Pac-12 Weekly Honors: Week 12
Posted by Andrew Murawa on February 9th, 2015Each week the Pac-12 microsite will run down our weekly superlatives, which typically will include a Team, Player and Newcomer of the Week, along with our weekly Power Rankings.
Team of the Week: Arizona State
Arizona State’s Performance On Saturday Sparked Celebration In Tempe
In order to win our Team of the Week award in a week when a team plays just one game, that game had better be pretty special. Knocking off an intrastate rival is a good start. That the rival is a top five team definitely has me intrigued. Scoring 1.14 points per possession against the seventh-best defense in the country? Go on. Going out and getting that win in front of a raucous homecourt crowd on national television in a game where everybody from the freshman point guard to the team’s three seniors all turn in highly impactful performances. Okay, sold. The Sun Devils have had some rotten luck at times this season (six of their 11 losses are by two possessions or fewer), but for the most part, Herb Sendek’s team has played everybody tough while it has folded in several new players into their rotation. On Saturday afternoon in Tempe, everything came together with freshman point guard Tra Holder, JuCo transfer Savon Goodman, junior big man Eric Jacobsen and senior Bo Barnes all particularly deserving of recognition.
(Also receiving votes: California)
Player of the Week: Joseph Young, Senior, Oregon
We’re at that time of the year where naming a superstar like Young as Player of the Week is sometimes a little too obvious. The temptation is to get cute and go with somebody clearly off the radar, maybe a player like Sam Singer or Dwayne Benjamin. But then you go back and watch 10 or 15 minutes of the Ducks’ games from last weekend and you’re reminded of the awe you experienced in watching him play in those games. You see, against the Washington schools this week, Young (as he always does) had plenty of attention from his opponents on the defensive end of the court. And despite all of that attention, the senior averaged better than 30 points per game, handed out five assists per game and grabbed better than a half-dozen boards per outing. Those numbers are all fine and dandy, but these pair of numbers sum up Young’s week best: 68.9% eFG and a 157.0 offensive efficiency rating. Off the charts.
Just Another Incredible Week For Mighty Joe Young (AP Photo)
Newcomer of the Week: Savon Goodman, Sophomore, Arizona State
When you’re a 6’6” power forward whose game is almost entirely focused around the paint playing against Arizona’s talented and athletic front line, it is pretty much established doctrine that you are going to have a long and barren game. Goodman took that theory on Saturday and threw it out the window, battling bigger opponents on the glass and in the paint on the way to a 13-point, nine-rebound outing. Not only did he mix it up well against Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but he was also an important play-maker on the offensive end, often facing up his man at the free throw line and creating opportunities for his team. While Goodman has had a long and bumpy road to this point in his career, he appears to finally be making the most of his talents.
Power Rankings
One little road loss and three-quarters of our fickle voters felt the need to jump ship on Arizona, despite Utah having a similar loss a week ago. Regardless, this week marks Utah’s second stint atop our power rankings this season. The Oregon schools jumped to third and fourth on the basis of home sweeps of the Washington schools; but with visits to the Los Angeles area due this week, they could be set up for a swift fall. The other big mover this week is Stanford, dropping from third to sixth following a home loss to UCLA. The Bruins, however, earned no such bonus for that win, dropping a spot despite the road win. And then, way down at the bottom of the poll, USC, on the strength of another couple losses, jumps out of the cellar for the first time since week six. Fun Trojan fact: In the Andy Enfield era, USC is 2-2 against California. Against the other 10 conference teams, USC is 1-25.
Andrew Murawa Likes Basketball.
