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There's something magical about an undefeated team this late in the college basketball season. Seeing a group of guys manage to climb over every hurdle put in front of them is an impressive feat. Say what you will about the level of competition, but what Murray State head coach Steve Prohm has managed to do in his first year on the job is nothing short of amazing. The media attention that this program is getting alone is enough to make Prohm a coach of the year frontrunner.
Much like Syracuse, who fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday, the Racers are balanced offensively and can beat teams a variety of ways. But while the Orange are largely devoid of a consistent lead scorer most nights, Murray State seems to have found one in junior Isaiah Canaan. And wouldn't you know it, the kid is slowly creeping up the player of the year rankings.
The not-quite-six-foot guard sports the 36th best ORating in the nation, is averaging 18.7 points per game and shoots nearly 50% from the perimeter. As the Racers have continued to win games, Canaan has piled up 20-point performances with ease. He's also scored at least 35 points twice this season, and is a threat to get hot and pour in a half-dozen three-pointers on any given night.
Canaan's numbers don't immediately jump off the page, but it's hard to discount his role on an undefeated basketball team. The phrase 'player of the year' can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but even so, it's hard to overlook Canaan right now regardless of the criteria.
Week 12 after the jump..
| Rank | Change | Player-School | Notes |
| 1 | -- | Thomas Robinson-KAN | Showcase performance in W vs. Baylor: 27 pts, 14 rebs, 11-18 FGs. |
| 2 | +1 | Anthony Davis-KEN |
Totaled 23 rebounds and 11 blocks over two games last week. |
| 3 | -1 |
Jared Sullinger-OSU |
Recording a stellar 17 & 9, but has only gone 20-10 twice this season. |
| 4 | -- |
Doug McDermott-CRE |
Avg. shot% of the 6 guys ahead of him in eFG%=18.9%. Doug? 35.1% |
| 5 | +2 |
Kevin Jones-WVU |
Scored 22+ in five straight. Shooting 59.2% on FGs over same span. |
| 6 | -- | Draymond Green-MSU | Hauled down double-digit rebound totals in 13 games this year. |
| 7 | -2 |
Marcus Denmon-MIZ |
Scoring is way down & is only a 33% 3P shooter in Big 12 play. |
| 8 | -- |
Harrison Barnes-UNC |
Getting to the line nearly 2X more per game than as a frosh. 38.5 FTRate. |
| 9 | +3 |
Scott Machado-ION |
You want a stud PG? Try 11 pts, 9 rebs & 15 asts vs. Rider last wk. |
| 10 | -1 |
Jeremy Lamb-CON |
Shooting a terrible 26.4% from deep in Connecticut's five losses. |
| 11 | +3 |
John Henson-UNC |
Still hard to place him. 0-for-7 FTs vs. FSU, then 16-16-6 line vs. VT. |
| 12 | -2 |
John Jenkins-VAN |
A deadly shooter, but his role carries with it a harsh POY ceiling. |
| 13 | -- |
Will Barton-MEM |
A pair of 24-point nights last week. Still ridiculously underrated. |
| 14 | +2 |
Damian Lillard-WEB |
Trying to find his weakness is quite hard. Maybe a lack of steals? |
| 15 | -- |
J'Covan Brown-TEX |
Shots to go around: Attempted 54 FGs in 2 losses to KU/KSU last wk. |
| 16 | -5 |
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist-KEN |
Averaged 23.5 min/gm last wk. Made some noise, but is fading fast. |
| 17 | UNR | Perry Jones III-BAY |
Back on the board after I cut him randomly. Now let's see something. |
| 18 | UNR | Isaiah Canaan-MUR |
Deadly-accurate 3P shooter. Drained 60-of-127 attempts (47.2%). |
| 19 | -- |
Kenny Boynton-FLA |
0-for-4 3P game vs. LSU was his first 3P-less day of the season. |
| 20 | UNR | Anthony Marshall-UNLV |
On a flat-out tear since Dec. 23: 18.4 pts, 7.1 rebs, 5.0 asts |
Five who just missed: Mike Moser-UNLV, Arnett Moultrie-Mississippi State, Nate Wolters-South Dakota State, Herb Pope-Seton Hall, Tu Holloway-Xavier
Previous Rankings: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11