College Basketball's All-Week 5 First Team: Top Performers at Every Position

This is a regular week in review—an examination of college basketball games, Sunday to Saturday.

In Week 5, there were a lot of impressive single-game performances, as many teams have staggered their schedules to accommodate final exams.

There were some guys who really passed some difficult tests, though.

We even saw two players nominated from the same game—despite one winning and one losing. And it was a good week to showcase yourself against Wisconsin (sorry, Badgers).

Big scoring games are always taken into consideration, of course. But we're also continuing to look at other story lines that made a player's performance special during the last seven days.

Were you a major difference-maker following a return from injury or illness? Well, that made us take notice (especially this week). Did you have the type of line that really stood out on the game log? Sure, we considered that, too.

There were some cases when we looked a little closer at teammates before narrowing it down to one—we were "hooked" into that decision based on a player's overall body of work for the week rather than a single big game. And playing well against good (ranked) teams always strengthens your chances.

Picks are position by position and even include some off-the-bench studs.

Other great players and performances missed the cut this week, but tell us how you feel in the comments and let us know where we can do better.

On to the weekly highlights...

Point Guard: Fred VanVleet (Wichita State)

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Dec. 9 vs. UNLV: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Dec. 12 vs. Utah: 10 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds

You think the Shockers were happy to have their leader back? All he did was control a couple of games, getting a couple of wins that help get them back on the right track after a very iffy start.

Fred VanVleet has had a rough go with injuries to start the season, and he still has to get his wind back. But this week was a prime example of why you can't count out WSU quite yet from an NCAA tournament bid.

Second Team: Jordan Johnson, Milwaukee

Dec. 9 vs. Wisconsin: 22 points, 4 assists

Jordan Johnson is only 5'9" but was a monster against Wisconsin, helping the Panthers snap a 22-game losing streak against the Badgers. He played 39 minutes and had to be helped off the floor at the end. Milwaukee trailed by 15 points early, but Johnson hit all eight free throws and made six of the 10 shots he attempted.

The effort more than offset a career-high 32 points from UW's Nigel Hayes. Johnson started the comeback with a three-pointer right before the end of the first half.

Shooting Guard: Isaiah Cousins, Oklahoma

Darryl Oumi/Getty Images

Dec. 7 vs. Villanova: 19 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds

Dec. 12 vs. Oral Roberts: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

Isaiah Cousins put on a show against Top 10-ranked Villanova at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). He made all four three-point attempts for the red-hot Sooners, who were 8-of-12 from deep in the second half against the cold Wildcats.

For the two-game week, he made half (13-of-26) of his shots and only missed 2-of-9 three-point tries.

Second Team: Isaiah Zierden, Creighton

Dec. 9 vs. Nebraska: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

Dec. 12 vs. IUPUI: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

We'll nominate an Isaiah, Part II. Zierden overcame an 0-of-7 showing against Loyola (Chicago) to guide the Blue Jays to a win in the in-state rivalry game with the Cornhuskers. Zierden scored five of CU's first seven points in helping Creighton continue to dominate as the No. 1 program in the state. He made five of his seven shots in both games this week—doing it all from the three-point line in the second one.

Small Forward (Wing): Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Dec. 7 vs. Western Illinois: 27 points, 9 rebounds

Dec. 10 vs. Iowa State: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks

There is some disappointment in this selection, as it relates to the Iowa State game. The 6'9" senior was marvelous in the first half, posting 30 points at Top Five-ranked Iowa State. But the Hawkeyes lost, as Jarrod Uthoff was shut down in the second half (two points).

But let's note that he made 22 of his 36 shots last week, including 9-of-13 three-point attempts. His 32 points were a career high, and the first half alone tied for the most points by any Fran McCaffery-coached player in Iowa City during the last four seasons. The Western Illinois effort three days prior had been Uthoff's new career high.

Uthoff spiked all of his main averages as he entered the ISU game posting about 18 points and six boards.

Second Team: Taurean Prince, Baylor

Dec. 6 vs. Vanderbilt: 30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists

Dec. 8 vs. Northwestern State: 11 points, 13 rebounds

Taurean Prince was worth a kingdom against the big, ranked Commodores. The senior dominated in front of a slew of NBA scouts. His outside shot wasn't falling as much in the second half, but he still produced 11 points on some hard drives. That win, and performance, will look really good for the Bears in a few months as well.

Power Forward: Georges Niang, Iowa State

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Dec. 7 vs. Buffalo: 31 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists

Dec. 10 vs. Iowa: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists

One of the country's premier players makes his first appearance in the weekly All-Star chatter after a terrific week. Against Buffalo, he was the catalyst in what was a sluggish Cyclones performance early. Then he sparked ISU in a remarkable 20-point rally at home against in-state-rival Iowa—whether fans should've stormed the court as the country's No. 4-ranked team is another debate altogether—by hitting a couple of clutch free throws in the final minute.

Niang shot better than 50 percent from the field and the three-point line for the two-game stretch.

Second Team: Tony Parker, UCLA

Dec. 6 vs. Long Beach State: 16 points, 10 rebounds

Dec. 12 vs. Gonzaga: 16 points, 5 rebounds

The senior forward made his first eight shots at always-rowdy Gonzaga, not missing until late in what turned into a fine Bruins road win. Parker made 16 of his 21 shots, needing just 59 minutes during the workweek.

Center: Cameron Ridley, Texas

Chris Covatta/Getty Images

Dec. 8 vs. UTSA: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks

Dec. 12 vs. North Carolina: 12 points, 13 rebounds

Beating a Top Five team will draw some attention here weekly. Cameron Ridley wasn't quite as efficient scoring the basketball against the Tar Heels, but the double-double earns the 6'9" senior the nod.

You may wonder: Why no Javan Felix on the guard line? We'd argue Ridley had the better week, even if he didn't hit the game-winning shot against North Carolina. He did offer a late layup and foul shot that put the Longhorns ahead by three with a couple of minutes left, before they would finish it off at the buzzer.

Second Team: Luke Fischer, Marquette

Dec. 8 vs. San Jose State: 11 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks

Dec. 12 vs. Wisconsin: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks

Luke Fischer was a monster down the stretch against Wisconsin, getting the putback basket that virtually sealed a big in-state road win. The 6'11" junior—who has teamed up ferociously with freshman Henry Ellenson inside—added an offensive rebound on the front end of a 1-and-1 situation, with his team up 57-55 with 1.7 seconds left.

He made 10 of his 17 shots over the course of the two-game week, playing 37 minutes in each.

Off the Bench: Kelan Martin, Butler

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Dec. 7 vs. VMI: 20 points, 8 rebounds

Dec. 12 vs. Tennessee: 25 points, 11 rebounds

Remember, we don't include games from the previous Saturday (we start on Sunday). Yet it bears mentioning that the 6'6" sophomore has been on a tear. He had a tidy 20 points in 20 minutes against VMI.

He was even better against Tennessee, scoring 25 points (9-of-18 shooting) in 20 minutes.

Second Team: London Perrantes, Virginia

Dec. 8 vs. West Virginia: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists

Appendectomy? What appendectomy? London Perrantes looked pretty darn healthy and healed, finding his rhythm in the second half of a nice neutral-court win against the 14th-ranked Mountaineers. Bob Huggins even acknowledged him with a handshake and smile in the postgame line. Perrantes had missed the previous two games but managed to make 5-of-6 shots and score all of his points in the final 20 minutes.