2015-16 NCAA Awards & Honors

1st Team All-American

Kris Dunn, Providence [jr]

Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia [sr]

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma [sr]

Denzel Valentine, Michigan State [sr]

Brice Johnson, North Carolina [sr]

2nd Team All-American

Tyler Ulis, Kentucky [soph]

Yogi Ferrell, Indiana [sr]

Thomas Walkup, Stephen F. Austin [sr]

Georges Niang, Iowa State [sr]

Perry Ellis, Kansas [sr]

All-Defensive Team

Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia [sr]

Gary Payton, Oregon State [sr]
Chinanu Onuaku, Louisville [soph]

Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville [sr]

Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso [sr]

All-Freshman Team

Jamal Murray, Kentucky
Brandon Ingram, Duke

Jaylen Brown, California

Ben Simmons, LSU
Henry Ellenson, Marquette

Player of the Year: Buddy Hield, Oklahoma

Top Defender: Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso

Best Freshman: Ben Simmons, LSU

Coach of the Year: Dana Altman, Oregon

Top 25

*previous rank in parentheses

1. Miami 19-3 (5)
The Hurricanes are undefeated with both Durand Scott and Reggie Johnson in the lineup.

2. Indiana 21-3 (1)
Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller have been playing like first-team All-Americans as of late.

3. Duke 21-2 (6)
The Blue Devils keep winning, but they just are not the same team without senior forward Ryan Kelly.

4. Michigan 21-3 (3)
With Trey Burke at the helm and capable scorers littering the roster, there isn't a team I enjoy watching more on the offensive end.

5. Michigan State 20-4 (8)
Outside of Miami, there may not be a hotter team in the country than Sparty.

6. Syracuse 20-3 (9)
The Orange responded admirably in the absence of senior forward James Southerland, and now the nation's best sixth man returns.

7. Florida 19-3 (2)
While there is a chance he could return for the postseason, the loss of junior forward Will Yeguete is a big blow to the Gators' title hopes.

8. Gonzaga 23-2 (12)
The Zags play at rival Saint Mary's at 11pm EST on Valentine's Day, so plan your nights accordingly.

9. Arizona 20-3 (7)
The Wildcats fall 2 spots after losing to a very average California team by 9 at home tonight.

10. Kansas State 19-4 (15)
Bruce Weber's squad, which now sits alone atop the Big 12 standings, has a chance to distance itself from the competition as it travels to Lawrence to face-off against a reeling Kansas team.

11. Louisville 19-5 (11)
Cards' next 4 contests - vs. Saint John's, at South Florida, vs. Seton Hall, and at DePaul - should provide Rick Pitino's team an opportunity to get back on track after a 5-overtime heartbreaker at Notre Dame.

12. Georgetown 17-4 (13)
The Hoyas are 7-1 since sophomore forward Greg Whittington was declared academically ineligible and actually appear to be hitting their stride.

13. Ohio State 17-6 (10)
The Buckeyes' losses have come to Duke, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, and Indiana.

14. Kansas 19-4 (4)
After winning 18 straight, the Jayhawks have lost three in a row.

15. Pittsburgh 20-5 (19)
No Panther scores 11 points a game, but 10 Panthers play more than 11 minutes per contest (with 9 of them averaging more than 15 minutes of floor-time).

16. Notre Dame 19-5 (18)
Big Jack Cooley has 16 double-doubles for the Fighting Irish.

17. Butler 20-4 (17)
The Bulldogs are tied for first place in the Atlantic-10 with VCU and Saint Louis and have neutral court wins over Marquette, North Carolina, and Indiana (along with a home court victory over Gonzaga).

18. Oklahoma State 17-5 (22)
The Big 3 of Marcus Smart, Markel Brown, and Le'Bryan Nash get the ink, but freshman guard Phil Forte provides Travis Ford with a fourth scoring option.

19. Marquette 17-5 (23)
Buzz Williams' team has overachieved, but I am surprised sophomore guard Todd Mayo has been so underwhelming after returning to action in late December.

