SUPER BOWL 2012

Jeremy Lamb was named Big East Rookie of the Week for a second straight week after averaging 16 points in two games for the Huskies. Lamb has reached double figures in seven consecutive games for UConn.

On the season, Lamb is averaging 10.1 points on 49-percent shooting to go along with 4.8 rebounds. In Big East games, Lamb has upped his totals to 12.7 points per game on 52-percent shooting. He’s also averaging 5 rebounds per game in conference action.

Also, Kemba Walker has been named one fo the final 10 candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, given annually to college basketball's top point guard. An original list of 70-plus candidates made up of players from around the country was trimmed by a Hall of Fame appointed, nationally based committee to 20 and has now narrowed that list to a final ten.

Beginning Feb. 8, via the Bob Cousy Award’s website – www.cousyaward.com – fans will be able to vote for the top point guard. The player that receives the most fan votes will receive one vote toward the final committee vote. Fan voting will run one month – beginning Feb. 8 and will conclude March 8.

2011 Bob Cousy Award Finalists:


Norris Cole Cleveland State

Corey Fisher Villanova

Jimmer Fredette BYU

DJ Gay San Diego State

Brandon Knight Kentucky

Demetri McCamey Illinois

Mickey McConnell St. Mary’s

Nolan Smith Duke

Isaiah Thomas Washington

Kemba Walker Connecticut

I've got two young kids at home, a highly competitive beat to cover, water stains on my dining room ceiling, an ice floe for a driveway and, by coincidence, a whole mess of birthdays and Valentine's Days to account for over the next few weeks.

My point? I'm busy. And while I consider my vote for the men's college basketball AP Top 25 a terrific privilege, I can't possibly spend all my waking hours scouring over who deserves a spot in each week's poll and who doesn't.

That's why I can be susceptible to the PR e-mails that some sports information directors send out to voters, asking us to consider their respective school. Inevitably, it's a mid-major program that is doing some very nice things outside the national headlines. Let's face it: the SID's at Duke or Syracuse hardly have to remind everybody what their team has been up to lately.

While I certainly don't heed the advice of all of these e-mails, one in particular caught my attention this week: Coastal Carolina. Who, you ask? Why, the Chanticleers, who compete in the Big South -- hardly a powerhouse conference. They're 22-2, with their only losses coming against College of Charleston and Georgetown back in mid-November. Their 13-0 in the Big South, and their 20-game winning streak is second in the nation to Ohio State's.

More than anything, I ask, why not Coastal Carolina? With so much parity in college hoops this year, how can anybody say the Chanticleers couldn't knock off a few teams in this year's tournament and be this year's (dare I say) George Mason? Who could say it's a crime to rank Coastal Carolina and not a more well-known program like Vanderbilt, Xavier or West Virginia?

So there you go: Coastal Carolina at No. 25.

Otherwise, not too much shake-up in this week's poll. My top five stays the same (Ohio State is really, really looking good. Beating Minnesota on the road is impressive; beating Wisconsin on the road on Saturday would be even more so). UConn drops from No. 6 to 8.

Gone are Washington and the A-10's Xavier and Duquesne. In are Florida, the A-10's Temple and, of course, Coastal Carolina.

1. Ohio State (24-0)
2. Kansas (22-1)
3. Pittsburgh (21-2)
4. Texas (20-3)
5. San Diego State (23-1)
6. Duke (21-2)
7. Brigham Young (22-2)
8. Connecticut (18-4)
9. Georgetown (18-5)
10. Villanova (19-4)
11. Notre Dame (19-4)
12. Missouri (18-5)
13. Syracuse (20-4)
14. Wisconsin (17-5)
15. Louisville (18-5)
16. Florida (18-5)
17. Utah State (22-2)
18. Purdue (18-5)
19. Kentucky (16-6)
20. Arizona (20-4)
21. North Carolina (17-5)
22. Minnesota (16-7)
23. Texas A&M (17-5)
24. Temple (17-5)
25. Coastal Carolina (22-2)