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, Dec. 29.

For the 2024-25 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 last 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 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:

Eric Dailey Jr., UCLA (Big Ten Conference)
Playing with a mask after injuring his face last weekend, the 6-8 sophomore scored 18 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting in the Bruins’ 65-62 win over No. 14 Gonzaga at the Intuit Dome.

Mason Falslev, Utah State (Mountain West Conference)
Falslev led the Aggies to a 67-66 win at No. 20 San Diego State, the first road victory over a ranked opponent for the Aggies since 1991. He recorded 16 points, a career-high five steals, four rebounds and four assists and Shot 46.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc in the win. This is the second time Falslev has earned this weekly honor from the USBWA.

Connor Kochera, Davidson (Atlantic 10 Conference)
Kochera had a career-high 34 point game against Eastern Michigan to lead Davidson to its 10th win of the non-conference season. The guard and team captain from Arlington Heights, Ill., shot 11-of-13 (.846) from the field and 3-of-4 (.750) from beyond the arc while grabbing five rebounds and three assists.

Ahmad Robinson, Mercer (Southern Conference)
Robinson led Mercer to a 71-68 win at Georgia State on Dec. 28. The senior shot 8-for-18 from the field, including a pair of makes from behind the arc, finishing with 21 points. The product of West Orange, N.J., also recorded 10 assists in the game, giving him his second double-double of the season, along with nine rebounds, three steals and a block.

Brice Williams, Nebraska (Big Ten Conference)
The 6-7 senior guard led three Huskers in double figures with 25 points, as Nebraska won its first multi-team event since 2000 with a 78-66 win over Oregon State on Wednesday. Williams, who was named MVP of the Diamond Head Classic, finished with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting along with a season-high seven rebounds and four assists to lead three Huskers (10-2) in double figures. He averaged 22.0 ppg in the tournament’s three games, including 57 points in wins over Hawai’i and Oregon State. The national honor is the second of the season for Williams.

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 2025 Men’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, 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.

2024-25 USBWA Men’s Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 10: JaKobe Coles, Grand Canyon; Tyson Dunn, Buffalo; TY Johnson, UC Davis; Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton; Justice Shoats, Siena.
• Week ending Nov. 17: Abdi Bashir, Monmouth; Jaron Pierre, Jax State; Maxine Raynaud, Stanford; John Tonje, Wisconsin; Sonny Wilson, Toledo.
• Week ending Nov. 24: Mason Falslev, Utah State; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Chaz Lanier, Tennessee; Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Columbia; John Tonje, Wisconsin.
• Week ending Dec. 1: Johni Broome, Auburn; Chucky Hepburn, Louisville; Tyrese Hunter, Memphis; Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue; Javon Small, West Virginia.
• Week ending Dec. 8: Devin Haid, Central Connecticut; Tyler “Chip” Johnson, Mercer; Ian Schieffelin, Clemson; Sean Smith, Western Illinois; Sebastian Thomas, Rhode Island.
• Week ending Dec. 15: Lamont Butler, Kentucky; Tarence Guinyard, UT Martin; Jamichael Stillwell, Milwaukee; Taryn Todd, Arkansas State; Brice Williams, Nebraska.
• Week ending Dec. 22: Donovan Dent, New Mexico; Treysen Eaglestaff, North Dakota; Caden Pierce, Princeton; Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s; Bruce Thornton, Ohio State.
• Week ending Dec. 29: Eric Dailey Jr., UCLA; Mason Falslev, Utah State; Connor Kochera, Davidson; Ahmad Robinson, Mercer; Brice Williams, Nebraska.