2018-19 NCAA Honors & Awards

1st Team All-American
Cassius Winston, Michigan State [jr]
Ja Morant, Murray State [soph]
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech [soph]
Zion Williamson, Duke [fr]
Grant Williams, Tennessee [jr]

2nd Team All-American
Markus Howard, Marquette [jr]
Carsen Edwards, Purdue [jr]
Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga [jr]
Dedric Lawson, Kansas [jr]
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin [sr]

All-Defensive Team
Matisse Thybulle, Washington [sr]
De'Andre Hunter, Virginia [soph]
Zion Williamson, Duke [fr]
Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga [jr]
Tariq Owens, Texas Tech [sr]

All-Freshman Team
Coby White, North Carolina
Tyler Herro, Kentucky
RJ Barrett, Duke
Zion Williamson, Duke
Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan

Player of the Year: Zion Williamson, Duke
Top Defender: Matisse Thybulle, Washington
Best Freshman: Zion Williamson, Duke
Coach of the Year: Chris Beard, Texas Tech

2018-19 RBP Preseason Rankings

1) Duke
2) Kentucky
3) Virginia
4) North Carolina
5) Kansas
6) Tennessee
7) Michigan
8) Nevada
9) Purdue
10) Gonzaga
11) Michigan State
12) Auburn
13) Syracuse
14) Oregon
15) Arizona
16) Kansas State
17) Villanova
18) West Virginia
19) Virginia Tech
20) UCLA
21) Florida State
22) Wisconsin
23) Texas
24) Florida
25) Mississippi State

2017-18 Conference Honors & Awards

All-AAC

Landry Shamet, Wichita State [soph]
Jeremiah Martin, Memphis [jr]
Robert Gray, Houston [sr]

Jacob Evans, Cincinnati [jr]

Gary Clark, Cincinnati [sr]

Player of the Year: Robert Gray, Houston

Top Defender: Gary Clark, Cincinnati

Best Freshman: Shawn Williams, East Carolina

Coach of the Year: Mick Cronin, Cincinnati

All-ACC

Joel Berry, North Carolina [sr]

Kyle Guy, Virginia [soph]
Jerome Robinson, Boston College [jr]

Luke Maye, North Carolina [jr]

Marvin Bagley, Duke [fr]

Player of the Year: Marvin Bagley, Duke

Top Defender: Isaiah Wilkins, Virginia

Best Freshman: Marvin Bagley, Duke

Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett, Virginia

All-Big East

Jalen Brunson, Villanova [jr]

Khryi Thomas, Creighton [jr]
Trevon Blueitt, Xavier [sr]
Mikal Bridges, Villanova [jr]
Kelan Martin, Butler [sr]

Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson, Villanova

Top Defender: Khyri Thomas, Creighton

Best Freshman: Omari Spellman, Villanova

Coach of the Year: Jay Wright, Villanova

All-Big Ten

Carsen Edwards, Purdue [soph]
Tony Carr, Penn State [jr]

Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State [jr]

Ethan Happ, Wisconsin [jr]

Moritz Wagner, Michigan [jr]

Player of the Year: Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State

Top Defender: Jaren Jackson, Michigan State

Best Freshman: Jaren Jackson, Michigan State

Coach of the Year: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State

All-Big 12

Trae Young, Oklahoma [fr]

Jevon Carter, West Virginia [sr]
Devonte' Graham, Kansas [sr]
Keenan Evans, Texas Tech [sr]

Mohamed Bamba, Texas [fr]

Player of the Year: Devonte' Graham, Kansas

Top Defender: Mohamed Bamba, Texas

Best Freshman: Trae Young, Oklahoma

Coach of the Year: Chris Beard, Texas Tech

All-Pac-12

Jordan McLaughlin, USC [sr]
Aaron Holiday, UCLA [jr]
Allonzo Trier, Arizona [jr]

Reid Travis, Stanford [jr]
DeAndre Ayton, Arizona [fr]

Player of the Year: DeAndre Ayton, Arizona

Top Defender: Matisse Thybulle, Washington

Best Freshman: DeAndre Ayton, Arizona

Coach of the Year: Larry Krystkowiak, Utah

All-SEC

Collin Sexton, Alabama [fr]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kentucky [fr]

