Big East & Big XII (Through 1/26/15)

Big East:

We are over a third of the way through the conference play and things are very exciting in the Big East. 6 of the 10 teams are within two games of first place. That doesn't even include St. John’s who was looking like a NCAA team until they started 1-4 in conference. With all of these teams bunched up the battle for player of the year and first-team all-Big East are competitive and very fluid. Expect this list to change on a weekly basis. (Conference stats listed below as of 1/26)

Player of the Year:

Kris Dunn (So. - Providence) – 16.6 ppg, 8.6 apg, 7.0 rbg

Kris Dunn is the straw that stirs the drink for the 5-2 Friars. After fighting off injuries for the first two years Dunn is finally living up to the expectations he had as a top recruit. Dunn leads the league in assists, is 5^th in scoring, 6^th in rebounding, and contributes 2.0 steals per game, which is 2^nd in Big East play. He also dominated OT, outscoring the Georgetown Hoyas by himself, in a win against the first place squad earlier in the season.

All Conference Team: 

Roosevelt Jones (Jr. – Butler) – 16.5 ppg, 6.5 rbg, 2.9 apg

Jones has done a good job returning from being red-shirt last year to lead Butler along with Kellan Dunham. He went for 28 in a last second loss to Georgetown last week. Jones is 4^th in the conference in scoring, 10^th in rebounding and 11^th in assists for the 5-3 Bulldogs.

LaDontae Henton (Sr. - Providence) – 23.4 ppg, 6.3 rbg

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 over 23 a game. Henton shoots the three well making 2.6 a game in conference play. LaDontae has been a workhorse in Big East play for Ed Cooley, averaging 39.6 minutes per game.

Ryan Arcidiacono (Jr. - Villanova) – 12.0 ppg, 4.6 apg

“Arch” as he’s known to fans is one of three or four guys from Villanova deserving consideration for this spot. The guard leads the top-ten Wildcats in assists and is their second leading scoring.

Sterling Gibbs (Jr. - Seton Hall) – 17.6 ppg, 3.9 apg

Gibbs is the best player on the surprisings Pirates. He leads the team in scoring that is still breaking in two big-time freshman, Isaiah Whitehead – who will be returning from injury soon, and Angel Delgado.

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

Freshman of the Year:

Angel Delgado (Seton Hall) – 10.4 ppg, 10.6 rbg,

Delgado has been a workhorse for the Pirates, averaging a double-double in conference play. He’s been particularly tough on the offensive glass, where he leads the conference with three per game. Seton Hall is on a three game conference losing streak, but Delgado went for 19 points and 19 rebounds against DePaul last Thursday.

On the Verge – Isaac Copeland (Georgetown) – After going scoreless in an overtime loss to Providence on January 10, Copeland has been steadily improving. Eight points in a win at DePaul, followed up by a game winning three against Butler and then 17 points and 6 rebounds against both Villanova and Marquette on 12-18 shooting.  

BIG 12:

A balanced conference with 6 ranked teams and 6 teams sporting a conference record of .500 or better. As Kansas proved this weekend in Austin, the road to the regular season goes through Lawrence until proven otherwise. Iowa State staked their claim to with a win over the Jayhawks in front of a raucous crowd, but then fell in Lubbock to a winless Texas Tech squad. The conference’s strength and balance was shown when West Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma took turns beating each other by 20.

POY: 

Buddy Heild (Jr. - Oklahoma) – 21.4 ppg, 6.1 rbg,

One of the best pure scorers in college basketball, Heild leads a potent Sooners attack and has poured in over 20 in 5 of 6 conference games. Buddy scored 27 without missing a shot from the field in a win over OSU and then followed that up with 26 points in a close loss at Kansas. The athletic wing also averages 1.4 steals per game.

All Conference Team: 

Monte Morris (So. Iowa State) – 10 ppg, 4.2 rbg, 6.3 apg

Morris has stepped right in to fill the big shoes left by the Deandre Kane, the Cyclones do everything point guard from last year. Morris leads the conference in assists with 6.3 per game while also averaging 10 points and over 4 boards per contest. He had a double-double in a big win over Kansas.

Devin Williams (West Virginia) – 13.5 ppg, 9.3 rbg

The big man who does the dirty work for Coach Huggin’s squad has really stepped his game up this year. The bruiser has his best game last week against Iowa State when he had 14 points and ripped down 15 boards for the surprising Mountaineers.

Georges Niang (Jr. - Iowa State) – 12.5 ppg, 5.2 rbg, 2.8 apg

Mr. Consistency, Niang is been very reliable and had his best game of the conference season against Kansas, leading the Cyclones with 15 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists. The stretch-4, Niang is also averaging two made 3's per game.

