AP men's player of the week: Auburn's Miles Kelly hit 12 3s in a pair of wins

The Associated Press national player of the week in men’s college basketball for Week 17 of the season:

Miles Kelly, Auburn

The 6-foot-6 senior lit it up from 3 in a pair of wins by the top-ranked Tigers last week.

Kelly hit nine 3s and scored 30 points in a 94-78 win over No. 19 Kentucky, then hit three more 3s and had 13 points in a blowout win over Mississippi. He shot 12 of 19 from 3 in the two games and was 14 of 24 overall from the floor.

Kelly is Auburn's third-leading scorer at 11.5 points per game and is shooting 41% from 3. The Tigers have been No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for eight straight weeks.

Runner-up

Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga. The 6-foot senior became the first player to have consecutive 15-assist games against Division I opponents since 2011. He had 15 assists for the second time this season in a win over Santa Clara, becoming the first Division I player in 22 years to have two 15-assist games against the same opponent in a single season. The national assists leader followed that up with 16 assists in a win at San Francisco.

Honorable mention

Chucky Hepburn, Louisville; Sam Brown, Penn; Abdi Bashir Jr., Monmouth.

Keep an eye on

Eric Dixon, Villanova. The nation's scoring leader is doing his best to keep the Wildcats in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid. The 6-8 senior had 32 points, including 18 straight, and 10 rebounds in a 59-54 win at Seton Hall, then had 34 points in a win at Butler. Dixon leads the nation with 23.6 points per game headed into the final week of the regular season, which Villanova closes out Tuesday at Georgetown.

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