StatSheet Big East Players of the Week - January 2nd, 2012

Filed under Conf POTW on January 2nd, 2012

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Syracuse's Fabricio Melo has won the StatSheet Big East Player of the Week award for the week ending January 2nd. StatSheet's Big East Freshman of the Week goes to Maurice Harkless from St. John's. And last but certainly not least, Louisville's Russ Smith is StatSheet's Big East 6th Man of the Week.

Melo led the Big East in blocked shots (8.0 per game). He also had huge numbers in scoring (12 pts per game), rebounding (6 per game), and shooting (80%). The Syracuse sophomore marched the Orange to wins versus Seton Hall and DePaul.

Melo posted 12 points and 10 blocked shots in 25 minutes in a big 75-49 win against Seton Hall. He followed that up with 5 rebounds and 6 blocked shots in an 87-68 victory against DePaul.

This is the first time this season that Fabricio Melo has been selected StatSheet Big East Player of the Week. The runner-up this week is Eric Atkins, a sophomore from Notre Dame. Honorable mention goes to DePaul sophomore Cleveland Melvin. Maalik Wayns was the highest ranking player from Villanova, finishing 13th.

StatSheet Big East Freshman of the Week: St. John's's Maurice Harkless

Maurice Harkless averaged 38 minutes starting both games for St. John's. In a 91-67 waxing of Providence, Harkless topped the Red Storm in scoring and rebounding with 32 and 13 respectively. Following that in an 83-69 loss to Connecticut, he totaled 16 points and 6 rebounds.

This marks the first time this season that Maurice Harkless has won the StatSheet Big East Freshman of the Week. The runner-up is D`Angelo Harrison from St. John's. Honorable mention goes to Otto Porter from Georgetown. Markus Kennedy was the highest ranking freshman from Villanova and finished 5th.

StatSheet Big East 6th Man of the Week: Louisville's Russ Smith

Sophomore Russ Smith, a 6-0 guard, played an average of 25 minutes over two games for the Cardinals. In a 71-68 loss to Georgetown, Smith got 14 points and 3 rebounds. Then in a 69-62 loss to Kentucky, he led all scoring and rebounding with 30 points and 5 rebounds.

This is the second StatSheet Big East 6th Man of the Week win for Russ Smith. C.J. Fair, a sophomore forward from Syracuse, is runner up. Donnavan Kirk, a sophomore forward from DePaul, receives honorable mention. Villanova has yet to win the StatSheet Big East Player of the Week award this season.

Weekly Leaders

• Scoring: Eli Carter, Rutgers: 27 PPG
• Rebounding: Jack Cooley, Notre Dame: 14 RPG
• Assists: Jerian Grant, Notre Dame: 9 APG
• Blocked Shots: Fabricio Melo, Syracuse: 8 BPG
• Free Throws: D`Angelo Harrison, St. John's: 7.5 PPG
• Three Pointers: Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati: 4.5 TPG
• Steals: D`Angelo Harrison, St. John's: 3 SPG

Tags: Maalik Wayns, Markus Kennedy