Kevin Knox, Kentucky [fr]

Grant Williams, Tennessee [soph]
Yante Maten, Georgia [sr]

Player of the Year: Collin Sexton, Alabama

Top Defender: Robert Williams, Texas A&M

Best Freshman: Collin Sexton, Alabama

Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl, Auburn

2017-18 RBP Preseason Rankings

1) Duke
2) Michigan State
3) Villanova
4) Arizona
5) Kansas
6) Kentucky
7) West Virginia
8) North Carolina
9) Notre Dame
10) Michigan
11) Wichita State
12) Florida
13) Xavier
14) Louisville
15) Texas A&M
16) Purdue
17) Cincinnati
18) Gonzaga
19) Virginia
20) Saint Mary's
21) Texas
22) Miami
23) Wisconsin
24) Seton Hall
25) Oregon

2016-17 RBP Preseason Rankings

1) Duke
2) Kentucky
3) Oregon
4) Indiana
5) Wisconsin
6) Kansas
7) Villanova
8) North Carolina
9) Xavier
10) Louisville
11) Michigan State
12) Arizona
13) Purdue
14) Syracuse
15) Cincinnati
16) Virginia
17) California
18) West Virginia
19) Notre Dame
20) Gonzaga
21) Connecticut
22) Texas
23) Maryland
24) Texas A&M
25) Dayton

2014-15 NCAA Honors & Awards

1st Team All-American

Delon Wright, Utah [sr]

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame [sr]

Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa [sr]

Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin [sr]

Jahlil Okafor, Duke [fr]

2nd Team All-American

Kris Dunn, Providence [soph]

Joseph Young, Oregon [sr]

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma [jr]

Georges Niang, Iowa State [jr]

Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky [fr]

All-Defensive Team

Kris Dunn, Providence [soph]

Gary Payton, Oregon State [jr]

Sir'Dominic Pointer, St. John's [sr]

Jordan Mickey, LSU [soph]

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky [jr]

All-Freshman Team

D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State

Justise Winslow, Duke

Stanley Johnson, Arizona

Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky

Jahlil Okafor, Duke

Player of the Year: Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin

Top Defender: Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky

Best Freshman: Jahlil Okafor, Duke

Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett, Virginia

Duke is your champion.

Duke wins the 2014-15 championship, matching UConn with its second title of the 2010s.

2014-15 Preseason Conference Projections

AAC
1. Connecticut
2. Southern Methodist
3. Memphis
4. Cincinnati
5. Tulsa
6. Temple
7. Houston
8. Tulane
9. East Carolina
10. South Florida
11. Central Florida

All-AAC
Nic Moore, Southern Methodist [jr]
Ryan Boatright, Connecticut [sr]
Shaq Goodwin, Memphis [jr]
Austin Nichols, Memphis [soph]
Markus Kennedy, Southern Methodist [jr]

Awards
Player of the Year: Ryan Boatright, Connecticut
Top Defender: Amida Brimah, Connecticut
Best Freshman: Daniel Hamilton, Connecticut

ACC
1. Duke
2. Louisville
3. North Carolina
4. Virginia
5. Pittsburgh
6. Syracuse
7. North Carolina State
8. Florida State
9. Notre Dame
10. Virginia Tech
11. Miami
12. Clemson
13. Boston College
14. Georgia Tech
15. Wake Forest

All-ACC
Marcus Paige, North Carolina [jr]
Olivier Hanlan, Boston College [jr]
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia [jr]
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame [sr]
Montrezl Harrell, Louisville [jr]

Awards
Player of the Year: Montrezl Harrell, Louisville
Top Defender: Brice Johnson, North Carolina
Best Freshman: Jahlil Okafor, Duke

Big East
1. Villanova
2. St. John's
3. Georgetown
4. Providence
5. Xavier
6. Marquette
7. Creighton
8. Butler
9. Seton Hall
10. DePaul

All-Big East
D'Angelo Harrison, St. John's [sr]
D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown [jr]
Roosevelt Jones, Butler [jr]
Darrun Hilliard, Villanova [sr]
JayVaughn Pinkston, Villanova [sr]

