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 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.

All Conference Week 7: B12, BE, AAC, & SEC

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.

BIG 12:

Kansas clinched their 10^th straight Big 10 title with a win over Oklahoma last Monday. They followed that up with a loss at Oklahoma State but that couldn’t damper the week for Jayhawk fans. Elsewhere in the conference, there is a logjam with four teams tied for second at 10-6, three games behind Kansas. Oklahoma bounced back from their loss at Kansas to beat Texas and keep both teams tied for second. K-State went 2-0 this week, with wins over Texas Tech and then a big win over Iowa State, putting both of those teams also at 10-6. Lastly, Marcus Smart returned for Oklahoma State and promptly went 2-0, bouncing back into the NCAA tournament bubble picture. 

POY/FOY: 

Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) – 16.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg,

Though he didn’t shoot well, Wiggins put up 15 points in both games this week. He also averaged 6 boards a game over the two games. Wiggins is the best player on the best team and is usually the Jayhawk who ends up with the ball in his hands when it comes to winning time. 

All Conference Team: 

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State) – 18 ppg, 7 rbg, 5.2 apg

Smart’s return from suspension coincided with the Pokes return to conference relevancy. Probably the most well rounded player in the conference, Smart showed this in wins over TCU and Kansas. Smart put up 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five steals against TCU and followed that up with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals in a huge win over Kansas. Due to his behavior and the OSU record, Smart can’t win the player of the year but another good week can lead the Cowboys to the NCAA tournament and cement his spot on the Big 12-first team.

Juwan Staten (West Virginia) – 19.4 ppg, 5.6 rbg, 5.6 apg

Staten the Stat-Stuffer put up 19, five rebounds, and four assists in a loss at Iowa State an followed that up with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a blowout win over TCU. Staten is secon in the league in scoring, is second in assists, and the 6’1 guard is 20^th in rebounding.

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

Probably the biggest competition to Andrew Wiggins for player of the year, Ejim leads the conference in scoring and is second in rebounding for the Cyclones. Ejim put up another huge game in a loss to Kansas State with 30 points, 16 rebounds, two steals, and one block. 

Deandre Kane (Iowa State) – 17.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.8 apg

Kane is engine that drives the Cyclones. He put up two big games again this week. In a win against West Virginia, Kane had 17 points and 11 rebounds, also chipping in three assists and two blocks. Then in a loss to K-State, Kane and Ejim were the only two Cyclones that showed up. Kane had 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. 

On the Verge: – Perry Ellis (Kansas), Marcus Foster (Kansas State), Joel Embiid (Kansas), Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)

Big East:

Only one of the top four teams lost this week, with Creighton getting upset by Xavier in a game that gave the Villanova Wildcats the inside track on the number 1 seed at Madison Square Garden next week. Villanova went 2-0 to move to 14-2 on the year. Xavier, Providence, Marquette, and St. John’s all have either 9 or 10 wins and are still jockeying for conference tournament seeding.

Player of the Year:

Doug McDermott (Creighton) – 26.9 ppg, 6.8 rbg

Hope you bet on Creighton’s Doug McDermott as the National Player of the Year earlier this season when all the analysts were hyping up the great freshman class. Dougie Buckets started as a big underdog and is now the overwhelming favorite. His play this week did nothing to diminish his national standing. McDermott had a big game in the Bluejays only contest, putting up 27 points and 11 rebounds against Xavier. 

All Conference Team: 

Semaj Christon (Xavier) – 18.2 ppg, 4.1 apg

Christon led Xavier to a HUGE week moving into sole possession of third place. First Christon put up 15, seven, and six in a win at St. Johns. Then in an upset win against Creighton, Semaj had 21, three rebounds, and four assists. 

Bryce Cotton (Providence) – 23.3 ppg, 6 apg

Providence went 1-0 this week to keep pace one game behind Xavier for third place in the conference. In the win at Seton Hall, Bryce had 24 points, four rebounds, and three assists. For the season, Cotton is second in the conference in scoring and first in assists. 

JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova) – 13.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg

Villanova went 2-0 this week to pull into first place in the Big East. In a blowout win over Depaul Pinkston was able to get some rest, playing only 19 minutes. He still finished with 8 points and seven rebounds. Then in a win over Marquette, Pinkston had 11 points and seven assists. 

James Bell (Villanova) - 14.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg

With the Wildcats rolling to two easy double-digit wins, Bell had a pretty easy week. Against the Bulldogs of Butler, Pinkston recorded 11 points and seven assists. Then he barely played in a bit win over Marquette, logging only 2 shots in 20 minutes of action. 

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

Freshman of the Year:

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

Jordan did not really play this week, missing a game and a few practices due to a family death. Earlier in the week, Jordan had 11 points along with an assist and a rebound in a loss to Xavier. Even with this, Jordan is still the best freshman in the Big East, with only Billy Garrett Jr giving him a run for his money. 

AAC:

The AAC race didn’t get any clearer this past week with league leaders, Cincinnati and Louisville both dropping close games to UCONN and Memphis.  UofL and Cincy are still tied for the AAC lead with 13-3 records.  UofL has tough games against SMU and UCONN to end the season, while Cincinnati has an easier slate with Memphis and lowly Rutgers. SMU is one game back of the Cardinals and Bearcats.

