ACC Honors & Awards

All-ACC

Kendall Marshall, North Carolina
#5 Sophomore Guard 6-4 195
8.1ppg 9.8apg 1.2spg

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
#40 Sophomore Forward 6-8 215
17.1ppg 5.2rpg 1.1spg

Mike Scott, Virginia
#23 Senior Forward 6-8 235
18.1ppg 8.4rpg .563FG%

John Henson, North Carolina
#31 Junior Forward 6-11 220
13.7ppg 9.9rpg 2.9bpg

Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
#44 Senior Center 7-0 250
16.3ppg 9.6rpg 1.5bpg

Yes, it is gross that four Tar Heels are among the conference's top five performers.

Player of the Year: Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
Big Z edges out UVA's Mike Scott in what was a highly competitive race for the conference's top honor.

Top Defender: John Henson, North Carolina
Despite his tendency to play out of position, Henson's ability to alter and block shots (tenth in NCAA) played a large part in the Tar Heels' oft-criticized defense finishing as the nation's eleventh most efficient.

Best Freshman: Austin Rivers, Duke
Rivers led the 27-win Blue Devils in scoring at 15.4 points per contest and rounded into one of the most dangerous scorers in the country.

Coach of the Year: Leonard Hamilton, Florida State
The Seminoles beat the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils twice apiece and rode their stingy, physical defense to an ACC Tournament Championship and a 3 seed in the NCAA Tourney.

Notes: Duke at North Carolina

1. Wow. Just wow. What a finish. What a game. Every now and then the Duke-UNC rivalry lives up to its considerable hype. Tonight we witnessed one of those games. I had written Duke off after the Tar Heels built up a 13-point second half lead. Down 10 with 2 and a half minutes left, a comeback seemed all but impossible. Rivers' 3 at the buzzer gave new life to a Blue Devils squad that has looked like a solid team with little chance of competing against the Kentuckys and Ohio States of the world come March. And UNC's collapse raises all sorts of questions about a team that seemed to have righted itself after its embarrassing 33-point loss to Florida State.

2. Love him or hate him, Austin Rivers is going to be a special player at the college level (assuming he sticks around for another year). Sure, he's a gunner, and it's hard to argue that he makes those around him better. He's a talented scorer who doesn't bring much else to the table at this early stage of his career. That being said, he's leading the 9th ranked Blue Devils in scoring as a freshman and just put 29 on the rival Tar Heels. There aren't many players in the country who could have done what he did tonight.

3. People have been saying it all year, but it's worth mentioning again after tonight's collapse - the Tar Heels lack the killer instinct possessed by teams that win championships. The talent and skill are there. I'm just not sure Roy Williams' squad has the mentality needed by a team that is going to win 6 straight games in March and April.

4. It should be mentioned that Carolina's top 4 players all had good individual games tonight. Harrison Barnes finished with 25 points with most of those coming in the second half. Tyler Zeller had as good a first half as anyone has had in the country this year and finished with 23 points and 11 boards. John Henson tallied 12 and 17. And Kendall Marshall finished with 14 points and 8 assists. (I thought Marshall did a really good job of being a threat to score tonight.)

5. Stat of the night - UNC hit one 3-pointer as compared to the 14 made by the Blue Devils. At some point, Roy Williams has to make adjustments. Duke made a number of difficult shots, but, if UNC decides to make taking away the 3-pointer a priority, I think the Tar Heels win that game.

6. Losing Dexter Strickland to injury for the rest of the season certainly hurts UNC's depth, especially at the point guard position where Strickland served as Marshall's backup. And while I'm not suggesting the injury has helped the Tar Heels, it has provided an opportunity for sophomore wing Reggie Bullock. Bullock should have been starting at the two spot the entire year. He's UNC's best perimeter defender and adds length to an already extremely long starting five.

7. Call me crazy, but, despite Carolina's failures against Florida State and now Duke, I still think this team has a chance to win the National Championship. They wouldn't be my pick right now, but I'm not writing them off, either.

8. Oh, and one more thing, we all know the popular narrative this season about the Tar Heels has been that they don't play defense. As recently as two weeks ago, in my midseason awards post, I made a crack about how much more awful UNC's defense would be without John Henson. Upon further examination, I'm not so sure I was being totally fair (or particularly accurate for that matter). I'm not saying the Heels are stalwarts on the defensive end, but an examination of the numbers reveals that this team actually plays pretty good defense. Statistical guru Ken Pomeroy currently has Carolina rated as the nation's 14th best defense. I should also note that the Heels' vaunted offense is rated 17th in the country according to Pomeroy's system. No ranking system is without its flaws, but I find Pomeroy's system to be both an accurate evaluator of a team's play and a reliable predictor of a team's success. I'm not suggesting that UNC is actually a great defensive team or that they put forth maximum effort on that side of the ball. In fact, I continue to believe that, given the Heels' personnel, they could be a much better defensive team. I'm simply saying that the narrative we've all come to believe concerning UNC's supposed ineptitude on the defensive end doesn't quite ring true.

