This is the third installment of a four part series in which we count down the 50 best players in college basketball. Part I was released before the season, and Part II on Jan. 7.
The player's previous ranking is the number in parentheses.
50. Kyle Weaver, SR, G, Washington State (NR)
There may be no player in the PAC-10 more valuable to his team than the perpetually composed Weaver.
49. Joey Dorsey, SR, C, Memphis (NR)
College basketball's Ben Wallace, Dorsey has pulled down at least 10 rebounds in eight of Memphis' last ten games.
48. Josh Shipp, JR, F, UCLA (NR)
The junior swingman is in the midst of an outside shooting slump, but he's still Ben Howland's second leading scorer at 14.3 ppg.
47. Devan Downey, SO, G, South Carolina (NR)
The Cincinnati transfer continues to do all he can to make Dave Odom's final season at least somewhat memorable. Downey is averaging nearly twenty points a contest, and has recorded at least one steal in every Gamecock game but one.
46. Will Daniels, SR, F, Rhode Island (40)
One of the more impressive offensive players in the country, Daniels continues to average close to 19 points and seven rebounds a game despite being the focal point of every A-10 opponent.
45. Bo McCalebb, SR, G, New Orleans (22)
The Sun Belt's all-time leading scorer is still putting up gaudy numbers, but the Privateers have dropped four of five and don't figure to present much of a challenge for either Western Kentucky or South Alabama in the league tourney.
44. Donte Greene, FR, F, Syracuse (37)
The four-time Big East Rookie of the Week has a tendency to fall in love with the outside shot, despite the fact that few defenders have an answer for his combination of size and athleticism.
43. Brian Roberts, SR, G, Dayton (35)
B-Rob's All-American stock has plummeted just as fast as the wounded and reeling team he plays for.
42. Drew Neitzel, SR, G, Michigan State (17)
Neitzel continues to be nonexistent in games where the Spartans need somebody to step up.
41. Gary Forbes, SR, F, Massachusetts (NR)
One of the most underrated players in the country, Forbes is averaging 20.3 points and 7.5 rebounds for a Massachusetts team that has responded surprisingly well to the departures of Rashaun Freeman and 2007 A-10 Player of the Year Stephane Lasme.
40. Tyrese Rice, JR, G, Boston College (38)
Rice remains the only notable threat on a Boston College team that has dropped six of seven.
39. Jaycee Carroll, SR, G, Utah State (29)
The WAC's leading scorer at 21.8 ppg, Carroll claimed Utah State's all-time scoring record on Jan. 19.
38. Kyle Hines, SR, F, UNC Greensboro (NR)
With just 24 more rebounds Hines will become the sixth player in college basketball history to accumulate 2,000 points, 1,0000 rebounds and 300 blocks over the course of a four-year career. The other five are Pervis Ellison, David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Duncan and Derrick Coleman.
37. Lester Hudson, JR, G, Tennessee-Martin (47)
Hudson hasn't been held under 13 points all season, and has scored at least 20 points in 22 of UT-Martin's 27 games. The Skyhawks' OVC Tourney games are going to demand an audience solely because of this guy.
36. DeMarcus Nelson, SR, G, Duke (48)
The steadiest player on the nation's steadiest team.
35. Demetric Bennett, SR, G, South Alabama (NR)
The best shooter in the country you haven't seen, Bennett is capable of hitting from just about any spot across halfcourt.
34. James Gist, SR, F, Maryland (NR)
Gist had scored in double figures in 12 straight games before being held to nine points by Duke on Wednesday. He still managed to pull down ten boards.
33. Jon Brockman, JR, F, Washington (41)
The Husky star continues to quietly average 18.1 points and 11.1 rebounds. Free-throw shooting remains the big man's bugaboo, however, as he's hitting just 55% from the stripe.
32. Wayne Ellington, SO, G, North Carolina (21)
Ellington has really stepped up in UNC's last two games without Ty Lawson, scoring 28 and 19 points in narrow wins over Clemson and Virginia, respectively. There may not be a player in the country who can create his own shot as easily as the sophomore can.
31. Brandon Rush, JR, G, Kansas (NR)
Rush is finally looking like he's fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered last May, and might actually be a more complete player now than he was this time a year ago.
30. Marcelus Kemp, SR, G, Nevada (27)
Kemp staked his claim for WAC Player of the Year honors when he scored 35 in an 85-80 win over Jaycee Carroll and Utah State on Monday.
29. Mario Chalmers, JR, G, Kansas (NR)
Chalmers is shooting 52% from the field and 44% from three, but it's the intensity he brings on the defensive end that makes him so valuable to Bill Self. He can also, from time-to-time, do this:
28. Eric Maynor, JR, G, Virginia Commonwealth (20)
Last March's Cinderella star is second in the CAA in both scoring (17.6 ppg) and assists (5.2 apg). He's also made himself into much more of a threat from beyond the arc, where he's hit 37-of-90 attempts.
27. Raymar Morgan, SO, F, Michigan State (11)
Morgan may have been the Big Ten Player of the Year in the non-conference portion of the season, but he's failed to score more than 12 points in any of the Spartans' three league losses.
26. Darrell Arthur, SO, F, Kansas (30)
The Jayhawks' leading scorer at 14.0 ppg, Arthur is beginning to realize just how good he can be.
25. O.J. Mayo, FR, G, USC (18)
Lots of flash, far less substance. Welcome to the extremely predictable O.J. Mayo era. More shots (375) than any two players on his team, more misses (209) than anyone else in the Pac-10, a ghastly assist-to-turnover ratio of 68-to-85, and a 7-7 record for his team when he leads them in scoring as opposed to an 8-1 record when he does not.
