College Basketball's All-Week 16 1st Team: Top Performers at Every Position

Week 16 of the college basketball season gave us so much diversity.

There was Malcolm Brogdon of Virginia, who showed why he should be in consideration for national Player of the Year.

But there was also Colorado's Josh Scott and Vanderbilt's Damian Jones, who were trying to get their teams in the NCAA tournament picture. The same goes for a certain guard at Wisconsin.

As usual, we'll introduce you to a new player or two who had fantastic weeks.

That's what makes college basketball so great: Anyone can erupt with a huge performance, and the weekly stars come in all shapes and sizes. There are games of all sizes, too. That's what we'll examine here.

Every week, we pick a first- and second-teamer at all five positions, plus a duo off the bench (this week, we even salute a recently fired coach). We consider stat-stuffing games but also take a look at cumulative consistency against strong competition and players who performed above their season averages from last Sunday through Saturday night's games. Players who helped their "bubble" causes received extra attention this week.

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

Point Guard: Bronson Koenig, Wisconsin

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First Team: Bronson Koenig, Wisconsin

Feb. 21 vs. Illinois: 14 points, five rebounds

Feb. 24 at Iowa: 15 points, four assists

The Badgers' resurgence—they have a chance to get to the NCAA tournament after it seemed so unlikely a month ago—has come in all facets. Koenig was particularly strong the last two games, pacing a critical win at Iowa with a pair of huge second-half three-pointers as Wisconsin knocked off the No. 8 Hawkeyes for a nice portfolio boost.

Second Team: QJ Peterson, VMI

Feb. 25 vs. Mercer: 46 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks

Feb. 27 vs. The Citadel: 26 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals

There aren't many times we'll talk about a 9-19 team ranked in the 300s by KenPom.com. But goodness, what a week it was for the Keydets' 6-foot junior guard. Peterson needed only 40 shots to score 72 points and missed just two of his 30 free-throw attempts.

Shooting Guard: Brandon Taylor, Utah

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First Team: Brandon Taylor, Utah

Feb. 21 at USC: Eight points, 10 assists

Feb. 25 vs. Arizona State: 12 points, four assists, three rebounds

Feb. 27 vs. Arizona: 19 points, five steals, three rebounds

So much attention goes to center Jakob Poeltl, and for good reason. But it's Taylor—whose game improved during a key week—who played a pivotal role as the Utes stayed in the Pac-12 race.

They ousted Arizona at home as Taylor continued a hot surge beyond the arc with 4-of-5 shooting. The senior is 10-of-16 from distance in the past three games—a big effort for someone who had been shooting 31.3 percent from the arc. He hit one that all but clinched the game against the Wildcats with 40 seconds left as Utah beat Arizona for the first time since 1998.

Second Team: Bryn Forbes, Michigan State

Feb. 23 at Ohio State: 27 points, three rebounds

Forbes is so fun to watch when he's rolling. And he was rolling in Columbus, Ohio, hitting seven of 10 three-pointers. He did most of the damage in the second half, when he sank six of his eight attempts.

Small Forward (Wing): Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia

Steve Helber/Associated Press

First Team: Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia

Feb. 22 at Miami: 28 points, three rebounds

Feb. 27 vs. North Carolina: 26 points, six rebounds, three assists

What could the Cavaliers senior be pondering in the photo above? Perhaps, like the rest of us, he's wondering if he should be the national Player of the Year. Brogdon continued a fantastic season with a marquee performance in a win against North Carolina, doing most of his damage in the first half.

"Malcolm in the first half was as good a performance as we've had against us this year, maybe several years," Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams told reporters afterward.

Brogdon needed just 34 shots to rack up 54 points against two strong teams, and he made seven of his 12 three-point tries. And, of course, defense was not sold separately. He brought it at both ends of the floor.

Second Team: Antonio Blakeney, LSU

Feb. 23 at Arkansas: 22 points, six rebounds

Feb. 27 vs. Florida: 32 points

All the talk about the Tigers revolves around either Ben Simmons or the NIT. But don't write them off quite yet. Blakeney's career high against Florida was a big step for the freshman from the Sunshine State. Blakeney hit nine straight free throws down the stretch to help LSU end a torturous three-game losing streak.

Power Forward: Damian Jones, Vanderbilt

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First Team: Damian Jones, Vanderbilt

Feb. 23 at Florida: 27 points, seven rebounds

Feb. 27 vs. Kentucky: 15 points, eight rebounds

And here come the Commodores, too. Arguably one of the country's most disappointing teams (in relation to preseason expectations), Vanderbilt extended its winning streak to three games last week. Jones made 18 of his 26 shots and generally outplaying whomever he faced, especially against Kentucky.

Second Team: Caleb Swanigan, Purdue

Feb. 27 vs. Maryland: 10 points, six rebounds, four assists

Swanigan, a freshman, was highly touted before he arrived in West Lafayette, Indiana, and lately he's earning his keep. He had a balanced impact against Maryland, scoring five straight points midway through the second half to help keep the No. 10 Terrapins on the ropes in a Big Ten showdown.

Center: Josh Scott, Colorado

Cliff Grassmick/Associated Press

First Team: Josh Scott, Colorado

Feb. 24 vs. Arizona: 26 points, nine rebounds, three blocks

It was just a one-game workweek for the 6'10" senior. But what a time to punch the clock: for a massive home win against Arizona that helped the Buffaloes' NCAA hopes.

Scott scored a season-high 26 points, including 12 in the last 10-plus minutes. We don't put any bearing on statistics from outside the last seven days, but Scott has been effective, scoring in double digits in 25 of 27 games.

Second Team: Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga

Feb. 25 at San Diego: 17 points, 17 rebounds

Feb. 27 at BYU: 15 points, 14 rebounds

It hasn't been the year the Bulldogs envisioned, but they helped themselves considerably by winning at BYU, getting another double-double from the 6'11" sophomore. It was his 11th in the last 13 games.

Off the Bench: Dave Rice, Former UNLV Head Coach

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First Team: Dave Rice, Former UNLV Head Coach

Feb. 27 vs. Wyoming: One senior day

We like to have some fun with this slide. It was cool that Rice, who was fired in January, returned for the Rebels' senior day—a five-point victory over Wyoming. As ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman noted on Twitter, "You will not find a classier guy than Dave Rice."

Second Team: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Kansas

Feb. 23 at Baylor: Three points

Feb. 27 vs. Texas Tech: 17 points

Maybe it means nothing moving forward, but the Jayhawks' much-talked-about sophomore (before the season, anyway) looked like he belonged in the rotation as Kansas clinched a 12th consecutive regular-season Big 12 title. He pumped in five three-pointers and made his first six shots against Texas Tech in a game in which he was needed, as his teammates struggled.