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

Top 25

*previous rank in parentheses

1) Florida 29-2 (1)

top five wins: Kansas; Memphis(n); @ Tennessee; @Kentucky; Kentucky

losses: @Wisconsin; @Connecticut

2) Wichita State 34-0 (3)

top five wins: Brigham Young(n); @Saint Louis; Tennessee; @Indiana State; Indiana State(n)

losses: none

3) Arizona 28-3 (2)

top five wins: @San Diego State; Duke(n); @Michigan; @UCLA; Oregon

losses: @California; @Arizona State; @Oregon

4) Louisville 26-5 (11)

top five wins: Southern Methodist; @Connecticut; @Cincinnati; @Southern Methodist; Connecticut

losses: North Carolina(n); @Kentucky; Memphis; Cincinnati; @Memphis

5) Syracuse 27-4 (4)

top five wins: Villanova; North Carolina; Pittsburgh; Duke; @Pittsburgh

losses: Boston College; @Duke; @Virginia; Georgia Tech

6) Michigan 23-7 (8)

top five wins: @Wisconsin; Iowa; @Michigan State; @Ohio State; Michigan State

losses: @Iowa State; Charlotte(n); @Duke; Arizona; @Indiana; @Iowa; Wisconsin

7) Duke 24-7 (5)

top five wins: Michigan; UCLA(n); Virginia; Syracuse; North Carolina

losses: Kansas(n); Arizona(n); @Notre Dame; @Clemson; @Syracuse; @North Carolina; @Wake Forest

8) Wisconsin 25-6 (6)

top five wins: Florida; Saint Louis(n); @Virginia; Michigan State; @Michigan

losses: @Indiana; Michigan; @Minnesota; Northwestern; Ohio State; @Nebraska

9) Villanova 28-3 (13)
top five wins: Kansas(n); Iowa(n); @St. John's; @Providence; @Xavier
losses: @Syracuse; Creighton; @Creighton

10) Virginia 25-6 (9)

top five wins: Southern Methodist(n); North Carolina; @Pittsburgh; @Clemson; Syracuse

losses: Virginia Commonwealth; Wisconsin; @Green Bay; @Tennessee; @Duke; @Maryland

11) San Diego State 27-3 (12)

top five wins: Creighton(n); Marquette(n); @Kansas; @UNLV; New Mexico

losses: Arizona; @Wyoming; @New Mexico

12) Kansas 23-8 (7)

top five wins: Duke(n); New Mexico(n); @Iowa State; Iowa State; Oklahoma

losses: Villanova(n); @Colorado; @Florida; San Diego State; @Texas; @Kansas State; @Oklahoma State; @West Virginia

13) Cincinnati 26-5 (14)

top five wins: Southern Methodist; @Memphis; @Louisville; Connecticut; Memphis

losses: @New Mexico; Xavier(n); @Southern Methodist; Louisville; @Connecticut

14) North Carolina 23-8 (10)

top five wins: Louisville(n); @Michigan State; Kentucky; Pittsburgh; Duke

losses: Belmont; @UAB; Texas; @Wake Forest; Miami; @Syracuse; @Virginia; @Duke

15) Iowa State 23-7 (15)

top five wins: Michigan; Iowa; Oklahoma; @Oklahoma State; Texas

losses: @Oklahoma; Kansas; @Texas; @Kansas; @West Virginia; @Kansas State; @Baylor

16) Michigan State 23-8 (16)

top five wins: Kentucky(n); Oklahoma(n); @Texas; Ohio State; @Iowa

losses: North Carolina; Michigan; Georgetown(n); @Wisconsin; Nebraska; @Michigan; Illinois; @Ohio State

17) Saint Louis 26-5 (18)

top five wins: Indiana State; @ St. Joseph's; Virginia Commonwealth; George Washington; @Massachusetts

losses: Wisconsin(n); Wichita State; Duquesne; @Virginia Commonwealth; Dayton

18) New Mexico 24-6 (20)

top five wins: Cincinnati; Marquette(n); Boise State; @UNLV; San Diego State

losses: Massachusetts(n); Kansas(n); New Mexico State; UNLV; @Boise State; @San Diego State

19) Oklahoma 23-8 (22)

top five wins: @Texas; Iowa State; @Oklahoma State; Kansas State; Texas

losses: Michigan State(n); Louisiana Tech; Kansas; @Kansas State; @Iowa State; @West Virginia; Texas Tech; @Kansas

20) Memphis 23-8 (23)
top five wins: Oklahoma State(n); @Louisville; Gonzaga; Louisville; Southern Methodist
losses: @Oklahoma State; Florida(n); Cincinnati; Connecticut; @Southern Methodist; @Connecticut; @Houston; @Cincinnati

21) Ohio State 23-8 (NR)
top five wins: Nebraska; @Wisconsin; @Iowa; Minnesota; Michigan State
losses: @Michigan State; Iowa; @Minnesota; @Nebraska; Penn State; Michigan; @Penn State; @Indiana

