Duke basketabll Player of the Week: Week 11

Wednesday at Miami: 17 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, six offensive, 7-for-8 from the free throw line and three blocks in 32 minutes.

The good: After struggling from the field for the early part of the ACC season, this week Parker rediscovered the attacking mentality that made him so successful in nonconference play. Against both the Wolfpack and the Hurricanes, he was aggressively looking to take the ball to the basket and finish above the rim, rather settling for contested jumper after contested jumper. He led the Blue Devils in scoring in both games, taking 18 of Duke's 36 free throws over the course of the week. Parker also stepped up his game on the defensive end by getting in passing lanes and contesting shots—the 15 rebounds at Miami were a career high and constituted his fifth double-double of the season.

The bad: While he was a defensive factor last week and a key rebounder on the defensive glass, Parker's post defense still has room to improve. Guarding players who are taller, larger and older than him, the freshman must rely on getting himself in proper position to effectively protect the basket—going for steals and blocks could get him and his teammates into foul trouble and result in easy lay-ups and dunks for the opposition. In addition, Parker committed four turnovers against the Hurricanes, something head coach Mike Krzyzewski would surely like to see him cut down on throughout the rest of the season.

The bottom line: Based on his performance over the past week, Parker looks to be close to leaving the freshman wall behind. He had one of his most complete games of the season against the Hurricanes in front of a star-studded crowd of future NBA peers, continuing to handle the pressure of being one of the nation's top freshmen.