Player of the Year:

Shabazz Napier (UCONN) – 19.5 ppg, 5.0 apg, 5.7 rpg

In UCONN’s biggest conference win of the season, Napier took back the top spot after posting 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists in an upset win over Cincinnati.  Shabazz is one of the only players in the country and certainly the only player in the AAC that leads his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. In the AAC, he’s amongst the leaders in points (2^nd), assists (3^rd), rebounds (12^th) and steals (3^rd). Russ Smith and Sean Kilpatrick are still in a very close 2^nd to Napier in the POY race.    

      

All Conference Team: 

Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati) – 21.3 ppg, 4.6 rbg

Cincinnati is going through a tough two game losing streak, but not due to the play of Kilpatrick.  In the upset loss to UCONN this past week, Kilpatrick had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Kilpatrick is still the leading scorer in the AAC and amongst the leaders in free throws attempted, free throw percentage and 3 point percentage. 

Russ Smith (Louisville) – 18.4 ppg, 4.1 apg

Russ and the Cardinals went 1-1 last week, with and easy win over Temple and endured a late game collapse against bitter rival Memphis. Russ had a solid game against the talented Memphis back court, with a line of 19 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals but fouled out during Memphis’s game deciding run.  Smith, the pre-season AAC player of the year is arguably having his most efficient year of his career. 

Montrezl Harrell (Louisville) – 15.0 ppg, 8.4 rbg, 1.7 bpg

Trez has been in beast mode during AAC play and keeps improving. Against a solid Memphis frontline, Harrell went off for a career high, 25 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Harrell is amongst the AAC leaders in rebounds (1^st), blocks (4^th) and points (8^th).      

Nic Moore (SMU) – 14.6 ppg, 4.6 apg

Nic Moore’s game cannot be ignored anymore. In a league filled with talented guards, Moore certainly belongs to that group. Along with big man Markus Kennedy, Moore has lead SMU to an almost certain NCAA tourney birth and a resurgence in SMU basketball.  In SMU’s one game this past week, Moore has 18 points, 1 assist and 3 rebounds against UCF.  SMU will get their chance for revenge and another marquee conference win against the defending national champs, Louisville on 3/5. 

Freshman of the Year:

Terry Rozier (Louisville) – 9.3 ppg, 3.3 rbg

Rozier is still my pick for freshman of the year due to his stellar play for the majority of the conference season, but Austin Nichols of Memphis has emerged as a serious candidate to supplant Rozier. The Cardinal’s backup point guard had averaged 12.6 points, 2.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds over the past 5 AAC games.  In comparison, Nichols has averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.  

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

SEC

Top ranked Florida has clinched the SEC regular season title and has steam rolled the competition this past week.  SEC second place UK had a rough week by dropping games to NCAA bubble team Arkansas and lowly South Carolina. Due to these unexplainable losses, Georgia is only one game back of the Wildcats heading into the last week of the regular season. The middle of the SEC hasn’t got any clearer with Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia and LSU all fighting for an NCAA tourney birth.

Player of the Year:

Scotty Wilbekin (Florida) – 14.1 ppg, 3.8 apg

In Florida’s dominating week over Vandy and LSU, Wilbekin had a relatively quiet week averaging 9 points and 4.5 assists. Despite the quiet week, Scotty has been the most important player for the best team in the country. 

All Conference Team: 

Julius Randle (Kentucky) – 13.3 ppg, 10.3 rbg (Freshman of the Year)

In the loss to Arkansas, Randle posted 14 points and 10 rebounds and was one of the only bright spots for UK, along with Willie Cauley Stein.  In UK’s embarrassing loss to South Carolina, Randle notched 10 points and 15 rebounds. The double-double machine has easily been the best freshman in the SEC.  

Jabari Brown (Missouri) – 21.5 ppg, 4.0 rbg, 2.6 apg

The Tigers went 1-1 this past week with a loss to Georgia and win against Texas A&M.  Brown had superb games by putting 17 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist against UGA. In a win over A&M he notched 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Missouri is fighting for their post season lives and if Brown can lead them to the tournament, it will be a remarkable feat for a team that lacks any type of a low post presence.    

Jarnell Stokes (Tennessee) – 15.0 ppg, 11.4 rbg

In a week where Tennessee desperately needed to go 2-0, Stokes helped lead the way.  In a tight win against Miss St, Stokes put up 14 points and 9 rebounds. In their most lopsided win of the season, Stokes put up 12 points and 11 rebounds on a reeling Vandy team. Stokes and Randle are still the only players that are averaging a double double in conference play. 

Trevor Releford (Alabama) -19.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.0 spg

Although Releford’s team isn’t in the post season hunt, he’s had a great season for the Crimson Tide. Against a tough Ole Miss backcourt, Releford had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. He more than held his own against Jarvis Summers and Marshall Henderson. In a win over Auburn, he has 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.  Releford is the SEC leader in steals and fifth in scoring.

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