22) Creighton 24-6 (21)

top five wins: @St. Joseph's; Arizona State(n); California; @Villanova; Villanova

losses: San Diego State(n); George Washington(n); @Providence; @St. John's; @Xavier; @Georgetown

23) Connecticut 24-7 (17)

top five wins: Florida; Harvard; @Memphis; Memphis; Cincinnati

losses: Stanford; @Houston; @Southern Methodist; Louisville; @Cincinnati; Southern Methodist; @Louisville

24) Massachusetts 23-7 (NR)
top five wins: Nebraska(n); New Mexico(n); Brigham Young(n); @George Washington; Virginia Commonwealth
losses: Florida State(n); @Richmond; @St. Bonaventure; @St. Joseph's; George Mason; @Dayton; Saint Louis

25) Virginia Commonwealth 24-7 (NR)
top five wins: @Virginia; @Dayton; George Washington; Saint Louis; @Richmond
losses: Florida State(n); Georgetown(n); @Northern Iowa; @George Washington; @St. Joseph's; @Saint Louis; @Massachusetts

IN: Ohio State; Massachusetts; Virginia Commonwealth
OUT: UCLA; Iowa; Kentucky

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

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.  

2012-13 Preseason All-Americans and Award Predictions

First Team
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State [sr]
C.J. McCollum, Lehigh [sr]
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State [jr]
Doug McDermott, Creighton [jr]
Cody Zeller, Indiana [soph]

*Zeller is the only player from a Power Six conference on the first team.

Second Team
Aaron Craft, Ohio State [jr]
Trey Burke, Michigan [soph]
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State [jr]
Tony Mitchell, North Texas [soph]
Mike Moser, UNLV [jr]

*The first man out is senior Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's, one of the Gaels' Australian imports.

All-Defense
Aaron Craft, Ohio State [jr]
Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall [jr]
C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's [jr]
Gorgui Dieng, Louisville [jr]
Jeff Withey, Kansas [sr]

*Indiana junior Victor Oladipo gets beaten out for the final spot by Seton Hall's Fuquan Edwin, who was second in the nation in thefts per contest during the 2011-12 campaign.

All-Freshman
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
Rodney Purvis, North Carolina State
Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA
Alex Poythress, Kentucky
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky

*UNLV's Anthony Bennett, who will be joining forces with Mike Moser in Las Vegas, is the sixth man on RBP's All-Freshman team.

Player of the Year: Cody Zeller, Indiana
The youngest of the Brothers Zeller was the single biggest reason for the Hoosiers' remarkable turnaround from Big Ten doormat just two seasons ago to the preseason pick to win the title according to both the AP and Coaches' polls.

Top Defender: Aaron Craft, Ohio State
If you have read RBP before, then you know how I feel about Mr. Craft.

Best Freshman: Alex Poythress, Kentucky

Poythress edges North Carolina State's Rodney Purvis for the preseason honor but could end up being only the third best freshman to suit up for the Wildcats this year.

Big Ten in the NBA

Think you may want to draft Jared Sullinger's big ole ass?  Like the cut of Meyers Leonard's jib?  I decided to use historical indicators to project the NBA potential for players coming out of the Big Ten.  For several years, the Big Ten has been criticized greatly for a slower, plodding style that can't match up to more athletic and explosive teams from other conferences...in football.  In basketball, however, the Big Ten consistently churns out excellent, if not at least overachieving, tournament performances from its members.  Have its top basketball players moved on to become noteworthy NBA players?  Let's take a look at the last ten years of first round picks from the NBA:

2002
#11 - Jared Jeffries
#25 - Frank Williams

2003
#24 - Brian Cook

2004
#5 - Devin Harris

2005
#3 - Deron Williams
#24 - Luther Head

2006
#25 - Shannon Brown
#28 - Maurice Ager

2007
#1 - Greg Oden
#4 - Mike Conley
#21 - Daequan Cook
#29 - Alando Tucker

2008
#7 - Eric Gordon
#23 - Kosta Koufos
#29 - D.J. White

2009
#24 - B.J. Mullens

2010
#2 - Evan Turner

2011
#25 - JaJuan Johnson

I thought this was a surprising case study.  Out of eighteen first round picks over ten years, only four players have become above average starting caliber players:  Eric Gordon, Mike Conley, Deron Williams, and Devin Harris.  In fairness, Evan Turner has shown promise, but only has two seasons under his belt, and the Greg Oden tragedy is not really his fault.   Nonetheless, it's hard to believe that a conference as strong as the Big Ten has only produced four starting-caliber first round picks over the last decade.

This trend may be completely coincidental, and I don't have any strong theories on why we haven't seen more NBA success out of this conference.  I suppose a case could be made that the Big Ten, by and large, lacks a sufficient number of athletes to provide NBA-caliber matchups for the conference's elite players.  For example, a few more agile, 6'11" shot blockers could have given a better idea of whether Koufos, D.J. White, Mullens, or Sullinger were/are likely to be able to score close to the basket in the NBA.  This list wouldn't change the way I feel about Draymond Green, because any team drafting him shouldn't expect him to be a long-term starter.  However, there are enough concerns about Leonard and Sullinger that this list would give me a little extra pause in drafting them.

