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.

CBB Uniforms (1988-89 to Present): 6 Seeds

After taking a brief hiatus from the uniform rankings, RBP is back at it. We're ranking the 64 best college basketball uniforms from the 1988-89 season to the present. For more on the process, read the introduction to the original post. Here are the 6 seeds:

24) Georgetown (Alonzo Mourning): The iconic Georgetown grays are synonymous with Hoya Paranoia.





23) Florida State (Chris Singleton): All four colorways look great, and the Seminoles get bonus points for the giant feather.






22) Villanova (Tim Thomas):Nova's uniforms featured fantastic numbering, spectacular shorts, and a neckline that was a little too busy.




21) Xavier (Lionel Chalmers):Keep it clean; keep it simple.

Top 25

*previous rank in parentheses

1. Kentucky 19-1 (2)
2. Syracuse 20-1 (1)
3. Missouri 18-1 (6)
4. Ohio State 17-3 (4)
5. Kansas 16-3 (8)
6. Baylor 17-2 (3)
7. North Carolina 16-3 (7)
8. Duke 16-3 (5)
9. Georgetown 16-3 (12)
10. Michigan State 16-4 (9)
11. Murray State 20-0 (14)
12. Indiana 16-4 (11)
13. UNLV 18-3 (15)
14. Florida 15-4 (16)
15. Marquette 16-4 (18)
16. Virginia 15-3 (13)
17. Connecticut 14-5 (10)
18. Mississippi State 16-4 (19)
19. San Diego State 17-2 (22)
20. Florida State 13-6 (NR)
21. Creighton 18-2 (23)
22. Saint Mary's 19-2 (24)
23. Kansas State 14-4 (25)
24. Vanderbilt 14-5 (17)
25. Michigan 15-5 (21)

IN: Florida State
OUT: Illinois

2010-11 NCAA Awards & Honors

1st Team All-American

Kemba Walker, Connecticut [jr]

Jimmer Fredette, Brigham Young [sr]

Nolan Smith, Duke [sr]

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue [sr]

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State [fr]

2nd Team All-American

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin [jr]

Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State [soph]

Derrick Williams, Arizona [soph]
Marcus Morris, Kansas [jr]

Kenneth Faried, Morehead State [sr]

All-Defensive Team

Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion [jr]

Chris Singleton, Florida State [jr]
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State [soph]

Kenneth Faried, Morehead State [sr]

William Mosley, Northwestern State [jr]

All-Freshman Team

Brandon Knight, Kentucky
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

Terrence Jones, Kentucky

Tristan Thompson, Texas
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Player of the Year: Kemba Walker, Connecticut

Top Defender: Chris Singleton, Florida State

Best Freshman: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Coach of the Year: Steve Fisher, San Diego State

ACC Honors & Awards

With North Carolina's elimination from the NCAA tournament at the hands of Kentucky in the Elite Eight, the ACC season has come to a close. Now for a look back at the conference's best. Remember that honors and awards take into account the entirety of the season, rather than just ACC conference play.

All-ACC

Nolan Smith, Duke
#2 Senior Guard 6-2 185
20.6 ppg 5.1 apg 4.5 rpg

Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
#23 Senior Guard 6-3 190
18.7 ppg 4.0 apg 1.6 spg

Reggie Jackson, Boston College
#0 Junior Guard 6-3 210
18.2 ppg 4.5 apg 4.3 rpg

Kyle Singler, Duke
#12 Senior Forward 6-8 230
16.9 ppg 6.8 rpg 1.6 apg

Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
#44 Junior Forward 7-0 250
15.7 ppg 7.2 rpg 1.2 bpg


Player of the Year: Nolan Smith, Duke
While his senior campaign was, to some extent, overshadowed by Jimmer and Kemba, Smith was spectacular whether he was playing off the ball or running the point during freshman Kyrie Irving's prolonged absence.

All-Defense

Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech
#1 Junior Guard 6-5 210

Chris Singleton, Florida State
#31 Junior Forward 6-9 225

Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech
#0 Senior Forward 6-7 230

John Henson, North Carolina
#31 Sophomore Forward 6-10 210

Bernard James, Florida State
#5 Junior Forward 6-10 240


Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Singleton, Florida State
Missing six games due injury may have cost him a spot on the All-ACC team, but, Singleton, who averaged 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks game, is the choice for the conference's top defender, edging out UNC's John Henson and his 3.2 blocks per contest.

