Arizona’s Burries headlines Oscar Robertson Trophy National Players of the Week

Arizona’s Burries headlines Oscar Robertson Trophy National Players of the Week

 

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Feb. 1.

For the 2025-26 season, the USBWA continues its national player of the week program that has been affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy since the 2009-10 season. Prior to the 2024-25 season, the USBWA had recognized just one player each week.

Each Tuesday during the regular season, designated USBWA board members will select five standouts from the 31 Division I conference players of the week to be recognized. This week’s selections were chosen from a list of the conferences that named a player of the week on Monday.

Following are the five players selected for performances this past week:

Brayden Burries, Arizona (Big 12)
In the Big Monday game at BYU, Burries had a career-high 29 points while stuffing the stat sheet with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the 86-83 win. In the 87-74 victory at Arizona State, the guard added 17 points with seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. The freshman from San Bernardino, California, captured his first career Big 12 player and newcomer honors while averaging 23.0 points, becoming Arizona’s second Big 12 Player of the Week this season and marking the third time a Wildcat has been tabbed as the conference’s top weekly newcomer in men’s basketball.

Jeremy Fears, Michigan State (Big Ten)
The 6-2 sophomore guard averaged 30.0 points and 8.0 assists with 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in a 1-1 week for the Spartans. Fears scored a career-high 29 points, including 27 in the second half and overtime, to go with nine assists and four rebounds in an 88-79 win at Rutgers before setting a new career-best with 31 points with seven assists and five boards in an 83-71 loss to Michigan. He was named a Big Ten Player of the Week for a second straight week.

Alex Huibregtse, Bradley (Missouri Valley)
In the Braves’ lone contest this past week, the 6-4 graduate guard scored a season-high 29 points, along with four rebounds and two assists. Huibregtse connected on a career-high nine three-pointers, tying the program record for single-game three-pointers, previously set by Duke Deen during the 2023-24 season. Huibregtse’s 9-for-10 performance from beyond the arc marks the only game in BU history in which a Brave attempted at least seven three-pointers and finished shooting 90 percent or better.

Camren Hunter, Central Arkansas (ASUN)
Hunter earned Player of the Week honors after back-to-back 30-point performances for the Bears. He scored 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the win against Queens. Hunter topped that performance with a 32-point outing against Eastern Kentucky, going 13-of-19 from the floor and adding seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Jordan Riley, East Carolina (American)
Riley averaged 36.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two games last week. Against Rice on Wednesday, the senior dropped 37 points, then against Florida Atlantic on Saturday, he recorded 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists while also making the final two free throws of the game to clinch a 76-75 road win.

Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation’s oldest award and the only one named after a former player.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2026 Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis, with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.

2025-26 USBWA Men’s Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 9: TJ Long, Vermont; Koa Peat, Arizona; Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama; Bruce Thornton, Ohio State; Caleb Wilson, North Carolina.
• Week ending Nov. 16: Cameron Boozer, Duke; Mikel Brown, Louisville; Kingston Flemings, Houston; Delrecco Gillespie, Kent State; Braden Smith, Purdue.
• Week ending Nov. 23: Michael Ajayi, Butler; David Coit, Maryland; MJ Collins Jr., Utah State; PJ Haggerty, Kansas State; Ethan Roberts, Penn.
• Week ending Nov. 30: Leo Beath, UC San Diego; Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State; Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan; Darin Smith, Central Connecticut; Nick Townsend, Yale.
• Week ending Dec. 7: Cameron Boozer, Duke; Tre Carroll, Xavier; Cruz Davis, Hofstra; Aidan Mahaney, UC Santa Barbara; Milan Momcilivic, Iowa State.
• Week ending Dec. 14: Myles Colvin Jr., Wake Forest; Melvin Council Jr., Kansas; Graham Ike, Gonzaga; Dennis Parker Jr., Radford; Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana.
• Week ending Dec. 21: Christian Anderson, Texas Tech; Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee; Braden Huff, Gonzaga; Paul McNeil, NC State; Stephon Payne, Seton Hall.
• Week ending Jan. 4: Rafael Castro, George Washington; Boopie Miller, SMU; Paulius Murauskas, St. Mary’s; Kahlil Singleton, Canisius; Chase Walker, Illinois State.
• Week ending Jan. 11: Nick Boyd, Wisconsin; Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State; Richie Saunders, BYU; Braden Smith, Purdue; Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt.
• Week ending Jan. 18: John Blackwell, Wisconsin; Rueben Chinyelu, Florida; Diggy Coit, Maryland; RJ Johnson, Kennesaw State; Erik Platt, Stony Brook.
• Week ending Jan. 25: Dominique Daniels, California Baptist; Keyshawn Hall, Auburn; Jalen Quinn, Drake; JT Toppin, Texas Tech; Keaton Wagler, Illinois.
• Week ending Feb. 1: Brayden Burries, Arizona; Jeremy Fears, Michigan State; Alex Huibregtse, Bradley; Camren Hunter, Central Arkansas; Jordan Riley, East Carolina.