Myles Turner (Texas) – 10.8 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 blocks (Freshman of the Year)

The imposing freshman center with three point range just keeps getting better. He had an impressive game against Oklahoma St. with 18 points and 5 blocks while also going 4-4 from three. He struggled to get touches on the offensive end in a home loss to Kansas, but he still recorded 5 blocks before fouling out.  

On the Verge – Kelly Oubre (Fr. - Kansas), Marcus Foster (So. - Kansas State), Le’Bryan Nash (Sr. Oklahoma State) 

Follow Dan Russo on twitter at DanRusso13. 

All Conference Teams: 1/20/14

Now that conference play has been going on for three weeks in a row it is time to come up with Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and All-Conference teams for the BCS conferences. This first post highlights the PAC-12, which finally has its talent level back up after a few down years (minus USC and Washington State), the Big East, Big 12, and ACC. The Big East and Big 12 picks were compiled by Dan Russo. A Big East junkie and Hoya die-hard can be found @DanRusso13.  

PAC-12 POY and All Conference

POY:

Cobbs has led Cal to a 5-0 start

Justin Cobbs (California) – No one expected Cal to go 5-0 to start conference play, especially with three road games right off the bat. One of the primary reasons for the hot start is due to the play of senior guard Justin Cobbs. The 6’4” guard started PAC-12 play off with 18 points and 5 assists against Stanford including some clutch jump-shots down the stretch. Three weeks later he still hasn’t cooled off and recently went for 16 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in a blowout win over Washington. So far through five games, Cobbs is averaging 17 points, 7.4 assists, and 4 rebounds per game.

First Team:

Nick Johnson (Arizona) – It was admittedly hard to give Cobbs the nod over Nick Johnson, the best player on the top team in the country. So far in conference play, the high-rising shooting guard is averaging 17.2 points per game including a 22 point performance on the road against UCLA. In the past three games, Johnson has hit three 3’s in each contest and is shooting 40.7% from behind the line. 

Kyle Anderson (UCLA) – Slo-mo is averaging 18 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists through five PAC-12 games, easily the best stat line in the conference. In a close loss at Utah on Saturday, the 6’9 guard / wing went for 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists while knocking in five three pointers. The sophomore has drastically improved his scoring and play-making abilities in his second year under Steve Alford and could easily move up the ladder in the PAC-12 rankings over the next few weeks.

Delon Wright (Utah) – The 6’5” junior guard, along with Jordan Loveridge is a main reason the Utah Utes sit 3-3 in league play. So far the versatile California native is averaging 17.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. His top game came in a two point loss at Washington when he scored almost half of his team’s points and finished with 27 on 10-17 shooting and 11 rebounds. The Utes three losses have come by a combined seven points including a two point loss to Oregon in overtime to start the season.

Chasson Randle (Stanford) and Chris Wilcox (Washington) – It was hard to choose between the two talented scorers so for now both of them sit on the PAC-12 first team. As a junior, Randle is the leading scorer in PAC-12 play with 21.4 points per game including a 30 point performance against Oregon State and a 33 point performance against Washington where he went 11-15. Meanwhile, Wilcox has led Washington to a 3-3 record including an upset win over Arizona State to start the season. The Huskies were projected to be among the worst teams in the conference but Wilcox has averaged 18.2 points and 4.2 rebounds through six games including a conference high 16 three’s. 

Freshman of the Year:

Aaron Gordon (Arizona) - While there are talented freshmen in the PAC-12 including Zach LaVine and Nigel Williams-Goss it is Aaron Gordon who has been the best through five games. The high flying forward is averaging 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and has been one of the top defenders for the Wildcats. Gordon has not hit a three in conference play so far; however the future NBA lotto pick has shot over 50% from the floor in three out of five games. It will take a strong effort to unseat Gordon from this spot during the year.

Big East POY and All-Conference

POY:

Doug McDermott (Creighton) – McDermott had Creighton rolling until they got blasted by Providence. He is averaging over 25 points/game in 6 BE games and nearly 7 rebounds. He’s the engine that drives the 5-1 Bluejays and is a consensus first team All-American and favorite for national player of the year.

First Team:

Bryce Cotton (Providence) – Cotton has been arguably the best player in the Big East since conference play began. He’s led the Friars to a surprising 3-2 mark including an upset win over Creighton. Cotton had 23 and 6 assists in that win and is averaging nearly 23 points, 4.5 boards and is leading the conference with 6.4 assists per game in conference.

