A.I. Is Broke

It is a sad day in the world of basketball. As of today, Allen Iverson has joined the unholy pantheon of all-time-profligate sports spendthrifts, including the likes of Derrick Coleman, Mike Tyson, John Daly, Latrell Sprewell, and Antoine Walker. Iverson is broke as a joke.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2012/02/21/allen-iverson-earned-over-200-million-in-his-nba-career-hes-now-broke-say-what/

Adios Ben Howland

I wrote about Howland potentially getting fired a month ago, but things appear to be much worse than I expected...

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncb/story/_/id/7629031/ucla-bruins-coach-ben-howland-lost-control-highly-recruited-players-according-report

Thursday is March 1st

Gus Johnson wet himself with excitement when he realized that March starts in two days. To give you a little taste of what's to come in the next few weeks, here are Gus's best moments from the 2007 tournament. Rise and Fire...Count It!

It's Official: Bill Simmons Hates Duke

Apparently, I have more in common with Simmons (Editor-in-chief of Grantland) than I realized...

Thomas Robinson = Respect

If you haven't seen the ESPN special on Thomas Robinson from a few weeks back, it's worth a watch. Guy has overcome so much and you have to respect the hell out of a guy like that.

Pat Knight Doing His Best "Bobby" Impersonation

BEAUMONT, Texas -- Lamar coach Pat Knight has torn into his players in a way that might remind some of his father.

On Wednesday night, after his team lost 62-52 to Stephen F. Austin, the younger and usually more subdued Knight pulled no punches in an extended rant that prompted comparisons to Bob Knight, his dad and a legendary coach known for his fiery temper.

"We've got the worst group of seniors right now that I've ever been associated with," Pat Knight said. "Their mentality is awful. Their attitude is awful. It's been their (custom) for the last three years. To come out in a game like this, with no emotion and flat, it's terrible."

Knight is in his first year at Lamar, a Southland Conference team, after being let go by Texas Tech. The Cardinals are 17-11 with three league games remaining. He said several times during Wednesday's postgame news conference that he's at the school to "clean things up" and that next year things will be different when the current seniors are gone.

"These guys are stealing money by being on scholarship with their approach to things," he said.

He said no one has stepped up to help lead the team in a better direction and says there's an "infestation" of players who are difficult to coach.

"When I played, if you acted the way some of these guys did, you got shoved in a locker with a forearm up against your neck and told: 'You don't do that. That's not how we do things at Indiana,' and that's what we need," Knight said while not specifying who did that when he was playing for the Hoosiers under his father.

After he calling his seniors "the worst," he went down the box score and read off several players' statistics and said they have an "attitude problem."

After that he got much more personal.

"We've had problems with these guys off the court, on the court, classroom, drugs ...," Knight said. "If you act this way in the real world, you're going to be homeless, without a job."

Knight's rant began when senior Mike James was at the podium beginning to answer a question. The coach stalked up to the podium while telling James to leave.

"All right, let's go, I'm next," Knight said. "Because you don't have a clue what it takes to win."

Messages left with a Lamar spokesman seeking comment on Knight's rant weren't immediately returned Friday afternoon.

The Cardinals clinched a spot in the Southland Conference tournament for the first time since the 2007-08 season on Feb. 15. But Knight believes they've been slacking off since then, and is upset in the way they've lost their last two games.

"You just can't do all that BS and then expect to be a good team and win games," he said. "And if people have a problem with me being so harsh about it, I don't care. I've come here to clean something up, and that's the bottom line. We've got to get a better personality on this team, a better mindset, and that's where recruiting comes into place."

He feels like they're content to simply make the tournament and said that being their "monumental achievement" is sad.

"If they show up the way they did tonight, there's no way we'll win another game," Knight said.

Lamar faces Sam Houston State on Saturday night.

Knight's father, now an ESPN analyst, was fired at Indiana in 2000 for what school officials there called a "pattern of unacceptable behavior." Always known for his temper there, his biggest blowups came when he threw a chair across the court and was later accused of wrapping his hands around a player's neck.

Game of the Weekend - (5) Kansas over (4) Missouri

What a game. What a comeback. Down 19 points in the second half, Kansas rode National Player of the Year candidate Thomas Robinson's 28 points to stage an incredible come from behind victory in overtime, 87-86. I never thought round two could live up to the first meeting between these two teams...boy, was I wrong.

