NCAA DI: Jose Fernandez – University of South Florida

Coach Fernandez’s USF squad picked up a pair of victories over top-10 opponents this week, jumping to the No. 13 spot in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. South Florida began the week by taking down then-No. 9 Oregon, leading by as many as 17 in a 71-62 triumph at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Bulls remained in the Bahamas for their next contest, facing off against then-No. 7 Stanford at the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship. After running out to a nine-point lead at the half, USF held on late to come away with a thrilling 57-54 win over the defending national champions. Now 5-2 on the season, South Florida will look to keep moving up the rankings when they match up against UT Arlington on the road on Thursday.

NCAA DII: Carmen Dolfo – Western Washington University

After defeating two top-25 teams last weekend, Coach Dolfo led Western Washington to another pair of impressive victories on the road this week. The Vikings, who entered the week ranked No. 13 in the D2SIDA Top 25 Poll, held Regis to just 1-11 from the field in the fourth quarter on the way to a 60-47 win on Friday. At Colorado Christian the following day, Western Washington led wire-to-wire in a 58-51 triumph to improve to a perfect 5-0 on the season. They were rewarded for their efforts this week, moving up two spots to No. 11 in the latest D2SIDA Top 25 Poll. The Vikings next contest will be the first of the season on their home floor, as they face off against Lincoln in Bellingham on Thursday.

NCAA DIII: Sacha Santimano – Bowdoin College

Coach Santimano’s Polar Bears won two more games this week, remaining undefeated on the season and moving into the top 5 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. Then 13th-ranked Bowdoin jumped out to a ten-point lead after the first quarter on the way to a 62-51 road victory over the University of New England on Tuesday. Returning home to take on MIT on Sunday, the Polar Bears found themselves trailing by ten with under seven minutes to go. A late rally secured an impressive 54-50 comeback win for the Polar Bears, and ensured that their perfect record stayed intact. Now 7-0 on the season and ranked No. 4 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, Bowdoin is back in action on Wednesday in a home matchup against Bates.

NAIA: Jeff Hans – Thomas More University

Coach Hans’ 4th-ranked Thomas More squad took down two ranked teams en route to an impressive three-win week. The Saints began the week with an exciting 74-73 overtime victory over No. 6 Carroll on Wednesday, before hosting the Julie Costello Memorial Classic over the weekend. In its first match-up Thomas More outscored Science & Arts, which received votes in the latest top 25 poll, 25-9 in the first quarter on the way to a 73-64 win. The Saints then faced off against No. 15 St. Xavier, shooting 34-38 (89.5%) from the free throw line in an 83-62 victory. Now 6-1 on the season, Thomas More will look to extend its winning streak to six in a conference match-up at Cumberland on Thursday.

JUCO: Patrick Cunningham – Arizona Western College

Coach Cunningham’s Lady Matadors put on a defensive showcase this week, limiting their opponents to 40 or fewer points in each of their three victories. Arizona Western led by 30 after three quarters in its 70-40 triumph over Copper Mountain on Tuesday. Returning to action on Friday, the Lady Matadors held North Idaho to 11 first-half points on the way to a 65-29 victory. Arizona Western closed out the week with another stifling defensive performance, defeating Snow by a score of 57-36. The Lady Matadors are now 8-1 on the season, and will host Cochise on Wednesday evening.

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