2017-18 NCAA Honors & Awards

1st Team All-American

Jalen Brunson, Villanova [jr]

Trae Young, Oklahoma [fr]

Devonte' Graham, Kansas [sr]

Marvin Bagley, Duke [fr]

DeAndre Ayton, Arizona [fr]

2nd Team All-American

Jevon Carter, West Virginia [sr]
Carsen Edwards, Purdue [soph]

Keenan Evans, Texas Tech [sr]
Mikal Bridges, Villanova [jr]

Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State [jr]

All-Defensive Team

Jevon Carter, West Virginia [sr]

Khyri Thomas, Creighton [jr]
Jemerrio Jones, New Mexico State [sr]

Isaiah Wilkins, Virginia [sr]

Mohamed Bamba, Texas [fr]

All-Freshman Team

Collin Sexton, Alabama
Trae Young, Oklahoma

Marvin Bagley, Duke

Mohamed Bamba, Texas
DeAndre Ayton, Arizona

Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson, Villanova

Top Defender: Mohamed Bamba, Texas

Best Freshman: Marvin Bagley, Duke

Coach of the Year: Jay Wright, Villanova

All-Decade Teams: Big 12

2001-02 through 2010-11 seasons

Each team includes the top 5 players from that program over the course of the past 10 years. As mentioned previously, I have not attempted to put together teams that fill all 5 positions on the floor.

The order in which the programs are listed corresponds to the power rankings from my previous post, "A Decade of Big 12 Basketball." This order should not be construed as a ranking of top 5s. In other words, just because I have Texas Tech listed eighth and Baylor ninth does not mean that I believe Texas Tech's top 5 is better than Baylor's top 5. That being said, I have ranked the players within each program.

Where part of a player's career came before the 2001-02 season, I have taken those years into consideration for purposes of this post.

Where a player transferred to a Big 12 program, I have not taken into account the year(s) prior to the transfer. Similarly, where a player transferred away from a Big 12 program, I have not taken into account the year(s) subsequent to the transfer.

The amount of talent that has passed through Lawrence and Austin in the past decade is pretty incredible. Players outside of the top 5 at Kansas include Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, Cole Aldrich, Brandon Rush, and Mario Chalmers. In fact, Sherron Collins is the only member of the 2007-08 National Championship team that made the top 5, and he was just the Jayhawks' fifth leading scorer that season. Players outside of the top 5 at Texas include LaMarcus Aldridge, A.J. Abrams, Jordan Hamilton, Daniel Gibson, and Tristan Thompson.

1. Kansas
1. Nick Collison (00-03)
2. Drew Gooden (00-02)
3. Wayne Simien (02-05)
4. Kirk Hinrich (00-03)
5. Sherron Collins (07-10)

2. Texas
1. Kevin Durant (07)
2. T.J. Ford (02-03)
3. D.J. Augustin (07-08)
4. Damion James (07-10)
5. P.J. Tucker (04-06)

3. Oklahoma
1. Blake Griffin (08-09)
2. Hollis Price (00-03)
3. Taj Gray (05-06)
4. Terrell Everett (05-06)
5. Ebi Ere (02-03)

4. Oklahoma State
1. James Anderson (08-10)
2. John Lucas (04-05)
3. Tony Allen (03-04)
4. Mario Boggan (06-07)
5. Joey Graham (04-05)

5. Texas A&M
1. Acie Law (04-07)
2. Bernard King (00-03)
3. Antoine Wright (03-05)
4. Joseph Jones (05-08)
5. Donald Sloan (07-10)

6. Missouri
1. Kareem Rush (00-02)
2. DeMarre Carroll (08-09)
3. Arthur Johnson (01-04)
4. Marcus Denmon (09-present)
5. Rickey Paulding (01-04)

7. Kansas State
1. Michael Beasley (08)
2. Jacob Pullen (08-11)
3. Cartier Martin (04-07)
4. Denis Clemente (09-10)
5. Jeremiah Massey (04-05)