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

ACC Review (09-10)

All-ACC

Malcom Delaney, Virginia Tech
Junior 6-3 190 20.2p 3.7r 4.5a 0.1b 1.2s

Jon Scheyer, Duke
Senior 6-5 190 18.2p 3.6r 4.9a 0.3b 1.6s

Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
Senior 6-6 200 19.6p 4.6r 6.3a 0.4b 1.7s

Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
Sophomore 6-9 215 15.8p 10.7r 1.3a 1.4b 1.4s

Kyle Singler, Duke
Junior 6-8 230 17.7p 7.0r 2.4a 0.8b 1.0s

Player of the Year: Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
General Greivis joins Joakim Noah, Greg Paulus, J.J. Redick, and Eric Devendorf in the starting five on the most annoying team of the last decade and maybe ever. Still, it's quite possible that no one in all of college basketball meant more to their team than the Venezuelan Sensation. (That rhymes, right?)

Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
Not a lot of competition in the ACC for Coach K this year. Gary Williams' return from the brink can be attributed to his senior conference player of the year point guard as much as anything else. Regardless, it's difficult to put someone ahead of Killer Mike with his conference regular season, conference tourney, and national titles this season. Plus, is there a more charismatic coach in the land? Anyone you'd rather share a good ol' belly laugh with?

Freshman of the Year: Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Pretty underwhelming crop of freshman. Favors had a nice season, but it did not live up to what many expected out of arguably the nation's most highly touted newcomer. Averaged a solid 12 and 8, showed occasional flash of brilliance, but only reached 20 points twice on the season. Some of his shortcomings can likely be traced to having to share the frontcourt with the black hole that is Gani Lawal. Or we can just chalk it up to Paul Hewitt not being a very good coach. Your call.

Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Singleton, Florida State
A joy to watch, Singleton would be a favorite of any defensive aficionado. Only a sophomore, Singleton averaged 7 boards, 1.5 blocks, and over 2 swipes per contest. When he wasn't leading one of the country's stingiest defenses, he was chipping in over 10 points per game. Sidenote: if Chris Singleton isn't going pro (and I'm not saying he should), there are a lot of early entrants who should be rethinking their decisions. I'm looking at you, Talor Battle, Derrick Caracter, Manny Harris, Adnan Hodzic, Sylvan Landesberg (you broke my heart), Tommy Mason-Griffin, A.J. Ogilvy, Jeff Robinson, Alex Tyus, Willie Warren, and Jahmar Young. And these are only the most absurd.

Biggest Surprise: Maryland
No, we didn't think Duke would take home the crown this year, but the Blue Devils entered the season with high expectations. Maryland, on the other hand, seemed a strong bet for the NIT. Outside of our conference player of the year, can you even name a second Terrapin? The Terps weren't pretty, but they played as a team, supported their Venezuelan superstar, finished atop the ACC regular season standings with the eventual national champs (splitting their head-to-head matchups), entered the tourney as a 4 seed, and were a Korie Lucious 3-point buzzer beater away from the Sweet 16. Gary Williams may have bought himself a little more time with this one - though things won't be easy without his star senior. Then again, perhaps Coach Williams will enjoy not having to listen to Daddy Yankee in the locker room ever again. (And, in case you think I'm engaging in racial stereotyping, here's a link in which King Terp speaks to his affinity for El Cangri, the movie "American Gangster", and what it was like playing high school ball with Kid Nut Raven.)

Biggest Disappointment: North Carolina
Entering the season, I thought UNC had a chance to repeat as national champions. Clearly, I was wrong. The young, unseasoned Tar Heels finished one game out of the ACC cellar and missed the NCAA tourney. At this point, it is pretty much common practice to blame, in large part, Larry Drew II's point guard play for the Heels' decline. While there is no doubt there is a drop off when you go from Ty Lawson to LD2, Drew's numbers weren't all that bad - almost 6 assists per game and a respectable 1.84 assist-to-turnover ratio. Others pointed to freshman John Henson's struggles to adapt to the college game. For the record, I still like Henson - still believe he has a ton of potential. Yes, I was a little surprised he didn't do more this year, but, with his body, he's going to have to be given time to develop. His play at the end of the season was more than encouraging. UNC apologists point to the injury bug that a handful of Heels succumbed to over the course of the season. Sure, the injuries to Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis were especially difficult to deal with, but the real problem was the lack of offense from the 2 and 3 spots. Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves never showed an ability to create their own shots or score in bunches to make teams pay for doubling down on the Tar Heel bigs. And freshman Leslie McDonald was a non-factor. All in all, a bad season for the Chapel Hill faithful and a poor performance by one of the best coaches in the country. But no worries Tar Heel nation, it's nothing a little Harrison Barnes won't fix - he of the oh so feathery jumper and aerial acrobatics.