Tuesday, February 27, 2007
The Tuesday Blog
Yes, we’ve been pretty terrible bloggers lately, but we’re aces on Tuesdays. With this post we will have blogged every Tuesday in February. So at least we have that going for us, which is nice.
Anyway, I learned my lesson from football and will wait to start breaking down NCAA Tournament teams for at least another week. But we do have a pretty good take on the players’ resumes for the year. Thus, here is my pick for Player of the Year in each of the major conferences, along with my All-America team:
ACC
Sean Singletary, G, Virginia
The Cavs were picked as a middle-of-the-road team in the ACC, but Singletary has elevated them into the elite. UVA already has a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament and stands an excellent shot at the ACC title. It’s easy to make a case for Boston College F Jared Dudley, who leads the conference in scoring (19.6) and is second in rebounding (8.6), but he hasn’t come up big in the big situations like Singletary has. Moreover, Singletary’s prime numbers (18.6 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals) are enough to offset his 40 percent shooting percentage.
Big 12
Kevin Durant, F, Texas
For me, the Big 12 Player of the Year race is pretty much the National Player of the Year race. Acie Law has been spectacular for Texas A&M. He takes over ballgames when they matter, having single-handedly outscored the Aggies’ opponents in the last four minutes of games this season, and has the makings of an NCAA Tournament star. Still, he has the misfortune of playing in the same conference as this year’s transcendent player—Durant. The one-and-done freshman leads the Big 12 with 24.7 points and 11.3 rebounds (three more than the second-best), shoots 48 percent from the floor and averages 1.9 blocks and 1.9 steals per game. Perhaps most importantly, he has the Longhorns in the Big 12 title hunt despite Texas losing all five starters from last season.
Big East
Jeff Green, F, Georgetown
This award was supposed to come down to a battle of centers between Pitt’s Aaron Gray and G’town’s Roy Hibbert, but it is Green who has been the best player on the league’s best team. At 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, his numbers don’t do justice to his importance to the Hoyas on the floor. On a low-scoring team, he is an unselfish leader who also shoots 52 percent from the field. Honorable mention to the top stats guys, Syracuse’s Demetris Nichols and Marquette’s Dominic James, as well as Providence’s Herbert Hill.
Big Ten
Alando Tucker, G/F, Wisconsin
With all due respect to Ohio State freshmen Mike Conley and Greg Oden, as well as Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel, this might be the easiest call of any conference. Tucker is the undisputed leader of the Badgers, who would not make the NCAA Tournament without him. On a team not known for lighting up the scoreboard, Tucker averages 19.9 points per game while chipping in 5.4 rebounds and shooting 48 percent from the floor. The one knock on Tucker (and the one that could hurt the Badgers in the NCAAs)? He shoots just 65 percent from the foul line.
Pac-10
Darren Collison, G, UCLA
Collison wins along the same lines as Green in the Big East—as the most indispensable player on a team with legitimate Final 4 aspirations. Oregon G Aaron Brooks (18.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds) looked to have this award sewn up just a few weeks ago, but Oregon has sputtered as UCLA has thrived, giving Collison the leg up. He replaced Jordan Farmar and has made the Bruins better, averaging 13 points and 6 assists, along with 2.3 rebounds, and has an assist-to-turnover margin of 2.1-to-1. He also shoots 51 percent from the floor, 79 percent from the foul line and 49 percent from behind the arc.
SEC
Joakim Noah, C, Florida
Had he stayed healthy all season, Tennessee G Chris Lofton would likely have won this award, and Alabama’s Richard Hendrix (15 points, 9 rebounds), Vanderbilt’s Derrick Byars (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and South Carolina’s Tre Kelley (19 points, 5 assists) certainly make strong cases, but it’s hard not to give this award to a Florida player. Which Florida player, however, is certainly more difficult—Al Horford (12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, 60 percent shooting) and Noah (12.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 blocks, 61 percent shooting) have nearly identical stats, but it is Noah’s energy that makes the difference. He sets the tone for the Gators and his length and defense allow them to take risks on the perimeter.