8. Texas Tech
1. Andre Emmett (01-04)
2. Jarrius Jackson (04-07)
3. Martin Zeno (05-08)
4. John Roberson (08-11)
5. Andy Ellis (99-02)

9. Baylor
1. Curtis Jerrells (06-09)
2. LaceDarius Dunn (08-11)
3. Ekpe Udoh (10)
4. Lawrence Roberts (02-03)
5. Kevin Rogers (06-09)

10. Colorado
1. Alec Burks (10-11)
2. Richard Roby (05-08)
3. David Harrison (02-04)
4. Cory Higgins (08-11)
5. Michel Morandais (01-04)

11. Iowa State
1. Curtis Stinson (04-06)
2. Craig Brackins (08-10)
3. Jackson Vroman (03-04)
4. Will Blalock (03-04)
5. Jake Sullivan (01-04)

12. Nebraska
1. Aleks Maric (05-08)
2. Lance Jeter (10-11)
3. Nate Johnson (03-04)
4. Ryan Anderson (07-10)
5. Ade Dagunduro (08-09)

Big 12 Honors & Awards

With Kansas bounced from the NCAA tourney at the hands of upstart VCU, the Big 12 season has reached its end. And that means it's time to take a look at the conference's top performers. Honors and awards take into account the entirety of the season, rather than just Big 12 conference play.

All-Big 12

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
#0 Senior Guard 6-1 200
20.2 ppg 3.7 apg 1.6 spg

Alec Burks, Colorado
#10 Sophomore Guard 6-6 195
20.5 ppg 6.5 rpg 1.1 spg

Jordan Hamilton, Texas
#3 Sophomore Forward 6-7 220
18.6 ppg 7.7 rpg 2.1 apg

Marcus Morris, Kansas
#22 Junior Forward 6-9 235
17.2 ppg 7.6 rpg .570 FG%

Markieff Morris, Kansas
#21 Junior Forward 6-10 245
13.6 ppg 8.3 rpg 1.1 bpg


Player of the Year: Marcus Morris, Kansas
He tended to drift out to the perimeter a little too often on the offensive end, but this was a complete performance by one of the nation's best.

All-Defense

Dogus Balbay, Texas
#4 Senior Guard 6-1 175

Lance Jeter, Nebraska
#34 Senior Guard 6-3 220

Laurence Bowers, Missouri
#21 Junior Forward 6-8 210

Tristan Thompson, Texas
#13 Freshman Forward 6-8 225

Markieff Morris, Kansas
#21 Junior Forward 6-10 245


Defensive Player of the Year: Tristan Thompson, Texas
In today's era of the one-and-done freshman phenom, we have become accustomed to freshmen putting up big offensive numbers, but Thompson, who averaged 2.4 blocks per game, is that rare first-year player who dominates on the defensive end of the floor.

Freshman of the Year: Tristan Thompson, Texas
While he was a stud on the defensive end, Thompson wasn't too shabby with the ball in his hands - averaging a solid 13.1 points per contest while shooting .546 from the field.

Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas
While Self guided the Jayhawks, picked to finish second in the conference, to a two-loss regular season, the Big 12 regular season and conference tourney titles and an appearance in the Elite Eight, another upset loss in the tourney has overshadowed what was a superb season in Lawrence.

And now for some regionally appropriate hip-hop.

The Starting Five: Tu Holloway Edition

1. Outside of Jimmer and Kemba, no one imposes his will on the game like Xavier's Tu Holloway. At a solid 6-0 185 lbs, he's a bull with the rock and gets where he wants to be on the court. And while he can be a bit of a hothead, he plays with a fury that is too often lacking in this generation of AAU prima donnas. Plus, the junior guard knows how to fill a stat sheet, averaging just over 20 points, right at 5 assists, nearly 5 rebounds, and 1.5 swipes per contest. Down to 9 healthy scholarship players, Holloway is the main reason the Musketeers are tied for first place in the A-10 and 16-6 overall. As a side note, kudos to Holloway for following in Jordan Crawford's footsteps by rocking a jersey number in the 50s while playing on the perimeter. We can only hope this becomes something of a tradition at XU.

