All Conference Week 7: ACC, P12, B10

ACC:

UVA dominated Syracuse this past weekend and won their first regular season ACC championship since 1981. While the unbalanced scheduling certainly takes some of the luster off of this achievement, there is no denying that the Cavaliers have been the class of the league the past two months with their suffocating defense. Meanwhile in a back and forth player of the year race there is one player that has elevated himself to the top of the class.

Player of the Year:

TJ Warren (NC State) – 24.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg

You can say what you want about NC State being a middle of the road team who most likely won’t make the NCAA tournament, but it is hard to dispute the fact that TJ Warren has been by far and away the best player in the league. In a one point loss against North Carolina, Warren was unstoppable putting up 36 points on 13-25 shooting. While he only put up 20 points on Saturday in a loss to Miami, he bounced back on Monday night by going for an ACC high 41 points in an upset road win against Pittsburgh going 16-22. Warren is first in the league in scoring by a wide margin averaging 24.5 points per game on 51.9% shooting. Despite being the focal point of every team’s defensive efforts he has shot over 50% in 10 out of his last 11 games which is pretty remarkable. Yes, NC State is an average team, but without Warren they would be at the bottom of the league fighting with the Hokies for last place honors. 

Players that could potentially steal votes away from Warren are Jabari Parker and Marcus Paige. Let’s start with Parker. The freshman is tough to guard in a one on one situation and is also a double-double machine, however Duke currently sits tied for third in the conference. Parker is also shooting just 43% from the field and plays absolutely no defense. I was hesitant about making him the Player of the Year last week and now he falls back to the first team. After hitting the game winning lay-up in a 35 point performance against N.C. State, Marcus Paige threw his hat in the ring for POY. Unfortunately he scored just 16 points over his next two games. There is no denying how important Paige has been to the Tar Heels resurgence, but his play has not been as consistent as Warren’s over the entire ACC schedule. One other thing to remember is that last year Erick Green was the ACC POY and his team won only four games.

All Conference Team:

Jabari Parker (Duke) – 16.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg

After three games in one week it was a quite one for Duke last week with only an easy win over the Virginia Tech Hokies. Parker had another subpar shooting performance going 3-11 from the floor but still put up 12 rebounds to go with his 11 points. Parker is currently shooting 43% from the floor and 29% from the three point line.

Marcus Paige (UNC) – 15.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.9 apg

Paige came back down to earth in two close wins over Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, but his performance against N.C. State removed any question about his first team status. In an overtime win against the Wolfpack, Paige hit seven three’s and put up 35 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 11-21 shooting. Oh yeah, he hit the game winning lay-up to boot. Not bad for a sophomore whose play has certainly turned the Tar Heels around after a 1-4 start in ACC play. During UNC’s twelve game win streak Paige is averaging 17.1 ppg despite being the main focus of opponent’s game in and game out.

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

The red-shirt sophomore has been UVA’s best and most consistent player throughout their remarkable 16-1 conference run. Brogdon is the only player in the ACC to score in double figures every game. Against Cuse he went for 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists. A great all-around player, he also hit the game winning three at Pittsburgh to give the Cavaliers their biggest road win to-date and is the conference leader in free throw percentage.

C.J. Fair (Syracuse) – 16.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg and KJ McDaniels (Clemson) – 17.1 rpg, 7.7 rpg

It’s tough to give a first team award to just one of these two players. While Syracuse as a team has fallen off, Fair is still going strong averaging 17.1 ppg. He scored 28 in a loss to Georgia Tech and has scored in double figures in every game but one so far in the ACC. Meanwhile, Clemson was supposed to finish No. 14 in the conference and they sit at 10-7 thanks to the play of McDaniels. Over the weekend in a win against Maryland, McDaniels went for 26 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks. He is currently second in the league in blocks and an absolute freak of nature.

Freshman of the Year:

Jabari Parker (Duke)

PAC-12:

Arizona clinched the PAC-12 regular season championship with a home win over Stanford on Sunday. After slipping against Arizona State, the Wildcats have righted the ship and are 4-0 over the past two weeks with a trip to Oregon on deck. UCLA has second place wrapped up even though they dropped a home game to Oregon when their top two players in Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams were suspended.

Player of the Year:

Kyle Anderson (UCLA) – 15.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.9 apg

Despite missing the Oregon game due to a suspension, Anderson is still the PAC-12 player of the year due to his all around stellar play. After sitting out, Anderson went for 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a win against Oregon State. He puts up a near triple double every game and only has two games under 10 points.