Awards
Player of the Year: D'Angelo Harrison, St. John's
Top Defender: Chris Obekpa, St. John's
Best Freshman: Isaac Copeland, Georgetown

Big Ten
1. Wisconsin
2. Michigan
3. Minnesota
4. Ohio State
5. Michigan State
6. Nebraska
7. Illinois
8. Iowa
9. Maryland
10. Indiana
11. Penn State
12. Purdue
13. Northwestern
14. Rutgers

All-Big Ten 
Andre Hollins, Minnesota [sr]
Rayvonte Rice, Illinois [sr]
Terran Petteway, Nebraska [jr]
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin [jr]
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin [sr]

Awards
Player of the Year: Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
Top Defender: Josh Gasser, Wisconsin
Best Freshman: D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State

Big 12
1. Kansas
2. Iowa State
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Kansas State
6. Baylor
7. West Virginia
8. Oklahoma State
9. Texas Tech
10. TCU

All-Big 12
Juwan State, West Virginia [sr]
Marcus Foster, Kansas State [soph]
Wayne Selden, Kansas [soph]
Perry Ellis, Kansas [jr]
Georges Niang, Iowa State [jr]

Awards
Player of the Year: Georges Niang, Iowa State
Top Defender: Michael Cobbins, Oklahoma State
Best Freshman: Cliff Alexander, Kansas

Pac-12
1. Arizona
2. Utah
3. Colorado
4. Stanford
5. Oregon
6. UCLA
7. California
8. Washington
9. USC
10. Arizona State
11. Washington State
12. Oregon State

All-Pac-12
Chasson Randle, Stanford [sr]
Joseph Young, Oregon [sr]
Delon Wright, Utah [sr]
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona [soph]
Josh Scott, Colorado [jr]

Awards
Player of the Year: Delon Wright, Utah
Top Defender: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
Best Freshman: Stanley Johnson, Arizona

SEC
1. Kentucky
2. Florida
3. LSU
4. Arkansas
5. Georgia
6. Alabama
7. Mississippi
8. Auburn
9. Missouri
10. Vanderbilt
11. Texas A&M
12. South Carolina
13. Tennessee
14. Mississippi State

All-SEC
K.T. Harrell, Auburn [sr]
Andrew Harrison, Kentucky [soph]
Aaron Harrison, Kentucky [soph]
Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida [jr]
Jordan Mickey, LSU [soph]

Awards:
Player of the Year: Jordan Mickey, LSU
Top Defender: Jordan Mickey, LSU
Best Freshman: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky

2013-14 Honors & Awards

1st Team All-American
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut
Russ Smith, Louisville
Nik Stauskas, Michigan
Jabari Parker, Duke
Doug McDermott, Creighton

2nd Team All-American
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State
Xavier Thames, San Diego State
Elfrid Payton, Louisiana-Lafayette
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati
C.J. Fair, Syracuse

All-Defensive Team
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Briante Weber, Virginia Commonwealth
Russ Smith, Louisville
K.J. McDaniels, Clemson
Jordan Bachynski, Arizona State

All-Freshman Team
Tyler Ennis, Syracuse
Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
Jabari Parker, Duke
Aaron Gordon, Arizona
Julius Randle, Kentucky

Player of the Year: Doug McDermott, Creighton
Top Defender: Briante Weber, Virginia Commonwealth
Best Freshman: Jabari Parker, Duke
Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan, Florida

2013-14 Preseason All-Americans and Award Predictions

First Team
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State [soph]
Russ Smith, Louisville [sr]
Glenn Robinson, Michigan [soph]
CJ Fair, Syracuse [sr]
Doug McDermott, Creighton [sr]

Second Team
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut [sr]
Kendall Williams, New Mexico [sr]
Gary Harris, Michigan State [soph]
Joe Harris, Virginia [sr]
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky [soph]

All-Defense
Aaron Craft, Ohio State [sr]
Briante Weber, VCU [jr]
Russ Smith, Louisville [sr]
Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall [sr]
Chris Obekpa, St. John's [soph]

All-Freshman
Wayne Selden, Kansas
Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
Jabari Parker, Duke
Aaron Gordon, Arizona
Julius Randle, Kentucky

