All Conference Awards: The Final Version

ACC:

UVA won their first regular season title since 1981 and finished with a 16-2 record after losing their last game Sunday in overtime to Maryland. Syracuse got back on the winning track by blowing out Florida State to claim the two seed in the ACC tournament and Duke put a second half whooping on UNC to win the tie-breaker for the three seed. Right now it is looking like only five ACC teams will make the tournament with two of them (Cuse and Pittsburgh) having just come over from the Big East. Outside of the top programs in the conference it definitely was another lackluster season for the ACC as a whole.

Player of the Year:

TJ Warren (NC State) – 25.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg

If I had to guess, I would go ahead and say that Jabari Parker will probably get the POY nod from the media over TJ Warren; however I have to give the slight nod to the sophomore forward from N.C. State.  Before we get to the stats, let’s start with expectations. Duke was predicted to finish first in the ACC with N.C. State coming in tenth. Duke went 13-5 and tied with North Carolina for third place (although they won the tie breaker). Meanwhile, N.C. State finished at 9-9 and sits all alone in seventh place. N.C. State exceeded expectations while Duke never really mounted a battle for the regular season crown. Second, why don’t we talk about surrounding talent? Coach K took advantage of his plethora of perimeter players and spaced the court with shooters lined up all over the place. Teams were forced to guard Parker one on one and could very rarely offer up any help in fear of giving up an open three to the second best offense in the country. Meanwhile, not one person on the Wolfpack gave coaches fits at night besides Warren. The paint was clogged with big men Jordan Vandenberg and Kyle Washington, while Tyler Lewis and Ralston Turner manned the guard spots. With a lack of talent, teams were free to focus on Warren at every opportunity. 

Now, we can talk individual stats. Warren led the conference in scoring by a wide margin at 25.5 ppg while Parker averaged 17.6. Parker led the league in rebounds with 9.8 per game compared to Warren who averaged 6.5 rpg. Score one for Parker. In ACC play, Warren took 318 shots and hit them at a rate of 52.5%. After struggling to start conference play, Warren shot 50% or better in 12 of his last 14 games compared to Parker who shot 45% and only shot 50% or better in eight games. Parker looked unstoppable going for a career high 30 points against UNC, but Warren went for 41 points against Pittsburgh and 42 points against Boston College in the last week of play. Warren did more for his undermanned team than Parker and did it in a more efficient manner.

All Conference Team:

Jabari Parker (Duke) – 17.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg

Parker came along way in a two month span. In the freshman’s first ACC game he was benched for the final five minutes due to lackluster a play and was content to shoot jump shots. 17 games later, Parker was a beast destroying UNC in his best game of the year. No matter who was guarding him, Parker attacked relentlessly and finished 10-17 from the floor and recorded his sixth straight game with double figure rebounds. Earlier in the week, Duke lost to Wake Forest as 11 point favorites, but Parker went 7-11 and had 19 points and 10 rebounds. For most of the ACC season, Parker did not have his shot going from behind the arc, but with two three’s on Saturday he finished a hair over 30% in ACC play. Just missing out on the POY award, Parker easily wins the award as top freshman.

Marcus Paige (UNC) – 16.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.8 apg

It can be argued that Paige meant the most to his team. Without #2ndHalfPaige, there is a good chance that UNC would have been fighting for a spot on the bubble. Instead the sophomore point guard led the Tar Heels to a 12-1 finish after getting off to a 1-4 conference start. Paige averaged 17.6 points per game over the last 13 and hit countless clutch shots in wins over Duke and Florida State, and also a buzzer beater in overtime to defeat N.C. State. Sporting one of the prettiest jump shots in college basketball, the Tar Heels are going to need a high scoring performance every time they take the court to advance in the NCAA tournament. 

Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia) – 15 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3 apg, 1.4 spg

Mr. Consistent. The best player on the top team in the conference averaged 14.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg and was the only player to score in double figures in every single ACC game. The 6’5” red-shirt sophomore only shot 44.8% from the field, but he led the conference in free throw shooting at 88.8%. He scored a season high 19 points against Syracuse and also hit the game winning three against Pittsburgh. Everyone assumed Joe Harris was going to be the UVA player to make first team all-conference, but Brogdon has been the Cavaliers steady hand throughout the year. 

C.J. Fair (Syracuse) – 16.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg

Syracuse struggled down the stretch in ACC play, but Fair made sure they entered tournament play on a winning note with 22 points and seven rebounds against Florida State. The pre-season POY came close to living up to the early billing, but was not as dominant as some of the other players on this list. He did score in double figures in 17 out of 18 games and is usually a match-up mis-match for opponents. 

Freshman of the Year:

Jabari Parker (Duke)

PAC-12:

Player of the Year:

Kyle Anderson (UCLA) – 15.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6.6 apg

Nick Johnson has a very strong case for Player of the Year, but I am going with Slo-Mo. Throughout the year, Anderson has put up ridiculous stats while leading UCLA to a second place finish. While he never put up a triple double he had seven double-digit rebounding performances and three double-digit assist performances. He also scored in double figures in all but three games. Why does Anderson get the nod over Johnson? During the year, Johnson averaged 16.2 points per game, but only shot 40% from the floor and he had only six games where he shot 50% or better. Johnson’s team won the regular season and is one of the top teams in the country, but the talent level of Arizona’s starting five is more talented than that of UCLA’s. 

