Big 12 Honors & Awards

With Kansas bounced from the NCAA tourney at the hands of upstart VCU, the Big 12 season has reached its end. And that means it's time to take a look at the conference's top performers. Honors and awards take into account the entirety of the season, rather than just Big 12 conference play.

All-Big 12

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
#0 Senior Guard 6-1 200
20.2 ppg 3.7 apg 1.6 spg

Alec Burks, Colorado
#10 Sophomore Guard 6-6 195
20.5 ppg 6.5 rpg 1.1 spg

Jordan Hamilton, Texas
#3 Sophomore Forward 6-7 220
18.6 ppg 7.7 rpg 2.1 apg

Marcus Morris, Kansas
#22 Junior Forward 6-9 235
17.2 ppg 7.6 rpg .570 FG%

Markieff Morris, Kansas
#21 Junior Forward 6-10 245
13.6 ppg 8.3 rpg 1.1 bpg


Player of the Year: Marcus Morris, Kansas
He tended to drift out to the perimeter a little too often on the offensive end, but this was a complete performance by one of the nation's best.

All-Defense

Dogus Balbay, Texas
#4 Senior Guard 6-1 175

Lance Jeter, Nebraska
#34 Senior Guard 6-3 220

Laurence Bowers, Missouri
#21 Junior Forward 6-8 210

Tristan Thompson, Texas
#13 Freshman Forward 6-8 225

Markieff Morris, Kansas
#21 Junior Forward 6-10 245


Defensive Player of the Year: Tristan Thompson, Texas
In today's era of the one-and-done freshman phenom, we have become accustomed to freshmen putting up big offensive numbers, but Thompson, who averaged 2.4 blocks per game, is that rare first-year player who dominates on the defensive end of the floor.

Freshman of the Year: Tristan Thompson, Texas
While he was a stud on the defensive end, Thompson wasn't too shabby with the ball in his hands - averaging a solid 13.1 points per contest while shooting .546 from the field.

Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas
While Self guided the Jayhawks, picked to finish second in the conference, to a two-loss regular season, the Big 12 regular season and conference tourney titles and an appearance in the Elite Eight, another upset loss in the tourney has overshadowed what was a superb season in Lawrence.

And now for some regionally appropriate hip-hop.

Big Ten Honors & Awards

With no Big Ten schools advancing beyond the Sweet 16, it's officially time to take a look back at the season that was. Remember that honors and awards take into account the entirety of the season, rather than just Big Ten conference play.

All-Big Ten

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
#11 Junior Guard 6-1 195
18.1 ppg 4.7 apg 4.1 rpg

Talor Battle, Penn State
#12 Senior Guard 6-0 170
20.2 ppg 4.4 rpg 2.9 apg

E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
#33 Senior Guard 6-4 190
18.0 ppg 5.1 rpg 3.2 apg

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
#25 Senior Center 6-10 220
20.5 ppg 8.6 rpg 2.3 bpg

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
#0 Freshman Center 6-9 280
17.2 ppg 10.2 rpg .541 FG%


Player of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
The big-bodied freshman edges Purdue's JaJuan Johnson by the slimmest of margins based largely on his ability to impose his will on the perimeter-oriented college game as a true post presence.

All-Defense

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
#11 Junior Guard 6-1 195

Aaron Craft, Ohio State
#4 Freshman Guard 6-2 195

David Lighty, Ohio State
#23 Senior Guard 6-5 220

Draymond Green, Michigan State
#23 Junior Forward 6-7 230

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
#25 Senior Center 6-10 220


Defensive Player of the Year: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
David Lighty and Aaron Craft deserve special recognition for their tenacious perimeter defense, but Johnson,the former Baby Boiler, earned the top spot in the defensively-minded Big Ten after averaging 2.3 blocks per contest and anchoring Matt Painter's stingy Purdue D.

Freshman of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Sullinger is a no-brainer here, but fellow Buckeye Aaron Craft and Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. also had excellent freshman campaigns.

