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College Hoops Week in Review: Villanova, Xavier Thames shine in holiday tourneys

Xavier Thames

San Diego State guard Xavier Thames (2) shoots over Marquette center Chris Otule (42) in the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball game at the Wooden Legacy tournament in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013. San Diego State won the game and the championship, 67-59, and Thames was named MVP. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Reed Saxon

Xavier Thames

San Diego State guard Xavier Thames (2) shoots over Marquette center Chris Otule (42) in the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball game at the Wooden Legacy tournament in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013. San Diego State won the game and the championship, 67-59, and Thames was named MVP. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Reed Saxon

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Xavier Thames, San Diego State

This was supposed to be a down year for San Diego State. This was supposed to be their rebuilding season, the in-between season where Winston Shepard and Dakarai Allen mature into stars while the Aztecs try to learn how to survive the loss of Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley. And while that is still very much the case with this group, this week proved that it’s anything-but a rebuilding year for the Aztecs, as they knocked off Charleston, Creighton and Marquette to take home the title in the Wooden Legacy.

The best player on the floor for Steve Fisher’s club was senior guard Xavier Thames, who looks like he’s ready to slide into that starring role. Thames averaged 22.0 points in the three wins, shooting 18-for-32 from the floor and 11-for-15 from three. In the wins over the Bluejays and the Golden Eagles, Thames had 26 and 29 points, respectively.

They were good, too


  • Ron Baker, Wichita State: Baker has been sensational through the first months of the season, and that was no different this past week as he averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 boards and 2.3 steals in wins over DePaul, BYU and at Saint Louis.
  • Tyler Ennis, Syracuse: C.J. Fair and Jerami Grant will get the attention, but Ennis was awesome in Maui. He averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.0 steals while turning the ball over just twice in 109 minutes.
  • Chad Frazier, UAB: The Blazers have been one of the biggest surprises in the country this season, and Frazier has been their best player. He averaged 21.0 points and 4.5 assists in wins over Florida A&M and UNC.
  • Lamar Patterson, Pitt: We got to see Patterson’s full arsenal this week: 21.7 points, 4.7 boards, 5.3 assists, 4.0 steals, 8-for-17 threes.
  • Sidney Sanders Jr., Fairleigh Dickinson: The Knights shocked both Rutgers and Seton Hall on the road this week, and it was Sanders that did the majority of the work. He averaged 22.5 points, 9.5 assists, 5.5 boards and 2.0 steals in the two wins.

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TEAM OF THE WEEK: Villanova Wildcats

Villanova was expected to be an improved team this season, but I’m not sure anyone expected the kind of start that the Wildcats have gotten off to. After rolling through Kansas and Iowa in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Villanova is now 7-0 on the season and ranked in the top 15.

The most impressive part about this start is that their best player, Ryan Arcidiacono has yet to really hit his rhythm. He hit the game-winner against Kansas, but he did not play well in that game. Jay Wright has gotten back to his roots with this team: deep, talented back courts surrounded by physical, blue-collar front court guys. This is a tough group with enough talent that they just might be the best team in the wide-open Big East.

They were good, too


  • Arizona: The Wildcats won the Preseason NIT, knocking off Duke in the title game on Friday.
  • Dayton: The Flyers beat Gonzaga and Cal out in Maui this week, with their only loss coming by a single point to Baylor in a game that Dayton led for much of the second half.
  • Memphis: The Tigers earned themselves a massive victory by knocking off Oklahoma State in the finals of the Old Spice Classic.
  • San Diego State: The Aztecs won the Wooden Legacy by picking up wins over both Marquette and Creighton.
  • Syracuse: The Orange have looked like the best team in the ACC through the first month of the season, and taking home a title in Maui isn’t going to change that perspective.
  • Wichita State: The Shockers notched three nice wins this week, including beating BYU in the finals of the Legends Classic and knocking off Saint Louis on the road.

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