NCAA Basketball: Johni Broome, Tyrese Hunter headline latest Players of the Week

Feast Week was an interesting week, and we learned many things about many teams. We learned that Miami and Providence are not great. UConn has a lot of issues, and Arizona is not as good as everyone thought. These are cerebral thoughts on December 1st. The country also learned that there are some great players out there, and those players are putting up huge numbers. It is the Monday after Feast Week and that means it is time to hand out the Players of the Week from the last week.

In most weeks, teams usually play two games but this week some teams played 3 games and some played 4 games. There were a couple of players who shined brighter than the rest and helped their teams win a lot of games this week. As always, there will be one player from the Power Conferences and one player from the Mid-Major ranks. Let’s start by saying to Dylan Harper, thanks for having a great week, scoring a ton of points, and keeping your team in the game. You just missed the cut.

The Power Conference player comes from the SEC and is the best player on the best team in the country. He had a huge week in a big time tournament and deserves all of the recognition that he can get. The Mid Major player of the week didn’t have the best week scoring the ball but his team won games and he was a huge factor in those games. This player is from the American Athletic Conference.

Mid-Major Player of the Week - Tyrese Hunter (Memphis Tigers)

The Maui Invitational is the premier tournament of Feast Week, and this year, it did not disappoint. It was arguably the best field that the tournament has ever had. Memphis was the team that I expected to get overpowered by many of the teams in the field. In reality, the Tigers went to the title game, and their point guard was a big reason for this. Hunter didn’t have the biggest week scoring points, but his ability to command the Tigers offense and his shutdown defense was the best of any player this week.

In an opening-round win over UConn, the guard scored 26 points on 8-13 shooting, 7-10 from three-point range, and 3-5 from the free throw line. He was unbelievable all game long on the offensive end of the floor and he was even better on the defensive end and disrupted the UConn action all game long. Hunter was the guy who made the huge shots all game long, and Memphis rode him to the win. In a win over Michigan State, he scored 23 points on 7-15 shooting, including 5-10 from deep and 4-5 from the free throw line. Once again, Hunter was extremely disruptive on the defensive end and frustrated Michigan State all game long. The championship game was a loss to Auburn, and in that game, the guard scored 11 points on 4-10 shooting, 2-4 from deep, and 1-2 from the line. He did add five rebounds and five assists to his line. 

Even though Hunter didn’t add many assists or rebounds, he was consistent, and without him, the Tigers would not have made the Championship game in Maui. Hunter had a fantastic week, and it isn’t always about how many points, rebounds, or assists you get. Hunter was awesome in Maui, and I am sure we will see him on this list more. Congratulations to Hunter and the Memphis program.

Power Conference Player of the Week - Johni Broome (Auburn Tigers)

Broome is no stranger to huge games, and this year, he is the best player on one of the best teams in the country. The Auburn Tigers are blowing people out and had a huge week in Maui and their big man and best player was at the center of it all. Broome has been a big time player his entire career but he has never been one of the favorites for the National Player of the Year. He plays like that this year, and as long as Auburn keeps winning games, he will be in the mix all season long.

In a win over Iowa State in the opening round of Maui, the big man scored 21 points on 7-13 shooting, 2-5 from deep and 5-6 at the line. He added 10 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. That line included a buzzer-beater that provided the final margin for the victory. In a second round win over North Carolina, Broome scored 23 points on 9-18 shooting, 2-4 from deep, and 3-4 from the free throw line. He added 19 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. His impact on the game was felt everywhere. The Tigers blew out North Carolina in that game. The Championship game was his best work of the week. In the win over Memphis, the big man scored 21 points on 8-15 shooting, 2-4 from three, and 3-4 from the line. He was able to add 16 rebounds, six assists, and 4 blocks. Broome was all over the place in Maui and earned his award this week.

Broome has been putting up numbers like this his entire career and has always been underrated. It is helping a lot that his team is good and likely will be one of the best teams in the country all year. I guarantee we will talk about the Auburn big man many more times this year, especially if he continues on his current trajectory. Congratulations to Broome and the Auburn program.