Most teams are approaching the half-way point of their conference play and in the second week of our in-depth look at the BCS conferences there was definitely some movement in our player rankings (co-written by Dan Russo and Stephen Kalayil.
PAC-12 POY and All Conference
POY:
 |
| Current PAC-12 Player of the Year |
Nick
Johnson (Arizona) – Last
week Johnson was narrowly edged out by Justin Cobbs for POY in the PAC-12;
however after leading Arizona to a win over Colorado and Utah this week he sits
alone at the top. Against Colorado, Johnson went 7-14 from the field for 18
points and then followed that up in a closely contested contest against Utah
with 22 points on 9-18 shooting. It’s going to be hard for anyone to supplant
Johnson, who is averaging 18 points per game in conference play from this
position throughout the rest of conference play.
Last Week: 1st Team All
Conference
First Team:
Kyle
Anderson (UCLA) – Slo-mo maintains his spot with a strong week which
saw UCLA defend its home-court against its Northern California rivals. In
surprisingly easy wins against Stanford and California, Anderson had his
standard stat stuffing type games. Against Stanford Anderson went for 13
points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds and then followed that up Sunday night
with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. A triple double threat every
time he takes the court, the 6’8” Anderson makes the game look easy. UCLA sits
alone at second place and Anderson is averaging 17.1 ppg, 9.6 rbg, and 6.6 apg
through seven games.
Last Week: 1st Team All
Conference
Chris
Wilcox (Washington) –After Washington lost two in a row on the
road, the Huskies defended their home-court against the Oregon schools in two
games that went down to the last minute. In an upset win over Oregon, Wilcox
went for 23 points on five three’s including one with 43 seconds left. Against
Oregon State Wilcox went for 14 and is now averaging18.3 points and 4.3
rebounds per game to go along with 21 three’s in conference play. The Huskies
are now 5-3 in conference play despite being predicted to win five games all
year.
Last Week: 1st Team All
Conference
Justin
Cobbs (California) – A rough week for the inaugural POY. Cal
went from undefeated to 5-2 in a span of a few days with two losses in Southern
California. Cobbs had 22 points and six assists in a rather uninspiring game
against USC and scored 14 points in a loss to UCLA, but only recorded one
assist. Cal will try to right the ship this week at home against Arizona State
and Arizona.
Last Week: POY
Jahii
Carson (Arizona State) –
The pre-season POY was an omission last week after ASU struggled to a 2-3 start
out of the gate The Sun Devils righted the ship this past weekend and Carson
was the key reason. Against Colorado, the sophomore guard put up 23 points and
eight rebounds and also started the week with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4
assists against Utah. Through seven games Carson is averaging 16.7 points per
game.
Last Week: N/A
Roberto Nelson (Oregon State) – The Beavers are currently 3-4 in conference
play and depend heavily on the play of senior Roberto Nelson. So far the high
scoring guard is leading the PAC-12 in scoring with 23.7 points per game in
conference play. In a win against Washington State, Nelson put up 26 points on
6-10 shooting and then in a weekend loss to the Huskies he went for 31 on 11-21
shooting.
Last Week: N/A
Freshman of the Year:
Aaron
Gordon (Arizona) – Gordon holds on to the top spot as he
played an integral part in Arizona’s two wins this week. He didn’t shoot the
ball well from the field (or the line) but put up a double-double against Utah
and is averaging 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in conference play. On Saturday,
Washington freshman Nigel Williams-Goss
went for 32 points and five rebounds and with a few more strong performances
could take over Gordon’s spot.
Last Week: Freshman of the Year
ACC POY and All-Conference
POY:
Lamar
Patterson (Pittsburgh) – Two wins for Pittsburgh and another two solid games
for Patterson including a 28 points, 7 rebound, 7 assist performance against
Maryland. The schedule gets tougher for Pittsburgh and Patterson has a hard
week ahead of him with home games against Duke and Virginia. Patterson is
currently averaging 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. The
Panthers are out to a surprising 4-1 record led by Patterson’s all-around play.
The physical senior guard has a 123.4 ORTG, but the ACC schedule gets tougher
from here on out.
Last Week: POY
First
Team:
CJ
Fair (Syracuse) – The
top player for the top team in the conference is averaging 15.3 points and 6.5
rebounds per game and had another steady game with 15 points and seven rebounds
in Syracuse’s only game this week against Miami.
Last Week: First Team All-Conference
Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) – 14, 4, and 5 for
Ennis in a road win against Miami. The freshman point guard has filled in
admirably for Michael Carter-Williams in Cuse’s first year in the ACC.
Last Week: 1st Team All
Conference
Rodney Hood (Duke) – Hood struggled with
the flu this week, but he still managed to go for 18 points and nine rebounds
against Florida State. 2-0 this past week the Blue Devils are now 4-2 in the
conference and still within striking distance of Syracuse.
