March is fast approaching, conference tournaments are on the horizon, and we need your help to decide our men’s player of week for Feb. 9-15 by voting in the poll below.
Here are our top five men’s candidates and a recap of their outstanding performances from across week 14 of the college basketball season.
Luke Hunger – George Washington
George Washington has been up-and-down all year long and is currently sitting on 15-12 record overall and 6-8 in Atlantic 10 play at ninth-place. It is now battling injuries late in the season. With the Revolutionaries battling a four-game losing streak at the start of last week, Hunger stepped up in a dramatic way to lead a pair of wins over Rhode Island and George Mason.
Despite averaging just 8.5 PPG, Hunger opened last Tuesday with 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished two assists to knock off the Rams 75-70. Three days later, he notched a career-high 31 points and shot 10-for-14 and a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. He also grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double to help defeat the Patriots 72-53.
Collin Parker – Austin Peay
Just a season ago, Parker was an unknown forward out of Columbia College, an NAIA program based in Columbia, Mo. Parker averaged a double-double as a senior there and receive a plethora of Division-I interest before committing to Austin Peay and helping the Governors to a 19-6 record, 13-1 in the ASUN.
This past week, he dropped a career-high 39 points, went 11-for-23 from the floor, 14-for-17 at the free throw line and grabbed nine rebounds to beat ASUN preseason favorite Queens. Parker followed that up with an additional 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and a steal as the Governors ousted Bellarmine, 90-70.
Quinn Denker – Northern Colorado
After looking like one of the nation’s top mid-majors early into the 2025-26 campaign, Northern Colorado has had its struggles in the Big Sky and lost seven of its first eight games in league. However, it seems the Bears are now back on track, sparked by six straight wins from Denker and Co., including two significant victories at home last week.
Against Sacramento State and the eccentric scoring of Prophet Johnson, Denker’s ball handling was elite, finishing with a double-double of 22 points, 16 assists and seven rebounds. The 16 dishes from Denker is now a program record for Northern Colorado and a personal career-high.
With first-place Portland State visiting on Saturday, Denker once again came through on the biggest stage with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to defeat the Vikings 77-65.
Head coach Brian Wardle is well on his way to a fourth straight season with 20+ wins as Bradley currently sits 18-9 overall and 11-5 in the Missouri Valley at second-place in the standings. The sophomore emergence of Jaquan Johnson has been a major reason why: standing just 5-foot-11, he’s become one of the nation’s most dynamic mid-major guards.
This past week, he led an upset of the conference’s first-place team in Belmont, beating out the Bruins 95-84 in overtime with 31 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. On the road at Southern Illinois just days later, Johnson managed 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in a double-digit win over the Salukis.
Darin Smith Jr. – Central Connecticut State
Under head coach Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State has become the picture of consistency in the NEC and is right back in the mix once this season. The Blue Devils are now second place in league and will likely host a game in the NEC Championship thanks to the sophomore leap the Smith has taken.
This past week, Smith dropped a career-high 40 points on 13-of-20 shooting and a perfect 11-for-11 at the free throw line as Central Connecticut State downed New Haven on the road, 81-76. On a trip to FDU two days later, he managed 17 points and a pair of rebounds to skate past the Knights, 63-57, for the Blue Devils’ fourth straight win.
