESPN)
Tuesday: Kansas State @ Texas Tech (8:00)
Wednesday: Xavier @ Saint Louis (8:00)
Thursday: Georgia @ Vanderbilt (7, ESPNU)
Friday: Princeton @ Cornell (7:00)
Weekend 6-Pack to Watch:
Kentucky @ Tennessee (Sat, 12:00, CBS)
Texas @ Texas A&M (Sat, 2:00, ESPN)
New Mexico @ BYU (Sat, 4:00)
Villanova @ Syracuse (Sat, 9:00, ESPN)
Richmond @ Xavier (Sun, 1:00, ESPN)
Michigan State @ Purdue (Sun, 4:00)
What the Top 10 Should Be:
(1) Kansas
(2) Kentucky
(3) Purdue
(4) Syracuse
(5) Duke
(6) Villanova
(7) Kansas State
(8) Ohio State
(9) West Virginia
(10) New Mexico

Check back every week up until the championship game for more College Hoopla.