All Conference Team:

Nick Johnson (Arizona) – 16.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Johnson went for 25 points in a close win over Oregon State, but came back down to earth with just 11 points in a loss to Oregon. Earlier in the year Johnson was a lock for first team All-American but then went through a shooting slump in the middle of conference play highlighted by a 1-14 performance in a loss to Cal. When Brandon Ashley went out, it took awhile for Johnson to get going again, but he came up big in a road win at Colorado.

Delon Wright (Utah) – 16.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.9 apg

The Utah stat-stuffer was busy again this past week on the road in Northern California. Wright went for 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in a win over Cal and then put up 12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a one point loss to Stanford. Besides for Anderson, Wright is the most versatile threat in the PAC-12 and one of the more underrated players in the country. Utah went 9-9 in the PAC 12 this year with seven of their nine losses coming under four points. Wright will need a strong showing in the PAC-12 tournament in order to make a long awaited tournament appearance.

Jahii Carson (Arizona State) – 18.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.9 apg

The Sun Devils ended their season with two losses in Oregon, but Carson put up two strong performances going for an average of 26 in the two games. In his last year of play, Carson was one of the hardest covers in the conference and turned Herb Sendek’s fortunes around with their first tournament appearance since the James Harden era.

Chasson Randle (Stanford) – 18.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg

Chasson Randle replaces Justin Cobbs as the two California guards have gone in opposite directions over the past few weeks. Randle went for 24 points against Colorado and followed that up with 22 points in a one point win over Utah on Saturday. For the season, Randle averaged 18.9 points per game and led Stanford to a 10-8 record. 

Freshman of the Year:

Aaron Gordon (Arizona) – 12.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg

In a loss to Oregon, Gordon was the only Wildcat to put up a fight with 21 points and eight rebounds. The best freshmen in the PAC-12 ended the season with 12.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Gordon picked up his scoring over the past few weeks and was one of the main reasons the Wildcats were able to overcome the loss of power forward Brandon Ashley. Gordon was the front runner for this award all year; however Nigel Williams-Goss was not too far behind. The Washington freshman averaged 13.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 4.4 apg while shooting 47%from the field.

AAC:

I don’ think anyone thought the AAC conference championship was going to be split between Louisville and Cincinnati and a coin flip had to be used to determine who is going to be the #1 seed in the AAC conference tourney. The Bearcats knocked off Memphis earlier in the week on Sean Kilpatrick’s senior day and held off lowly Rutgers.  The Cardinals had two impressive wins with a road victory at SMU and a senior day demolishing of UCONN.    

Player of the Year:

Shabazz Napier (UCONN) – 19.3 ppg, 4.7 apg, 5.7 rpg 1.7, spg

In maybe the closest conference POY race in college basketball, Shabazz Napier edges out Russ Smith of Louisville and Sean Kilpatrick of Cincinnati for AAC player of the year. Without Napier, UCONN isn’t a ranked team, nor a contender in the top heavy AAC.  Napier is one of five players in the country and certainly the only player in the AAC to lead his team in points, assists rebounds and steals. UCONN hasn’t seen a player of this caliber since Kemba Walker and the AAC may never see a more complete player in quite some time. 

     

All Conference Team: 

Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati) – 22.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg

The AAC’s leading scorer had a stellar season in leading UC to a share of the conference championship.  The fifth year senior finished his career in style with going for 34 points against Memphis and 24 points against Rutgers. Kilpatrick never scored less than 13 points and scored 20+ points more than 10 times in AAC contests. In most years, this would be more than enough to be POY.    

Russ Smith (Louisville) – 18.0 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.33 spg

Russdiculous ended his senior year with big time wins over SMU and UCONN for the streaking Cardinals. Smith had 26 point and five assists in a road win versus SMU. Against UCONN, Russ only attempted two shots and ended up with only 3 points but he had a career high 13 assists in the blowout victory.

 

Montrezl Harrell (Louisville) – 15.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.6 bpg

Harrell might have played his last regular season games in college hoops after going beast mode against SMU and UCONN.  The AAC’s leading rebounder had 19 points and 8 rebounds against SMU and owned his individual matchup with Markus Kennedy.  Against an overmatched UCONN frontcourt, he had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Harrell has established himself as the best big man in the AAC and one of the best in the country with his aggressive play, rebounding, defensive prowess and uncanny dunking ability.

   

Nic Moore (SMU) – 14.2 ppg, 4.7 apg

To round out the AAC all conference team, Nic Moore has been the catalyst for SMU’s emergence in the AAC. The sophomore has been the leading scorer and assist man for the Mustangs, who will be making their first NCAA tourney appearance since 1983.  

Freshman of the Year:

Austin Nichols (Memphis) – 9.5 ppg and 4.1 rpg

Freshman forward Austin Nichols edges out Terry Rozier of Louisville for the AAC freshman of the year.  Nichols has been a starter for Memphis all season and become an integral part of the offense and a strong defensive player.  He’s the fourth leading rebounder and leading scorer amongst AAC freshman.  He came on strong late in AAC play ended the regular season with a 14 point, three block and nine rebound performance against SMU.

SEC:

Top ranked Florida steamrolled the competition and completed an undefeated SEC season and first undefeated season since UK two years ago.  UK finished second in the conference but was a distant six games back of the Gators.

