College Basketball's All-Week 9 First Team: Top Performers at Every Position

Week 9 of the college basketball season was Buddy Hield's world. The rest of us just happened to be living in it.

Yes, the Oklahoma Sooners star senior gets honored as one of the top performing players of the week. No surprise there. But he's surrounded by some darn good company, too.

North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson wound up shining nearly as much, including a Monday night performance that was one for the ages.

Brandon Ingram, a rival of Johnson from the Duke Blue Devils who is playing a little out of position, deserves some props for his weekly block party, too.

Every week, we pick a first-teamer and second-teamer at all five positions and also a duo off the bench. High-stat games are big considerations, but we also take a look at cumulative consistency against strong competition and those that have played above their season averages from last Sunday through Saturday night's games.

Surprise stories help make the ranks, too, like the Baylor Bears finding a star off the bench for a big road win Saturday.

Let us know what you think of our picks and share your own in the comments.

Point Guard: Maurice Watson, Jr., Creighton

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Jan. 5 vs. Georgetown: 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists

Jan. 9 at Seton Hall: 13 points, 14 assists, two rebounds

There are going to be some folks that will think the second-team guy is more worthy. There's a place for that argument. But we'll nod toward Watson Jr., a 5'10" junior who has made the Bluejays more formidable than anyone expected in the preseason.

Making 15 of a total of 25 shots taken, adding 18 assists and winning twice is worthy of the top spot.

Second Team: Frank Mason III, Kansas

Jan. 4 vs. Oklahoma: 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists

Jan. 9 at Texas Tech: 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists.

Mason III really did his best work of the week guarding Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, believe it or not. Hield may have had 46 points, but they were hard-earned. He might've pushed for 60 had Mason not limited some looks. Mason made just five of 20 shots in the Monday night classic, but he followed that up with a double-double—not too bad for a 5'11" guard, eh?—on the road against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Shooting Guard: Buddy Hield, Oklahoma

Brandon Dill/Associated Press

Jan. 4 at Kansas: 46 points, eight rebounds, seven assists

Jan. 9 vs. Kansas State: 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists

Hield probably deserves more than two slideshow pictures. He was that good last week, leaping to legend status at Oklahoma and even at Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse—he tied for the most points ever scored there by a visitor—not to mention arguably putting himself at the front of the Naismith College Player of the Year race.

Hield only needed 37 shots in two games to score 77 points. It was especially amazing, considering the potential for physical and emotional letdown, that he scorched the Kansas State Wildcats and missed just three of his 14 shots attempts while producing 31 points—also above his season average that now stands at 26.6. That's quite the Buddy system in Norman.

Second Team: Melvin Johnson, VCU

Jan. 5 at Saint Joe's: 25 points, seven rebounds, one assist

VCU is starting to find its post-Shaka Smart groove, and the 6'4" senior is a big reason why. He's scored at least 20 points in four of the past five games, all of which have been Rams wins. This isn't a multi-week award, but Johnson kept doing his thing in one game last week—making five three-pointers and being an all-around stat hound.

Small Forward: Brandon Ingram, Duke

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Jan. 6 at Wake Forest: 17 points, five rebounds, four blocks, three assists

Jan. 9 vs. Virginia Tech: 16 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, two assists

Ingram is an interesting hybrid right now, as perhaps he's more comfortable along the perimeter. But his role has changed on this shallow Duke team, leading to more interior time—really, at power forward in some cases. And just look at those blocked-shot totals for the 6'9" freshman.

Ingram's versatility is too awesome to overlook. In addition to the blocks, he made a couple of three-pointers on Duke's first two possessions to start a rout of the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Second Team: Ben Simmons, LSU

Jan. 5 vs. Kentucky: 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists

Jan. 9 at Florida: 28 points, 17 rebounds, four assists

We were so ready to give Big Ben the top spot. Yes, we're holding him to a high standard. But after their win against the Kentucky Wildcats, the Tigers couldn't pull off an SEC road win against the Florida Gators, even with the star freshman posting a big double-double while making seven of his 15 shot attempts.

Power Forward: Brice Johnson, North Carolina

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Jan. 4 at Florida State: 39 points, 23 rebounds, three blocks

Jan. 9 at Syracuse: 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds

Johnson's first game of the week more than justifies this spot. The 6'9" senior became just the second player in UNC's vaunted history to record that many points and boards on the same night, joining Billy Cunningham. "That was a man's night," coach Roy Williams said afterward, per the Associated Press via ESPN.com

Johnson was phenomenal in two road games, making 21 of his 27 shots.

Second Team: Robert Carter, Maryland

Jan. 6 vs. Rutgers: 12 points, seven rebounds, one assist

Jan. 9 at Wisconsin: 14 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks

We didn't place sophomore Melo Trimble above our two point guard candidates, but that doesn't mean Maryland's strong week went unnoticed. Carter, a 6'9" junior, made a tidy 11 shots in his 18 tries in two nice conference wins. Fellow big man Diamond Stone might get more headlines, but Carter's veteran presence and reliability is a big reason for the Terps' success this season. 

Center: Henry Ellenson, Marquette

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 5 @ Providence: 13 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks

Jan. 9 vs. St. John's: 15 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, two assists

Just like Duke's Brandon Ingram, we give a nod to versatility here. Ellenson is 6'10", but showed he can do so many things this week. He posted a pair of double-doubles, including one on the road against the No. 8 Friars. He roamed to the perimeter to swat Providence star guard Kris Dunn's game-winning attempt, putting a big notch in the Marquette Golden Eagles' NCAA tournament hopes.

Second team: Marshall Plumlee, Duke

Jan. 6 @ Wake Forest: 18 points, seven rebounds, two blocks

Jan. 9 vs. Virginia Tech: 21 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks

Plumlee averages less than eight points a game, even after this week's outburst. He posted 39 points on the week and made all but one of his 14 shot attempts. That is just what the thin Blue Devils could use these days.

Off the Bench: Johnathan Motley, Baylor

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Jan. 5 vs. Oklahoma State: six points, four rebounds

Jan. 9 @ Iowa State: 27 points, 13 rebounds

Motley was fed the ball a lot this week, and the 6'9" sophomore kept making good things happen. He took 15 shots at Hilton Coliseum, making 13 as Baylor escaped with a big-time road win Saturday. It was a career high for Motley.

While he had posted at least 20 points on three occasions this year, those were against teams named Prairie View A&M, Savannah State and Hardin-Simmons. What a time to step up, as the Bears overcame a double-digit deficit to beat Iowa State.

Second Team: Danuel House, Texas A&M

Jan. 9 @ Tennessee: 23 points, five rebounds

One of the SEC's best players had been in a little slump—at least as far as volume of shots compared to point totals—but he looked sharp in his return against the Volunteers after missing a game for a personal matter. House came off the bench and sank a couple of game-clinching free throws in his 32 minutes, which included making eight of 15 shots.