Who Will Be Dancing?

A couple of sports nerds at North Florida and Charles River Associates have developed a formula to predict which teams will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

I hope they are right.

http://www.unf.edu/~jcoleman/dance.htm

Gravy Race

My earlier Rick Majerus reference got me thinking about a hypothetical question:

To frame this, I envision Mississippi State playing Saint Louis University in the first round of the NCAA tournament with Holly Rowe doing the sideline reporting. It is midway through the second half and Mississippi State is clinging to a 1 point lead. During a TV timeout, referee Tim Higgins grabs a large bowl of warm gravy and places it at middle court.

Who gets there first?
1) Sideline reporter Holly Rowe
2) Mississippi State forward Renardo Sidney
3) SLU coach Rick Majerus
4) UCLA Center Josh Smith (who is in the crowd waiting for the 2nd game of the double-header)

Rowe:

Sidney (aka Fat Kid from Hook):

Majerus:

Smith:

Any thoughts?

James Bates - Announcing Fail

Admirable attempt to not look like a complete jackass but an eventual fail. Would have been much better if this had happened to Rick Majerus in the heyday of his announcing career....

Anthony Davis does NOT deserve the Wooden Award

Disclaimer: Before Kentucky fans start freaking out and claiming that either a) I’m biased towards John Calipari, b) I hate Kentucky because I’m jealous of Big Blue Nation, or c) I don’t know anything about basketball, I offer the following rebuttal: a) I think John Calipari is the best recruiter in the country and extremely underrated from a player development standpoint, b) being jealous of Kentucky’s self-promoted “brand” is the reality-TV equivalent of being jealous of The Situation, and c) The Schwab has me on speed-dial (not a joke).

So, about 2-3 weeks ago, Dick Vitale got the great idea that the following declaration would sound “Awesome, Baby”:

“Anthony Davis will complete the grand slam – win the National Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and be the No 1 Pick in the NBA Draft.”

Since that time, seemingly every basketball pundit has jumped on the “Anthony Davis for Player of the Year” bandwagon and it’s honestly one of the more bizarre instances of piling on that I have ever witnessed. Let’s get a few things straight: Davis is, hands down, the deserving winner of 3 of these awards. The guy is an incredibly effective defensive presence in the post and has amazing timing and athleticism for somebody his size. He is the best freshman in the country and will undoubtedly be the #1 pick in this year’s draft. He is an amazing talent that will play in many future All-Star games. But National Player of the Year? Give me a break.

Would you vote for a guy for National Player of the Year who was really only average on offense when you took away the rest of the firepower on his team? If you put Anthony Davis on a mid-tier Division 1 Men’s basketball team that wasn’t running the dribble drive offense with the most athletic players in the country at every position on every possession, he would be a slightly above average presence on the offensive end.  Let’s take a look at his offensive repertoire:

·         Post moves: None. Davis gets 75% of his points off of uncontested dunks and offensive rebounds. When he actually gets the ball on the block, which is difficult due to his inability to get position against stronger players, he flails around and generally throws up off-balanced shots.

·         Mid-Range Game: None. Davis has started shooting more jumpers and even attempted two 3’s in last night’s win against Mississippi State. But he can’t make them. He will be able to some day, but the guy is a liability shooting the ball outside of 10 feet right now.

Let me ask you another question: if your team was down 1 point with 30 seconds left and you had time to design a play for one guy and had the option of Davis versus one of these players, who would you want to go through?

·         Thomas Robinson (Kansas)

·         Kevin Jones (WVU)

·         Mike Moser (UNLV)

·         Drew Gordon (New Mexico)

·         Arnett Moultrie (Miss St)

·         Draymond Green (Michigan State)

·         Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

·         John Henson (UNC)

This is a list of notable players that average more rebounds per game than Anthony Davis. And I’d take every one of them vs. Davis (Henson is a push) in that situation.  So, once you take away Davis’s blocks, he’s a worse scorer (for a last shot and overall) and rebounder than at least 8 players in college basketball. Three of these guys are legitimate National Player of the Year candidates (Robinson, Green, and Jones) that play for teams that will make the tournament (Kansas and Michigan State will be 1, 2, or 3 seeds).