All-Americans
G Sean Singletary, Virginia
G Acie Law, Texas A&M
F Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
F Kevin Durant, Texas
C Nick Fazekas, Nevada (20.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 59 percent shooting percentage)
National Player of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
Anyway, I learned my lesson from football and will wait to start breaking down NCAA Tournament teams for at least another week. But we do have a pretty good take on the players’ resumes for the year. Thus, here is my pick for Player of the Year in each of the major conferences, along with my All-America team:
ACC
Sean Singletary, G, Virginia
The Cavs were picked as a middle-of-the-road team in the ACC, but Singletary has elevated them into the elite. UVA already has a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament and stands an excellent shot at the ACC title. It’s easy to make a case for Boston College F Jared Dudley, who leads the conference in scoring (19.6) and is second in rebounding (8.6), but he hasn’t come up big in the big situations like Singletary has. Moreover, Singletary’s prime numbers (18.6 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals) are enough to offset his 40 percent shooting percentage.
Big 12
Kevin Durant, F, Texas
For me, the Big 12 Player of the Year race is pretty much the National Player of the Year race. Acie Law has been spectacular for Texas A&M. He takes over ballgames when they matter, having single-handedly outscored the Aggies’ opponents in the last four minutes of games this season, and has the makings of an NCAA Tournament star. Still, he has the misfortune of playing in the same conference as this year’s transcendent player—Durant. The one-and-done freshman leads the Big 12 with 24.7 points and 11.3 rebounds (three more than the second-best), shoots 48 percent from the floor and averages 1.9 blocks and 1.9 steals per game. Perhaps most importantly, he has the Longhorns in the Big 12 title hunt despite Texas losing all five starters from last season.
Big East
Jeff Green, F, Georgetown
This award was supposed to come down to a battle of centers between Pitt’s Aaron Gray and G’town’s Roy Hibbert, but it is Green who has been the best player on the league’s best team. At 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, his numbers don’t do justice to his importance to the Hoyas on the floor. On a low-scoring team, he is an unselfish leader who also shoots 52 percent from the field. Honorable mention to the top stats guys, Syracuse’s Demetris Nichols and Marquette’s Dominic James, as well as Providence’s Herbert Hill.
Big Ten
Alando Tucker, G/F, Wisconsin
With all due respect to Ohio State freshmen Mike Conley and Greg Oden, as well as Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel, this might be the easiest call of any conference. Tucker is the undisputed leader of the Badgers, who would not make the NCAA Tournament without him. On a team not known for lighting up the scoreboard, Tucker averages 19.9 points per game while chipping in 5.4 rebounds and shooting 48 percent from the floor. The one knock on Tucker (and the one that could hurt the Badgers in the NCAAs)? He shoots just 65 percent from the foul line.
Pac-10
Darren Collison, G, UCLA
Collison wins along the same lines as Green in the Big East—as the most indispensable player on a team with legitimate Final 4 aspirations. Oregon G Aaron Brooks (18.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds) looked to have this award sewn up just a few weeks ago, but Oregon has sputtered as UCLA has thrived, giving Collison the leg up. He replaced Jordan Farmar and has made the Bruins better, averaging 13 points and 6 assists, along with 2.3 rebounds, and has an assist-to-turnover margin of 2.1-to-1. He also shoots 51 percent from the floor, 79 percent from the foul line and 49 percent from behind the arc.
SEC
Joakim Noah, C, Florida
Had he stayed healthy all season, Tennessee G Chris Lofton would likely have won this award, and Alabama’s Richard Hendrix (15 points, 9 rebounds), Vanderbilt’s Derrick Byars (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and South Carolina’s Tre Kelley (19 points, 5 assists) certainly make strong cases, but it’s hard not to give this award to a Florida player. Which Florida player, however, is certainly more difficult—Al Horford (12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, 60 percent shooting) and Noah (12.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 blocks, 61 percent shooting) have nearly identical stats, but it is Noah’s energy that makes the difference. He sets the tone for the Gators and his length and defense allow them to take risks on the perimeter.
