AP Player of the Week: Terrence Edwards Jr. of James Madison keyed big upset in 3-0 start for Dukes
James Madison guard Terrence Edwards (5) drives into the paint around Howard guard Jordan Hairston (23) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Harrisonburg, Va., Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. Credit: AP/Daniel Lin
The Associated Press national player of the week in men’s basketball for Week 1 of the season:
TERRENCE EDWARDS JR., James Madison
The 6-foot-6 swingman from Atlanta keyed James Madison's upset overtime win at then-No. 4 Michigan State, finishing with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists. Edwards averaged 21 points and 5.7 rebounds while hitting 21 of 23 free throws and 6 of 13 from 3-point range in three wins last week that got James Madison ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history. Edwards also had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a double overtime win over Kent State.
RUNNER-UP
Armando Bacot, North Carolina. The graduate forward averaged 23.5 points and 16.5 rebounds per game and made 18 of 30 shots in wins over Radford and Lehigh. He had 25 points and 13 rebounds against Radford for his 100th game scoring in double figures.
HONORABLE MENTION
Keshad Johnson (Arizona), Tucker DeVries (Drake), Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor).
James Madison's Terrence Edwards Jr., right, drives against Michigan State's Carson Cooper (15) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. Credit: AP/Al Goldis
KEEP AN EYE ON
Nevada's Kenan Blackshear. The graduate student guard from Orlando, Florida, averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while making 18 of 34 shots in a pair of wins last week. That is an uptick from last season, when he averaged 14.1 points, 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 33 starts.
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AP voters: John Marshall, Aaron Beard, Dave Skretta, Beth Harris, Mike Marot, Cliff Brunt, Eric Olson.