Player of the Year:

Scotty Wilbekin (Florida) – 13.4 ppg, 3.8 apg

The Gator’s point guard has been the most important player for the best team in the country. He’s been the player that orchestrates all the pieces of the Florida team and makes them the best in the land. Time and time again in SEC play, he has hit clutch shots, made the right pass and played superior defense for the Gators. This past week, Scottie tallied 13 points, four assists and three rebounds againstKentucky in a convincing win.   

All Conference Team:

Julius Randle (Kentucky) – 13.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg (Freshman of the Year)

The SEC freshman of the year had an outstanding season for the Wildcats.  He averaged a double double in SEC play and was easily the best power forward and might have been the freshman in SEC since fellow Wildcat, Anthony Davis.  The Cats went 1-1 this week but Randle was one of the bright spots.  In a loss to Florida, Randle had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and shot 7-11 from the field against a very experienced and talented Florida frontline.    

Jabari Brown (Missouri) – 20.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.4 apg

The SEC’s leading scorer was one of the most consistent players all season in conference play. Brown only had one game in single digits for the entire season.  As the season progressed his assist totals improved and he carried Missouri on his back. The Tigers are going to have to win the SEC tourney to get in the big dance, and with Brown, they’ll have a shot due to his leadership and knack to make clutch plays. 

Jarnell Stokes (Tennessee) – 15.0 ppg, 11.1 rpg

The double double machine has lead Tenneessee to win five of their last six games and seems to have helped them lock up an NCAA tourney birth.  The SEC’s leading rebounder has lived up to his preseason billing as one of the premier bigs in the SEC. 

 

Trevor Releford (Alabama) -18.9 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.0 spg

The senior has been a stalwart in his tenure with the Crimson Tide. He’s the SEC leader in steals, and finished up as one of the leading scorers in the SEC. Despite Bama not making any waves in the conference, Releford has been an elite player and kept Bama a threat in most of their games.

Big 10:

POY:

Nick Stauskas (Michigan) – 17 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.5 apg

All Conference Team:

Roy Devyn Marble (Iowa) – 18.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.4 apg

Terran Petteway (Nebraska) – 18.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg

Gary Harris (Michigan State) – 17.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg

Ben Brust (Wisconsin) – 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg

Freshman of the Year:

Noah Vonleh (Indiana) – 11.5 ppg, 9 rpg

All Conference Wrap-Up: Week 6

Each week The Intentional Foul takes a look at the top players in each of the BCS conferences (sorry Mountain West) and selects a Player of the Year, All-Conference Team, and a Freshman of the Year. In the 2013-14 season all teams play 18 conference games over a span of 2.5 months. While most fans only see the pre-season and post-season awards, this feature will monitor the ebbs and flows of conference play with weekly awards. Big East and Big XII awards are written by Dan Russo, a life-long Hoya fan while the AAC and SEC conferences are covered by Stephen Kalayil, a Louisville alum. All awards are free of bias but for any disagreement feel free to send out a tweet.

AAC:

In a close race for the AAC regular season title, Louisville got a signature road win in dramatic fashion over No. 7 Cincinnati to pull within half a game of UC for the AAC lead. The UofL/Cincy matchup might be the last time these two rivals play as UofL departs to the ACC after this season.  SMU continued their surprising year by defeating UCONN on the road. The SMU win might have sealed their first NCAA birth since 1993.    

 

Player of the Year:

Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati) – 21.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg

There may not be a closer race for conference player of the year than the AAC. Kilpatrick, Russ Smith, Shabazz Napier, and Montrezl Harrell are making strong cases for POY, but Kilpatrick is still clinging to the top spot.  In a heartbreaking loss to Louisville, Kilpatrick joined the 2000 point club and became only the second Cincinnati player in history to accomplish that feat, joining the great Oscar Robinson.  Kilpatrick had 28 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal against the Cardinals staunch defense. He was the only offense for a cold shooting UC team and singlehandedly almost won the game for them.  In a romp over UCF, Kilpatrick notched 23 points, one assist and two rebounds.

 

All Conference Team: 

 

Shabazz Napier (UCONN) – 19.8 ppg, 5.0 apg

All season, Napier has put up superstar numbers in AAC play. In this past week, his performance wasn’t at his normal superstar status against a tough SMU team.  In a loss to SMU, Napier had a balanced line of 15 points, two rebounds, two assist and three steals but committed five turnovers. In a win over Temple, Napier had 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a dominating performance.   

Russ Smith (Louisville) – 18.0 ppg, 4.1 apg

Russ Smith may have had the biggest shot of his career against Cincinnati by draining a jumper with 2.2 seconds left to defeat Cincinnati.  Russdiculous was plagued by foul trouble in the game but still managed a very balanced stat line of 10 points, five assists, three steals and three rebounds.  In a 26 point win over USF, Smith had 19 points, two assists and five rebounds.

Montrezl Harrell (Louisville) – 13.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg

Trez just keeps getting better and better every week for the Cardinals.  In the matchup with Cincinnati, Harrell was a force on both ends of the floor and posted a stat line of 21 points, 10 rebounds (6 offensive), two steals and one block. Harrell was UofL’s go to scorer and much of the offense was ran through him. He dominated his matchup with UC’s Justin Jackson and helped get him into early foul trouble.  In the early week game against USF, Harrell posted 14 points, four rebounds and two assists on the Bulls and set the UofL single season dunk record. 

Markus Kennedy (SMU) – 12.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg

Kennedy had one dud game this week against Houston by only posting four points and three boards in a forgettable outing. However, this game shouldn’t take away from his overall performance this season in AAC competition and keep him on the all conference team.  In an upset win over UCONN, Kennedy redeemed himself with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. He punished the underwhelming UCONN frontline. 