Midseason Honors & Awards

Okay, so it's a little past the midway point, but we're far enough into conference play that we can get a feel for how things are stacking up. There's still a lot of basketball left to be played, so these lists are subject to change.

Player of the Year

1) Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Soph Center 6-9 265
17.3p 9.3r 1.5s
Cases certainly can be made for Robinson and Davis, but I'll take Sully, who reminds me of Kevin Love in his ability to dictate the flow of the game from the post.

2) Thomas Robinson, Kansas
Jr Forward 6-10 235
17.8p 12.0r 1.2b
Nation's second leading rebounder has recorded a double-double in 14 of 20 outings.

3) Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Fr Center 6-10 220
13.2p 10.3r 4.7b
The gap between Sullinger and Davis is negligible.

4) Doug McDermott, Creighton
Soph Forward 6-7 220
23.5p 8.5r 1.3a
Heady offensive player is nation's second leading scorer but doesn't care much for playing defense.

5) Mike Scott, Virginia
Sr Forward 6-8 235
16.6p 8.4r 1.6a
The fifth year senior's numbers are all the more impressive considering the Cavaliers' exceedingly slow pace.

6) Kevin Jones, West Virginia
Sr Forward 6-8 260
20.9p 11.6r 1.1b
Jones is averaging a double-double and shooting almost four 3-pointers a game (despite making less than 30% of his attempts).

7) Draymond Green, Michigan State
Sr Forward 6-7 230
15.3p 10.4r 3.7a
Once overrated, one of the smartest players in college basketball is now underrated, especially on the defensive end.

8) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Fr Forward 6-7 230
13.2p 7.6r 1.2s
There's a significant gap between the 8 and 9 spots on this list.

9) Cody Zeller, Indiana
Fr Center 6-11 230
14.7p 6.2r 1.5b
Where would the Hoosiers be without the talented freshman?

10) Damian Lillard, Weber State
Jr Guard 6-3 195
24.8p 5.8r 3.7a
The Wildcats are 16-3 and undefeated in Big Sky play thanks in no small part to the nation's leading scorer (who gets the nod over Mizzou's Marcus Denmon and UConn's Jeremy Lamb for the 10 spot).

Best Defender

1) Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Fr Center 6-10 220
Future Number One pick leads nation with 4.7 blocks per contest and hauls in 10.3 boards per game.

2) Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Soph Guard 6-2 190
The best on-ball defender in the country averages 2.4 steals per game and is the only defender in the same stratosphere as Davis.

3) C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's
Soph Forward 6-9 190
Nation's second leading shot-blocker at 4.3 rejections per game is big reason St. Joe's is competitive again after a disastrous 2010-11 campaign.

4) John Henson, North Carolina
Jr Forward 6-11 220
Just imagine how much more awful the Tar Heels' defense would be without Hensons's 3.3 blocks and 10.1 rebounds per contest.

5) Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall
Soph Forward 6-6 205
Could have gone with Oregon State's Jared Cunningham here, but Edwin, who has been largely over-shadowed by teammates Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore, leads nation in steals at 3.1 per game and also crashes the boards to the tune of 6.8 rebounds per contest.

Top Freshman

1) Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Center 6-10 220
The impact Davis has on the defensive end is almost impossible to overstate.

2) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Forward 6-7 230
MKG's numbers are impressive, but they don't begin to tell the whole story for one of the most versatile players in the country.

3) Cody Zeller, Indiana
Center 6-11 230
Zeller is getting banged around in Big Ten play but has exceeded lofty expectations.

4) Trey Burke, Michigan
Guard 5-11 180
Wolverines' point guard averages 14 points and 5 assists per game and has more than made up for the early departure of Darius Morris.

5) Moe Harkless, St. John's
Forward 6-8 190
Harkless, an extremely well-rounded player (16.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.6 steals) who has filled a number of roles for the Red Storm, edges out the one-dimensional Austin Rivers, who leads Duke in scoring but doesn't add much else.

*For those of you who miss RBP's Freshman Power Rankings, here are 6 -10: (6) Austin Rivers, Duke; (7) Quincy Miller, Baylor; (8) Le'Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State; (9) Tony Wroten, Washington; and (10) Jerian Grant, Notre Dame. Florida's Bradley Beal is my first man out. There's not much of a difference between Quincy Miller at 7 and Beal at 11. In fact, I like Beal more than Austin Rivers, but Beal has been a bit passive at times. If Beal starts asserting himself more often, there's no reason he couldn't finish the season as the country's fourth best freshman. Central Connecticut State's Kyle Vinales probably deserves some recognition for being the leading scorer among all freshman at 18.4 points per game. And where are you, Andre Drummond? I see flashes, but the consistency just isn't there right now.