Coach of the Year: Thad Matta, Ohio State
Matta is the choice for guiding Ohio State to a two-loss regular season, the Big Ten regular season and conference tourney titles, and the overall number one seed in the NCAA tourney, but Purdue's Matt Painter gets a tip of the hat for yet another strong showing (as does Michigan's John Beilein for taking a team that RBP predicted would be "epically bad" to the second round of the NCAAs).

And now for some regionally appropriate hip-hop.

Pac-10 Honors & Awards

With Arizona bowing out of the NCAAs just shy of the Final Four after a valiant fight against King Kemba and UConn, the Pac-10 season is officially in the books. That means it's time for RBP to take a look back at the conference's best and brightest. Honors and awards take into account the entirety of the season, rather than just Pac-10 conference play.

All-Pac 10

Isaiah Thomas, Washington
#2 Junior Guard 5-9 185
16.8 ppg 6.1 apg 1.3 spg

Klay Thompson, Washington State
#1 Junior Guard 6-6 200
22.0 ppg 5.3 rpg 3.8 apg

Derrick Williams, Arizona
#23 Sophomore Forward 6-8 240
19.5 ppg 8.4 rpg .603 3PT%

Reeves Nelson, UCLA
#22 Sophomore Forward 6-8 235
13.9 ppg 9.1 rbg .567 FG%

Nikola Vucevic, USC
#5 Junior Forward 6-10 260
17.1 ppg 10.3 rpg 1.4 bpg


Player of the Year: Derrick Williams, Arizona
After a stellar freshman campaign, the once overlooked Williams put together a superb sophomore season, developing into one of the country's most dominant players and carrying the Wildcats to the cusp of college basketball's final weekend.

All-Defense

Jorge Gutierrez, California
#2 Junior Guard 6-3 195

Malcolm Lee, UCLA
#3 Junior Guard 6-5 200

Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
#1 Sophomore Guard 6-4 180

Marcus Simmons, USC
#43 Senior Forward 6-6 220

Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA
#23 Sophomore Forward 6-8 190


Defensive Player of the Year: Jorge Gutierrez, California
Gutierrez, who averaged 1.6 steals per game and is perhaps the nation's peskiest on-ball defender, takes top honors in a conference that has so many talented stoppers that Venoy Overton didn't even make the cut for the conference's all-defensive team.

Freshman of the Year: Allen Crabbe, California
Crabbe, a well-rounded 6-4 two-guard who was ranked 69th nationally by rivals.com after his senior year of high school, averaged 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest for the Golden Bears.

Coach of the Year: Sean Miller, Arizona
In his second year at the helm, Miller led the Wildcats, unranked in the preseason, to 30 wins, the regular season Pac-10 title, a runner-up finish in the conference tourney, and an Elite Eight appearance in which Arizona fell to UConn by a basket.

And now for some regionally appropriate hip-hop.

Field of 68

*Seeding is not an attempt to predict what the Selection Committee will do. Rather, seeding represents what the Selection Committee should do.

1 seeds
Ohio State (31-2, 16-2)
Kansas (32-2, 14-2)
Duke (30-4, 13-3)
Pittsburgh (27-5, 15-3)

2 seeds
Notre Dame (26-6, 14-4)
San Diego State (32-2, 14-2)
Texas (27-7, 13-3)
Connecticut (26-9, 9-9)

3 seeds
Louisville (25-9, 12-6)
Kentucky (25-8, 10-6)
Purdue (25-7, 14-4)
North Carolina (26-7, 14-2)

4 seeds
Brigham Young (30-4, 14-2)
Florida (26-7, 13-3)
Syracuse (26-7, 12-6)
Arizona (27-7, 14-4)

5 seeds
Wisconsin (23-8, 13-5)
St. John's (21-11, 12-6)
Georgetown (21-10, 10-8)
Xavier (24-7, 15-1)

6 seeds
Texas A&M (24-8, 10-6)
Vanderbilt (23-10, 9-7)
Washington (23-10, 11-7)
Temple (25-7, 14-2)

7 seeds
Old Dominion (27-6, 14-4)
Cincinnati (25-8, 11-7)
West Virginia (20-11, 11-7)
Utah State (30-3, 15-1)

8 seeds
UCLA (22-10, 13-5)
Kansas State (22-10, 10-6)
Richmond (27-7, 13-3)
George Mason (26-6, 16-2)