Freshman of the Year: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
It took a while for one of the most hyped freshman in history to get going, but Barnes finished the season on an absolute tear, averaging 19.8 points per game over the Tar Heels' final 14.

Coach of the Year: Leonard Hamilton, Florida State
The under-appreciated Hamilton gets the nod as his Seminoles went 11-5 in conference play, compiled 23 totals wins, reached the Sweet 16, and finished the season with the nation's most efficient defense for the second year in a row.

And now for some regionally appropriate hip-hop.

2010-11 Outlook: ACC

Projected Order of Finish

1. Duke - Blue Devils are head and shoulders above the ACC competition.

2. North Carolina - Loaded with individual talent, but no indication that will translate into team success.

3. Virginia Tech - After being snubbed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee for the past three seasons, veteran squad finally dances in March.

4. Florida State - Can perhaps the hardest team to score on in the country last year continue its success on the defensive end with 7-1 shot-blocker Solomon Alabi now plying his trade in the D League?

5. Maryland - Terps are solid but not spectacular at anything (and will need to find a way to fill the hole left by General Greivis).

6. Boston College - This is the year the country finds out how special junior guard Reggie Jackson is.

7. Clemson - A talented roster remains, but will the program regress without Oliver Purnell?

8. North Carolina State - Wolf Pack will go as far as talented frountcourt duo of Tracy Smith and C.J. Leslie take them.

9. Miami - Hurricanes have a nice mix of bangers and perimeter players to bounce back from a really poor 2009-10 campaign, but will anyone be able to help Durand Scott put points on the board?

10. Virginia - I'm a big Tony Bennett fan, but there's not much talent in Charlottesville.

11. Wake Forest - After firing Dino Guadio after two straight 20-win seasons and trips to the NCAA Tourney, Demon Deacons will be lucky to remain relevant.

12. Georgia Tech - Why is Paul Hewitt still coaching the Yellowjackets, and is this the worst frontcourt in the history of the ACC?

All-Conference

Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, sr, guard
Nolan Smith, Duke, sr, guard
Reggie Jackson, Boston College, jr, guard
Kyle Singler, Duke, sr, forward
Chris Singleton, Florida State, jr, forward

Player of the Year

Kyle Singler, Duke - Best player in the country returns to defend the Blue Devils' title.

Top Freshman

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina - Barnes looks like a star in the making, but I'm possibly more intrigued by fellow Tar Heel frosh Reggie Bullock.

Top Defender

Chris Singleton, Florida State - Long, versatile defender is nation's best.

Preseason All-Americans and Award Predictions

First Team

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
Jimmer Fredette, Brigham Young
Demetri McCamey, Illinois
Kyle Singler, Duke
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State

Second Team

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Nolan Smith, Duke
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Lavoy Allen, Temple

Third Team

Kevin Anderson, Richmond
Corey Fisher, Villanova
Shelvin Mack, Butler
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
Marcus Morris, Kansas

All-Freshman Team

Brandon Knight, Kentucky
Joe Jackson, Memphis
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
Tobias Harris, Tennessee
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

All-Defensive Team

Jay Threatt, Delaware State
Venoy Overton, Washington
Chris Singleton, Florida State
Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech
David Foster, Utah

Player of the Year: Singler
Freshman of the Year: Sullinger
Defensive Player of the Year: Singleton

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.

Field of 65--Version 1

This is the first installment in what will be a series of posts projecting the tournament field. The team with the best conference record in each conference receives an automatic bid, regardless of their overall record. Without further ado, the field of 65...

