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. 

In the Shadows

Quick, which two freshmen have the highest offensive efficiency rating in college basketball? If you guessed Ben McLemore of Kansas and Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State you would only be half right. If you said McLemore and Georges Niang of Iowa State, well, ding ding ding. These two freshmen efficiency leaders face off tonight in Ames, Iowa in a game that will help decide the Big 12 regular season race.  McLemore is currently sporting an offensive rating of 120.0 compared to Niang’s 119.9 (Note: Niang led all freshmen until Kansas and McLemore beat up on an over-matched TCU team this past Saturday). While McLemore has received all the media hype throughout the year, it is Niang who has quietly put together an under the radar freshman campaign.

In conference play, Niang is over-shadowed by star freshmen such as McLemore, Smart, and Isaiah Austin of Baylor. Being over-looked is nothing new for Niang as this was commonplace during his high school career despite being a top 100 recruit and scoring a school record 2,372 points during his tenure. Niang played for The Tilton School, a New Hampshire prep school which also happened to be the home of the nation’s number 1 prospect in Nerlens Noel and class of 2013 five-star Wayne Selden. While fans were busy watching the shot blocking prowess of Noel and the powerful Seldon, it was Niang who averaged 25.1 points per game as a senior.

Draft Express currently has Niang ranked #42 amongst freshmen and had the following to stay in their scouting report:

“On the offensive end, Niang doesn't have a very pretty game from a stylistic standpoint, but he is extremely fundamentally sound and even more advanced with his awareness and polish, constantly finding ways to make positive contributions with the ball. Looking forward, Niang is the type of player every college coach loves to have and will likely find ways to consistently contribute on the offensive end in a variety of areas.”

 Iowa State lost three starters including do everything forward Royce White from its 2012 team and Fred Hoiberg knew that his transfers and freshmen would need to step up in order to have another successful season. Before the season opener, Hoiberg noted “Georges is ready. He has a tremendous basketball IQ and can score from all over the floor.” Niang came off the bench in the first game of the season and produced 15 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes. Strong early season performances earned Niang earned a starting spot before Iowa State’s Big 12 opener against Kansas. He has continued his strong play throughout conference play scoring in double figures eight out of 14 times and is currently averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 23.6 minutes.

Last week the country watched McLemore and Smart face off in a double overtime slugfest while Niang was quietly having one of his best games while helping the Cyclones pull a road upset against Baylor. Tonight, Niang and the Cyclones host McLemore and Kansas in ESPN’s game of the night. Despite a terrific senior season in New England and a 119.9 offensive rating, Niang has not received the spotlight like so many of his talented counterparts. Tonight, Niang has a chance to step into the national radar and out of the shadows.  

Top 5 Freshmen (OER)
#	Name	School	Rating
1	Ben McLemore	Kansas	120.0 (22.7)
2	Georges Niang	Iowa St.	119.9 (21.3)
3	Jameel Warney	Stony Brook	119.4 (21.5)
4	Gary Harris	Michigan St.	119.3 (20.1)
5	Jalan West	Northwestern St.	119.0 (20.8)
Note: Minimum 20% possessions used