2. About three weeks ago RBP put together a list of the top 25 players in college basketball at the season's mid-way point. Perhaps the list's most egregious omission – Wisconsin point guard Jordan Taylor. Built like a tailback and conducting Bo Ryan's demanding swing offense at maximum efficiency, Taylor is quite possibly more important to his team's success than highly-touted teammate Jon Leuer, who, incidentally, came in at #17 on my list. To say Taylor knows how to take care of the ball is an understatement. To put things in perspective, the Badger junior has 44 assists to 11 turnovers in Big Ten play. Or, put another way, 11 turnovers in 376 minutes of running the point for Wisconsin against Big Ten foes. (Well, he was playing defense for about 188 of those minutes.) He's also scored 20 points or more in 6 of 10 conference games and at least 14 points in the other 4. Fellow Big Ten point guards Kalin Lucas and Demetri McCamey got the preseason ink, but Taylor has played the best basketball.

3. Minnesota is in trouble. Point guard Al Nolen is out until at least the end of February with a broken foot, and combo guard Devoe Joseph left the team, opting to transfer to Oregon, leaving Tubby Smith's squad without its two best ballhandlers . A season-ending injury to big Mo Walker hasn't helped matters, as the once deep Gophers find themselves a tad thin on the bench. After losing their last three, Minnesota is one game below .500 in Big Ten play. Their remaining conference schedule is favorable. They get Illinois and Michigan State at home, and Penn State will be their toughest road test. Unfortunately, if the Gophers can't find a solution at the point guard position, it won't matter how well they finish in conference play, because an early exit in March will be inevitable.

4. The Texas Longhorns may be playing the best basketball in the country right now, and that is due, in large part, to the maturation of Jordan Hamilton. Hamilton's freshman campaign consisted largely of jacking up ill-advised shots seemingly every time he got his hands on the ball, providing only minimal effort on defense, and sulking. Just when it seemed safe to write him off as a talented headcase with no hustle, Hamilton has morphed into, not only one of the nation's most improved players, but an All-American candidate. Averaging 18.9 points per contest and 7.6 boards, Hamilton is making a case for Big 12 Player of the Year honors. Oh, and shades of Calbert Cheaney on this kid's jump shot. He doesn't have the lift of the Indiana legend (and Evansville native), but his ability to catch and shoot in rhythm without putting the ball on the floor is certainly reminiscent of one of the Big Ten's all-time greats.

5. As has been the case for the past couple years, it's the Big East and everyone else. It may not be as top-heavy with national title contenders as in years past, but this year's Big East offering may be just as impressive, as 11 teams realistically have at-large hopes. After the Big East, I may give a slight edge to the Big 12 over the Big Ten. There's a significant drop off after these three, though. In fact, I think the SEC, ACC, and Pac-10 have more in common with the Mountain West and Atlantic-10 right now in terms of the level of basketball being played in-conference.

Freshman Power Rankings 3.0

1. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, 6-9 280
Buckeye frosh is nation's most dominant player and a huge reason why Thad Matta's squad is ranked number one in the country.
previous rank: 1

2. Terrence Jones, Kentucky, 6-8 245
Versatile big brings to mind Tim Thomas.
previous rank: 3

3. Brandon Knight, Kentucky, 6-3 185
The kid's a lottery pick, and the whole country would realize how fantastic he's been if we weren't so busy comparing him to John Wall.
previous rank: 5

4. Tristan Thompson, Texas, 6-8 225
Thompson, who plays bigger than his measurements would suggest, more than held his own against the Morris twins in the Longhorns' victory at the Phog.
previous rank: 7

5. Tobias Harris, Tennessee, 6-8 220
With all due respect to Scotty Hopson, Tobias Harris is the Vols' best player, and he needs more touches.
previous rank: 4