9 seeds
UNLV (24-8, 11-5)
Missouri (23-10, 8-8)
Florida State (21-10, 11-5)
Villanova (21-11, 9-9)

10 seeds
Marquette (20-14, 9-9)
Illinois (19-13, 9-9)
Tennessee (19-14, 8-8)
Colorado (21-13, 8-8)

11 seeds
USC (19-14, 10-8)
Alabama (21-11, 12-4)
Gonzaga (24-9, 11-3)
Michigan State (18-14, 9-9)

12 seeds
Memphis (25-9, 10-6)
Butler (23-9, 13-5)
St. Mary's (25-8, 11-3)
Penn State (19-13, 9-9)
Virginia Tech (21-11, 9-7)
Michigan (20-13, 9-9)

13 seeds
Belmont (30-4, 19-1)
Oakland (25-9, 17-1)
Long Island (27-5, 16-2)
Princeton (25-6, 12-2)

14 seeds
Indiana State (20-13, 12-6)
Akron (23-12, 9-7)
Morehead State (24-9, 13-5)
Wofford (21-12, 14-4)

15 seeds
Bucknell (25-8, 13-1)
Northern Colorado (21-10, 13-3)
St. Peter's (20-13, 11-7)
Hampton (24-8, 11-5)

16 seeds
Boston University (21-13, 12-4)
UNC-Asheville (19-13, 11-7)
UC-Santa Barbara (18-13, 8-8)
UT-San Antonio (19-13, 9-7)
Arkansas-Little Rock (19-16, 7-9)
Alabama State (17-17, 11-7)

Top 25

1. Ohio State 29-2
quality wins: @Florida, @Florida State, Minnesota, @Illinois, Purdue, @Minnesota, Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin
losses: @Wisconsin, @Purdue
previous rank: 1

2. Kansas 29-2
quality wins: Arizona(n), UCLA, Memphis(n), @Baylor, @Colorado, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado, Texas A&M, @Missouri
losses: Texas, @Kansas State
previous rank: 2

3. Pittsburgh 27-4
quality wins: Maryland(n), Texas(n), Connecticut, Marquette, @Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincinnati, @West Virginia, @Villanova, West Virginia, Villanova
losses: Tennessee(n), Notre Dame, @St. John's, @Louisville
previous rank: 3

4. Notre Dame 25-5
quality wins: Georgia(n), Wisconsin(n), Gonzaga, Georgetown, Connecticut, St. John's, Cincinnati, Marquette, @Pittsburgh, Louisville, Villanova, @Connecticut
losses: Kentucky(n), @Syracuse, @Marquette, @St. John's, @West Virginia
previous rank: 8

5. Duke 27-4
quality wins: Marquette(n), Kansas State(n), Michigan State, Maryland, Boston College, @Maryland, North Carolina, Temple, Clemson
losses: @Florida State, @St. John's, @Virginia Tech, @North Carolina
previous rank: 4

6. San Diego State 29-2
quality wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Wichita State, UNLV, @UNLV
loss: @Brigham Young, Brigham Young
previous rank: 9

7. Texas 25-6
quality wins: Illinois(n), North Carolina(n), @Michigan State, Texas A&M, @Kansas, Missouri, @Texas A&M, Baylor, @Baylor
losses: Pittsburgh(n), @USC, Connecticut, @Nebraska, @Colorado, Kansas State
previous rank: 6

8. Purdue 25-6
quality wins: @Virginia Tech, Alabama, Michigan State, Minnesota, @Illiois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, @Michigan State, Illinois
losses: Richmond(n), @Minnesota, @West Virginia, @Ohio State, @Wisconsin, @Iowa
previous rank: 7

9. Brigham Young 28-3
quality wins: Utah State, St. Mary's(n), Arizona(n), @UNLV, San Diego State, UNLV, @San Diego State
losses: UCLA(n), @New Mexico, New Mexico
previous rank: 5

10. Syracuse 25-6
quality wins: Michigan State(n), Notre Dame, @St. John's, Cincinnati, @Connecticut, West Virginia, @Villanova, @Georgetown
losses: @Pittsburgh, Villanova, Seton Hall, @Marquette, Georgetown, @Louisville
previous rank: 12