Last Week: 1st Team All
Conference
Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia) – The Cavs went
2-0 this week with home wins against UNC and Virginia Tech while the Clemson
Tigers struggled in two blowout losses to Pitt and the Tar Heels. What that
means, K.J. McDaniels falls out of the rankings and Malcolm Brogdon takes his
place. So far Brogdon is averaging 15 points and five rebounds for the 6-1
Cavaliers including two strong performances this week where he averaged 17
points.
Last Week: N/A
Freshman
of the Year:
Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) – Ennis still has a
stranglehold as the top freshmen in ACC play, but Jabari Parker started to pick
up his play this past week with two double-doubles. Parker continued to
struggle shooting the ball, but grabbed 15 rebounds against Miami and 14
against Florida State.
Last Week: Freshman of the Year
Big East POY and All Conference
POY:
Doug McDermott
(Creighton) – 23 ppg and 7 rbg
First
Team:
Bryce Cotton (Providence) – 22 ppg and
6.4 apg. Providence went 2-0 this past week with wins over Butler and Xavier.
Semaj Christon (Xavier) – 21.1 ppg and 3.9
apg. Christon went for 27 against DePaul.
JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova) – 14.9 ppg and 6.1
rbg for a 6-1 Villanova team.
Devin Gardner (Marquette) – Gardner replaces
DSR on this list after two strong games this week. He scored 20 against Gtown
in a win and put up 29 points and 13 boards in a loss to Villanova.
Freshman
of the Year:
Josh
Hart (Villanova) –
Hart struggled mightily this week in a loss to Creighton and a win against
Marquette but still hangs on to the top spot. If Billy Garrett Jr. had played
in Depaul’s last game he most likely would have replaced Hart as the top
freshman.
Big 12 POY and All-Conference
POY:
Marcus
Smart (Oklahoma St.) – Despite a low scoring game against West
Virginia, Smart maintains his spot at the top with 16.8 ppg, 8.3 rbg, and 5.7
apg.
First
Team:
Joel
Embiid (Kansas) – Embiid continued to dazzle and is now
the number one prospect on NBA big boards. Currently averaging 12 points and
seven rebounds the talented big man improves every time out.
Deandre Kane (Iowa State) – Despite
the ankle injury and Iowa State’s slide, Kane is still putting up monster
numbers for the Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones averaging 19 points to go with 6.3
boards, 5.2 assists, and 2.7 steals in conference play.
Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) – Wiggins
cracks the list after two strong games. In a win against Baylor, Wiggins went
for 17 points and seven assists and then followed that up against TCU with 27
points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a blowout of TCU. So far Wiggins is
averaging 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Not bad for an “under-achieving”
freshman.
Juwan
Staten (WVU) – Staten continued his strong overall performance and
maintained his high conference averages in a win against Texas Tech and a road
loss to Oklahoma State. Staten is averaging 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5
assists per game.
Freshman
of the Year:
Andrew
Wiggins (Kansas) – Embiid has replaced Wiggins as the
projected number one pick, but after a strong week, it’s Wiggins who takes the
lead for Freshman of the Year in the Big-12. Still a long ways to go, the two
teammates should battle it for the remainder of the season.
AAC POY and All Conference
POY:
Shabazz
Napier (UCONN) -
Napier is continuing to show he is the best player in the American
conference by leading UCONN to wins over Temple and Rutgers. This past week,
Napier dropped 26 points (20 in the second half), 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2
blocks in a tough win over Rutgers. He contributed to shutting down Rutgers
guard and leading scorer, Myles Mack to just 6 points. Shabazz also tallied 27
points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in an easy win over Temple. In conference play, Napier is averaging 21.1
points and 6.3 assists which are league best. Russ Smith (Louisville) and Sean
Kilpatrick (Cincinnati) continue to be in a close second in the AAC POY race.
First
Team:
Russ
Smith (Louisville) - Smith and
Louisville had an easy week by whipping South Florida on the road. Russ had a
quiet 12 points but contributed 6 assists and 3 rebounds. His AAC stats of 20.1 PPG, 4.5 APG and 2.4
SPG are reflective of what a pre-season AAC player of the year and Wooden award
candidate should be averaging. This
week, Smith will have a tough challenge in matching up against senior guard
Sean Kilpatrick in a battle of AAC leading teams.
Sean
Kilpatrick (Cincinnati) - The Wooden
award candidate had a solid game against UCF (19 points, 3 assists) and a
monster game (29 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) against Temple. Kilpatrick
stepped and hit two game winning free throws with 7.2 seconds left against a
scrappy Temple team. The senior held his
own against Dalton Pepper in a match-up of elite AAC guards. The
Kilpatrick/Russ Smith showdown is must see viewing for college basketball fans
this week.
Montrezl
Harrell (Louisville) - Harrell l
looks to be getting closer to the player that scouts and analysts predicted he
would be. In American conference play,
Harrell is ranked 2nd in FG percentage and 1st in
rebounds with 9.4 per game. He’s edging out Shaq Goodwin (Memphis) and TaShawn
Thomas (Houston) who appeared in last week’s all-conference team. This week, he’ll be challenged against a good
frontline in an American clash between #12 Louisville and #15 Cincy.