On the Verge: Joe Jackson (Memphis), Nic Moore (SMU), TaShawn Thomas (Houston), Isaiah Sykes (UCF), Justin Jackson (UC)

Freshman of the Year:

Terry Rozier (Louisville) – 9.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg

Despite not being a starter, Rozier has taken a firm hold on the AAC freshman of the year race.  The freshman has been making plays beyond his years as demonstrated by making the game winning pass to Russ Smith in the Cardinal’s win at Cincinnati. Against UC, Rozier had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.  In the USF game, Rozier had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals.

BIG 12:

Kansas continued to roll with a 2-0 week including a pasting over Texas. With a good week Kansas can clinch the top spot in the Big 12 this week. Iowa State stopped their slide with a 2-0 week and moved back into a tie for second with Oklahoma (1-0) and a now-reeling Texas team, who lost to both Iowa State and Kansas this week. Marcus Smart returned for Oklahoma State and helped them stop a seven game skid. They are still on the wrong side of the bubble but with Smart back they have a chance to play their way back into the tournament. The other team now that had a good week was Baylor, who went 2-0 with wins over Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

Player of the Year:

Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) – 16.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg,

Wiggins had two good games this past week to reclaim the top spot. He hit a game winning layup with two seconds left against Texas Tech on Tuesday. In the game he had 19 points and six assists. He followed that up with 21 points and six assists on only 12 shots in a stomping of Texas, helping Kansas gain revenge on one of its two conference losses. Wiggins has become more efficient as the season as prolonged, now shooting 45% during conference play. He leads the best team in the conference at 17 ppg, good for tenth in the conference.

 

All Conference Team:  

 

Juwan Staten (West Virginia) – 19.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.8 apg

Staten only had one game this week which was a loss to the Baylor Bears. In the game Juwan put up 16 points, eight boards, and six assists. Staten is tied for the lead league in scoring, is second in assists, and the 6’1 guard is 20th in rebounding.

Melvin Ejim (Iowa State) – 19.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg

Ejim helped lead the Cyclones to a 2-0 week and back into a tie for second place in the conference. In a big win over then second place Texas, Ejim dropped 25 points and chipped in eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Melvin had 14 points, four boards, and two assists in a Saturday win over TCU. Ejim is tied for the league lead in scoring and is second in rebounding. He also leads the conference, shooting 54% from the floor in conference play.

Deandre Kane (Iowa State) – 17.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.9 apg

Rinse and repeat, Kane stuffed the statsheet again. This time he did it in two wins. He put up 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in a big win over Texas and followed that up with 20, six, and five in a win over TCU. Kane is top ten in scoring (No. 7), top 20 in rebounding (No. 20), and leads the conference in assists. He’s also second in the conference in steals.

Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) – 17.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Hield holds on to his first team all-conference spot this week even though Oklahoma played only one game. The Sooners beat Kansas State to move into a tie for second place. Hield led the way with 18 points, three boards, four assists, and three steals.

 

On the Verge: – Perry Ellis (Kansas), Marcus Foster (Kansas State), Javan Felix (Texas), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State)

Freshman of the Year: 

 

Andrew Wiggins (Kansas)

ACC:

Two weeks left in ACC play and after several close calls, Syracuse finally dropped from the unbeaten ranks. UVA sits alone in first place with an unexpected 14-1 conference record after they squeaked by the rival Hokies in Blacksburg and then pounded a hapless Notre Dame team in Charlottesville on Saturday. Whether it’s easy scheduling or great play, the Cavaliers are primed for a one seed in the ACC tourney. With the postponed UNC-Duke game being made up this week; both schools were forced to play three games. UNC went 3-0 as the Tar Heels are on a nine game win streak and Duke went 2-1 with a close home victory over Syracuse. Two weeks left and the POY and the ACC First Team are still up for debate.

Player of the Year:

Jabari Parker (Duke) – 17.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg

There is a lot to like about Parker’s chances for ACC POY as a freshman, but there is also a lot I have reservations about. First off, Parker had a fantastic week averaging 17.3 ppg and 11.7 rpg in a 2-1 week for Duke. He had his most efficient game against Syracuse going 6-8 from the field and 3-3 from the three point line. He also added in 10 rebounds. Against UNC Parker went for 17 and 11 and was absolutely unstoppable in the first half before disappearing in the second. After a rough four game start the ACC season, Parker has picked his play up and attacked the basket aggressively. While he is fifth in the conference in points and first in rebounds there are several factors that could go against his POY chances. He is shooting 44% from the floor in ACC play despite shooting 56% this week. His outside shooting against Syracuse bumped his three point percentage over 30% for the first time all year as he is now shooting just 31% from the three point line in conference play. Last but not least is his defense. Parker is an atrocious defender to put it mildly. When Leslie McDonald drives by you, well, you know that your lateral quickness is struggling. Parker has been Duke’s workhorse offensively, but has struggled on the other side. For now, he takes the top spot but that can easily change over the next two weeks.

All Conference Team:

TJ Warren (N.C. State) – 22.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg

The sophomore star is the ACC’s leading scorer, but he is hurt by the fact that his team is just 7-7 in league play. Warren led the Wolfpack to a road win over Virginia Tech with 31 points on 12-21 shooting. N.C. State lost on the road earlier in the week to Clemson, but Warren chipped in with 20 points and five rebounds. He has scored in double figures every game but one and is shooting over 50% from the floor and last shot under 50% eight games ago. Last year Erik Green won the POY despite playing for a last placed team which gives Warren hope with his impressive scoring ability.

