Fudd Scores 55 Points in Two Games as Huskies Survive Michigan Scare; Collins Drops 40 in Charleston Classic; Five Men’s Players, Five Women’s Players Earn National Recognition
Indianapolis, IN – UConn guard Azzi Fudd and Utah State guard MJ Collins Jr. headline the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s (USBWA) national weekly honors for the period ending Sunday, Nov. 23, as the college basketball season enters its busiest stretch with Thanksgiving week tournaments and multi-team events across the country.
Fudd, a 5-11 guard from Arlington, Va., scored 31 points in No. 1 UConn’s narrow escape over No. 6 Michigan in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun, then followed with 24 points against Utah, averaging 6.5 rebounds in both games. The performance earned her Big East Player of the Week honors and marked her second USBWA national honor of her career.
Collins, a junior guard from Utah State, torched the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic with a tournament-record 40 points against Davidson and 21 points against Tulane, averaging 30.5 points per game while shooting 72.4 percent from the field and 61.1 percent from three-point range.
The USBWA women’s awards, organized under Mel Greenberg, the USBWA Vice President for women’s basketball, are drawn from weekly conference honors as well as at-large additions. The men’s awards, overseen by executive director Malcolm Moran, recognize standout performances from conference players of the week across all 31 Division I conferences.
Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week
The five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are:
Maggie Doogan, Richmond (Atlantic 10)The 6-2 senior forward from Broomall, Pa., averaged 24 points, 14 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and two blocks for the Atlantic 10 preseason favorite Spiders in home wins over Temple and Navy. Doogan earned her third straight conference player of the week honor and her second career USBWA national recognition.
Azzi Fudd, UConn (Big East)The 5-11 guard from Arlington, Va., scored 31 points in UConn’s 73-67 win over No. 6 Michigan in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun, then added 24 points against Utah, averaging 6.5 rebounds in both games. Fudd, a past USBWA honoree and multiple preseason All-American selection, was named Big East Player of the Week.
Ava Heiden, Iowa (Big Ten)The 6-4 sophomore center from Sherwood, Ore., averaged 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds as the Hawkeyes claimed an upset of then-No. 7 Baylor and a narrow win over Miami, both on neutral sites at Disney in Florida at the WBCA Showcase. The performances propelled Iowa up eight spots to No. 11 in the new AP Poll released Monday, and Heiden was named Big Ten Player of the Week.
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina (SEC)The 5-8 senior guard from Miami and transfer from Florida State, where she was the nation’s leading scorer last season and a past USBWA Tamika Catchings national freshman honoree, shot 17-for-22 from the field, averaging 24 points and 4.5 assists for the Gamecocks, who have been No. 2 in the AP Poll all four weeks to date behind UConn. Latson was named SEC Player of the Week.
Clara Strack, Kentucky (SEC)The 6-5 junior center from Buffalo, N.Y., who followed Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks from Virginia Tech going into last season, averaged 17 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in wins over Purdue and then-No. 21 in-state rival Louisville. Strack, a past USBWA weekly honoree, continues to anchor Kentucky’s frontcourt.
Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week
Lara Somfai, Stanford (Pac-12)The 6-3 freshman forward from Adelaide, Australia, who won an Atlantic Coast Conference weekly freshman honor earlier this season, averaged 14.5 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in a pair of Stanford victories.
National Team of the Week
Rhode Island (Atlantic 10)The Rams won two games to improve to 6-1, beating Holy Cross at home before traveling to then-No. 16 N.C. State in Raleigh on Sunday to upset the Wolfpack, 68-63, for the Atlantic 10’s first-ever win over a Power Four program and second over a ranked team (the other in 2023 over Princeton). It’s the home team’s first loss in Reynolds Coliseum to a mid-major since losing to in-state rival Elon in 2015. Vanessa Harris, a 5-10 freshman guard from Glenarden, Md., who was the A-10’s Freshman of the Week, scored 19 against Holy Cross and 15 against N.C. State.
USBWA News:
- Iowa State’s Crooks Headlines USBWA Women’s Weekly Honors for Second Consecutive Week
- USBWA Announces 2025-26 Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wayman Tisdale Award Preseason Watch Lists
Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
The five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week are:
Michael Ajayi, Butler (Big East)The 6-7 graduate forward posted a pair of double-doubles, helping to lead Butler to a 2-0 week and the Greenbrier Tip-Off Classic title. Ajayi averaged 16.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks in wins over South Carolina and Virginia. He has recorded a double-double in each of his six outings this season, second-most in the country, and his 12.5 rebounds per game average is fifth-best nationally.