Markus
Kennedy (SMU) - The
Villanova transfer has moved into the AAC all conference team this week after
posting big numbers in wins versus Houston and Rutgers. Against Houston, Kennedy shined against
TaShawn Thomas with a very complete game of 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists,
2 steals and 2 blocks. Kennedy and Nic
Moore have been the catalyst for SMU’s (16-4, 5-2) record. If Kennedy can keep up this production with a
bit of help, SMU might be getting back to the NCAA tourney for the first time
since 1993. In conference play, Kennedy is currently 4th in blocks
(1.7), and 2nd in rebounds (9.0) and 4th in FG percentage
(54.2) per game.
Freshman
of the Year:
Terry
Rozier (Louisville) - The
Cleveland native had a solid stat line of 9 points, 5 assists and 3 steals for
the Cardinals in their win over South Florida. Rozier has demonstrated that as
a freshman, he is the right guy to run the team with Russ Smith. At this point in league play, Rozier and Austin
Nichols of Memphis are the easily the two best freshmen in the AAC.
SEC POY and All Conference
POY / Freshman of the Year:
Julius
Randle (Kentucky) - Randle is still holding on as the leader
for SEC player of the year. Last week, Randle put up solid stats in wins
against struggling SEC teams, Georgia and Texas A&M. In SEC play, Randle is averaging a double
double with 13.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game (2nd in the SEC).
Jabari Brown (Missouri) is on Randle’s heels for SEC POY. He’s far and away been the best freshman in
the SEC this year at this point. In order, the next best freshmen have been
James Young (UK), Andrew Harrison (UK) and Jordan Mickey (LSU).
Jabari
Brown (Missouri) - Jabari had
a huge week in a tough loss against LSU and close win against South Carolina.
He put up 28 points, 4 rebounds and shot 10-15 from the field (5-6 from 3 point
land) against an up and coming LSU team.
Against South Carolina, Brown had 24 points (7-13 from the field), 6
assists and 6 rebounds. In conference play, Brown leads the league in scoring
at 22 PPG, and is shooting a scorching 55.3 percent from 3 point range. If he
continues this pace for Missouri, (15-4, 3-3) he’ll be the leader for SEC
player of the year.
Jarnell
Stokes (Tennessee) - Stokes
makes his first appearance in the SEC all-conference team, with a solid performance
against #6 Florida. In a forgettable game for Tennessee, Stokes was the lone
bright spot for the Volunteers with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Stokes was the
only player playing with passion and aggression against the Gators tough
frontline which is anchored by Patric Young. His averages of 10.8 rebounds and
13.5 points in league play make him and Randle the only SEC players to be
averaging a double double in league play.
Jarvis
Summers (Ole Miss) - Andrew
Harrison (Kentucky) could wind up the being the best PG in the SEC due to his
improving play and potential at the position, though he didn’t play like it in
UK’s wins this past week over Georgia and Texas A&M. Scotty Wilbekin (Florida) is leading his team
to W’s but not overwhelming us with his PG play. However, Jarvis Summers of the Ole Miss
Runnin’ Rebels gets the nod this week as the best PG in conference, overtaking
Andrew Harrison. In SEC play, he’s
averaging 18.5 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game for a surprising Ole
Miss (14-4, 5-1) team. He’s made a dramatic jump in from his junior to senior
year and has Ole Miss in the hunt for an NCAA tourney bid with the help of his
outspoken backcourt mate, Marshall Henderson.
James
Young (Kentucky) and Casey Prather (Florida) Tied - This was too close to call. Young
has been UK’s best scorer in SEC play by averaging 15.1 points per game on a
team that is filled with scorers and talent. He’s been a solid shooter
this season and played big in essentially every big game this season for UK.
I’m still not convinced there is another SF I’s rather have in the SEC. Prather, as we’ve stated in previous posts is
probably the most improved player in college basketball. His SEC play hasn’t
been up to par in comparison to his non-conference output, but he is still the
leader and leading scorer (15 PPG in SEC play) for the SEC’s best team.
Big 10 POY and All Conference
POY:
Nick
Stauskas (Michigan) –Michigan sits alone in first place after
taking care of the rival Spartans in East Lansing. In the Wolverines first game
of the week they defeated Iowa at home when Stauskas went for 26 points, 5
rebounds, and 5 assists on 8-14 shooting. He got some help from freshman Derrick
Walton against MSU, but still finished with 19 points on 5-9 shooting.
First Team:
Gary
Harris (Michigan State)
Keith
Appling (Michigan State)
Roy
Devyn Marble (Iowa)
Sam
Decker(Wisconsin)
Freshman
of the Year:
Noah
Vonleh (Indiana) – In a win against Illinois, Vonleh
struggled to get baskets but he still added 14 rebounds. Derrick Walton had a
great game for Michigan in an upset win but still has a ways to go to challenge
Vonleh.
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