1) Wake Forest (16-0); Connecticut (16-1); Pittsburgh (16-1); Oklahoma (17-1)
I knew Wake was talented but had no idea the Demon Deacons would be contending for a national title this year. Dino Gaudio has to be in the Coach of the Year discussion at this point.
2) Duke (16-1); North Carolina (16-2); Michigan State (15-2); Marquette (16-2)
Like last year's version, this Duke squad defends the perimeter as well as anyone in the country. However, the Blue Devils still lack anything resembling a post threat on the offensive end of the floor.
3) Clemson (16-1); Syracuse (17-2); UCLA (14-3); Texas (13-4)
While UCLA has impressive overall talent, they lack explosive athleticism and a go-to post scorer -- which may mean that a fourth straight trip to the Final 4 is not in the cards. Still, I'm not going to be the one to count out a Ben Howland-coached team.
4) Louisville (13-3); Georgetown (12-4); Xavier (15-2); California (15-3)
I thought Georgetown might be a year away from contending for a Final 4 berth, but the Hoyas are even better than their record suggests. Greg Monroe is as talented as advertised, and, with the Hoyas starting to develop a bench, the sky is the limit.
5) Arizona State (15-3); Baylor (14-3); Butler (16-1); Minnesota (16-2)
If Louisville and Kentucky fans were frustrated with their respective programs for missing out on Chris Lofton's services, then they might not want to watch any Butler games for the next four years. Lexington native Shelvin Mack's game is nasty.
6) Memphis (14-3); Saint Mary's (17-1); Florida State (15-3); Florida (16-2)
Florida State is my sleeper team at this point in the season, despite being coached by Leonard Hamilton. The Seminoles are flying under the radar and compiling an impressive resume in the process (out of conference wins against Cincinnati, California, and Florida and a 2-1 record so far in conference). Their only losses have come against Pitt, Duke, and a competitive Northwestern team. Toney Douglas may be the Seminoles' big offensive threat, but I'm more impressed with (or perhaps intrigued by) freshman Chris Singleton.
7) Kansas (13-4); Notre Dame (12-5); Purdue (14-4); Illinois (15-3)
This past week was not a good one for the Fighting Irish, as they lost at Louisville and then at Syracuse, leaving them with a 12-5 record. The Irish's next 3 games -- UConn, Marquette, and Pitt. That's followed by trips to Cincinnati and UCLA, and then they get Louisville at home.
8) Ohio State (13-3); Gonzaga (12-4); Kentucky (14-4); Villanova (14-3)
Villanova is the 8th best team in the Big East and would likely win the SEC. Still, I don't think the Big East is quite as good as they are getting credit for (about 3 bad teams at the bottom of that conference with a few so-so ones), and I don't think the SEC is as bad as some pundits have suggested (Georgia, Auburn, and injury-riddled Ole Miss are the only push-overs).
9) Washington (13-4); Missouri (15-3); Dayton (16-2); Davidson (14-3)
Hard to find a better post combo than Mizzou's DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. The Tigers just need some scoring help from the perimeter.
10) Michigan (13-5); Texas A&M (15-3); Miami (13-4); Wisconsin (12-5)
Pretty incredible that Jim Beilein has made the Wolverines respectable again in just his second season at the helm. Perhaps the most underrated one-two punch in the nation -- Michigan point guard Manny Harris (18.8 points, 7.6 boards, and 4.8 assists per game), and power forward DeShawn Sims (15.6 points and 7.9 boards per outing).
11) Tennessee (11-5); BYU (14-3); West Virginia (13-4); Oklahoma State (12-4)
Travis Ford has done an excellent job with an Oklahoma State program that still seems undermanned in terms of numbers. The Cowboys just don't have a bench, and that's why I really doubt Oklahoma State will be able to sustain its current success.
12) Utah State (17-1); Stanford (12-3); George Mason (14-3); Utah (12-6)
Due to its strength of schedule, Utah State has little room for error, but here's hoping the selection committee pays attention to what the Aggies are doing.
13) Northern Iowa (12-6); Siena (14-5); Western Kentucky (12-6); Stephen F. Austin (11-4)
Western Kentucky and Arkansas-Little Rock have identical conference records, and UALR actually has a better overall record, but the Hilltoppers get the bid by virtue of their head-to-head victory over Derek Fisher's alma mater.
14) Portland State (14-5); VMI (14-3); North Dakota State (12-5); Long Beach State (10-7)
Portland State went to Spokane and beat Gonzaga on its home floor. Now if only they could find a way to topple mighty Weber State.
15) Cornell (11-6); American University (11-6); Robert Morris (12-7); Austin Peay (10-7)
Cornell looks like the team to beat in the Ivy League, but the media has to be keeping their fingers crossed for Harvard and all of their intriguing storylines to unseat the Big Red. After all, their best player is Asian-American point guard Jeremy Lin, and their head coach is Tommy Amaker, Michigan's former skipper -- whose recruiting tactics, by the way, have been called into question as not being up to Ivy League standards.
16) Alabama State (8-7); Hampton (9-8); Jacksonville (8-8); New Hampshire (7-8); Western Michigan (6-10)
Hampton gets the bid from the MEAC, but Morgan State owns the conference's most impressive victory -- a 1-point win on Maryland's home court.