20. Wisconsin 17-7 (NR)
Sure, the Badgers have seven losses, but they also have wins at Indiana and against Michigan.

21. New Mexico 20-4 (14)
Seven-foot sophomore center Alex Kirk has provided Steve Alford with the inside presence many feared the Lobos would lack heading into the season.

22. Cincinnati 18-6 (16)
After a 12-0 start, the Bearcats went 6-6 over their next 12.

23. Oregon 19-5 (21)
The Ducks ended a three-game skid with a nine-point win over Pac-12 cellar dweller Utah but will need to perform well on a road trip through Washington this week if they want to stay in the Top 25.

24. San Diego State 18-5 (NR)
Junior Jamaal Franklin is making a pretty strong case for All-American honors and leads the Aztecs in scoring (17.5), rebounding (9.5), assists (3.4), and steals (1.5).

25. Saint Louis 18-5 (NR)
The Billikens and former Evansville Purple Aces head coach Jim Crews, who took over the SLU program after the passing of Rick Majerus, have won their last five games by double-digits - a total that includes 3 road wins and a home victory over Butler.

IN: Wisconsin, San Diego State, Saint Louis
OUT: Creighton, Minnesota, Missouri

CBB Uniforms (1988-89 to Present): 5 Seeds

As you know by now, we're ranking the top 64 college basketball uniforms from the 1988-89 season to the present. For more on the process, read the introduction to the original post. And now the 5 seeds:

20) Kentucky (Tayshaun Prince): Same basic design as the 21st ranked Xavier unis, but the Cats have the edge due to the distinctive arched lettering on their jerseys.







19) Evansville (Marcus Wilson): RBP encourages the Purple Aces to bring back the T-shirt jerseys.



18) Connecticut (Ray Allen):"UCONN" should go back to being "Connecticut."






17) Oregon (Luke Jackson):Love the font, the numbering, the colors, and the "DUCKS" across the chest of the yellow alternates.

Ten Thoughts: Anthony Davis Edition

1. Maybe I should take a step back before I weigh in, but Anthony Davis' performance tonight against Florida was one of the more remarkable defensive displays I've ever witnessed. The fact that Davis did it against a Top 10 team just adds to his performance's significance. I have to admit that I was surprised that Davis only had 4 blocks. (Only in the world of Anthony Davis can we talk about only 4 blocks.) Nevertheless, he seemed to be all over the floor, altered seemingly countless shots, and discouraged shots from even being taken when he wasn't altering them. Florida appeared to be demoralized before the first half was even over, and that was due, in large part, to Davis' presence.

2. About a week ago, I ranked the Player of the Year candidates in the following order: Jared Sullinger, Thomas Robinson, and Anthony Davis. I also pointed out that the gap between Sullinger at 1 and Davis at 3 was negligible. Well, Davis moves to the top of the list after his performance tonight.

3. Basketball is alive and well in the Bluegrass state. Kentucky has won 16 straight and is the country's number one team. Murray State is undefeated. Louisville, on a five-game winning streak of its own, appears to be back from the dead after manhandling Connecticut on Monday.

4. Wichita State center Garrett Stutz made his first appearance on RBP on Sunday, as his photo was featured in the weekly Top 25 post. If you haven't seen him play, you're missing out. He's a mobile 7-footer with a nice touch who shoots 82% from the charity stripe. After watching the Shockers beat Indiana State on Saturday, I'm convinced Wichita State is a team that could make a run in March.

5. I may need to revise my Coach of the Year list to include Mike Brey. After losing 3 of their top 5 players to graduation, the Fighting Irish were projected to finish in the bottom half of the Big East. Then, fifth-year senior Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame's most talented player and an All-Big East candidate, was lost for the season due to a torn ACL. Not surprisingly, the Irish struggled in the non-conference and entered Big East play with an 8-5 record that included neutral court losses to Georgia and Maryland. The Irish have been on a tear ever since, compiling a 7-3 record in Big East play, which includes wins over Louisville, Syracuse, Connecticut, and Marquette. The Irish are legitimately in the conversation for hottest team in the country and on the cusp of being ranked in the Top 25. At some point, I will learn to stop doubting Mike Brey and his mock turtlenecks.

