SMU’s Kevin ‘Boopie’ Miller is The Associated Press men’s college basketball player of the week

By Canadian Press on January 6, 2026.

The Associated Press national player of the week in men’s college basketball for Week 9 of the season:

Kevin “Boopie” Miller, No. 24 SMU

The 6-foot senior from Chicago had 27 points, 12 assists and four rebounds to help SMU beat then-No. 12 North Carolina last week, securing the program’s first win against a ranked team under second-year coach Andy Enfield. Miller was 10 of 13 from the field, hit a trio of 3-pointers and finished with just two turnovers in 33 minutes in the emphatic 97-83 win over the Tar Heels.

Miller played two seasons at Central Michigan and a season at ACC-rival Wake Forest before joining the Mustangs. He averaged 13.2 points last season but has shot up to 20.3 this season, and his 7.2 assists per game is tops in Division I men’s basketball.

The Mustangs, who are 12-2 and play Clemson on Tuesday night, entered the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since finishing No. 11 in the final poll of the 2016-17 season. Their only losses this season came against undefeated Vanderbilt and LSU.

Runner-up

Javontae Campbell, Bowling Green. The 6-2 senior matched a season-best in Division I basketball with 47 points in a 101-100 overtime win over UMass. He was 13 of 21 from the floor and 20 of 27 from the foul line to go with six rebounds and eight assists while playing all 45 minutes. Campbell was 3 for 3 from the foul line in the final 5 seconds of regulation to force OT. The point total was the most by a Bowling Green player since 1964 and the most in any road game in program history.

Honorable mention

Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s; Ben Hammond, Virginia Tech; Tyler Tanner, No. 11 Vanderbilt.

Keep an eye on

Rienk Mast, No. 10 Nebraska. The senior forward had 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a 58-56 win against then-No. 9 Michigan State last week, and he hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:51 left to help Nebraska remain unbeaten. Mast also had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes during a blowout win against New Hampshire earlier in the week, and he had 12 points and four boards on Monday night in a win over Ohio State that pushed the Huskers’ nation-best win streak to 19.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

The Associated Press