6. Cory Joseph, Texas, 6-3 185
Joseph's heady play at the point is the biggest reason Texas has bounced back from last year's mess of a season.
previous rank: NR

7. Bruce Ellington, South Carolina, 5-9, 195
While Ellington isn't quite Devan Downey at this early stage of his career, he's doing his best impression.
previous rank: NR

8. Perry Jones, Baylor, 6-10 220
Scott Drew's prized recruit is putting up nice numbers for an underachieving team, but we're getting close to over-hyped territory with young Perry.
previous rank: 6

9. Josh Selby, Kansas, 6-2 185
Selby is still working out the kinks after missing the first nine games of the season, but his explosiveness is evident.
previous rank: NR

10. Doron Lamb, Kentucky, 6-4 195
That the sweet-shooting New York product is the tenth best freshman in the country and only the third best freshman in Lexington is a testament to Coach Cal's recruiting prowess.
previous rank: NR

Exits: Kyrie Irving (Duke), J.T. Terrell (Wake Forest), Harrison Barnes (North Carolina), DeShaun Thomas (Ohio State)

2010-11 Outlook: Big 12

Projected Order of Finish

1. Kansas - Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, and Xavier Henry are now lacing them up in the Association, but the Big 12 championship still goes through Lawrence.

2. Kansas State - Jacob Pullen's beard and a deep frontcourt return, but will Crazy Frank Martin's squad recapture the magic of last year's 29-win season?

3. Missouri - Top recruit Tony Mitchell is ineligible (questions remain as to whether he will ever suit up for the Tigers), and defensive aficionados everywhere mourn having lost the chance to see Mitchell in Mike Anderson's 40 Minutes of Hell defense.

4. Texas - After a year of underachieving and disappointment, the question is whether the Longhorns have found a semblance of chemistry.

5. Baylor - Lots of length and athleticism, but I'm not sure the Bears have a point guard to run the show.

6. Texas A&M - Expect a breakout season from junior forward David Loubeau.

7. Texas Tech - Seniors John Roberson and Mike Singletary will make the Red Raiders competitive, but Pat Knight will most likely find a way to mess things up in Lubbock.

8. Oklahoma State - As usual, depth will be a problem for the seemingly always undermanned Cowboys.

9. Colorado - Senior Cory Higgins and sophomore Alec Burks are two of the country's best kept secrets, but they don't have much help.

10. Oklahoma - The rebuilding begins now for the Sooners, as Willie Warren turned pro after an unimpressive sophomore campaign, and former McDonald's All-Americans Tiny Gallon and Tommy Mason-Griffin lasted all of one season in Norman.

11. Iowa State - Cyclones have no way of replacing Craig Brackins and Marquis Gilstrap.

12. Nebraska - Do they still play basketball at Tyronn Lue University?

All-Conference

John Roberson, Texas Tech, sr, guard
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, sr, guard
J'Covan Brown, Texas, soph, guard
LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor, sr, guard
Marcus Morris, Kansas, jr, forward

Player of the Year

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State - It will be interesting to see if Pullen can pile up the points with the opposition no longer having to worry about backcourt mate Denis Clemente.

Top Freshman

Tristan Thompson, Texas - Nice body and smooth moves around the rim.

Top Defender

Dogus Balbay, Texas - Hailing from Istanbul, Balbay is relentless on the defensive end and an excellent on-ball defender.

Regression and Progression of Future Stars

Who's Down?
John Wall - It's hard to really voice a complaint about the future No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, but his play has been particularly un-stunning over the course of conference play. His assists and scoring are down, and in particular he has been unable to be effective in transition. Wall is still the best player on one of the best teams in the country, but he has to find a impose his will on a game even when the other team is playing a zone.