6. Maybe we all wrote Pittsburgh off too soon. Prior to junior point guard Travon Woodall going down with a groin strain and abdominal tear, the Panthers were 6-1 and rated 17th in the country. By the time he made his return against Louisville on January 21, Pitt had fallen to 11-8 and were 0-6 in Big East play. While they loss to Louisville, the Panthers have since reeled off a 4-game winning streak that includes wins over Georgetown and West Virginia. Pitt has a favorable Big East schedule remaining, and I wouldn't be surprised if Jamie Dixon has his squad on the bubble come Selection Sunday.

7. Anyone else surprised how much better Syracuse is when Fab Melo is in the lineup? Jim Boeheim's team legitimately goes 10 deep, but Syracuse has no one that can replace Melo in the middle of its 2-3 zone. The sophomore's shot-blocking is a huge part of the Orange's success. Syracuse remains undefeated with Melo on the floor.

8. Xavier's 8-0 start seems like a distant memory. Since the brawl in the Crosstown Shootout against rival Cincinnati, Xavier is 7-8. The Musketeers have lost to Oral Roberts, Long Beach State, Hawaii, Southern Illinois, LaSalle, Dayton, Saint Louis, and Memphis. Their most impressive win during that time is probably a home victory over 15-9 St. Joseph's.

9. Illinois clearly has trouble focusing after big wins. After beating then fifth-ranked Ohio State on January 10, the Fighting Illini lost their following game at lowly Penn State. Three weeks later Bruce Weber's squad topped then-tenth ranked Michigan State and followed that up with a home loss to a mediocre Northwestern team this past Sunday. Unfortunately for the Illini faithful, underachieving has become a hallmark of Weber's tenure.

10. Congrats to the Evansville Purple Aces for their victory over 15th-ranked Creighton tonight. If I ever move back to western Kentucky/southern Indiana, you can bet I will be purchasing season tickets and enjoying Missouri Valley Conference basketball in the Ford Center. (I should also note that I will be eating Turoni's pizza on a nightly basis and taking my lunches at the Gerst Haus in the fall/winter and Tin Fish in the spring/summer.) Oh, and Creighton doesn't know how to play defense.

Titans, Tigers, and Purple Aces.

Detroit wore the uniforms shown above for the Dick Vitale court dedication on Monday night. These are the most awful, ill-fitting uniforms I've ever seen. Here's a photo gallery. Despite Detroit's sartorial sin, the Titans topped St. John's 69-63. Plus, the jerseys are being auctioned off, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the V Foundation. Ugly jerseys for a very good cause.

Memphis is also rocking throwbacks this season. These unis honor the Tigers' national runner-up finish to UCLA during the 1972-73 season. This is how you do throwbacks.


More Memphis.


And now for the jersey/t-shirt we need to get back on the court as soon as possible.


As a child, I was confused by Evansville's choice to wear short sleeves. Now I wish the Purple Aces would drop the tanks in favor of the tees.


*The player pictured in the photo above is Clint Keown. He was a three-sport star at Evansville Memorial (alma mater of Louisville Cardinal Kyle Kuric, my old roommate Prince Fennis Ismael, baseball great Don Mattingly, and my grandfather) and is now a professional poker player. I don't know anything about poker, but here's a link to a web page with a photo of Keown wearing a trucker cap at a poker table and a story about how he won money off a man suffering from food poisoning.

**I should probably add that Evansville lost to North Carolina tonight by a score of 97-48. The game made me sad. However, the Aces knocked off Butler in overtime in the season-opener in the brand-new Ford Center in downtown Evansville. Go Aces!