C.J. Fair (Syracuse) – 15.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg

Fair drops out of the top spot after a lengthy stay on top as Cuse lost both of their games they played including a home game to Boston College. Fair went for 20 points and 11 rebounds against BC, but only scored 12 points in a loss to Duke although his potential game winning lay-up was called a charge. Fair has been in double figures in almost every game and has scored numerous key baskets that keyed the Orange’s undefeated start.

Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia) – 14.7 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.4 spg

Brogdon is the only player to score in double figures in every ACC game and is the best player on the top ranked team in the conference. His assist and steal numbers are down over the past few games but he did go for 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in a blowout win over Notre Dame.

Marcus Paige (UNC) – 15.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.1 apg

Paige has led the Tar Heels to nine straight wins and had a huge second half against Florida State on the road and against Duke at home. Paige hit big three after big three in Tallahassee and then scored all 13 of his points in the second half against Duke. After barely touching the ball in the first half, Paige got aggressive and started attacking the slower Duke defenders. Paige has averaged 17 ppg during the nine game winning streak.

On The Verge: KJ McDaniels (Clemson), Lamar Patterson (Pittsburgh), Tyler Ennis (Syracuse)

Freshman of the Year:

Jabari Parker (Duke)

BIG 10:

Who wants to win the Big 10? With two weeks left the conference is up for grabs. Bo Ryan’s squad is on a five game win streak with wins at Michigan and at Iowa to cap a fantastic week. Nebraska extended their win streak in two games they were favored to win and Michigan knocked off Michigan State for the second time this year.

Player of the Year:

Terran Petteway (Nebraska) – 19.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg

Don’t look know but Nebraska has won five conference games in a row with home wins over Penn State and Purdue this week. On Thursday the leading scorer in conference play went for 26 points and then followed that up with 29 points on 10-19 shooting. He has scored in double-figures 13 out of 14 games including a 35 point game earlier in the year. The Texas Tech transfer has been a god send for Tim Miles and he will have to continue to produce with games at Illinois and Northwestern on deck.

All Conference Team:

Nick Stauskas (Michigan) – 16.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.7 apg

In a battle for first place in the conference, Stauskas came alive in a win over rival Michigan State. 25 points on 3-5 shooting from deep led the way for the Wolverines after their home loss to Wisconsin earlier in the week. The sharp shooter from Canada is shooting 42 percent from the three point line in conference play.

Roy Devyn Marble (Iowa) – 17.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.9 apg

After a postponed game in Bloomington, IN, the Hawkeyes suffered a home loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. In the loss Marble went for 21 points and also added 11 assists on 8-19 shooting. The Hawkeyes have two road games this week and will need the most consistent player in the Big 10 to continue his high scoring ways.

Gary Harris (Michigan State) – 17.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg

Harris got Michigan State back on the winning track with 25 points in a blowout win over Purdue and then scored 21 points in a tough road loss to the Wolverines. Harris is getting a little too happy from the outside with 22 three point attempts over the past two games.

Sam Decker (Wisconsin) – 12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg

The Badgers are right behind the Cornhuskers as the hottest team in the Big 10. Decker averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in two big wins over Michigan and Iowa. The sophomore wing has four games in double figures. While teammate Frank Kaminsky was the top player for Wisconsin this week, it’s Decker who has been the most consistent over 13 games.

Freshman of the Year:

Noah Vonleh (Indiana) – 11.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg

Another solid game for the best freshman in the Big 10. The Hoosiers got back on track in conference play with a win at Northwestern after three straight losses. Vonleh had 12 points and eight rebounds and is averaging close to a double-double. No other freshman is even close to Vonleh’s consistency in the Big 10.

PAC 12:

It was a huge week for the Arizona Wildcats. After suffering a double OT loss to rival Arizona State, the top team in the conference had to make the trip out east to take on Utah and Colorado as slight road favorites. The Wildcats did enough to just get by Utah in overtime and then made a statement in a blowout win over Colorado. Meanwhile UCLA suffered a loss on Saturday to Stanford which squashed any hopes of challenging Arizona for the regular season crown.

Player of the Year:

Kyle Anderson (UCLA) – 16.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 6.8 apg

The Bruins came out of Northern California with one win against California before they suffered a loss over the weekend to Stanford. Slo-mo went for 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in a win over Cal before struggling against Stanford. Even in the loss he still added nine assists. So far this season, Anderson has six double figure rebound games and three double figure assist games. It’s gonna be tough for Anderson to let go of this top spot over the last two weeks.

All Conference Team:

Nick Johnson (Arizona) – 15.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg

It’s no secret that Johnson has struggled with the absence of Brandon Ashley but he might have got his mojo back on a huge trip to Utah and Colorado. In two wins, Johnson scored 15 points against Utah and followed that up with 20 points at Colorado on 8-15 shooting which was his first game over 50% since January 26. 

Justin Cobbs (California) – 17.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.2 apg

The Bears got embarrassed against UCLA, but bounced back in the second half against USC to go 1-1 over the weekend. Cobbs went for 22 points and seven assists on a very efficient 8-10 shooting performance. He struggled against the Bruins going just 2-8 from the field in his first single digit scoring performance of the year. Cal currently sits at 8-5 in the PAC-12 after starting 5-0.

