Player of the week

Sporting News, The, Feb 24, 2003

Marque Perry, G, Saint Louis

In a week filled with surprising results, one that qualified as a genuine upset was Saint Louis' 1-point victory over second-ranked Louisville. The Billikens had won only eight games before the Cardinals came to visit with a 17-game winning streak. However, if the matchup had been billed as Marque Perry vs. Louisville, perhaps it would not have appeared so one-sided.

Perry scored 25 of his team's 59 points against the cardinals, including the game-winning pull-up jumper in the lane with 3.2 seconds left. In victories over Louisville and East Carolina, Perry scored 40.9 percent of his team's points. He shot 47.5 percent from the floor in the two games, though he bit only twice from 3-point range. He played 77 of a possible 80 minutes. I'm helping to hold ECU to 32.5 percent shooting, he grabbed five defensive rebounds and picked up four steals. The defense, of course, was a team effort.

GAMES TO WATCH

* Xavier at Dayton, 2 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN. The Flyers, 10-1 in the A-10, won't allow David West another 47 points, but can they stop West and Romain Sato at the same time?

* ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday highlights (all times ET). ESPN2: Fresno State at Creighton, noon; Southern Illinois at UW-Milwaukee, 3 p.m.; Hawaii at Kent State, 9:30 p.m. ESPN: Tulsa at Gonzaga, 11:59 p.m.

* Kansas at Oklahoma, 4 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS (regional). OU and Texas are the talk of the Big 12, but Wayne Simien is back, Kirk Hinrich is hot, and KU remains atop the league.

BOURBON STREET INDEX

The Big 12 elite. TSN's preseason poll had Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas in the top six nationally; this week, they all are in the top six. All three should get consideration for No. 1 seeds.

Wisconsin. After an 0-2 Big Ten start, the Badgers are 8-1 in conference play. But it's hard to tell if that's because they are playing that well--or if the rest of the league is just that, well, blah.

J.J. Redick. Duke's phenom could do no wrong--before January 25. In seven games since, he has shot 32.5 percent (27-of-83), and the Devil's offense looks a lot like everyone else's.

TSN POWER POLL

The TSN Power Poll is determined by TSN writers and editors.

Rk.   Team (last week)       W-L    Most important win

 1.   Arizona (1)            20-2   The Wildcats held Kansas to 29
                                      percent shooting in the second
                                      half.
 2.   Kentucky (3)           20-3   Held then-No. 1 Florida to 34 FG%,
                                      23 rebounds (to UK's 48% and 33).
 3.   Texas (8)              17-4   Jason Klotz's clutch shot vs.
                                      Oklahoma sealed first win over a
                                      top 10 foe.
 4.   Louisville (2)         19-2   Marquette helped in the poll;
                                      Kentucky set the Cardinals on a
                                      roll.
 5.   Oklahoma (7)           17-4   UConn win put homecourt win streak
                                      (now a nation's best 34) at 30.
 6.   Kansas (9)             18-5   Vs. then-No. 3 Texas, KU proved it
                                      can muscle without Wayne Simien.
 7.   Wake Forest (11)       17-3   Beating Duke ended a 14-game,
                                      six-year skid; kept Wake atop
                                      ACC.
 8.   Marquette (16)         18-4   First C-USA team to win at
                                      Cincinnati since February 2001.
 9.   Notre Dame (13)        19-5   Chris Thomas bettered T.J. Ford
                                      during the Irish's coming-out
                                      party.
10.   Florida (5)            20-4   Ended Maryland's 87-game home
                                      nonconference winning streak.
11.   Xavier (18)            18-4   David West's 16th double-double-47
                                      pt./18 reb. vs. Dayton was a
                                      doozy.
12.   Syracuse (17)          17-4   Trailed then-No. 2 Pitt by 12;
                                      comeback spurred three court
                                      stormings.
13.   Pittsburgh (4)         17-4   Defeating Notre Dame by 17 ended
                                      questions about a soft schedule.
14.   Duke (10)              17-4   January win vs. Wake left Devils
                                      as nation's last undefeated team.
15.   Oklahoma State (6)     19-4   Controversial last shot or not,
                                      the Cowboys' D roped the Sooners.
16.   Illinois (14)          16-5   Vs. Wisconsin, Brian Cook proved
                                      he's a leader and scored 31
                                      points.
17.   California (21)        18-4   Amit Tamir averaged 22 points, 56
                                      FG% in sweep of Oregon.
18.   Creighton (12)         22-3   Claimed Round 1 of Missouri Valley
                                      title fight vs. Southern
                                      Illinois.
19.   Mississippi St. (19)   17-6   Held Oklahoma to 45 pts., 32 FG%
                                      for one of two W's vs. top 25
                                      teams.
20.   Dayton (24)            18-4   Win against then-No. 9 Marquette
                                      started a nine-game winning
                                      streak.
21.   Maryland (15)          15-6   Making 29 of 31 at the line vs.
                                      Duke eased pain after loss to
                                      Wake.
22.   Stanford (23)          19-6   Tripping up Arizona is hard; at
                                      the McKale Center, it's nearly
                                      unthinkable.
23.   Memphis (-)            16-5   Chris Massie's season debut set
                                      stage for win vs. then-No. 7
                                      Illinois.
24.   Utah (-)               19-4   Utes forced then-No. 3 Alabama
                                      into 13 turnovers; have rolled
                                      since.
25.   Wisconsin (-)          18-5   Only team with a "W" in surging
                                      Michigan State's last five
                                      games.

Dropped out: Georgia (20), Purdue (22), Butler (25).

Records through last Saturday