All-Americans
G Sean Singletary, Virginia
G Acie Law, Texas A&M
F Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
F Kevin Durant, Texas
C Nick Fazekas, Nevada (20.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 59 percent shooting percentage)
National Player of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
# posted by EJ @ 10:09 AM 
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Speaking of Player of the Year, did anyone see the Texas vs. Texas A&M game last night on the deuce? Acie Law IV is damn good. He hit a 3 with 3 seconds left in regulation to send it into overtime and then another 3 with 10 seconds left to send it to double overtime.
I concur with Snoop. For some reason, I've watched about 4 full TX A&M games this year, and AL IV has become my favorite player. I can't recall a college player with a better flair for the dramatic, as witnessed not only by his heroics v. Texas, but also making about 4 huge shots in the waning minutes of their upset(?) of Kansas.
If I had to put money down right now, I'd go with a final four of Florida, UCLA, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. Kansas and UNC are both more talented than 3 of those 4 teams (florida is the most talented team in the country), but seem more likely to be upset. As to Ohio State, I've seen them play 3 times, and they've won each time, but I've never left impressed.
Comments on POY choices: I'll take Dudley in the ACC. First in points, second in rebounds, and carrying a team that lost its second best player halfway through the season. Also, don't forget that Hansbrough is having a (seemingly unnoticed) very good year.
In the SEC, I don't really think you could possibly give it to a Florida player. Especially considering there is a guy scoring 20 a game (Chris Lofton from an underrated Tennessee team). Also to be considered, though his team totally flopped, is Big Baby Davis, putting up 18.1 and 10.5 per game.
The only way you can give it to a Florida player is if they went undefeated in conference (they have 3 losses). And honestly, if I had to rank the value of Florida's top four players, it would be 1) Green, 2) Brewer, 3) Horford, 4) Noah (incidentally, this is how they rank in terms of minutes played, with Green getting 5 more minutes a game than Brewer). I'm not saying that just to be a contrarian. I think Green is the true leader, and Brewer does everything on the court. Horford and Noah are both good, and they play fairly similarly actually. Don't know if you saw, but Dick Vitale recently let slip (he didn't know he was on air) that Donovan told him that the pros should take Horford first. I tend to agree.
In the Pac 10, while I think Collison is a great college point guard, I think it has to be Aaron Brooks or Arron Afflalo. I'd lean toward Afflalo due to UCLA's overall performance and his crunch time leadership.
To back up the Collison point, Compare him to Point Guard X:
Collison - 12.6 pts, 6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 2.15 A/T
X - 12.4 pts, 7.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.06 A/T
Guesses for X?
Mustafa Shakur from Arizona, who won't get a single vote for player of the year. Collison probably shouldn't either (despite what seems to be a media groundswell for it).
First Team All American:
Durant - Lock
Fazekas - Lock
Tucker - Lock
Last two spots are up for grabs. I agree that Law should be on. Others to consider: Morris Almond from Rice (26.5/6.5), Drew Neitzel, Hansbrough, Dudley, Lofton, Adam Haluska, Singletary, Brooks, Afflalo, Demetrius Nichols, Curtis Sumpter, and probably others. To be official, I'll take Neitzel, who has shown remarkable leadership for MSU.
If I had to put money down right now, I'd go with a final four of Florida, UCLA, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. Kansas and UNC are both more talented than 3 of those 4 teams (florida is the most talented team in the country), but seem more likely to be upset. As to Ohio State, I've seen them play 3 times, and they've won each time, but I've never left impressed.
Comments on POY choices: I'll take Dudley in the ACC. First in points, second in rebounds, and carrying a team that lost its second best player halfway through the season. Also, don't forget that Hansbrough is having a (seemingly unnoticed) very good year.
