2011-12 Conference Honors & Awards

After the 2011-12 season ended, I started working on conference-by-conference "Honors & Awards" posts.  I ran out of steam, having only finished the ACC and Big East posts.  Because I want to turn to the 2012-13 season (preseason Top 25, conference projections, All-American teams, etc.), I am posting the six power conferences all at once.

All-ACC

Kendall Marshall, North Carolina

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

Mike Scott, Virginia

John Henson, North Carolina

Tyler Zeller, North Carolina

Player of the Year: Tyler Zeller, North Carolina

Top Defender: John Henson, North Carolina

Best Freshman: Austin Rivers, Duke

Coach of the Year: Leonard Hamilton, Florida State

All-Big East

Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette

Jason Clark, Georgetown

Kris Joseph, Syracuse

Jae Crowder, Marquette

Kevin Jones, West Virginia

Player of the Year: Jae Crowder, Marquette

Top Defender: Gorgui Dieng, Louisville

Best Freshman: Moe Harkless, St. John's

Coach of the Year: John Thompson III, Georgetown

All-Big Ten

Aaron Craft, Ohio State

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin

Draymond Green, Michigan State

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Cody Zeller, Indiana

Player of the Year: Draymond Green, Michigan State

Top Defender: Aaron Craft, Ohio State

Best Freshman: Cody Zeller, Indiana

Coach of the Year: Tom Crean, Indiana

All-Big 12

Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas

Marcus Denmon, Missouri

Royce White, Iowa State

Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Jeff Withey, Kansas

Player of the Year: Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Top Defender: Jeff Withey, Kansas

Best Freshman: Quincy Miller, Baylor

Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas

Pac-12

Jorge Gutierrez, California

Devoe Joseph, Oregon

Jared Cunningham, Oregon State

Terrence Ross, Washington

Andre Roberson, Colorado

Player of the Year: Jared Cunningham, Oregon State

Top Defender: Jorge Gutierrez, California

Best Freshman: Tony Wroten, Washington

Coach of the Year: Tad Boyle, Colorado

SEC

John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky

Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Player of the Year: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Top Defender: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Best Freshman: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

2010-11 Outlook: SEC

Projected Order of Finish

1. Kentucky - Coach Cal reloaded with another bumper crop of blue chips, but extreme lack of depth means young Cats will have to stay out of foul trouble and injury-free.

2. Florida - 6-9 225-pound freshman Patric Young provides the perennially soft Gators with much-needed toughness.

3. Tennessee - Bruce Pearl has done a great job in Knoxville, but it is pretty incredible that he still has his job at this point.

4. Vanderbilt - Commodores will miss point guard Jermaine Beal more than overrated big man A.J. Ogilvy.

5. Mississippi State - When Dee Bost and Renardo Sidney become eligible, watch out for a nice Bulldogs squad that will feast on the SEC West competition.

6. Georgia - Everyone's favorite dark horse is on the verge of becoming overrated.

7. Alabama - JaMychal Green, Senario Hillman, and Mikhail Torrance give the Tide a formidable threesome.

8. Mississippi - Senior guard Chris Warren leads Andy Kennedy's attack in Oxford.

9. South Carolina - Darrin Horn thinks he has something special in freshman guard Bruce Ellington.

10. Arkansas - John Pelphrey is on the hot seat after his Razorbacks missed the tournament for a second straight season.

11. LSU - I like Trent Johnson, but he has had trouble bringing talent to Baton Rouge.

12. Auburn - It was a mistake to fire Jeff Lebo one year removed from a 20-win season.

All-Conference

Dee Bost, Mississippi State, jr, guard
Travis Leslie, Georgia, jr. guard
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt, jr, forward
Chandler Parsons, Florida, sr, forward
Trey Thompkins, Georgia, jr, forward

Player of the Year

Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt - Reminds me of a young Grant Hill.

Top Freshman

Brandon Knight, Kentucky - There will be less of a drop off from John Wall to Knight than people think.

Top Defender

Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt - Locks down opposition's best player on nightly basis.