Coach of the Year

1) John Thompson III, Georgetown
The Hoyas were picked to finish in bottom half of Big East and are now a top 10 team nationally, despite not having a star on their roster.

2) Bill Self, Kansas
I'm not sure any team has improved as much as the Jayhawks have over the course of the season.

3) Tony Bennett, Virginia
Watch this team play, and try not to be impressed with its discipline on both ends of the floor.

4) Tom Crean, Indiana
Three weeks ago Crean would have topped this list.

5) Frank Haith, Missouri
Sure, they are Mike Anderson's guys, but Haith has made some pretty significant changes to the Tigers' approach and has them playing like a top 10 team (despite having only 2 scholarship players taller than 6-6).

CBB Uniforms (1988-89 to Present): 15 Seeds

A couple of weeks ago I began ranking the top 64 uniforms from the 1988-89 season to the present. For more on that process, read the introduction to the original post. And now for the 15 seeds:

60) Ohio State (Jim Jackson)The Buckeyes' metallic silver duds were both innovative and sort of gross.




59) Miami (Jack McClinton)Hurricane basketball's on court fashion has always lagged behind that of its gridiron counterparts, but the green and orange color scheme coupled with a pretty fantastic font give the U a unique look.




58) St. John's (Marcus Hatten)St. John's was one of the first schools to sport Jordan Brand unis, and the color blocks were a nice touch.




57) California (Joe Shipp)The Golden Bears sported a another early Jordan Brand design in the early 2000s - one with clean lines and a yellow alternate option.

Notes: North Carolina at Kentucky

1. The rest of the NCAA can breathe a sigh of relief - Anthony Davis is human. While he blocked John Henson's shot with five seconds remaining to seal the win for the Wildcats, Davis had a pretty pedestrian game (7 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals). Davis is the most talented player in the country, but the Tar Heels have now provided a blueprint on how to slow down Davis. The trick - put a body on him. Be physical with his 6-10 220-pound frame. And, no matter what, don't leave him when penetration occurs or when the ball enters the post. Because, if you leave him to play help defense or if you fail to keep a body on him, Kentucky is going to lob it to Davis for an easy two. The Tar Heels defended Davis as well as anyone could hope to, and I expect other teams to adopt this approach going forward. Of course, most teams don't have a John Henson or a Tyler Zeller, so this strategy will, at best, slow down Davis. Then again, slowing down Davis is kind of best-case scenario at this point.

2. Anthony Davis is a future number one pick, and Terrence Jones is a preseason All-American, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was Kentucky's best player on Saturday. Kidd-Gilchrist was fantastic, scoring 17 points, grabbing 11 boards, slashing to the basket, and, as usual, playing with unmatched energy on both ends of the floor.

3. The season is still young, but, at this point, Marquis Teague does not appear to be in the same league as Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, or Brandon Knight. And, to be honest, I'm not sure it's fair to hold Teague to the standard set by those four. Unfortunately for Teague, the comparisons are inevitable given John Calipari's track record with freshman floor generals. Teague struggled against the Tar Heels and exhibited the poor decisionmaking that has plagued him so far this year. The freshman point guard appears to be more of a gunner than a playmaker. Complicating matters, Kentucky has looked better with sophomore Doron Lamb running the point. While there may be a temptation to remove Teague from the lineup, I would advise against any such move. Doron Lamb is Kentucky's best shooter and has one of the country's best mid-range games. Coach Cal needs Lamb running off screens and receiving the ball on the wing. Moving Lamb to the point would leave Kentucky without a sharpshooting wing and would stunt Teague's development. If Kentucky is going to win an eighth National Championship, Teague will have to improve. However, with the talent surrounding him, he doesn't have to be the next John Wall.

4. North Carolina, everyone's preseason number one, now has two losses. These early setbacks have exposed some of UNC's vulnerabilities, but I think the Tar Heels performed well on the road against Kentucky. The good news for UNC fans is that the Tar Heels are a very good team that has room for improvement. Yes, Harrison Barnes has a deadly outside shot, but he could start taking the ball to the hole more often. Sophomore Reggie Bullock and freshmen P.J. Hairston and James McAdoo will continue to develop over the course of the season. After a disappointing freshman campaign, Bullock looks to be gaining confidence, and I expect him to overtake Dexter Strickland by season's end. I love Hairston's game. He's a big-bodied two-guard with a nice stroke who provides instant offense off the bench. McAdoo is a top-flight athlete who really runs the floor well. He's still learning on the offensive end but is an active defender who will provide the Tar Heels with yet another long post defender.

5. So, who's number one? Kentucky or Ohio State? Kentucky has more talent. Ohio State has more depth. Kentucky has the most talented player in the country. Ohio State has the nation's best player. The Wildcats beat Kansas by 10 on a neutral floor and edged North Carolina by 1. Ohio State beat Florida by 7 and dismantled Duke, beating the Blue Devils by 22. I would probably give the edge to Kentucky for now but just barely.