In the SEC, I don't really think you could possibly give it to a Florida player. Especially considering there is a guy scoring 20 a game (Chris Lofton from an underrated Tennessee team). Also to be considered, though his team totally flopped, is Big Baby Davis, putting up 18.1 and 10.5 per game.
The only way you can give it to a Florida player is if they went undefeated in conference (they have 3 losses). And honestly, if I had to rank the value of Florida's top four players, it would be 1) Green, 2) Brewer, 3) Horford, 4) Noah (incidentally, this is how they rank in terms of minutes played, with Green getting 5 more minutes a game than Brewer). I'm not saying that just to be a contrarian. I think Green is the true leader, and Brewer does everything on the court. Horford and Noah are both good, and they play fairly similarly actually. Don't know if you saw, but Dick Vitale recently let slip (he didn't know he was on air) that Donovan told him that the pros should take Horford first. I tend to agree.
In the Pac 10, while I think Collison is a great college point guard, I think it has to be Aaron Brooks or Arron Afflalo. I'd lean toward Afflalo due to UCLA's overall performance and his crunch time leadership.
To back up the Collison point, Compare him to Point Guard X:
Collison - 12.6 pts, 6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 2.15 A/T
X - 12.4 pts, 7.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.06 A/T
Guesses for X?
Mustafa Shakur from Arizona, who won't get a single vote for player of the year. Collison probably shouldn't either (despite what seems to be a media groundswell for it).
First Team All American:
Durant - Lock
Fazekas - Lock
Tucker - Lock
Last two spots are up for grabs. I agree that Law should be on. Others to consider: Morris Almond from Rice (26.5/6.5), Drew Neitzel, Hansbrough, Dudley, Lofton, Adam Haluska, Singletary, Brooks, Afflalo, Demetrius Nichols, Curtis Sumpter, and probably others. To be official, I'll take Neitzel, who has shown remarkable leadership for MSU.
Agreed the Florida has not helped its case by going in the tank late, but there is no one in that conference that has really stood out (Big Baby plays for the last-place team and Lofton has missed too much time), and despite their faltering, the Gators are still the champs -- that counts for something.
As to the Pac 10, this is not a stat award. Darren Collison's stats aren't off the charts, but that team could survive the loss of Afflalo more than the loss of Collison (see the loss to WVU). Brooks still has a very real shot and might be the most deserving candidate, but when I wrote the post Oregon was playing terribly, which hurts his case.
As to the Pac 10, this is not a stat award. Darren Collison's stats aren't off the charts, but that team could survive the loss of Afflalo more than the loss of Collison (see the loss to WVU). Brooks still has a very real shot and might be the most deserving candidate, but when I wrote the post Oregon was playing terribly, which hurts his case.
I agree that the award is not stat based -- as I hinted to above, I think Afflalo's team leadership is one reason he should win the award.
I also respectfully disagree with the assertion that UCLA would be better off without Afflalo than without Collison. Like I said, I think Collison does a nice job running the team, but when UCLA needs a score, they always look to Afflalo. The WVU game, to me, is a very minor point. There is little shame in traveling 3,000 miles and losing to a pretty solid WVU team by 5. That argument also gets into the value of each player's backup. Collison's backup in the WVU game went 1 for 11. It seems silly that Collison gain an advantage over Afflalo based on the relative capabilities of their backups.
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I also respectfully disagree with the assertion that UCLA would be better off without Afflalo than without Collison. Like I said, I think Collison does a nice job running the team, but when UCLA needs a score, they always look to Afflalo. The WVU game, to me, is a very minor point. There is little shame in traveling 3,000 miles and losing to a pretty solid WVU team by 5. That argument also gets into the value of each player's backup. Collison's backup in the WVU game went 1 for 11. It seems silly that Collison gain an advantage over Afflalo based on the relative capabilities of their backups.
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