Player of the Year: Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

Top Defender: Aaron Craft, Ohio State

Best Freshman: Jabari Parker, Duke

Field of 68 Bracket

Midwest (Indianapolis, IN)
1 Indiana
16 LIU Brooklyn/Southern
8 California
9 San Diego State
5 Saint Louis
12 Villanova
4 Oklahoma State
13 Bucknell
6 Creighton
11 LaSalle
3 Miami
14 Valparaiso
7 Oregon
10 Temple
2 Georgetown
15 Florida Gulf Coast

West (Los Angeles, CA)
1 Gonzaga
16 Vermont
8 Missouri
9 North Carolina State
5 Pittsburgh
12 Boise State/Minnesota
4 Arizona
13 Stephen F. Austin
6 Notre Dame
11 Wichita State
3 Ohio State
14 South Dakota State
7 UNLV
10 Colorado
2 Kansas
15 Iona

East (Washington, DC)
1 Duke
16 Florida International/Liberty
8 Memphis
9 Cincinnati
5 Wisconsin
12 Louisiana Tech
4 Florida
13 Akron
6 Butler
11 Oklahoma
3 Marquette
14 Long Beach State
7 Colorado State
10 Virginia
2 Michigan State
15 Northeastern

South (Arlington, TX)
1 Louisville
16 Norfolk State
8 North Carolina
9 Iowa State
5 UCLA
12 Illinois/Tennessee
4 New Mexico
13 Davidson
6 Syracuse
11 Belmont
3 Kansas State
14 Montana
7 VCU
10 Saint Mary's
2 Michigan
15 Harvard

Field of 68

1 Seeds
Duke 27-4
Indiana 26-5
Louisville 26-5
Gonzaga 30-2

2 Seeds
Georgetown 24-5
Kansas 26-5
Michigan State 24-7
Michigan 25-6

3 Seeds
Miami 24-6
Ohio State 23-7
Marquette 23-7
Kansas State 25-6

4 Seeds
Florida 24-6
New Mexico 26-5
Oklahoma State 23-7
Arizona 24-6

5 Seeds
Saint Louis 24-6
Pittsburgh 24-7
Wisconsin 21-10
UCLA 23-8

6 Seeds
Syracuse 23-8
Notre Dame 23-8
Butler 24-7
Creighton 27-7

7 Seeds
Oregon 23-8
Colorado State 24-7
UNLV 23-8
VCU 24-7

8 Seeds
Memphis 27-4
North Carolina 22-9
Missouri 22-9
California 20-10

9 Seeds
San Diego State 21-9
North Carolina State 22-9
Iowa State 21-10
Cincinnati 21-10

10 Seeds
Colorado 20-10
Saint Mary's 27-5
Virginia 21-10
Temple 23-8

11 Seeds
Oklahoma 20-10
Wichita State 26-8
LaSalle 21-8
Belmont 26-6

12 Seeds
Villanova 19-12
Illinois 21-11
Boise State 21-9
Minnesota 20-11
Tennessee 19-11
Louisiana Tech 26-5

13 Seeds
Akron 24-6
Bucknell 27-5
Stephen F. Austin 26-3
Davidson 24-7

14 Seeds
Valparaiso 25-7
South Dakota State 23-9
Montana 23-6
Long Beach State 18-12

15 Seeds
Florida Gulf Coast 24-10
Harvard 19-9
Iona 19-13
Northeastern 20-11

16 Seeds
Vermont 21-10
Norfolk State 21-10
Florida International 17-13
LIU Brooklyn 19-13
Southern 21-9
Liberty 15-20

Last Four In
Illinois 21-11
Boise State 21-9
Minnesota 20-11
Tennessee 19-11

First Four Out
Kentucky 21-10
Iowa 20-11
Middle Tennessee 28-5
Arkansas 19-12

Field of 68 Bracket

Midwest (Indianapolis, IN)
1 Indiana
16 Norfolk State/Texas Southern
8 California
9 Virginia
5 Saint Louis
12 Middle Tennessee
4 Syracuse
13 Akron
6 UNLV
11 Wichita State
3 Kansas State
14 South Dakota State
7 Illinois
10 Saint Mary's
2 Louisville
15 Niagara