11. North Carolina 24-6
quality wins: Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Clemson, @Boston College, Florida State, @Clemson, Boston College, Maryland, @Florida State, Duke
losses: Minnesota(n), Vanderbilt(n), @Illinois, Texas(n), @Georgia Tech, @Duke
previous rank: 16

12. Florida 24-6
quality wins: @Florida State, Kansas State(n), @Xavier, @Tennessee, @Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, @Vanderbilt
losses: Ohio State, Central Florida(n), Jacksonville, South Carolina, @Mississippi State, @Kentucky
previous rank: 14

13. Louisville 23-8
quality wins: UNLV, Marquette, St. John's, West Virginia, @Connecticut, Syracuse, Connecticut, Pittsburgh
losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova, @Providence, @Georgetown, @Notre Dame, @Cincinnati, @West Virginia
previous rank: 11

14. Wisconsin 23-7
quality wins: Boston College(n), @Marquette, Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State
losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame(n), @Illinois, @Michigan State, @Penn State, @Purdue, @Ohio State
previous rank: 10

15. Kentucky 22-8
quality wins: Washington(n), Notre Dame(n), @Louisville, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt, @Tennessee
losses: Connecticut(n), @North Carolina, @Georgia, @Alabama, @Mississippi, @Florida, @Vanderbilt, @Arkansas
previous rank: 20

16. Arizona 25-6
quality wins: @Washington State, UCLA, Washington State, Washington
losses: Kansas(n), Brigham Young(n), @Oregon State, @Washington, @USC, @UCLA
previous rank: 19

17. Connecticut 21-9
quality wins: Wichita State(n), Michigan State(n), Kentucky(n), @Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, @Marquette, Georgetown, @Cincinnati
losses: @Pittsburgh, @Notre Dame, Louisville, Syracuse, @St. John's, @Louisville, Marquette, @West Virginia, Notre Dame
previous rank: 13

18. Georgetown 21-9
quality wins: @Old Dominion, Missouri(n), Utah State, @Memphis, St. John's, @Villanova, Louisville, @Syracuse, Marquette
losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John's, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, @Connecticut, Cincinnati, Syracuse, @Cincinnati
previous rank: 15

19. St. John's 20-10
quality wins: @West Virginia, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Duke, Connecticut, @Cincinnati, @Marquette, Pittsburgh, @Villanova
losses: @Saint Mary's, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame, Syracuse, @Louisville, Cincinnati, @Georgetown, @UCLA, @Seton Hall
previous rank: 17

20. Xavier 24-6
quality wins: Temple, @Richmond, @Georgia
losses: Old Dominion(n), @Miami-OH, @Gonzaga, Florida, @Cincinnati, @Charlotte
previous rank: 24

21. Cincinnati 24-7
quality wins: Xavier, @St. John's, Louisville, @Georgetown, @Marquette, Georgetown
losses: @Villanova, @Syracuse, @Notre Dame, West Virginia, @Pittsburgh, St. John's, Connecticut
previous rank: NR

22. Texas A&M 23-7
quality wins: Temple(n), Washington, Missouri, Kansas State, @Colorado
losses: Boston College(n), @Texas, @Nebraska, Texas, Baylor, @Baylor, @Kansas
previous rank: 23

23. Old Dominion 26-6
quality wins: Clemson(n), Xavier(n), Richmond, George Mason
losses: Georgetown, @Delaware, @Missouri, @Drexel, VCU, @George Mason
previous rank: NR

24. Missouri 22-9
quality wins: Vanderbilt, Illinois(n), Old Dominion, Kansas State, Colorado, Baylor
losses: Georgetown(n), @Colorado, @Texas A&M, @Texas, @Oklahoma State, @Kansas, @Kansas State, @Nebraska, Kansas
previous rank: 18

25. Vanderbilt 21-9
quality wins: North Carolina(n), Belmont, Marquette, Georgia, St. Mary's, Alabama, Kentucky, @Georgia
losses: West Virginia(n), @Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Florida, Tennessee, @Kentucky, Florida
previous rank: 22