Notes: Duke at Ohio State

1. Jared Sullinger is the most dominant player in college basketball. He arguably held that distinction last season as a freshman (though Kemba Walker might have something to say about that), and he appears to be picking up where he left off. He may not be the most tantalizing pro prospect in the country, but he imposes his will on the game like no one in the college ranks. And the hand wringing about Sullinger's move to power forward appears to be much ado about nothing.

2. Aaron Craft is a fantastic college point guard. He's possibly the best perimeter defender in the country, and he doesn't make mistakes on the offensive end. Talking heads shoud stop going on about his competitiveness and moxie and start recognizing him as one of the best players in the country. For more on Craft's impact on the defensive end, see Luke Winn's most recent power rankings here.

3. William Buford is poised to become the Buckeyes' all-time leading scorer by the end of the year. If you have any doubts that this team is for real, consider that the all-time leading scorer for a program with some real gravitas may only be the Buckeyes' third most important player this season.

4. According to popular opinion, the 2011-12 season is a two-horse race between ultra-talented North Carolina and blue chip-laden Kentucky . Well, it's time to start talking about Ohio State. They play harder than North Carolina. And they are deeper than Kentucky. Thad Matta's squad is behind the Tar Heels and Wildcats in terms of talent, but the gap isn't as wide as we've been led to believe. Tonight Ohio State looked like the best team in the country.

5. Duke isn't this bad, but the Blue Devils' performance tonight fits my expectations for Coach K's squad. Look for the Blue Devils to pick up around 25 wins en route to a 2 or 3 seed. But also expect Coach K's squad to struggle against talented (long, athletic) teams and to flame out during the tournament's second week. In other words, they will feast on the underwhelming, the mediocre, and the pretty good, while they fall to teams with elite talent.

6. Austin Rivers has become an easy target for a lot of reasons, and some of the criticism he has brought on himself, due to what appears to be an epic lack of self-awareness. He's a gunner and is largely disinterested on the defensive end, but he is also capable of doing things on the offensive end that are truly special. I have serious doubts about the degree to which his game is going to translate at the next level, and the hype machine appears to have done young Austin a disservice. One wonders what Rivers would have to do at this point to shed the ballhog and lazy defender labels. That being said, I think he's off to a pretty good start as a college freshman, especially when one considers the extent to which Duke relies on Rivers to create his own shot.

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

Big Ten Honors & Awards

With no Big Ten schools advancing beyond the Sweet 16, it's officially time to take a look back at the season that was. Remember that honors and awards take into account the entirety of the season, rather than just Big Ten conference play.

All-Big Ten

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
#11 Junior Guard 6-1 195
18.1 ppg 4.7 apg 4.1 rpg

Talor Battle, Penn State
#12 Senior Guard 6-0 170
20.2 ppg 4.4 rpg 2.9 apg

E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
#33 Senior Guard 6-4 190
18.0 ppg 5.1 rpg 3.2 apg

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
#25 Senior Center 6-10 220
20.5 ppg 8.6 rpg 2.3 bpg

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
#0 Freshman Center 6-9 280
17.2 ppg 10.2 rpg .541 FG%


Player of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
The big-bodied freshman edges Purdue's JaJuan Johnson by the slimmest of margins based largely on his ability to impose his will on the perimeter-oriented college game as a true post presence.

All-Defense

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
#11 Junior Guard 6-1 195

Aaron Craft, Ohio State
#4 Freshman Guard 6-2 195

David Lighty, Ohio State
#23 Senior Guard 6-5 220

Draymond Green, Michigan State
#23 Junior Forward 6-7 230

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
#25 Senior Center 6-10 220


Defensive Player of the Year: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
David Lighty and Aaron Craft deserve special recognition for their tenacious perimeter defense, but Johnson,the former Baby Boiler, earned the top spot in the defensively-minded Big Ten after averaging 2.3 blocks per contest and anchoring Matt Painter's stingy Purdue D.

Freshman of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Sullinger is a no-brainer here, but fellow Buckeye Aaron Craft and Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. also had excellent freshman campaigns.

Coach of the Year: Thad Matta, Ohio State
Matta is the choice for guiding Ohio State to a two-loss regular season, the Big Ten regular season and conference tourney titles, and the overall number one seed in the NCAA tourney, but Purdue's Matt Painter gets a tip of the hat for yet another strong showing (as does Michigan's John Beilein for taking a team that RBP predicted would be "epically bad" to the second round of the NCAAs).

And now for some regionally appropriate hip-hop.

Mount MacCulloch: Retired from Basketball but Dork Career Surging

Former University of Washington star and retired NBA big man, Todd MacCulloch is ranked 145th in the world in pinball. The 76ers famously relied upon the tandem of a geriatric Dikembe Mutombo and MacCulloch to slow down a still in his prime Shaquille O'Neal in the NBA finals. Upon learning of MacCulloch's newfound career, Shaq noted that he has never been bested in basketball by a pinball aficionado from the Pacific Northwest (See 2001 NBA Finals & "Shaq vs." Season 1 episode 9). Roundball Portfolio would like to hand out a big congrats to MacCulloch for using his NBA riches to try to live out Tom Hanks' fake adult life in "Big." Watch out Elizabeth Perking, T-Mac may have romance on his mind this Valentine's weekend.