I’m tired of writing and don’t feel like doing any more analysis, so I’ll wipe my brow and say that Davis should be sitting in 4^th for the Naismith award. And that’s being generous.

The Next Lin?

Chris Tang is only a sophomore in high school at Hampton Roads Academy in Virginia, but he's already scored over 40 twice this season and has sneaky hops and court vision.

Alabama Fan Invades MSG

The nerdy dude with the Big Head of himself from the Florida game has been spotted in NYC at the Knicks game. This guy is classic...

He also hit Obama's inauguration.

Googs Is Tough on the Refs

Yesterday, Referee Karl Hess pulled one of the most ridiculous stunts I have ever seen in college basketball: He ejected two of the greatest players in the history of N.C. State's program who were sitting courtside.  Gugliotta and Corchiani argued with Hess for a few seconds before leaving with chants of "ref you suck" from the N.C. State student section echoing in the background.

Great quote from Corchiani: "Karl"rabbit ears" Hess didn't like the fact Googs and I told him he was having a bad day, inconsistent, and telling the truth."

Biggest ACC Choke Last Night?

This one is really a toss up between 2 pathetic ACC choke jobs. You be the judge on which one is worse:

1) NC State blows 20pt lead with 11 minutes left to lose 78-73 at Duke.

2) Virginia Tech blows 8pt lead with 1:29 left to lose 48-47 at Florida State. Virginia Tech missed 5 of its last 6 FTs and Michael Snaer (aka Mr. Big Shot) made them pay.

Tough Night for Ole Miss

First they get smoked at home by 26 while giving up 102 points to Vanderbilt, and then this...

Michael Jordan - Gotcha!!

I knew this had to be too good to be true...

High School Flashback

2006 Peach Jam: Mean Streets Express (Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon) vs. Team Final (Tyreke Evans).

Absurd matchup. Rose had 20, Gordon had 29, and Evans had 22.

SMU Has a Potent Offense

Below is the score from a Division 1 Men's basketball game last night. SMU scored 28 points - in an entire 40-minute game - with 5 men on athletic scholarships. For those of you who thought that Coach Matt Doherty's fall from grace at UNC was bad...this seems slightly more embarrassing...

Below are some of the most impressive stats:
1) 8-46 from the floor (17.4%)
2) 3-29 from three (10.3%)
3) 3 total assists
4) Only 2 players scored over 5 points.  Only 4 players scored over 2 points.

Latest From Lin - Tuesday, Feb 15th

Ironic that his full name is Jeremy Shu-How Lin. Now he will Shu You How to hit a game winner against the Raptors.

Home Court Advantage

I'm going to hire this guy to come set up shop behind the goal for my 7-year old cousin's YMCA basketball game this weekend. I'm highly confident that a) the other team goes 0-for from the line, and b) the cops arrive by halftime.

Introducing Damon Harge

I can't decide what's more absurd: the fact that this little guy can hang with high schoolers (what league is this?) or the fact that the website www.middleschoolhoops.com actually exists.

Introducing the #1 Sixth Grader in the country, Damon Harge.

Dunk of the Week: Kwame Alexander

Cal State-San Berdino has a high riser in its midst. Look out below!!

Headshot Faceoff: Kevin Stallings

One Kevin coaches Vanderbilt and one Kevin works at Dunder Mifflin. Which one is better at their job this year? That's a toss-up...

 

Headshot Faceoff: Jeremy Lamb

Jeremy Lamb = Pug Life

 

Stephen Pledger: Celebration Fail

Stephen Pledger had a chance at a wide open 3 at the buzzer to tie the game for Oklahoma vs. Missouri this week.

Pledger thought the shot was good and threw a celebratory 3 fingered fist pump with the ball still in the air. Unfortunately, he threw up a brick. Celebration FAIL!!

Linsanity Is Here

Jeremy Lin dropping it like it's hot at Harvard.

In other news, Lin just signed $50mm worth of endorsement deals in the past 24 hours.

