NCAA Basketball: This Weekend's All-Stars

These are the cats that stood out to me this weekend. Keep in mind, I didn’t see every game so if I left any of your choices off the team, my apologies.

However, I'd love to read about the standout performances that you saw this past weekend in college hoops.

Here’s my squad:

The Backcourt

Randy Culpepper

The diminutive UTEP guard went to Tulsa and wrecked shop in one of the biggest games of the year for the Miners. In 30 minutes, Culpepper tallied 27 points on a torrid, 10-18 shooting. What’s most impressive about him is his ability to create his own shot with blinding quickness off the dribble.

He’s really a pleasure to watch if you like explosive guard play. Thanks to him, the Miners are sitting at 20-5 and are a near lock for an at-large NCAA tournament bid if they fare well in the C-USA tournament. UTEP is a sleeper to watch out for in the Big Dance, even if I am a bit biased.

Denis Clemente

The Kansas State senior guard put the Wildcats on his back after they got off to a sluggish start against Oklahoma in Norman.

As he's prone to do, Clemente caught fire, hitting a variety of heat checks and wild shots on his way to 27 points on 11-18 shooting. I’m guessing the KSU and OU huddles were reminiscent to the Sixers' and Knicks' huddles, respectively, during Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game.

New York Knicks Coach: Ummm…guys…who…who’s got Wilt?
Sixers Huddle: Wilt. Hey, Wilt. I’m open, Wilt. I’m WIDE open, Wilt.”

Ty Abbott

The ASU guard had a career day against rival Arizona scoring 28 points on the Wildcats in a contest that started out as a defensive struggle. With NCAA tourney hopes on the line, Abbott was nearly unguardable from on the floor both finishing at the rim, and hitting his shots from mid-range. I don’t care if it’s past your bed time, if you have the opportunity to watch Abbott hoop, take advantage of it.

The Frontcourt

Xavier Henry

It’s bad news for the rest of the country when this joker gets going. When X plays like he did Saturday, the skilled and athletic wing gives the Jayhawks the holy grail of college basketball. A forward that can create off the bounce, shoot, and rebound is as rare as a Tar Heel win—this year, at least.

Add a productive Xavier Henry to the Aldrich-Collins inside-out combo, and KU goes from really good to filthy. Henry shot 9-16 from the field—4-7 from beyond the arc—for 24 points in a well-needed breakout game for the freshman. He also pulled 6 boards for good measure. The rest of the country should be afraid. Very afraid.

James Anderson

The 6'7" Oklahoma State wing might be the nation’s best kept secret considering he’s the Big 12’s best player. If you haven’t seen this guy play, you need to. He shoots and gets to the rim, never looking out of rhythm doing either.

Saturday against Baylor, Anderson almost single-handedly kept the Cowboys' tournament hopes alive with a virtuosic 31-point performance on 9-17 shooting. He also filled the stat sheet with 12 boards and three assists.

Sixth Man

Troy Gillenwater

In only 25 minutes against Pacific, the New Mexico State forward came off the bench with 18 points, and 11 rebounds to help propel the Aggies to a win in a bracket-busting shootout. The win keeps their tournament hopes alive and they have his heroics to thank for it.

These guys blew up for their schools this weekend in games with NCAA tournament berths and seedings on the line. True weekend warriors.

Who’s on your team and why?

This article was written by Kevin Berger of March To March

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @MarchToMarch