NCAA Basketball: El Ellis and Brandon Miller among Players of the Week

Nominees for Power Conference Players of the Week

Kendric Davis

The Memphis Tigers got a superstar when they were able to secure the commitment of Davis in the transfer portal. I do consider the American a power conference and not everyone does, but the league does play like a power conference in basketball. Davis was an elite scorer at SMU, and he has taken his scoring ability with him to Memphis and coach Penny Hardaway. He has instantly become the go-to scorer for the Tigers and he had a huge week against two huge opponents.

In the first game, a loss against Alabama, Davis had 30 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists. He put on a show. In a win over Texas A&M, the guard had 23 points, 2 rebounds, and 9 assists. Those numbers are going to be tough to beat but there were some great performances this week.

Keion Brooks

Washington has been a pleasant surprise this year and they do not look like a pushover in the Pac-12. Brooks has had his part in that, and the forward has been one of the most consistent players for the Huskies. Brooks started his career at Kentucky, and it didn’t work out with coach Calipari so the former five-star decided to move west to Washington. The Huskies big man had a career-high 30 points in a win over Cal Poly.

It was the game when he was finally able to live up to his lofty billing out of high school. In the second game of the week, a win over Idaho State, Brooks scored 8 points with 10 rebounds and 6 assists. The competition was not great, but Brooks did play well and was good enough to get recognized as a potential player of the week.

El Ellis

Coming into the week Louisville was 0-10, and they ended up at 2-10 ending the week. Ellis was a huge part of that as he was able to play well enough to will his team to a win. Ellis is now in his second year with the Cardinals after leading the country in scoring as a JUCO in his first two years in college. Ellis also is not on this list this week just because Louisville finally won their first two games.

In the game against Western Kentucky, which was a win, Ellis scored 30 points with 10 assists and 4 rebounds. That was a game that would have gotten him on the list even in a loss. The point guard followed that up in a win over Florida A&M with 13 points and 7 assists. Louisville winning two games last week is news and Ellis should be recognized for scoring 30 points and helping his team win their first games of the year.

Souley Boum

It would be hard to try and find a player who has been playing better basketball this year than Boum. He is finally trying his hand at the Power five level and has been arguably the best player on the floor for Xavier. The Musketeers are currently playing like one of the top teams in the Big East and should be there all year. They are scrappy and have weapons all over the place. Boum is a player who has gotten better every year he has been in college and the graduate transfer is finally looking to get his team to the tournament. Xavier only played one game last week, but Boum made the most of it. In a win over Georgetown, the point guard scored 28 points with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Boum is likely going to find himself on this list again.

Drew Timme

Two weeks in a row for the Gonzaga Bulldogs star and potential player of the year. Timme has been one of the best players in the sport for a long time now and he is one of the best all-time college players. The big man has already had an illustrious career, but he is currently on pace for his most minutes, points, rebounds, blocks etc. He is trying to go out with a bang this year. The Bulldogs played two games last week and won them both.

Timme shined the brightest in each game. In a win over Northern Illinois, the big man had 26 points, with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. That is already a great game, but Gonzaga also played in one of the best games I have ever watched. In a win over Alabama Timme had 29 points and 10 rebounds. It was another great week for one of the games best players.

Brandon Miller

The Gonzaga vs Alabama game was one of the best games I have ever watched and believe it or not Timme did not have the best performance in that game. The best performance and one of the best performances of the year belonged to Miller. Miller was one the highest-ranked recruits in the country coming out of high school this year and against Gonzaga, the freshman put on a show. He scored 36 points, with 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Miller is only going to be in college for one season so if you have not watched him play yet do yourself a favor and do it. You will not be disappointed. In his other action last week, a win over Memphis Miller scored 24 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

Darin Green Jr.

Florida State may be terrible this year but they have had some bright spots this season. Green Jr. has been one of the few bright spots for the Seminoles. The guard is a transfer from UCF where he gained a reputation as one of the best shooters in the country. He is proving that at Florida State where he is on pace for his best season shooting and scoring. In two games this week. One was a win over South Carolina Upstate, Green Jr. scored 15 points with 2 rebounds. Those are pretty pedestrian numbers, but it was his performance in a loss to Saint John’s that found him on this list. He scored 30 points with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. It will be hard to win the award this week, but Green Jr. earned the nomination.

Zach Edey

Rinse and repeat for the 7’4″ skilled big man. Edey is a rebounding machine and gets easy baskets. He is almost impossible to guard one-on-one and he is going to feast on almost everyone in the Big Ten. Edey is currently the front-runner for the National Player of the Year and is the best player on the best team in the country. In the one game Purdue played this week, a win over Davidson, Edey once again showed why he was the best player for Purdue. The center had 29 points and 16 rebounds and dominated yet another opponent. Get used to seeing Edey on this list.

Adama Sanogo

This is the first time that Sanogo has been on the list and that is surprising given his ability to dominate a game inside. There were a lot of players responsible for bringing the UConn program back to prominence but in my opinion, none are more important to that success than Sanogo. The big man is a force in the paint and has not turned into a competent three-point shooter. That new aspect of his game makes him one of the most dangerous players in the country. In their one game this week, a win over Butler, the big man scored 27 points with 14 rebounds and 3 assists. He was great and will continue to be great.

Filip Rebraca

The Iowa big man currently is putting up numbers that are unsustainable. He won’t shoot 67% from deep all season but he will be a nice role player and second option for Iowa. Rebraca has had to step up while Iowa star Kris Murray is out with a hurt foot. Hawkeye fans will tell you that the big man has filled in nicely, especially last week. In a win over SEMO the big man scored 30 points, to go with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. It is reasonable to think that when Murray comes back the big man will regress to the mean but if he continues to play like this it would be huge for Iowa.

That concludes the nominations for the power five players. Who is this week’s Busting Brackets Player of the Week?