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, March 8.
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 among all Division I players, including 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:
AJ Bates, Louisiana Tech (Conference USA)
Bates, a sophomore guard from Houston, secured CUSA Player of the Week recognition after guiding the Bulldogs to a perfect road trip on the east coast. He averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals in wins at Liberty and Delaware. Bates’ big game came on Thursday at Liberty as he went off for 34 points on 13-23 shooting, including a career-high six triples. Defensively, he was key in helping hold Liberty to just 41.8 percent from the field, its second lowest clip of the season. In Saturday’s monster win at Delaware, Bates was just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine assists.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's (Big East)
Ejiofor, a senior forward from Garland, Texas, averaged 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals, while connecting on 72.0% (18-25) of his shot attempts in a 2-0 week for St. John's. On March 3, in his final regular season appearance at Madison Square Garden, Ejiofor finished with 23 points, seven boards, five assists, two steals, and two blocked shots in 32 minutes of action in a win over Georgetown. Last time out, Ejiofor led the Red Storm with 21 points in 23 minutes of play as they locked up the regular season title with a win at Seton Hall.
Drew Fielder, Boise State (MW)
Fielder, a junior forward from Boise, Idaho, led Boise State to two wins to conclude the regular season with wins over San Diego State (86-77) and Colorado State (78-67). He averaged 23 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while connecting on 68 percent (17-of-25) of shots from the field and 44.4 percent (14-for-9) from long range. Against SDSU, Fielder recorded a career-high 33 points and pulled down nine boards. He made 7-of-10 attempts from the floor and tallied 23 points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal against CSU.
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State (Big Ten)
Thornton, a senior guard from Fairburn, Ga., averaged 21.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds with no turnovers and shot 82.4 percent from the field in a pair of Buckeyes’ wins. He scored 17 points on 7-of-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point distance with seven assists in a 94-62 win at Penn State. He then recorded a game-high 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting with seven assists and a pair of steals in Ohio State’s 91-78 win over Indiana. Thornton became the all-time leading scorer in program history with 2,110 points as he claimed his fourth career Big Ten Player of the Week award and third of the season.
Chance Westry, UAB (American)
Westry, a sophomore guard from Harrisburg, Pa., posted back-to-back double-doubles in two wins against Charlotte and East Carolina. He was just shy of a triple double against Charlotte, tallying 20 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, before scoring 22 points with 11 assists and four rebounds against East Carolina.
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.
• Week ending Feb. 8: Dylan Andrews, Boise State; Marcus Banks Jr., Massachusetts; Quadir Copeland, NC State; Joel Foxwell, Portland; Bennett Stirtz, Iowa (Big Ten).
• Week ending Feb. 15: Nick Boyd, Wisconsin; Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville; Graham Ike, Gonzaga; Darin Smith Jr., Central Connecticut; JT Toppin, Texas Tech.
• Week ending Feb. 22: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas; AJ Dybantsa, BYU; Josiah Davis, CSUN; Orlando Lovejoy, Detroit Mercy; Chance Westry, UAB.
• Week ending March 1: Christian Anderson, Texas Tech; Mikey Lewis, St. Mary’s; TJ Power, Penn; Jordan Riley, ECU; Seth Trimble, North Carolina.
• Week ending March 8: AJ Bates, Louisiana Tech; Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's; Drew Fielder, Boise State; Bruce Thornton, Ohio State; Chance Westry, UAB.