BIG XII & Big East Awards

BIG 12:

Halfway through conference play and once again the road to a Big 12 championship runs through Lawrence. After a split with the ISU Cyclones the Kansas Jayhawks lead the Big 12 with a 8-2 record and a game lead over the Cyclones. Besides ISU there are three other teams within two games of first place.

Player of the Year: 

Buddy Heild (Jr. - Oklahoma) – 19.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg

One of the best pure scorers in college basketball, Heild has turned his game up lately as the Sooners have won five in a row and moved into second place after a big win against Iowa State. The athletic wing also averages 1.6 steals per game and leads the conference making 2.7 threes per game in addition to his league leading 19.5 points per game which is almost three points higher than the next closer player.

All Conference Team: 

Georges Niang (Jr. - Iowa State) – 14.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.1 apg

Mr. Consistency. Georges Niang has been very reliable as the Cyclones have won three of their last five to take third place in the conference after a 94-83 loss to Oklahoma. Despite having his worst game against Oklahoma, Niang scored 20 points twice go along with 19 against Texas in Iowa State’s latest run.

Perry Ellis (Sr. - Kansas) – 12.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg

As the Jayhawks have won 5 of 6 to wrest control of the Big 12 Perry Ellis and Frank Mason III have been there to lead the very balanced Jayhawks. In a big win over ISU last week Ellis went for 17 points, six boards, and four assists He then put up a double-double as KU was upset on the road by Oklahoma St.

Rico Gathers (Jr. - Baylor) – 10.7 ppg, 13.3 rpg

Mr. Gathers is a beast. Looking more like a NFL defensive lineman the junior for Baylor has owned the boards and started scoring more than in past years. In the Bear’s current three game win streak he has pulled down 15, 17, and 16 rebounds to go with two double-doubles. He is first in the Big 12 in rebounding at 13.3 per game and he is also second in the country with 12.6 overall.

Juwan Staten (Sr. – West Virginia) - 11.9 ppg, 4.7 apg

Staten has continued to be the top performer for Bob Huggins’ surprising Mountaineers. The team has dropped two in a row which erased them from the polls and will need Staten to lead his team to wins in order to keep his spot on the first team.

On the Verge – Monte Morris (So. – Iowa St.), Devin Williams (So. – West Virginia), Le’Bryan Nash (Sr. Oklahoma State), Ryan Spangler (Jr. – Oklahoma), Kenny Chery (Sr. - Baylor), Frank Mason III (So. – Kansas)

Freshman of the Year:

Myles Turner (Texas) – 9.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.9 blocks/Kelly Oubre (Kansas) – 9ppg, 5.5 rpg

The two potential top 10 picks in the upcoming NBA draft have both flashed the potential scouts love but have been inconsistent which has driven fans of their respective teams crazy. In Kansas’ last game, Oubre had only 1 point and 3 rebounds but in the game in the big win over Iowa State Oubre went 16, 5 boards, and 3 assists. Similarly, Turner hasn’t been able to consistently perform up to expectations. He hasn’t broken double-digits in his last three outings but he does lead the conference at 2.9 blocks per game.

Big East:

As we pass the halfway mark in conference play no team has stepped up to separate themselves from their conference foes. Villanova is leading the pack a half game up on Butler. Only two other teams having winning conference records but eight of the ten teams in the conference are battling for NCAA tournament berths. Similar to their teams, no player has distinguished themselves last year, like Dougie McBuckets and Bryce Cotton did last year. Check below for the first team all-conference players.

Player of the Year:

Kris Dunn (So. - Providence) – 17.2 ppg, 8.1 apg, 6.8 rbg

Kris Dunn is the most complete player in the Big East. As a PG, he is partially judged by wins and losses and he has led the Friars to the third place record in the conference, 1.5 games behind Villanova. In addition to winning, Dunn continues to put up big numbers. In a win against Georgetown last week, Dunn had 12 points and 9 rebounds while throwing in 6 steals. He leads the league in assists and steals, is 5^th in scoring, and 4^th in rebounding.

All Conference Team: 

Roosevelt Jones (Jr. – Butler) – 15.2 ppg, 5.5 rbs, 3 apg

The surprising Bulldogs have been led by the combination of Jones and Kellan Dunham. The 8-3 Butler squad went 2-0 this week to jump into second place. Jones averaged 17 per game in the two wins. Roosevelt is 8^th in scoring, 9^th in assists while also throwing in 1 block per game.

LaDontae Henton (Sr. - Providence) – 23.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg

Part of Providence’s dynamic duo, Henton has been on the receiving end on a lot of the Kris Dunn assists. The highly skilled wing leads the conference in scoring pouring in 20.8 per game in conference. Henton shoots the three well making 2.8 a game in conference play and also chips in nearly 6 boards. He averaged 20 a game in a 1-1 week in a tough road trip at Georgetown and Xavier.

Ryan Arcidiacono (Jr. - Villanova) – 12.9 ppg, 3.6 apg, 1.0 spg

“Arch” as he’s known to fans is one of three or four guys from the balanced Villanova team deserving consideration for this spot. Arch has a 2.1/1 Assists to turnover ratio and has been very consistent in leading the top ten ranked Wildcats. As he’s recovered from a wrist injury Ryan has tightened up his three point stroke and is now shooting 47% in conference from distance.

Sterling Gibbs (Jr. - Seton Hall) – 18.7 ppg, 4.6 apg

Gibbs, like the Pirates, has struggled over the past two weeks. A big game coming up for the Pirates this week when they play another team headed in the wrong direction, the Hoyas of Georgetown. The hall welcomed back Isaiah Whitehead last week and hope he can work with Gibbs to address some of the offensive issues challenging the Hall. Gibbs has been the one bright spot for the Pirates – putting up 18.5 per game last week to go along with 4 steals.

On the Verge –D’vauntes Smith-Rivera (Jr. - Georgetown), Rysheed Jordan (So. - St. John’s), Darrun Hilliard (Sr. – Villanova)

Freshman of the Year:

Angel Delgado (Seton Hall) – 9.6 ppg, 10.1 rbg,

Delgado has seen his rebounding drive his offense, as the Pirates have struggled integrating him. In response, Delgado has increased his energy and focus on rebounding; contributing more put backs while shooting 56% from the floor.