All Conference Team:

Nick Johnson (Arizona) – 16 ppg, 4 rpg

Johnson will surely get a lot of PAC-12 POY votes and he is the best player on the best team in the league; however his play and shooting certainly went south for a stretch including a 5-20 performance against Arizona State. He scored 22 points in a blowout win against California on 7-14 shooting and then added 11 points in the conference clinching win against Stanford.

Delon Wright (Utah) – 17.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.9 apg

The Utah stat-stuffer was busy again in a rivalry win against Colorado. Wright went for 21 points on 7-9 shooting and added five rebounds and four assists. In his past two games he is 14-16 from the floor. The Utes have been outstanding at home and competitive all year with Wright being the main reason. He has scored in double figures in every game and has to be one of the most underrated players in the country.

Justin Cobbs (California) – 17.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.6 apg

Cobbs and the Bears struggled in a trip down to Arizona going 0-2 and certainly are not the same team that started conference play 5-0. Cobbs has scored in double figures in all games but one including 12 and 15 against Arizona and Arizona State, respectively. With two home games left, the Bears will need a strong weekend from their leader.

Jahii Carson (Arizona State) – 18.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg

The Sun Devils are 2-1 in their last three games and Carson has gone for 26, 9, and 28 in those games. When he scored 26 against Stanford he went an efficient 8-11 from the field and last night in a road loss in Eugene he went 10-19. Carson made it clear that he was going pro early this past weekend and has one game left against Oregon State to show off the speed and athletic ability that Sun Devil fans will soon miss.

Freshman of the Year:

Aaron Gordon (Arizona) – 11.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg

Gordon put together one of his best games in a win over Stanford with 19 points and 15 rebounds. After only scoring three points in a win against Utah, Gordon went for 23 and eight at Colorado and then scored 13 points against Cal. Gordon has been the front runner for this award all year; however Nigel Williams-Goss is not far behind. The Washington freshman is averaging 14.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 3.9 apg while shooting 48 percent from the field.

Big 10:

The dust has finally settled from the Big 10 race and Michigan has emerged victorious after their blowout win in Champaign. Despite losing Mitch McGary, the Wolverines have only lost three games in one of, if not the toughest conference from top to bottom. 

Player of the Year:

Nick Stauskas (Michigan) – 16.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.6 apg

Stauskas struggled for a few games in the middle of the Big 10 season but was on fire this past week. In a win against Minnesota, Stauskas scored 21 points on 5-8 shooting from behind the arc and then followed that up against Illinois with seven threes. Throughout the Big 10 season Stauskas has been the leader of the Wolverines and is shooting 41-90 from the three point line.

All Conference Team:

Roy Devyn Marble (Iowa) – 18.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 apg

Iowa got back on the winning track with a win against Purdue and Marble continues his stellar play with 21 points and five assists. The athletic wing has scored in double figures in all Big 10 games and has 20 or more in four of his last five.

Terran Petteway (Nebraska) – 18.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg

After stellar play during Nebraska’s five game win streak, Petteway came back to earth going 5-18 in a loss to Illinois and then 3-12 in a win against Northwestern. Despite these shooting performances, Petteway has put together a stellar conference campaign highlighted by his 35 point, six rebound performance earlier in the year.

Gary Harris (Michigan State) – 17.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.6 apg

The Spartans are on a two game losing streak after another home loss over the weekend. Despite the losses, Harris has picked up his shooting with nine threes in the past two games. The pre-season conference player of the year has not lived up to that top billing but the Spartans usually don’t play their best until its tournament time.

Sam Decker (Wisconsin) – 12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg

The Badgers have won seven games in a row and Decker’s versatility has been a main reason why. Against Indiana, Decker scored 16 points to go with seven rebounds and then added seven points and eight rebounds against Penn State.

Freshman of the Year:

Noah Vonleh (Indiana) – 11.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg

Vonleh missed Indiana’s last game, but he had 18 points and six rebounds in a win over Iowa. The future top 10 draft pick is almost averaging a double-double and has been in the leader seat for this award all year.

Robert Johnson Decision: The Odds

In late July 2012, Robert Johnson was coming off the bench for his DC Assault AAU team and was looking forward to his senior season at L.C. Bird high school just outside of Richmond, VA. At the time VCU and Shaka Smart were coming hard after the local product along with some other mid-majors such as Richmond, JMU, and East Carolina. Just over one year later Johnson is set to decide between Florida State, Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. 