Semaj Christon (Xavier) – Christon has been the leader for the 3^rd place Musketeers 1/3 of the way through the conference season. He leads the team in scoring and assists in BE play, averaging 20.5 and 5 assists, including back to back 27 and 28 point outbursts against Marquette and Creighton.

JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova) – The best team in the conference, and one of the best in the country has to be represented, right? Pinkston is the leader of a deep, talented Wildcat team. He’s led the team to a 6-0 Big East start, averaging 16 and 6 in conference play while also chipping in two assists and over a steal and a block per game.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown) – DSR has led a less talented Hoyas team to a 3-3 start, good enough for 5^th place in the conference, although they’ve blown double-digit second half leads their last two games. Smith-Rivera is averaging 18.7 points in conference play and the guard is also averaging 5.5 boards and 2.8 assists.

Freshman of the Year:

Josh Hart (Villanova) – In a somewhat down year for freshman in the Big East, Hart has provided scoring punch and tough D off the bench for the Wildcats. The freshman from the DC area has picked his game up of late, averaging over 11.5 points and 4.5 boards per game. 

Big 12 POY and All-Conference

POY:

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma St.) – Smart was the pre-season player of the year and so far has lived up to the billing. He’s averaged 19.5 points, 9 boards, 6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game in conference play. Though the Pokes are only 3-2 Smart has put up big numbers in both wins and losses, nearly totaling a triple-double in a two point loss to Kansas with 16 points 10 boards, and 9 assists. It will be a tight race all season with Smart and some of the other guys on this list for conference POY.

First Team:

Joel Embiid (Kansas) – Embiid is the best NBA prospect in the country. Coming into the year he was all prospect with limited expectations for the season. Embiid has crushed those expectations and been the most dominant big in the country. He completely dominated Oklahoma St. nearly putting up a triple double 13 points, 11 boards, and 8 blocks. Kansas is (as usual) in first in the Big 12 behind Embiid, who is averaging 11.5 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks per game.

Deandre Kane (Iowa State) – Kane has been putting up monster numbers for the Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones averaging over 20 points to go with 6.6 boards, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in conference play. Iowa State shot out hot out of the gate but a tweaked ankle to Kane has played a role in the teams’ three game losing streak. As Kane gets healthier expect to see ISU turn it around.

Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) – Hield has led surprising Oklahoma to a 3-2 start including wins over Baylor and Iowa State who were both top-15 teams at the time. Hield has averaged 18.5 points and over 5.5 boards to lead a strong trio of Sooners along with Ryan Spangler and Cameron Clark.

Juwan Staten (WVU) – There were very few expectations for the Mountaineers entering the season. Staten has led them to a surprising 2-3 record so far and so far in conference play is averaging nearly 20 points, 6 boards, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. As their schedule gets more difficult it will be hard for Staten to keep his spot on this list so Mountaineer fans better enjoy it while they can.

Freshman of the Year:

Joel Embiid (Kansas) – It was teammate Andrew Wiggins who was the top recruit in the country and the pre-season All-American pick however it has been Embiid who has been improving each game. Scouts were enamored with Embiid at the Adidas Nations in August and now their General Managers have their eye on Embiid as the number one pick. 

ACC POY and All-Conference

POY:

Lamar Patterson (Pittsburgh) – Despite the loss to Syracuse, Patterson has been playing the best of anyone in the ACC with his 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.3 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.

First Team:

CJ Fair (Syracuse) – The top player for the top team in the conference is averaging 15 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and is a match-up problem for all ACC foes. Neck and neck with Patterson for Player of the Year Fair can easily overtake him over the next few weeks.

K.J. McDaniels (Clemson) – The Tigers are one of the few teams to in the country to pull a monumental upset and then follow that up with a win on the road. Not much was expected from the Tigers but so far they are 4-1 in the ACC and led by McDaniels. The 6’6” junior is averaging 16.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) – In a tight game against Pittsburgh, Ennis scored back to back baskets to ice the game between undefeated ACC foes. So far the freshman is averaging 12.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.6 steals per game in conference play to go along with a 4.1 assist to turnover ratio. After his senior season, Ennis was considered the fifth best point guard in his class but so far he has easily been the best freshman in the country.

Rodney Hood (Duke) – The leading scorer in ACC play is averaging just a tad under 20 points a game. A deadly three point shooter from the wing started conference play with three straight 20+ point games, but has tailed off in the last two Duke wins.

Freshman of the Year:

Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) – Ennis has a stranglehold as the top freshmen in ACC play, especially with Jabari Parker’s struggles in ACC play. There is plenty of time for the pre-season freshman of the year to get out of his slump and he might have started to do just that with a 23 point performance against N.C. State, but is still shooting just 35% from the field.