24. Shan Foster, SR, F, Vanderbilt (19)
Foster's lead in the race for SEC Player of the Year evaporated after a very average second-half of January.
23. Jerryd Bayless, FR, G, Arizona (32)
He set the Pac-10 single-game freshman scoring record when he dropped 39 in a loss to Arizona State, but that mattered little to the ultra-competitive Bayless.
22. Sean Singletary, SR, G, Virginia (5)
It's becoming more and more clear that Singletary would have been better off jumping to the league a year ago because there just isn't anyone left in Charlottesville who can help him accomplish anything.
21. Courtney Lee, SR, F, Western Kentucky (34)
The ever-unique Jack-of-all-trades player on a mid-major team, Lee will be a first round selection in this June's NBA Draft.
20. Richard Hendrix, JR, F, Alabama (25)
The big man continues to average a double-double (18.7 ppg/10.3 rpg) in what is certain to be his final season in Tuscaloosa.
19. Chase Budinger, SO, F, Arizona (13)
Budinger scored only a combined 13 points in 'Zona's recent losses to UCLA and Arizona State.
18. Jason Thompson, SR, F, Rider (44)
Thompson is putting up some outrageous numbers in his senior season, including a 26-point, 24-rebound performance against Siena last Sunday. Watch the kid play and it quickly becomes apparent that the stats aren't just a product of lesser competition.
17. Brook Lopez, SO, F, Stanford (24)
Lopez has averaged 18.1 ppg since being suspended for the first semester of the season, and is the biggest reason the Cardinal appear poised to earn no worse than a four seed in the NCAA Tournament.
16. Chris Lofton, SR, G, Tennessee (33)
The consensus preseason pick for "best shooter in the country" has hit at least three three-pointers in seven of Tennessee's last eight games.
15. Roy Hibbert, SR, C, Georgetown (15)
The big man has shot at least 50% from the field in eight straight games, but he's only attempted ten or more shots seven times this season.
14. Derrick Rose, FR, G, Memphis (9)
Like former Kentucky standout Rajon Rondo, Rose will be even better in the NBA than he is in college.
13. Darren Collison, JR, G, UCLA (10)
Collison had been his usual steady self before an uncharacteristically shaky performance in the Bruins' loss to Washington, a game where he had more turnovers (8) than points (3) and assists (4) combined.
12. D.J. White, SR, C, Indiana (12)
The Kelvin Sampson situation will force the Hoosiers to look to their senior leader now more than ever.
11. Ty Lawson, SO, G, North Carolina (14)
UNC's three shaky performances without Lawson have proven just how valuable the sophomore floor general is.
10. Luke Harangody, SO, F, Notre Dame (43)
Gody's 32-point, 16-rebound performance against Hasheem Thabeet and Connecticut proves that he can - and probably will - control the paint against anyone.
9. Ryan Anderson, SO, F, California (16)
Anderson's exclusion from the 30-player mid-season Wooden Award watch list is a travesty.
8. Stephen Curry, SO, G, Davidson (7)
The more I watch Curry the more convinced I become that he would be a star on any team in the country. His combination of overall skill, court awareness and body control make watching Davidson games an absolute treat. He also has the quickest release in college basketball which means that he'll drop at least 25 on whichever four or five seed the Wildcats play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
How a kid this good with that pedigree managed to slip through the cracks in this day and age is - to me - the biggest mystery in college basketball.
7. Eric Gordon, FR, G, Indiana (2)
It'll be interesting to see how the amateur career of Eric Gordon will be remembered five years from now.
6. Jamont Gordon, JR, G, Mississippi State (26)
Gordon is the premier player in the SEC, and might be the premier playmaker in America.
5. Chris Douglas-Roberts, JR, G, Memphis (6)
The do-it-all guy on the No. 1 team in the country has to be in the conversation for National Player of the Year.
4. D.J. Augustin, SO, G, Texas (4)
There is no guard in college basketball who strikes more fear into opposing coaches than D.J. Augustin. The super soph is averaging just under 20 points and six assists despite being the focus of every Longhorn opponent.
3. Kevin Love, FR, C, UCLA (8)
All right. I'm sold. Kid's a stud.
2. Michael Beasley, FR, F, Kansas State (3)
The unflappable freshman and soon-to-be No. 1 NBA Draft pick continues to toy with anyone and everyone he matches up with in the post.
1. Tyler Hansbrough, JR, F, North Carolina (1)
I have an issue with the fact that white post players seem to be lauded for their "toughness" and "effort level" far more than their African-American counterparts, but I have no problem with anybody who praises Hansbrough for outworking opponents, because I haven't seen anyone in college basketball who goes harder for 40 minutes than No. 50 in baby blue.
Next 10:
- James Harden, Arizona State
- Mike Green, Butler
- Patrick Beverley, Arkansas
- Arizona Reid, High Point
- Alex Harris, UC Santa Barbara
- Tyler Smith, Tennessee
- Charron Fisher, Niagara
- Darnell Jackson, Kansas
- Sam Young, Pittsburgh
- Leemire Goldwire, Charlotte
Andrew Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (23)
Dominic James, Marquette (28)
Aleks Maric, Nebraska (31)
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova (36)
Darnell Jackson, Kansas (39)
Arizona Reid, High Point (42)
Dionte Christmas, Temple (45)
Jerel McNeal, Marquette (46)
A.J. Abrams, Texas (49)
Kosta Koufos, Ohio State (50)