Xavier Henry - Henry's play has been pretty average over the course of conference play. His scoring and rebounding are down, and he is in a dismal shooting slump. His play forced coach Bill Self to keep him on the bench for an extended period in the second half of the Kansas-Kansas St. game Saturday. It will be interesting to see how Henry is used over the remaining conference games, because Kansas certainly has the talent and depth to relegate Henry to the bench during stretches of certain games.

Who's Up?
Demarcus Cousins - Cousins has been an absolute monster for Kentucky over the past few weeks, and is likely going to lock up his third straight SEC Freshman of the Week. Cousins has still been rebounding the ball with great tenacity, but has become the Wildcat's go to scorer. His agility is unparalleled at his body size, and he has the foot speed and touch around the rim to be a prolific scorer for some time. He seems to be much more comfortable receiving the ball in the post, displaying a unique skill set of patience, vision, head fakes, and spin moves that make him unguardable at the collegiate level.

Avery Bradley - Although Texas has been slumping over the course of the past few weeks, Bradley has displayed a very unique all around game for a freshman. In a win over Colorado, Bradley scored 29, grabbed 9 boards, and handed out 3 assists with only one turnover. Four days later, against Iowa St., Bradley scored 24, grabbed 6 boards, had 6 assists with no turnovers, and had three steals. In those games, he went 22 for 28, and 7 for 8 from behind the arc. Bradley has been showcasing a great feel for the game at the college level. While I don't believe he possesses the NBA star type talent of Wall or Cousins, Bradley is just as ready to contribute to an NBA team, and could become a lock down defender who fills up the stat sheet night in and night out. I think any NBA team that picks up Bradley in next year's draft (if he comes out), is immediately a much better team. Personally, I'd love to see him land with OK City and start right away with Westbrook and Durant. He and Westbrook would both be capable of playing off the ball and running the point, which would give them great versatility in the backcourt with bringing in Harden and Sefolosha off the bench. Tasty.