Delon Wright (Utah) – 17.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.9 apg

The versatile Wright struggled in a big time showdown with the Arizona Wildcats, but then quickly bounced back with one of his better games of the year in a blowout win over Arizona State. On Sunday night, Wright went 7-7 from the field and finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Behind Slo-Mo, Wright is one of the most versatile and best stat stuffers in the country. The 6’5” junior has led Utah to a 7-8 record where their only home conference losses have come to Oregon and Arizona in overtime. 

Chasson Randle (Stanford) – 18.9 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.5 apg

Randle leapfrogs the ASU pair of Jahii Carson and Jordan Bachynski with wins over USC and UCLA. In an important win over UCLA, Randle went for 26 points on seven made three’s. Against USC Randle scored 18 points and is now averaging 18.9 ppg on the year. Stanford sits at 9-5 in the PAC 12, tied with Cal and will need a strong push to break their NCAA tournament drought.

On The Verge: Jahii Carson (Arizona State), Josh Scott (Colorado), C.J. Wilcox (Washington)

Freshman of the Year:

Aaron Gordon (Arizona) – 11.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg

The highly touted freshman had his worst game of the year at Utah with just three points and three rebounds, but bounced back quickly with 23 points and eight rebounds at Colorado. In a close game, Gordon scored seven points in a row for the Wildcats which turned a close game into a soon to be blowout. He hit just his second three of the year (in conference) and used his speed and athleticism to attack the basket. Once again Gordon stays on top, even though Nigel Williams-Goss is nipping on his heels. The U-Dub freshman is averaging 13.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 3.9 apg.

BIG EAST:

The top two teams in the conference, Villanova and Creighton both went 2-0 this week. Every other school in the conference either went 1-1 or 0-2. The Wildcats sneaked by St. John’s and Providence. The question is whether Villanova can continue to win out or whether Creighton will be able to win the conference outright. On the bubble picture, Xavier, Marquette, St. John’s, and Providence all went 1-1. If this continues the Big East will likely only get three NCAA tournament bids.

Player of the Year:

Doug McDermott (Creighton) – 26.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg

Creighton’s Doug McDermott keeps rolling as the best player in the conference, and probably the best player in the country. McDermott had 25 and eight boards in a win over Marquette on Wednesday. He followed that up with 29 points and three boards in a one point win over Seton Hall. With his play, McDermott is currently No. 10 on the NCAA-scoring list.  

All Conference Team: 

 

Bryce Cotton (Providence) – 23 ppg, 6.2 apg

Providence went 1-1 this week, losing a heartbreaker to Villanova in double-overtime before beating Butler in a close game. Cotton put up 22, seven rebounds, and nine assists against Villanova, doing everything he could to lead his team what would have been a big win in the eyes of the tournament committee. Coming back from that disappointment, Cotton led the Friars with 22 points and six assists in a win over the Butler Bulldogs. Cotton is second in the conference in scoring and first in assists.

Semaj Christon (Xavier) – 18.2 ppg, 4.1 apg

Christon led Xavier to a 1-1 week with some steady play. In a blowout win over Depaul he 14, four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Unable to capitalize on that win, Xavier was blown out by a reeling Hoyas team in DC on Saturday. Christon was the only Muskateer to show up, scoring 18 of the teams 52 points. He also chipped in two assists. Christon is third in the conference in scoring and seventh in assists.

JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova) – 14.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg

Pinkston led the Wildcats down the stretch in wins over both Providence and St. John’s. He scored 5 of his team’s 10 points in double-OT as Villanova pulled away from Providence. Pinkston finished with 20 points and six boards in the win. Against the Red Storm Pinkston only scored five points but he contributed nine boards and a block in the win.

James Bell (Villanova) - 15.4 ppg, 6 rpg

Bell had only nine points and seven boards in a win against St. John’s as the Wildcats role players really stepped up in the win. However, in the Providence win Bell nearly had a double-double with 17 points and nine boards.

On the Verge: Markel Starks (Georgetown), D’vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown), D’Angelo Harrison (St. John’s)

Freshman of the Year: 

 

Rysheed Jordan (St. John’s) – 10.4 ppg, 3 rbg, 3.3 apg

Jordan is really coming into his as the season progresses.  Rysheed had laid claim to a starting spot for the streaking Red Men and contributed two solid games this week. He had 7 points, three assists, a rebound and a steal in the team’s sixth straight win, a 77-52 pasting of the Butler Bulldogs. Jordan followed that up with 13, six, and two in a loss to Villanova. 

SEC:

Florida has taken a firm control over the SEC regular season conference race after achieving their 18th and 19th wins in a row over Auburn and Ole Miss. Second place UK is 3 games back of the Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs are in 3rd place with a (9-5) record.  

Player of the Year:

Scotty Wilbekin (Florida) – 14.9 ppg, 3.7 apg

Wilbekin’s outstanding point guard play for No. 1 Florida has pushed him to the top spot in the SEC at this point of the season, edging out Jabari Brown of Missouri.  Against Auburn this week, Scottie had 15 points and four assists in a closer than expected game. He helped contain Auburn’s Chris Denson (No. 2 leading scorer in SEC) to 15 points, which is six under his average. In a battle against one of the better SEC backcourts of Marshall Henderson and Jarvis Summers of Ole Miss, Scottie had 18 points, two rebounds and seven assists.  Scottie has averaged 18.6 ppg and 4.3 apg over the past six contests for the Gators.      