In other news, not enough can possibly be made of Norris Cole's amazing game for Cleveland State yesterday. He played all forty minutes, scored forty-one points, grabbed twenty rebounds, and handed out nine assists. We all would have loved for him to get the triple-double, but let's think about how hard it was to get nine assists when all of your teammates play for Cleveland State. Those were probably some nifty passes.

Bo Ryan led the Sconnies to an upset over the Ohio State Jared Sullingers. We normally only get good vibrations from Madison, but after the game, Sully tweeted that a Wisconsin fan spat in his face. I like Sullinger, but this was probably a lie. I spent a weekend in Madison, and those people were adorable. It was much more likely that one of the fans was trying to feed Sullinger some delicious ice cream and Spotted Cow beer. The only way I would believe this story was if Sullinger was wearing a Brett Favre jersey.

Speaking of Wisconsin, I have to acknowledge the ballsiest bar proclamation I ever witnessed, which happened when a friend of mine demonstratively declared before two dozen people in a Madison, Wisconsin bar that Brett Favre (who was still playing for the Packers) was the most overrated quarterback of all time. He could have collectively called all of their mothers whores, and received less vitriol. Onions, my friend.

Top 25

1. Ohio State 20-0
quality wins: Florida, Florida State, Minnesota, Illinois
previous rank: 3

2. Duke 18-1
quality wins: Marquette, Kansas State, Michigan State, Butler, Maryland
loss: Florida State
previous rank: 4

3. Pittsburgh 19-1
quality wins: Maryland, Texas, Connecticut, Marquette, Georgetown, Syracuse
loss: Tennessee
previous rank: 5

4. Kansas 18-1
quality wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, Baylor
loss: Texas
previous rank: 2

5. San Diego State 20-0
quality wins: Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Wichita State, UNLV
previous rank: 7

6. Connecticut 16-2
quality wins: Wichita State, Michigan State, Kentucky, Texas, Villanova, Tennessee
loss: Pittsburgh, Notre Dame
previous rank: 8

7. Texas 16-3
quality wins: Illinois, North Carolina, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Kansas
losses: Pittsburgh, USC, Connecticut
previous rank: 10

8. Villanova 17-2
quality wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, Syracuse
loss: Tennessee, Connecticut
previous rank: 6

9. Syracuse 18-2
quality wins: Michigan State, Notre Dame, St. John's, Cincinnati
losses: Pittsburgh, Villanova
previous rank: 1

10. Brigham Young 19-1
quality wins: Utah State, St. Mary's, Arizona, UNLV
loss: UCLA
previous rank: 12

11. Missouri 17-3
quality win: Vanderbilt, Illinois, Old Dominion, Kansas State
losses: Georgetown, Colorado, Texas A&M
previous rank: 13

12. Purdue 17-3
quality wins: Virginia Tech, Michigan State
losses: Richmond, Minnesota, West Virginia
previous rank: 15

13. Texas A&M 17-2
quality wins: Temple, Washington, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Kansas State
losses: Boston College, Texas
previous rank: 11

14. Wisconsin 15-4
quality wins: Boston College, Marquette, Minnesota, Illinois
losses: UNLV, Notre Dame, Illinois, Michigan State
previous rank: 14

15. Notre Dame 16-4
quality wins: Georgia, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Connecticut, St. John's, Cincinnati, Marquette
losses: Kentucky, Syracuse, Marquette, St. John's
previous rank: 16

16. Kentucky 15-4
quality wins: Washington, Notre Dame, Louisville
losses: Connecticut, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
previous rank: 9

17. Vanderbilt 14-4
quality wins: North Carolina, Marquette, Georgia, St. Mary's
losses: West Virginia, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee
previous rank: 17

18. Washington 15-4
quality wins: UCLA, Arizona
losses: Kentucky, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Stanford
previous rank: 24

19. Louisville 15-4
quality wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette, St. John's
losses: Drexel, Kentucky, Villanova, Providence
previous rank: 18

20. Minnesota 15-4
quality wins: North Carolina, West Virginia, Purdue
losses: Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State
previous rank: 22

21. Illinois 14-6
quality wins: Maryland, North Carolina, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Michigan State
losses: Texas, UIC, Missouri, Penn State, Wisconsin, Ohio State
previous rank: 23

22. Cincinnati 17-3
quality wins: Dayton, Xavier, St. John's
losses: Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame
previous rank: 21

23. St. Mary's 17-3
quality win: St. John's
losses: Brigham Young, San Diego State, Vanderbilt
previous rank: 20

24. Utah State 18-2
losses: Brigham Young, Georgetown
previous rank: NR

25. Florida State 15-5
quality wins: Clemson, Baylor, Duke, Boston College
losses: Florida, Ohio State, Butler, Auburn, Virginia Tech
previous rank: NR

2010-11 Outlook: Big Ten

Projected Order of Finish

1. Michigan State - Izzo's roster is overflowing with talent, and yet another trip to the Final Four is well within reach.