West (Los Angeles, CA)
1 Georgetown
16 Robert Morris
8 North Carolina
9 San Diego State
5 Arizona
12 Villanova/Boise State
4 Ohio State
13 Belmont
6 Oregon
11 Oklahoma
3 New Mexico
14 Montana
7 Missouri
10 Creighton
2 Gonzaga
15 Long Beach State

East (Washington, DC)
1 Duke
16 Mercer/Charleston Southern
8 Minnesota
9 Memphis
5 Notre Dame
12 Temple
4 Oklahoma State
13 Stephen F. Austin
6 UCLA
11 Iowa State
3 Florida
14 Davidson
7 VCU
10 Cincinnati
2 Michigan
15 Princeton

South (Arlington, TX)
1 Kansas
16 Northeastern
8 North Carolina State
9 Colorado State
5 Wisconsin
12 LaSalle/Arizona State
4 Marquette
13 Bucknell
6 Pittsburgh
11 Louisiana Tech
3 Michigan State
14 Valparaiso
7 Butler
10 Colorado
2 Miami
15 Stony Brook

Starting Five: Non-Conference Review Edition

1. Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart exploded out of the blocks but has since cooled off a bit.  He's still playing excellent basketball - putting up 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.  In the meantime, UNLV's Anthony Bennett has caught and passed Smart in the race to be crowned the nation's best freshman.  Bennett is doing his best Larry Johnson impression in Vegas (averaging 19.2 points and 8.8 boards per contest) and is the main reason the Rebels have been able to withstand Mike Moser's recent absence due to injury.  Kansas' Ben McLemore also has passed up Smart but trails Bennett for now.

2. In the National Player of the Year race, Doug McDermott gets my vote through the first third of the season.  An argument can certainly be made for Duke's Mason Plumlee, but I would argue that the Blue Devils' big man is surrounded by far more talent than the Bluejays' forward and is asked to do less.  McDermott's numbers are impressive (23.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game), but his headiness and ability to lift his teammates' level of play have been even more important.  McDermott has been pretty flawless thus far, but there's still plenty of basketball to be played.  

3. The Defensive Player of the Year race is more of a landslide at this point, as Jeff Withey shot-blocking has the Jayhawks looking like a contender.  Withey is currently second in the country (after freshman Chris Obekpa of St. John's) at 4.9 blocks per game, but that really doesn't account for all of the shots he's altering.  Shout out to LSU's Anthony Hickey for leading the nation in steals per game.

4. At this point in the season, my All-American ballot would look like this - Trey Burke (Michigan), Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Russ Smith (Louisville), Doug McDermott (Creighton), and Mason Plumlee (Duke).  My second team is as follows: C.J. McCollum (Lehigh), Nate Wolters (South Dakota State), Brandon Paul (Illinois), Tony Bennett, (UNLV), Jeff Withey (Kansas).  All of these guys were on my radar to start the season, but I wouldn't have believed it if you had told me before the season started that the Plumlee the Middle or Russdiculous would be in the running for All-American honors.

5. RBP's preseason Final Four was Louisville, Indiana, Syracuse, and Kentucky with the Cardinals winning a National Championship.  At this point, RBP's revised Final Four is as follows - Louisville, Indiana, Michigan, and Florida.  We're sticking with Rick Pitino's squad, though our faith had wavered a bit in Gorgui Dieng's absence and in light of Indiana's improved defense.  However, with Dieng's return and the Hoosiers' tendency to play to the level of their competition, we're sticking with our original pick at this early juncture.