Field of 65--Version 5

1) Connecticut (24-1); Oklahoma (25-1); North Carolina (23-2); Pittsburgh (23-2)
I'm starting to come around to the idea that Oklahoma might be for real. While the Sooners' bench is a little thin, they have a well-rounded starting five. Wiry senior Austin Johnson and bullish freshman Willie Warren compliment each other nicely in the backcourt. Tony Crocker provides outside shooting from the wing. And the Griffin brothers are tremendous in the paint. Now, with the emergence of the explosive Juan Pattillo, Jeff Capel's team is poised to make a deep tournament run.
2) Michigan State (20-4); Memphis (22-3); Marquette (21-4); Clemson (20-4)
Beyond Michigan State, it's not really clear who should be on the two line. In fact, the teams spanning from Memphis to Duke are pretty much interchangeable.
3) Louisville (19-5); Kansas (20-5); Wake Forest (19-4); Missouri (22-4)
So, Louisville lost to Notre Dame by 33 on Thursday, but still came out plus-12 on the week after beating DePaul by 45 on Sunday. Louisville fans may be tempted to view the Irish loss as a hiccup in light of their team's dominant performance against the Blue Demons. However, I believe the 33-point loss suggests that, while the Cardinals may have a Final Four run in them, a National Championship is not in the Cards. I hate to be the one to doubt a Rick Pitino-coached team, but UConn, UNC, and Pitt aren't going to lose to anyone by 33 -- let alone an NIT team that doesn't play defense.
4) Washington (19-6); Duke (20-5); Purdue (19-6); Villanova (20-5)
Bad week for the Blue Devils. Duke really didn't play poorly against North Carolina. In fact, they stayed with the Tar Heels for about three-fourths of their matchup. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils were incapable of guarding Ty Lawson. The Boston College game was just flat-out disappointing. On the bright side, Kyle Singler is playing excellent basketball (22 points and 6 boards against UNC and 25 points and 8 boards against BC).
5) Xavier (21-4); Arizona State (20-5); Illinois (21-5); UCLA (19-6)
The Bruins have now lost their last three conference road games. UCLA gets the Washington schools at Pauley Pavilion this week, but a road trip to northern California to play Stanford and California is on the horizon.
6) Ohio State (17-6); California (19-6); LSU (21-4); Butler (22-3)
LSU is 9-1 in the SEC, and Trent Johnson has his team playing at a very high level. So, maybe it's time we give the Tigers some respect. But why the delay? Well, LSU's best non-conference win is Washington State. The Tigers' second best -- probably Troy. Moreover, while they did beat Tennessee, they have yet to play Kentucky or Florida. Oh, and they also lost by 30 to Utah
7) Gonzaga (19-5); Dayton (23-3); Florida State (19-6); Syracuse (19-7)
With Dayton's 13-point victory over Xavier, the Flyers take control of the Atlantic-10. The rematch between the A-10 powers takes place on March 5 in Cincinnati.
8) Texas (17-7); Minnesota (19-6); Utah State (24-2); South Carolina (18-5)
After a three-game losing streak, Texas bounced back this week with wins over Oklahoma State and Colorado. Plus, A.J. Abrams appears to be emerging from his shooting slump. The downside -- lowly Colorado took the Longhorns to overtime.
9) Kentucky (18-7); West Virginia (17-8); Boston College (19-8); Tennessee (16-8)
If Boston College stumbles down the stretch, the Eagles are going to be an interesting case for the selection committee. They have losses to Saint Louis and Harvard, but they have wins against North Carolina and now Duke. If the Eagles get in to the tourney, this should go down as Al Skinner's best coaching job. BC has no business dancing this year, considering how deep the ACC is.
10) Davidson (22-4); Florida (19-6); Arizona (18-8); Utah (18-7)
Despite my earlier doubts, Arizona is officially back. They've now racked up seven straight wins. That streak includes wins against conference leader Washington and UCLA. Is there any chance Russ Pennel stays on as the Wildcats' head coach?
11) UNLV (19-6); Virginia Tech (16-8); Wisconsin (16-9); San Diego State (18-6)
Much like Arizona last week, Wisconsin is back from the dead. The Badgers are 7-6 in conference play, are riding a four-game winning streak, and still have two games against Indiana left on their schedule.
12) Penn State (18-8); Saint Mary's (20-5); Providence (16-9); Northern Iowa (18-8)
The last two at-large teams in are Saint Mary's and Providence. Saint Mary's is just ahead of Providence, based in large part on the Gaels' 81-75 win over the Friars earlier in the season. However, the Gaels missed a golden opportunity this week, falling by two to Gonzaga without injured star Patrick Mills. If Mills doesn't make it back on the floor soon, the Gaels may slip out of the tourney field. Providence just edges out Kansas State for the last spot in the Field of 65. The Friars are 8-5 in the Big East, but they've feasted on the Big East bottom-feeders. While K-State has played well in conference, the Wildcats have zero quality non-conference wins and lost to extremely weak Iowa and Oregon teams.
13) Siena (20-6); Buffalo (17-6); North Dakota State (19-6); Arkansas-Little Rock (19-6)
Those that follow the mid-majors closely love Siena. And while I'm not sold on the Saints, they do have wins over Boise State, Cornell, Buffalo, St. Joseph's, and Niagara.
14) Northeastern (16-9); Vermont (20-7); Weber State (17-8); Robert Morris (19-8)
Colonial Athletic Association leader Northeastern holds on to the conference's automatic bid, due to their head-to-head victory over VCU (and despite the fact that the Huskies lost to Drexel and George Mason this past week).
15) American U (17-7); Morehead State (16-11); Cornell (17-7); Sam Houston State (14-9)
Sam Houston State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christie have identical conference records, but the Bearkats own two head-to-head wins over the Islanders.
16) Morgan State (15-10); Jacksonville (14-10); Radford (15-10); Cal State Northridge (12-10); Alabama State (14-8)
Radford replaces VMI in the Field after the Keydets fell 100-97 to Coastal Carolina. Radford and VMI clash on Saturday with Big South supremacy likely at stake.