2. Ohio State - Extremely talented freshman class is more than just Jared Sullinger.

3. Wisconsin - Badger big men Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil team up to form one of the country's most formidable post tandems.

4. Purdue - Losing Robbie Hummel for the season removes the Boilermakers from national title contention, but the return of seniors JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore means Matt Painter's squad could still make noise in March.

5. Illinois - Bruce Weber has plenty of talent and excellent depth, but can the Illini play with intensity and focus for 40 minutes?

6. Minnesota - In just his fourth season at the helm, Tubby Smith has assembled a deep roster with a nice combination of skill, size, and athleticism.

7. Northwestern - Junior forward John Shurna is one of the most underrated players in the country.

8. Indiana - Expect the product Tom Crean puts on the floor to be improved, but whether that translates into an improvement in the win column in a tough Big Ten remains to be seen.

9. Penn State - Senior scorer Talor Battle will once again lead an underwhelming Nittany Lions' attack.

10. Iowa - It's going to be another long year for the Hawkeyes.

11. Michigan - Wolverines could be epically bad.

All-Conference

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, sr, guard
Demetri McCamey, Illinois, sr, guard
E'Twaun Moore, Purdue, sr, guard
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin, sr, forward
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue, sr, center

Player of the Year

Demetri McCamey, Illinois - If this big-bodied point guard in the mold of Deron Williams can get along with Bruce Weber, the Illini could have a special season.

Top Freshman

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State - Only question is whether he will be as dominant on the defensive end as he will be scoring the ball.

Top Defender

David Lighty, Ohio State - Versatile fifth-year senior can defend multiple positions and doesn't make mistakes.

Freshman Power Rankings 1.0

1. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, 6-8 260
Burly big man reminds me of Elton Brand and may end up the most dominant player in all of college basketball.

2. Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, 6-7 210
Has all the tools, but can he help the Heels rebound from an embarrassing 2009-10 season?

3. Brandon Knight, Kentucky, 6-3 185
Cerebral point follows in footsteps of Rose, Evans, and Wall.

4. Joe Jackson, Memphis, 5-11 160
There's some Iverson in this waterbug's game.

5. Tobias Harris, Tennessee, 6-8 220
Do-it-all big will be the best player on Bruce Pearl's roster from day one.

6. Tristan Thompson, Texas, 6-9 240
Think LaMarcus Aldridge with some Ed Davis sprinkled in.

7. Josh Selby, Kansas, 6-2 185
Explosive combo guard with ability to take over needs to be a team player on ultra-talented Jayhawks squad.

8. Adreian Payne, Michigan State, 6-10 215
Izzo's most talented post player since Zach Randolph.

9. Kyrie Irving, Duke, 6-2 175
In unique position of starting at point guard for defending champion expecting to repeat.

10. Reggie Bullock, North Carolina, 6-5 190
Big, athletic two-guard with tons of upside.

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

Big Ten Review (09-10)

All-Big Ten

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Junior 6-1 190 14.8p 1.9r 4.0a 0.1b 1.2s

Evan Turner, Ohio State
Junior 6-7 210 20.4p 9.2r 6.0a 0.9b 1.7s

Robbie Hummel, Purdue
Junior 6-8 210 15.7p 6.9r 2.1a 1.0b 1.1s

John Shurna, Northwestern
Sophomore 6-8 210 18.2p 6.4r 2.6a 0.9b 0.8s

JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Junior 6-10 215 15.5p 7.1r 0.7a 2.1b 0.9s

Player of the Year: Evan Turner, Ohio State
The best player in college basketball (and one of the nerdiest) did it all for the Buckeyes this year. The 6-7 junior ran the point (dishing out an impressive 6 dimes per contest), hit the boards (averaging over 9 per game), filled it up on the offensive end (over 20 a game), and played lockdown defense. Forget about leading his team in multiple statistical categories, The Villain led the conference in scoring, finished second in rebounds and assists, and third in steals. Oh, and Turner broke his back on December 5th, missed six games, and returned to lead the Buckeyes - who, while talented, featured a 7-man rotation for much of the season - to a 2 seed and a share of the Big Ten title. Three of Ohio State's 7 losses on the season came during the six-game period Turner was out the injury.

Coach of the Year: Bo Ryan, Wisconsin
It seems that Ryan is finally starting to get the attention he deserves. Every time I see the Badgers in action, the announcers are singing his praises - and rightfully so. His teams execute on offense, play hard-nosed defense, and don't make mistakes. The meat grinder that is the Badgers' halfcourt offense is just as much Ryan's trademark as the Princeton offense is for JT3 or the secondary break is for Roy Williams. His players develop during their time in Madison (witness Trevon Hughes, Jon Leuer, and Jason Bohannon from this year's team), and, seemingly regardless of who is actually suiting up for the Badgers in a given year, they are going to be one of the top 25 teams in the country and compete for a Big Ten championship.

