College Hoops Player of the Week: Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

Feb 4, 2013, 9:45 AM EDT

Player of the Week: Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

There wasn’t even any consideration that went into this decision. Smart was the easy choice after averaging 23.0 points, 7.5 boards, 5.0 assists and 4.5 steals as the Cowboys knocked off Iowa State at home and then went into Lawrence and beat the Jayhawks.

And it was more than the simple fact that Smart put up great numbers in two big wins for the Pokes. He made the plays down the stretch that won the games. Against Iowa State, Smart made the game-winning bucket with 2.9 seconds left on the clock. And in the win over Kansas, Smart took over down the stretch. The two most notable plays were the two buckets that he got off of offensive rebounds in the final four minutes, extending Oklahoma State’s lead to seven points with less than two minutes left. But he iced the win when he stripped Elijah Johnson up three on the game’s final possession.

The Pokes are now 15-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12.

The All-They-Were-Good-Too Team:

G: Shane Larkin, Miami: Larkin went for 25 points on 9-14 shooting, three assists, three steals and two blocks on Wednesday as Miami notched a come-from-behind win at Virginia Tech. He followed that up with 13 points and five assists in the Hurricane’s win at NC State on Saturday. Miami is still undefeated in ACC play.

G: Keith Appling, Michigan State: Michigan State came from 10 points down at halftime to beat Illinois on Thursday night, and Appling was the biggest reason why. He finished with 24 points, eight boards and seven assists, including a number of huge baskets down the stretch as the Spartans clung to a one-possession lead.

G: RJ Hunter, Georgia State: Hunter is making a case for being the nation’s most under-appreciated freshman. He had 27 points and five assists as GSU handed Northeastern their first loss in CAA play on Wednesday, following that up with a 38-point performance in a win over Old Dominion on Saturday. Head coach Ron Hunter’s son was 15-26 from three on the week, including 10-15 on Saturday.

F: Josh Huestis, Stanford: The Cardinal swept the Oregon schools at home this week, moving to 5-4 in Pac-12 play and keeping themselves within striking distance of first place in the conference. Huestis was the best player on the floor for Stanford, finishing with averages of 15.o points, 13.o boards and 2.5 blocks.

C: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky: Noel had 19 points, 14 boards and a pair of blocks in Saturday’s 62-58 overtime win over Texas A&M. That followed up one of the most-dazzling defensive performances we’ve seen this season in Kentucky’s win at Ole Miss. Noel finished with 12 blocks in that game, including five game-changing blocks in the final minutes.