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Stephen Curry tied a career high with 44 points against NC State.

Editor's note: This edition is for games played from Sunday, Nov. 30 through Saturday, Dec. 6.

Player of the Week: Stephen Curry, Jr., G, Davidson Wildcats

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

Stephen Curry was sensational in a critical nonconference win Saturday over NC State in Charlotte. Curry scored 44 points, converting 15 of 33 field goals and 10 of 13 free throws, dished out three assists (versus four turnovers) and had three steals. Beating NC State was huge for Davidson since the Wildcats missed out on winning nonconference games like that last season. The Wildcats have three more high-profile games, against West Virginia on Tuesday in New York, Purdue on Dec. 20 in Indianapolis and at Duke on Jan. 7. Curry's 44 points came a week after he was shut out in the bizarre defense Loyola (Md.) employed on him in a 30-point loss to the Wildcats. Curry has scored 44 twice this season to go along with games of 39, 33 and 30.

The rest of the starting rotation this week:

2. James Harden, Soph., G, Arizona State: Harden had one of the best performances of the season, scoring 40 points by making 14 field goals, all six free throws and 6 of 7 3s and grabbing eight boards in a consolation victory over UTEP in the 76 Classic in Anaheim on Nov. 30. He then had a rather pedestrian 22 points, making 7 of 10 shots, 4 of 7 free throws and 4 of 5 3s and hauling in eight boards in a rout over Jackson State.

3. A.J. Abrams, Sr., G, Texas: Abrams scored 31 points, making five 3s, mostly at critical times, and converting 8 of 9 free throws in a four-point win over UCLA. Abrams didn't have an assist, but he had only two turnovers. He's a lead guard, not a point, and that's fine with Texas.

4. Evan Turner, So., G, Ohio State: Get used to this name. He's emerging as the next big-time scoring guard for the Buckeyes. Turner scored 19 points and made 6 of 8 free throws in the road win at Miami. He was even better in the win over Notre Dame, playing 40 minutes, scoring 28 points, grabbing 10 boards and making all six free throws.

5. Jeff Teague, So., G, Wake Forest: Teague continues to be one of the least-appreciated stars in the game. Teague didn't have a marvelous game against Indiana (six turnovers), but he did have four steals. He followed that up with 26 points, four 3s, four assists, two steals and two turnovers in a blowout win over Bucknell.

Team of the Week: Ohio State Buckeyes

By Andy Katz
ESPN

Last week: Won at Miami 73-68 (ACC/Big Ten Challenge); beat Notre Dame 67-62 (Indianapolis)

The Buckeyes caught two breaks this week when they played at Miami in a game in which Jack McClinton was tossed midway through the first half for a flagrant foul. The Buckeyes still had to mount a comeback and won the game by five. Then, with Notre Dame's Luke Harangody coming back from pneumonia, the Buckeyes still had to beat the Irish in Indianapolis. They did that, too, winning by five.

Ohio State picked up a true road win against a top-five ACC squad and then a neutral-site win over a top-five Big East team. That's two quality wins for a team that missed out on the NCAAs last season. With these impressive wins on its résumé, Ohio State now can control its own fate. Even though it's incredibly early, the Big Ten standings still look odd with Minnesota (8-0), Ohio State (5-0), Illinois (7-1) and Northwestern (6-1) owning the top four nonconference records so far.

Résumé Builders

By Andy Katz
ESPN

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers had a banner week and were just edged out by Ohio State for team of the week honors. Western Kentucky beat Louisville on Nov. 30 in Nashville, then followed that up with a home win over Georgia and a road win at Tulane. With the résumé they're building, an at-large berth is within reach for the Hilltoppers if they can finish first or second in the Sun Belt.

Michigan: The Wolverines did hit a roadblock against a desperate Maryland team earlier in the week, but then they came back to beat Duke at home. Michigan now has two top-five wins (at the time of the ranking), over UCLA and Duke. Now it's up to Michigan not to blow an at-large berth.

Carolina/Duke: Earlier in the week, the Tar Heels gave a No. 1 seed-like performance in wiping out Michigan State in Detroit one night after Duke punished Purdue in a true road win that will ultimately help the Blue Devils' seeding.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs beat Tennessee to win the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., and then beat Indiana in Indianapolis. A No. 1 seed in the West is a reasonable goal for this squad.

Texas: The Longhorns beat UCLA at home in their lone game of the week. Texas needed a signature win after being unable to get one in Maui the previous week.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons beat Baylor to win the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. Wake Forest then dispatched Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Wake is winning games it should win as it mounts a run toward a high seed.

Clemson: The Tigers are off to yet another banner start, going 8-0 through Saturday. Clemson picked off a road win at Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and the Tigers should stay in the ACC's top-five mix throughout the season.

The state of Illinois: Basketball had a good week in the state: Illinois followed up the Clemson loss with a win over Georgia in Chicago; Northwestern beat Florida State and DePaul at home; Illinois State picked up where it left off last season in the Missouri Valley and is 8-0 after home wins over UC Santa Barbara and Bowling Green; and Illinois-Chicago beat Loyola (Ill.) to move to 5-2, including a win over Vanderbilt.

Blemishes that might not go away

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

DePaul: The Blue Demons scored a mere 36 points in a loss to Northwestern. The Big East could be painful for DePaul.

Rutgers: Last week Lehigh came into the RAC and beat the Scarlet Knights. This week it was Binghamton. Rutgers and DePaul may have a tussle for 16th place in the Big East.

Southern Illinois: The Salukis (3-4) are in a bit of a slide since they arrived in New York two weeks ago for the CVC. It continued with a home loss to Charlotte, something that is rare in Carbondale.

Michigan State: The Spartans were embarrassed at Ford Field by North Carolina in the second half. The Spartans need to get healthy, figure out who they are and get back to being an elite team pretty soon.

Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane went into a Sunday game against Oklahoma fresh off losing two straight, to Illinois and at Ohio. Tulsa has a slim margin for a possible at-large bid.

UMass: The Minutemen are getting better: They took Boston College to overtime Saturday night. But through Saturday the Minutemen still had only one win -- against Arkansas-Monticello.

Vanderbilt: There's nothing wrong with rebuilding, but the Commodores appear to be on that track after dropping two straight, to Illinois-Chicago and at Georgia Tech.

Georgia: After dropping a tough four-point loss at Western Kentucky, the Bulldogs got smacked by 34 points by a decent -- but not great -- Illinois team in Chicago.