Freshman of the Year: Drew Crawford, Northwestern
Crawford "headlines" an incredibly weak crop of freshmen in the Big Ten. The 6-5 swingman averaged a solid 10 points and 4 rebounds per contest. Crawford's numbers may be underwhelming, but his play was a key factor in Northwestern regrouping after the loss of Kevin Coble. With Crawford, Coble, Shurna, and rising senior Michael Thompson returning, the Wildcats may be dancing next March for the first time in school history.

Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Kramer, Purdue
His stats (3.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks) do not begin to tell the story of the Purdue senior's impact on the defensive end of the floor. Kramer has twice been honored as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (as a sophomore and senior) and was named to the conference's all-defensive team each of his four years in West Lafayette. His on-ball defense is a thing of beauty, and the havoc he creates on the defensive end will be sorely missed by Matt Painter. One of the best perimeter defenders to come through the college ranks in the last decade.

Biggest Surprise: Wisconsin
Not a lot of surprises in the Big Ten this year, but the Badgers get the nod here for continuing to outperform expectations. I tend to give Wisconsin the benefit of the doubt, but even I didn't see Bo Ryan's squad as a Top 25-type team this year - let alone a team that would finish one game out of a share of the Big Ten title. It's about time we learned not to doubt this strange team from the North with their blonde buzzcuts and Scandinavian bloodlines.

Biggest Disappointment: Michigan
John Beilein's third season in Ann Arbor was pretty much a fiasco. For some reason, Michigan was ranked 15th in the preseason AP poll. (I'm really not sure I've ever seen a weaker preseason top 25 team.) Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims are talented, but I'm not sure the roster features another quality basketball player. While I thought Michigan would miss the tourney, I didn't expect the Wolverines to finish with a losing record (15-17). With Harris leaving early (presumably to play overseas because he's not an NBA player) and Sims graduating, things will be even worse for Beilein next year - who left a pretty good situation in West Virginia for what has pretty much become a college basketball wasteland.

Wising Up

In shocking news, Willie Warren and Greg Monroe have decided to return to Oklahoma and Georgetown, respectively, for their sophomore seasons. Monroe had somewhat of a disappointing year but would still have been selected in the first round. Warren had a tremendous year, claiming the Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, and would also likely have been taken in the first round.

It's a smart move for both kids, but admittedly somewhat of a surprise. I think both can only improve their stock during sophomore years where each will be the featured player in the offense.

Austin Daye, a 6-10 sophomore from Gonzaga, has entered his name in this year's draft. It's a smart move for Daye who will likely be a potential pick as he projects to play the three in the NBA. Daye has a nice game, but needs to add some strength and develop a more reliable outside shot. Daye's size and skill set project nicely to the NBA, and I can see his stock rising over the next couple of weeks.

In other news, Club Trillion founder has decided to test the NBA waters after his junior season. He has decided not to hire an agent, thus keeping open the option of returning for his senior year. Though he boasted insane per minute stats over the past season, I expect The Shark to return for his senior year. He will have the opportunity to "dot" several more people before leaving school next year.

Luke Winn Unearths Club Trillion

Luke Winn is quickly becoming one of my favorite sportswriters. Winn has an undeniable penchant for identifying and expounding upon the absurdities found in the world of college basketball. In the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated, Winn penned an article about Louisville's Terrence Williams, which included a variety of T-Will tidbits. My personal favorites: that T-Will wore a Barbi backpack in high school to be different and that, in his high school lunchroom, he would tell classmates, "You've got to come strong to your mouth," before knocking sandwiches out of their hands. After discussing the article with a good friend of mine who is a Louisville native, he informed me that he saw T-Will in Louisville recently wearing a jacket with a spray-painted image of his own face on it. Needless to say, all of this is awesome.

Back to Winn. Winn's most recent contribution to SI.com is an article entitled "Fifty Thoughts on Selection Sunday." You can read it here. The entire article is worth reading, but what really grabbed my attention is Winn's endorsement of Club Trillion as the nation's hottest tournament blog. Club Trillion: Life Views from the End of the Bench is the brainchild (if you can call it that) of Ohio State reserve Mark Titus. Titus' blog is quite amusing, and I highly recommend this entry in which Titus tries to determine who is the whitest Buckeye and why. Ultimately, Titus determines that he, in fact, is the whitest team member -- though he adds that, if Evan Turner was not black, he would be the whitest because he wears scarves and listens to John Mayer. Titus' analysis is thorough, as he provides a link to a photo of a shirt worn by a player during a formal outing that disqualifies him from consideration, discusses the lack of Dale Earnhardt tattoos on one of his teammates, and includes a confusing reference to Grandma Winslow's back hair (the old lady from the Urkel show).