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:

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.

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.

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

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.