Midway through conference play with March fast approaching, we need your help to decide our men’s player of week for Jan. 26 – Feb. 1 by voting in the poll below.
Here are our top five men’s candidates and a recap of their outstanding performances from across week 12 of the college basketball season.
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Jordan Riley – East Carolina
East Carolina has had its struggles this season, battling to just a 7-15 record overall, but the continued scoring development of the former Georgetown and Temple transfer in Riley has been a bright spot. In 2025-26, he’s averaging a career-high 22.9 PPG which is top-5 in the nation, and last week, he scored 72 points across two games, including a Pirates win on the road.
Last Wednesday, Riley opened the week by dropping a career-best 37 points on 14-of-29 shooting to go along with four rebounds despite East Carolina falling to Rice, 83-77. He responded with 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists and shot 52% from the field to lead a stunning upset over Florida Atlantic, 76-75. He knocked down the game-winning free throws with 14 seconds left.
Camren Hunter – Central Arkansas
Central Arkansas has been one of the biggest surprises in the Atlantic Sun Conference this season, sitting 12-10 overall and third-place in league with a 7-2 record. Hunter, a former ASUN Rookie of the Year, returned to Conway, Ark., this offseason after a year at Wisconsin and is a major reason for the Bears recent success.
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Hunter has Central Arkansas in the midst of a five-game win streak, including a pair last week, opening with 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting to lift the Bears past Queens, 100-90, on the road. On Saturday, he followed it up with 32 points, seven rebounds and four assists, going 13-of-19 shooting for the day, as Central Arkansas defeated Eastern Kentucky, 90-81.
DJ Smith – Campbell
Campbell had been steady throughout the early season under first-year head coach John Andrzejek but it eventually gave way to a five-game losing streak midway though CAA play. However, Smith helped to put a stop to the skid by leading the Camels past the century mark last Saturday with a career-high performance.
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The Robert Morris transfer opened the week with a double-double, managing 20 points, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds and dishing three assists despite Campbell falling to Stony Brook, 81-69. Two days later, he dropped a career-high 39 points, adding three rebounds and two steals to lead the Camels over William & Mary, 104-96, on the road. It’s the single most points on the road in Campbell’s program history.
Alfred Worrell Jr. – Morgan State
Morgan State is hitting its stride under head coach Kevin Broadus and is currently 5-2 in the MEAC for sole possession of second-place, the best start of his tenure in Baltimore. The emergence of a veteran guard in Worrell, who arrived from Southern Mississippi via the portal this past offseason, has been integral to Morgan State’s initial success in league.
With the Bears currently on a five-game win streak, Worrell led a pair of road wins. He started with 33 points and a clutch late pull up to lift his team to a last-second upset of Norfolk State. This past weekend, he loaded the statsheet with 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals as the Bears beat Coppin State, 89-80.
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CJ Ray – Chicago State
Chicago State might be just 3-19 in head coach Landon Bussie’s first year at the helm, but things are looking up for the Cougars after they picked up their win in the NEC this past week. Ray, who arrived from Division-II Southern Arkansas, dropped a Division-I career-high 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to complete the double-double as the Cougars staved off Mercyhurst, 78-74.
