College Basketball: B/R National Player of the Year Award Watch, Dec. 26

Here is your second installment of the B/R National Player of the Year Award Watch.

Even with a relatively light schedule of games this last week, we have some movement on this list.

One factor, along with individual stats that will be assessed, is team performance.

While no individual player should get complete credit or blame for the outcome of the game, an outstanding player should put up more than empty numbers in while his team goes down in defeat.

Here we go!

10. Herb Pope: Seton Hall

Position: Power Forward

Class: Senior

Ht: 6'8"  Wt: 236 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 20.3

Rebounds: 11.4

Assists: 2.2

Steals: 1.3  Blocks: 1.5

Last week's ranking: Not on list

On the national scene, Herb Pope is an under-valued big.

Pope is the No. 8 rebounder and No. 17 scorer in the country, helping the Pirates to an 11-1 start.

This past week:

Pope had two strong outings in two road wins.

He put up 14 points, grabbed 9 boards, dished 5 assists and blocked 3 shots against Dayton, and then coasted to 8 points, 10 boards and 4 assists as Seton Hall destroyed Longwood.

9. John Henson: North Carolina

Position: Power Forward

Class: Junior

Ht: 6'11"  Wt: 220 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 14.5

Rebounds: 10.1

Assists: 1.7

Steals: 0.3  Blocks: 3.3

Last week's ranking: No. 9

John Henson anchors the best rebounding front-line in the country. As a team, the Tar Heels lead the nation in team rebounding (averaging 45.2 rpg). 

This past week:

Henson had a sturdy game—7 points, 11 boards, 7 blocks—in the Tar Heels 50-point blow-out of Nichols State.

His in-focus performance—14 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocksagainst Texas helped UNC move to 11-2 on the year with two pre-conference games to play before they open their ACC slate at home against Boston College on January 7.  

8. Perry Jones III: Baylor

Position: Power Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'11"  Wt: 235

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 14.1

Rebounds: 6.9

Assists: 1.1

Steals: 1.1  Blocks: 0.9

Last Week's Rating: No. 5

Perry Jones III has helped Baylor jump to a 12-0 start, the best of head coach Scott Drew's career.

PJ3 leads a very talented and deep Bears' roster in scoring and is their No. 2 rebounder.

This past week:

Jones had a very pedestrian week, only scoring 24 points, grabbing 24 rebounds and blocking 5 shots in the Bears three victories.

Jones shot 10-for-24 from the field, and only went to the line five times, hitting two of his attempts.

7. Tu Holloway: Xavier

Position: Point Guard

Class: Senior

Ht: 6'0"  Wt: 185 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 18.4

Rebounds: 3.4

Assists: 4.9

Steals: 2.4  Blocks: 0.1

Last week's ranking: No. 6

Tu Holloway is one of the top scoring PGs in the country, able to get his own shots and get to the line pretty much at will.

This past week: If you just looked at Holloway's basic line from Xavier's three games this week—a combined 64 points, 7 boards, and 17 assists—you'd say he did fine.

But the Musketeers lost two of three games—against Long Beach State and Hawaii—and Holloway committed 11 turnovers.

6. Jeremy Lamb: UConn

Position: Shooting Guard

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'5"  Wt: 185 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 18.9

Rebounds: 4.5

Assists: 1.6

Steals: 2.2  Blocks: 0.9

Last Week's Rating: No. 8

Lamb has been a big factor in UConn starting off the 2011-12 season 10-1, leading the Huskies in scoring and steals.

This past week:

Lamb had a very strong outing in a close game against Fairfield. He put up 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

5. Marcus Denmon: Missouri

Position: Shooting Guard

Class: Senior

Ht: 6'3"  Wt: 185 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 18.7

Rebounds: 4.9

Assists: 2.0

Steals: 1.5  Blocks:  0.0

Last Week's Ranking: No. 4

Marcus Denmon has launched the Tigers to a perfect 12-0 record.

The senior guard from Kansas City may be having the best shooting year of any player in the country—51 percent from the field, 92.1 percent from the line and 44.9 percent from beyond the arc.

This past week:  

Denmon had his second consecutive off-night, only scoring eight points on 2 of 9 shooting. He was only 2 of 6 was from beyond the arc.

Fortunately for Mizzou, the rest of the Tigers stepped up and pulled off a close decision over No. 24 Illinois.

4. Harrison Barnes: North Carolina

Position: Shooting Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'8"  Wt: 215 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 16.8

Rebounds: 4.8

Assists: 0.9

Steals: 1.0  Blocks: 0.4

Last Week's Ranking: No. 7

Harrison Barnes leads the Tar Heels (11-2) in scoring, at almost 17 a game, and three-point shooting percentage, at 48.6 percent.

This past week:

The Tar Heels didn't need much from Barnes in a 50-point blow-out win over Nichols State—9 points, 8 rebounds.

Barnes came up big in the Tar Heels win over Texas, registering his first double-double of the season—26 points, 10 boards—hitting 9 of 15 shots from the floor and 7 of 8 from the line.

3. Thomas Robinson: Kansas

Position: Power Forward

Class: Junior

Ht: 6'9"  Wt: 237 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 17.4

Rebounds: 11.4

Assists: 1.7

Steals: 1.2  Blocks: 1.3

Last Week's Ranking: No. 2

Thomas Robinson has been a dominating force in the paint this year

He is currently the No. 4 rebounder in the country

This past week:

Robinson had a robust game—21 points and 18 boards—in a rare non-conference home loss to Davidson.

Robinson had his worst outing of the 2011-12 season against USC, only scoring 10 points on 5 of 12 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds.

2. Doug McDermott: Creighton

Position: Shooting Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'7"  Wt: 210 lbs

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 25.3

Rebounds: 8.3

Assists: 1.3

Steals: 0.1  Blocks: 0.0 

Last Week's Ranking: No. 3

Could Doug McDermott become this year's Jimmer Fredette?

McDermott is the tied for being the leading scorer in the nation, and is leading the Bluejays to a 10-1 start. Creighton is currently ranked No. 21.

This past week:

McDermott had two outstanding games, dropping 35 points on Tulsa and then turning around and putting up 27 against Northwestern. 

In these two wins, McDermott shot 26 for 37, including 5 for 7 from beyond the arc.

1. Jared Sullinger: Ohio State

Position: Power Forward

Class: Sophomore

Ht: 6'9"  Wt: 280

Year-to-Date Stats:

Points: 16.2

Rebounds: 9.2

Assists: 1.3

Steals: 1.2  Blocks: 0.9

Last Week's Ranking: No. 1

Sullinger leads No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots.

This past week:

Sullinger had two decent outings this week, scoring a combined 29 points and grabbing 17 boards in two Buckeye wins.

Sullinger struggled in the game against Miami of Ohio, shooting only 3 of 9 from the floor.