All Conference Team: 

Julius Randle (Kentucky) – 13.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg

The freshman star had a monster game against Ole Miss with a 25 point, 13 rebound explosion. He was 13-14 from the charity stripe and 6-7 from the field against an Ole Miss team that had no answer for him.  Although Randle struggled a bit against a tough LSU frontline, he had the biggest points of the game by hitting the winning shot with 3.9 seconds left in overtime to give the (2nd place SEC) Wildcats a chance in the SEC conference race. Randle finished up with eight points and 15 big time rebounds against the Tigers.   

Jabari Brown (Missouri) – 21.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg

After having arguably the best week of any player in the SEC, Brown came back to earth this past week in a win over Vanderbilt and loss to Alabama.  In the Vandy win, Brown was contained to just 10 points which is well under his SEC leading average.  In the loss to Bama, Brown responded with 23 points and five assists. Missouri’s chances to get to the tourney are slipping and will need Brown to return to form in order to get back into the March Madness conversation.    

Jarnell Stokes (Tennessee) – 15.0 ppg, 11.6 rpg

Stokes just keeps on producing for the NCAA bubble Volunteers. In a big conference win over a surprising Georgia team, Stokes had an impressive stat line of 20 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three assists. In a loss to lowly Texas A&M, he put up another huge stat line of 16 points, 16 rebounds and four assists.  Stokes and Randle are the only players averaging a double-double in the SEC.

Trevor Releford (Alabama) -19.4 ppg, 3.35 apg, 1.8 spg

The Crimson Tide’s senior guard is making his first appearance on the all conference team this season after some prime time performances against Texas A&M and Missouri.  As the lone bright spot for an underachieving Alabama team, Releford is the SEC’s 5th leading scorer, 8th in assists and 3rd in steals. Releford cannot be overlooked anymore after posting 20 points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals in a tough loss to A&M. In an upset win over Missouri, he had 18 points, six assists and two steals.

On the Verge: Johnny O’Bryant, Casey Prather (Florida), Marshall Henderson (Ole Miss), Andrew Harrison (UK), Jarvis Summers (Ole Miss)

Freshman of the Year:

Julius Randle (Kentucky)

 

All Conference Teams Cont'd: Big 10, AAC, and SEC

The conference look-in continues with the Big 10, AAC, and SEC. The AAC and SEC picks were compiled by Stephen Kalayil. The Louisville die-hard can be followed @stephenkalyail and surprisingly shows Kentucky a LOT of love with his SEC picks. 

BIG 10 POY and All-Conference

POY:

Keith Appling (Michigan State)­ – The fourth year senior point guard is averaging 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists through six conference game as the Spartans sit atop the standings at 6-0. In two overtime wins, Appling had his best games with a 20 points, 7 assists, 6 rebound performance against Ohio State and a 24 point performance against Minnesota. Against the Buckeyes he hit a clutch three in overtime to give Michigan State their final lead and against the Gophers he hit 15 out of 16 free throws.

All-Conference:

Gary Harris (Michigan State) – Along with Appling, Harris has also been scoring at a high level during the Spartans 6-0 start. Right now he is averaging 18 points and 4.8 assists per game.  To kick off Big 10 play, Harris scored 26 points against Indiana including a 5-10 performance from downtown. Harris did struggle shooting the ball in two wins over Minnesota and Northwestern, but recently went 7-9 from the field in a road win against Illinois.

Nick Stauskas (Michigan) – Known for his three point shooting, the sharp shooting sophomore has expanded his game during conference play as the Wolverines are off to a surprising 5-0 start including a gritty road win at Wisconsin this past weekend. Stauskas is averaging 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. So far Stauskas has played 34 or more minutes in each game, but is still shooting 49% from the floor. Michigan’s schedule gets tough in a hurry with games against Iowa and Michigan State up next.

Roy Devyn Marble (Iowa) – High expectations were placed on the Hawkeyes in the pre-season and so far they have delivered with a 4-1 conference record. Led by Marble, Iowa handed Ohio State a home loss and soundly defeated the Gophers at home. Marble is averaging 19 points and 4 rebounds a game including a 22 point game against the Buckeyes.

A.J. Hammons (Purdue) – The 7’0” sophomore is averaging 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but it is his play over the last three games that gets him on the list. During a three game win streak, Hammons went for 18 points against Nebraskas, 17 points and 8 rebounds against Illinois, and 10 points and 7 rebounds against Penn State. The big man is also averaging 2.8 blocks per game for the 3-3 Boilermakers.

Freshman of the Year:

Noah Vonleh (Indiana) – While several freshmen have made their mark in Big 10 play, Noah Vonleh has performed at the highest level averaging 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.  He scored a high of 19 points in a close road win over Penn State and recorded four blocks in both an overtime loss to Illinois and a home win against Wisconsin. 

AAC POY and All-Conference 

POY:

Shabazz Napier Dominating AAC play

Shabazz Napier (UCONN): Napier barely edges out Cincinnati’s Sean Kilpatrick and UofL’s Russ Smith for POY at this point in the season in the AAC. Shabazz is easily the most important player to his team in the AAC. This is evident with Napier’s averages of 16.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2 steals a game which rank 4^th, 14^th, 1^st and 3^rd in the AAC this season. Napier has led the Huskies to NCAA tourney resume wins over Maryland, Florida, Indiana and Memphis.  Russ Smith, Sean Kilpatrick, Yogi Ferrell (IU), Joe Jackson (Memphis), Nick Faust (Maryland) and Scottie Wilbekin (Florida) are amongst the list of high profile guards who have been shredded by the 2K Sports Tourney MVP. 