As a sophomore in high school, Johnson was known as one of the best shooters in Virginia. He led his L.C.Bird team in scoring and helped them to an appearance in the Virginia state championship where they fell to Florida guard Dorian Finney-Smith and his I.C. Norcom squad 54-45. In the loss, Johnson chipped in 10 points.

During his junior year, Johnson averaged a shade over 18 points per game and topped the 1,000 point mark as he earned all-district first team and All-Metro second team. While his team did not make it back to the state tournament, he did lead L.C. Bird to the regional semi-finals where they fell to Petersburg in a close contest.

After his junior year, Johnson made the choice to play AAU with DC Assault on the Under Armour circuit. He joined up with guards Nate Britt, Roddy Peters, and Nigel Johnson while playing under former Wizards and current Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan. As both Britt and Peters were ACC bound, Johnson came off the bench during AAU play. Despite not starting, Johnson did have his moments especially when Peters re-injured his shoulder during the UA Summer Jam in Milwaukee. Playing against the Atlanta Celtics, Johnson provided a much needed boost and lit up the 2-3 zone the Celtics were playing. He showed off his shooting touch and was one of the more impressive players in the tournament.

While Johnson had various high majors sniffing around, a crucial decision soon changed his recruiting landscape. Before the 2012-13 school year Johnson transferred to Benedictine, a private school in Richmond. Along with the transfer, he also re-classified grades and played as a junior once more. During this season, Johnson was a key part of a Benedictine team that won the Virginia Independent schools championship. After the championship run, Johnson switched AAU teams as well and joined up with the local Boo Williams AAU squad that plays on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Johnson took the EYBL circuit by storm and went for 17 points in his first game with Boo Williams in L.A. and scored in double figures in all nine games during the first two live April recruiting sessions. Along with his double figure scoring, Johnson also dropped in 22 three’s at a 37% clip.

In late June, the buzz behind Johnson started to swell even more with his performance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. Going against some of the most talented players in the country, Johnson averaged 10 points per game and caught the attention of most bystanders with his shooting and play at both guard positions.

Back on the AAU circuit in July, Johnson had his coming out party at the Peach Jam in front of every big named coach in college basketball. Playing against one of the title favorites in his first game, Johnson struggled throughout against the Mac Irvin Fire. With his team trailing in the final two minutes, Johnson came alive and scored at will including the go-ahead bucket. While his team was forced to forfeit its games due to the use of an ineligible player, Johnson still showcased his skills over the next four games. In front of Tom Crean and Roy Williams, Johnson went for 22 points a game and hit 16 out of 32 three’s. During the three day stretch, Johnson was one of the top performers and cemented his place as one of the best shooters in the class of 2014.

After careful consideration, Johnson eventually narrowed his list down to a final four and visited each school in a four week period beginning August 24th. Each school has its pros and cons and will make for a difficult decision for Johnson.

Odds:

North Carolina: +140: UNC has vaulted into the top spot over the past few days, but just barely. The school is within a close proximity of the Johnson household and gives Robert a chance to suit up for one of the college basketball blue bloods. He has been pitched on being the shooter the UNC needs to fill out the 2014 class. While UNC needs a shooter, they also already have one point guard and two wing players committed. The playing time issue has to be Johnson’s greatest concern regarding the Heels.

Virginia: +180: Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers are just a stone’s throw away from Richmond, VA. In his short tenure at UVA, Bennett has built a team that has a strong foundation for the future. If he committed, Johnson would be the main piece of the 2014 class to go along with BJ Stith. Ample playing time would await Johnson, but UVA plays at one of the slowest paces in college basketball. For someone that likes to get up and down, is this the type of system that Johnson wants to play in?

Indiana: +220: A few weeks ago it seemed like Indiana was the leader in the clubhouse. After the official visit, Tom Crean and Indiana stood in a great spot, but then Johnson continued on his college tour and the initial shine wore off. Despite being able to feature Johnson as the main recruit in 2014, all signs indicate that Indiana’s bluster has faded.

Florida State: +300: Despite having recruited Johnson the longest of the other three, the Noles come in as the large underdog. Ample playing time would await Johnson down in Tallahassee, but it will be tough for the Seminoles to overcome the prestige of North Carolina and Indiana along with the proximity of Virginia.