Saturday Preview: (20) Virginia at (5) North Carolina

On Saturday at 1pm, #20 Virginia (19-4, 6-3) will head to Chapel Hill to face the #5 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (20-4, 7-2). As the whole world knows, UNC is coming off a devastating home loss against Duke on Wednesday night and Las Vegas has the Tar Heels as heavy 11-point favorites again the Cavaliers. UNC scores points in bunches (#1 in the nation in scoring offense at 84ppg) and is the #1 rebounding team in the country as well at 46rpg, led by the tallest front 4 in college basketball (Zeller at 7’0”, Henson at 6’11”, Barnes at 6’8” and Bullock at 6’7”).  Vegas has the over/under at 146, indicating that the sharps think that UNC will control tempo and make this a high scoring affair. With all due respect to the guys in Vegas, they have this one twisted.

Let’s do some simple analysis.

1)      North Carolina has played 24 games this season.

2)      Of those 24 games, 3 have been played against defenses that were ranked in the top 50 in the country (Wisconsin, Florida State, Kentucky).

3)      UNC averaged 63ppg against these three opponents going 1-2 in the matchups and only beating Wisconsin by 3 at home in their only win.

4)      Math: When UNC played stellar defenses, it scored 21 points less than its average.

5)      UVA is the second best scoring defense in the nation, giving up only 51ppg.

On paper, this is a great matchup for UVA’s pack-line defense. Virginia’s defense is premised on the idea that you play man to man defense but force opposing teams to shoot over the top. Virginia does a great job of playing the pick and roll by hedging out wide on screens and making it difficult for opposing teams to a) penetrate, and b) make entry passes into the post. UNC’s biggest weakness is it outside shooting (shot 1-6 from 3 against Duke on Wednesday) and I expect UVA to pack its defense into the post and force UNC to win the game by hitting 3s. The absence of Assane Sene will make the game tough on UVA’s bigs, but UVA rarely sends teams to the free throw line and has stayed out of foul trouble to date.

UNC’s entire offense runs through its point guard…always has, always will. Kendall Marshall is widely considered to be the best passing point guard in college basketball. He gets the majority of his assists on transition buckets and by getting into the lane, drawing a defender, and hitting Henson or Zeller for a dunk. UVA presents two major problems for Kendall Marshall and, thus, UNC’s ability to effectively run its offense:

1)      UVA does not allow teams to score points in transition. As part of Tony Bennett’s system, UVA only sends 1 guy to the offensive glass and send 4 back on defense. Although this results in a limited number of offensive rebounds for UVA, it effectively prevents opposing teams from running a fast break.

2)      Jontel Evans is, hands down, the best on the ball defender in the ACC and you can bet your ass that Jontel is going to be all over Marshall all day long. Marshall is extremely slow and will have a very tough time getting into the paint with Evans riding him all game long.

As a result, I expect UVA to dictate tempo in this game and force UNC to grind out a game in the 60’s. Virginia’s offense has been extremely effective against teams that play poor defense (see Wake Forest, Duke) and I would expect this to continue against the worst perimeter defensive team in the country. It will be difficult to get a win in Chapel Hill, but UVA is an experienced team and is hungry to get its first big-time ACC win. Assuming Mike Scott can stay out of foul trouble, I predict a UVA upset – 67-65.

Key Matchups:

PG: Jontel Evans vs. Kendall Marshall

I have discussed this matchup in plenty of detail above. Kendall Marshall’s leprechaun flute might lull some defenses to sleep, but not the #2 defense in the country. I expect Jontel to get into the lane at will on offense and score in double figures for the second consecutive game.

Advantage: Virginia

 

SG: Sammy Zeglinksi vs. Reggie Bullock

Zeglinksi has been on quite the cold streak as of late, and this is going to be a very difficult matchup for him. Bullock is long and is a pretty solid defender and you know that Roy has ben pounding the table about defending the three after Duke hit 14 of them on Wednesday. If Bullock is able to get his man in the post, he should have his way with a 6 inch height advantage. Bullock does look like a clown though.

Advantage: UNC

 

SF: Joe Harris vs. Harrison Barnes

NBA draft scouts would say that this matchup is a no-brainer in Barnes’ favor, but I’m not so sure. Barnes plays like a robot and settles for WAY too many jump shots, which will be easy to do against UVA’s pack-line defense that allows contested three pointers. Additionally, once Barnes gets into the lane, he rarely passes, so UVA should be able to force him to take tough shots with its help-defense. He averages 18ppg but shoots under 50%. On the other hand, Barnes is the worst perimeter defender on the team and Harris is one of the best three point shooters in the ACC (averaging 2 makes per game). I expect Harris to get plenty of open looks and, based on his last several games, expect him to knock them down.