All Conference Team:

Russ Smith (Louisville):  Although Russdiculous’s scoring average is slightly down from last season from 18.4 to 18.1 ppg, he has become a reliable distributor in his senior season by averaging 4.7 assists and has kept up his lethal defender status with 1.95 steals per game for the defending national champs. Despite the loss of Chane Behanan (disciplinary) and Kevin Ware (injury) during this season, Smith is rounding into the consistent, efficient player that UofL needs to take the AAC in its inaugural season.

Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati): The leading scorer in the AAC, has #19 Cincinnati surprisingly in first place with a 17-2 record and 6-0 start in league play. Kilpatrick might be one of the most underrated players in the college basketball this season and has become the unquestioned leader that head coach Mick Cronin has been missing at UC.  One stat that stands out is Kilpatrick’s knack to getting to the free throw line. He averages 5.6 FTA and is shooting 85% from the stripe, which is right on par with Napier.           

TaShawn Thomas (Houston): On a team that has strong talent in LJ Rose (Baylor transfer), Daniel House and Chicken Knowles, it has been Thomas who has lead the mercurial Houston Cougars.  Thomas leads the AAC in blocks per game at 3.3 and is second in rebounding at 8.7 along with averaging 16.7 points for the Cougars.       

Shaq Goodwin (Memphis) and Montrezl Harrell (Louisville) (Tie):  It was tough for me to pick one player over the other for the last spot on our all conference AAC team.  Goodwin, a sophomore from Atlanta has given Josh Pastner and Memphis the down low presence that they have lacked for sometime from it’s normally guard oriented team. Harrell came into the year with some high expectations for his sophomore season, but hasn’t fully lived up to them. The expectations were a bit unrealistic but he’s put together a strong season averaging 12 points, 8.4 rebounds and arguably came off his best game of the season against UCONN with 18 points and 13 rebounds.  Goodwin and Harrell lead the AAC in field goal percentage at .635 and .634. Harrell has been the better rebounder thus far in the season but Goodwin has been the better of the two in the blocks department. Goodwin also got the best of Harrell in Memphis’s signature win over UofL in the KFC YUM! Center this year.    

Freshman of the year:

Terry Rozier (Louisville): The AAC isn’t deep this year in impact freshman like the rest of the power conferences, but Rozier sticks out as the freshman who is making the best impact for a winning team.  After getting spot minutes early in the season, Rozier took the starting PG spot at Louisville due to injury for National JUCO player of the year Chris Jones. The Hargrave Military Academy product has been running the team efficiently and has commanded a Rick Pitino offense that is notoriously tough to master for a freshman. His numbers may not be gaudy, but his court presence and poise as a freshman has given him the nod in my book as AAC freshman of the year.

SEC POY and All-Conference

POY:

Julius Randle PF (Kentucky) - Julius Randle has lived up to his billing as a consensus top 3 high school player and future top 5 NBA draft pick. Randle is averaging a double-double with 16.9 points and 10.5 assist per game on arguably the most talented team in college basketball.  Along with fellow freshmen James Young and Andrew Harrison, Randle is leading the Wildcats to a 13-4 record and 2^nd place standing behind Florida.  Randle has been un-guardable this season on the low block and his held his own against some of college hoops elite big men in Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), Adrian Payne (Michigan State) and Cory Jefferson (Baylor).     

     

All Conference Team:

Casey Prather (Florida) - Prather is the most improved player in the country this year for SEC leading Florida. Prather went from averaging 6.2 PPG as a role player to 17.3 PPG as a star his senior year for a Gator team that is full of talent. Also, he leads the SEC in FG percentage and has been able to harness his elite athleticism in his senior year.   

James Young (Kentucky) - There isn’t a small forward in the SEC that has performed to the level of James Young this season. As a freshman, he has shown up in every big game for UK and has hit timely shots for the Wildcats in games against Louisville, Arkansas and Michigan State.  Young’s 14.2 PPG and 4.4 rebounds has him as the second best freshman in the SEC in my book to his teammate Julius Randle.   

Andrew Harrison (Kentucky) - Andrew Harrison has finally arrived as the best PG in the SEC. The SEC has elite guards in Scotty Wilbekin (Florida), Kasey Hill (Florida); however  Harrison is beginning to excel in John Calipari’s dribble drive offense and is arguably coming off his best game as Wildcat with a poised 26 point, 3 assist effort.  He is beginning to trend in the right direction after getting off to a so-so start with unrealistic expectations for the season.   

Jabari Brown (Missouri) - The Oregon transfer has been Mr. Consistent for the Tigers scoring in double figures in every game of his junior season and averaging 18.7 points per game, He’s the best rebounding guard in the SEC averaging 4.7 rebounds per contest with a career high of 9 against Nevada. 

Freshman of the year:

Julius Randle (Kentucky) - Julius Randle takes this award easily.  The SEC has seen its fair share of impact freshmen in years past, but Randle could be the best that has come through since fellow Wildcat Anthony Davis. There are plenty of impact freshmen in the SEC this season in James Young (UK), Andrew and Aaron Harrison (UK), Bobby Portis (Arkansas) Kasey Hill (Florida) and Jordan Mickey (LSU) but none have quite the impact of Randle.