Top 25

*previous rank in parentheses

1. Duke 9-0 (2)
2. Michigan 11-0 (4)
3. Syracuse 9-0 (3)
4. Indiana 9-1 (1)
5. Louisville 9-1 (5)
6. Kansas 8-1 (8)
7. Ohio State 8-1 (7)
8. Arizona 8-0 (10)
9. Florida 7-1 (6)
10. Cincinnati 10-0 (9)
11. Georgetown 9-1 (12)
12. Missouri 8-1 (11)
13. Minnesota 11-1 (14)
14. San Diego State 8-1 (13)
15. New Mexico 11-0 (16)
16. Oklahoma State 8-1 (15)

17. Creighton 10-1 (17)
18. Notre Dame 9-1 (19)
19. Illinois 12-0 (21)
20. Butler 8-2 (NR)
21. Pittsburgh 10-1 (18)
22. North Carolina State 7-2 (20)
23. Gonzaga 10-1 (22)
24. Michigan State 9-2 (23)
25. UNLV 8-1 (24)

IN: Butler

OUT: Wichita State

Starting Five: ACC/Big Ten Challenge Edition

1. Have to admit that I am surprised that the ACC/Big Ten Challenge ended in a 6-6 tie.  The bottom four Big Ten schools (Purdue, Iowa, Penn State, and Nebraska) are all pretty weak, but two of those (Purdue and Nebraska) actually picked up victories.  Miami's upset of Michigan State and Virginia knocking off Wisconsin in Madison on the Challenge's second night really helped the ACC against the conference I believed to be the best heading into the season.

2. Illinois is not a Top 25 team.  Yes, the Illini are an undefeated 8-0 after beating Georgia Tech tonight and are ranked 22nd in both polls.  And I will admit that new head coach John Groce's perimeter trio of Brandon Paul (who is performing at a first team all-conference level), D.J. Richardson, and Tracy Abrams probably give Chief Illiniwek enough firepower to earn an invite to the NCAA Tourney.  I will even go so far as to say that this team has the potential to finish in the top six of a very competitive Big Ten - ahead of Wisconsin (more on the Badgers later) and Northwestern.  However, this is not a Top 25 team.  Illinois' best win thus far is a 17-point win over Butler in Maui.  While Butler soundly defeated North Carolina and knocked off Marquette on a buzzer beater, I'm not sold on the Bulldogs.  Illinois also has one-point wins over Hawaii (overtime) and Gardner-Webb.  A December 8 trip to Spokane to play Gonzaga should give us a better idea of where the Illini stand.

3. With victories over Kentucky, Louisville, and now Ohio State, Duke has the most impressive resume in the country.  Still, I'm not ready to label Coach K's squad a contender.  The Blue Devils are ranked third in RBP's most recent Top 25, so it is not as if we are ignoring the extremely impressive early season accomplishments of Mason Plumlee and Company.  In fact, there are a number of reasons to be bullish on the Blue Devils.  Mason Plumlee, who just put up 21 and 17 against the Buckeyes, has turned into a very good college basketball player.  Similarly, Ryan Kelly appears to have stepped up his level of play in his senior season.  And Quinn Cook, who tallied 8 assists compared to 3 turnovers with Aaron Craft hounding him tonight, looks like the point guard Coach K was missing last season.  That being said, it is Ohio State, and not Duke, that I see as having the most room for growth and being the more likely of the two to contend for a National Championship.

4. Wisconsin is struggling.  RBP ranked the Badgers 16th in its preseason Top 25, and that looks like it may have been a mistake.  The torn ACL suffered by Josh Gasser in a late October practice has robbed Bo Ryan of the one player on the Badgers' roster who could have stepped into Jordan Taylor's shoes at point guard.  The Badgers were going to feel the effect of Taylor's departure regardless of Gasser's availability, but Gasser's absence has taken its toll, as no Badger is averaging more than 2.2 assists per contest.  Despite tonight's loss to an underwhelming Virginia squad, I expect Wisconsin to ultimately right the ship and avoid missing out on March Madness for the first time in Bo Ryan's tenure.

5. Did you watch Indiana beat up North Carolina?  The Hoosiers are the best team in the country.  I can't help but notice the ease with which they score and their marked improvement on the defensive end.  Freshman Hanner Mosquera-Perea (suspension) and senior Derek Elston (injury) will be on the floor soon for Tom Crean, adding to what is already a ridiculously deep roster.  Also, I have no idea what is going on in Chapel Hill.  There can be no doubt that the Tar Heels missed P.J. Hairston's services against the Hoosiers, but that was just ugly.  It's not even December yet, but I wouldn't criticize anyone for wondering if maybe this Carolina team just isn't very good.