David Coit, Maryland (Big Ten)The 5-11 graduate guard from Columbus, N.J., scored an XFINITY Center men’s basketball record 41 points, tied for third all-time at Maryland, in the Terps’ 95-90 overtime win over Mount St. Mary’s. He recorded 16 of Maryland’s final 19 points in the last 6:27 of the second half, including the game-tying three-pointer to force overtime. Coit was 11-of-17 from the floor, 8-of-10 beyond the arc, and 11-of-11 at the free-throw line.
MJ Collins Jr., Utah State (Mountain West)Collins led Utah State to a 2-0 record at the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic with wins over Tulane (96-75) and Davidson (94-60). He averaged 30.5 points and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 72.4 percent (21-of-29) from the field and 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from three-point range. Against Davidson, Collins netted a career-high and tournament-record 40 points behind a 14-of-19 (.737) effort from the floor, including eight triples.
PJ Haggerty, Kansas State (Big 12)The senior guard from Crosby, Texas, averaged 31.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists during the Wildcats’ three contests against Tulsa, Mississippi State, and Nebraska. Haggerty opened the week with a 31-point, 10-rebound outing in an 84-83 victory over Tulsa to become the program’s first player since Michael Beasley in 2008 to score over 30 points and grab 10 rebounds in a game. His 27 points in the one-point loss (86-85) to Nebraska extended his streak of scoring 20 points or more to six consecutive games.
Ethan Roberts, Penn (Ivy League)The senior guard scored 31 points – 24 of them in the second half – and added five rebounds, two assists, and three steals in Penn’s 83-74 win over Saint Joseph’s. Four days later, he led all players with 30 points and eight rebounds in the Quakers’ 84-68 win at Drexel, adding another two assists and three steals. For the week, Roberts shot 19-33 (.576) from the field, including 5-11 (.455) from three-point range and 18-20 (.900) at the foul line.
UConn Survives Michigan Scare; Big Ten Contender Emerges
The week’s most significant storyline came from the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun, where No. 1 UConn held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by No. 6 Michigan to escape with a 73-67 victory. The Huskies built a wide third-quarter lead before the Wolverines mounted a comeback that raised the possibility that the Big Ten may not be won again by one of last year’s additions from the former makeup of the Pac-12.
Fudd’s 31-point performance was critical in securing the narrow victory for defending NCAA champion UConn, which has held the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll all four weeks to date. The Huskies’ ability to withstand Michigan’s late surge demonstrated the resilience and championship pedigree that carried them to last season’s national title.
Rhode Island Makes History with NC State Upset
Rhode Island’s 68-63 upset of then-No. 16 N.C. State in Raleigh on Sunday marked a historic milestone for the Atlantic 10 program. The victory was the Rams’ first-ever win over a Power Four program and their second over a ranked team, following a 2023 upset of Princeton.
The win also ended N.C. State’s streak of dominance at Reynolds Coliseum against mid-major opponents, marking the Wolfpack’s first home loss to a mid-major since falling to in-state rival Elon in 2015. Vanessa Harris, a 5-10 freshman guard from Glenarden, Md., who was named A-10 Freshman of the Week, led the charge with 19 points against Holy Cross and 15 against N.C. State.
Rhode Island improved to 6-1 on the season and will host Princeton on Wednesday afternoon in a rematch of the 2023 upset.
Thanksgiving Week Tournament Showcase
The basketball season is less than a month underway, yet the most plentiful stretch outside of March Madness is now upon us with the annual collection of multi-team events (MTE) and holiday tournaments. Matchups are being played in pure tournament formats, in the tropics, in Las Vegas, down in Florida, and elsewhere, all geared to be played around the Thanksgiving holiday.
The difference between now and several months from now is that national high-powered hopefuls suffering early losses can go back to the drawing board and retool what’s needed down the road in conference play to succeed. As teams rise and fall, it is the players catching attention upon which deliberations are determined for the weekly honors from the USBWA.
Previous 2025-26 USBWA Weekly Honors
Women’s National Players (Week ending Nov. 16):Zanai Barnett-Gay (Navy), Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Olivia Olson (Michigan), Sayvia Sellers (Washington), Sydney Shaw (West Virginia); Addi Mack (Maryland, Freshman); UCLA (Team)
Men’s National Players (Week ending Nov. 16):Cameron Boozer (Duke), Mikel Brown (Louisville), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Delrecco Gillespie (Kent State), Braden Smith (Purdue)
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