Advantage: Push

 

PF: Mike Scott vs. John Henson

Mike Scott has been the most efficient scorer in the ACC to date, but he will face his biggest challenge of the season. John “Gumby” Henson has a 10 foot wingspan and looks a lot like a pterodactyl when he block shots, which he does at an impressive pace (averages 3.1bps game – 1^st in the ACC). The problem for Henson is that Mike Scott’s fade away J is unblockable. I expect Henson to do some significant work on the offensive glass, but do not think he can keep Scott from getting 20+. This is a statement game for Scott as he tries to impress scouts and I think he will live up to the hype.

Advantage: Virginia

 

C: Akil Mitchell vs. Tyler Zeller

This is likely the most lopsided matchup, as Zeller (aka George McFly) has been playing great basketball during the ACC season. UVA just has to hope that Mitchell can stay out of foul trouble and can limit Big Z’s touches.

Advantage: UNC

 

Kentucky: How it Would Have Happened

Courtesy of KentuckySportsRadio (http://kentuckysportsradio.com/):

Duke 85, UNC 84

I can't say I like Austin Rivers, but I have to respect the guy. There are not a lot of freshman who have the confidence and ability to do what that kid did to UNC last night, scoring 29pts on 6 threes including the game winner as time expired (see video below).

Thoughts on the game:
1) That was the biggest choke of the year. UNC was up 10 with just over 2 minutes left. Kansas's loss against Missou last weekend was bad, but that one was on the refs. This one was squarely on Roy Williams and UNC's inability to finish. When you return all five starters from an Elite 8 team,  the best PG in the ACC (maybe 2nd after last night) and one of the best closers in the game (Barnes), that should never happen.
2) Both teams play horrendous defense. You'd think you would step out to guard the three after the opposing team has attempted 35 of them, but apparently UNC does not know how to make adjustments. Meanwhile, Duke gave up 14 offensive rebounds (which felt like 25) and it's not like the team doesn't have size (the Plumlees are both 6'10")
3) Jay Bilas needs to relax on his Tyler Zeller obsession. If I had to hear "Tyler Zeller is hands down the ACC Player of the Year"one more time, I was going to personally tweet smack him. Zeller had a great first half (19 points), but you aren't the ACC Player of the Year if you only get 4 second half points and effectively win the game for Duke (missed free throws, tipped shot in for Duke which should have been worth 3 points, awful defense on the game's final play). The guy never gets double teamed because of the presence of Henson and Barnes and simply does what a skilled 7'0" big man should do when playing 1 on 1 on the block. Mike Scott is the ACC Player of the Year - he gets doubled almost every possession and still has better stats for UVA, which is only 1 game behind UNC in the ACC race.

Tyler Zeller: 15.6ppg (18.6% of team's points), 9.7rpg (21.1% of team's rebounds)
Mike Scott: 17.0ppg (26.6% of team's points), 8.3rpg (25.2% of team's rebounds)

Austin Rivers with the dagger:

UNC Rap

In preparation for tonight's UNC-Duke game, some guy named Ricky Mac put together this UNC rap. Ricky might want to keep his day job...

"We've got a Henson Air Defense System"  - Nice rhyme

Headshot Faceoff - Anthony Davis

Sam the Eagle from the Muppets is in the house. I would love to get some measurements on Sam's wingspan...

Did Duke Win?

Hit the link below to find out:

Did Duke Win?

Adios Bruce Weber?

There has been quite a bit of talk amongst Illinois fans that Bruce Weber is most likely out at Illinois at the end of the season. The combination of lackluster attendance and several large donors holding back financial commitments has placed Weber squarely on the hot seat. Apparently, the 2013 and 2014 classes in Illinois are stacked with talent and the school wants to bring in a big-time name who can recruit.

I hate when donors are the ones dictating these types of decisions, but Weber hasn't exactly caught the world on fire since making the finals in 2005 (he won national coach of the year in '05). His first three years at Illinois were impressive (89-16, 39-9 in conference), but he hasn't won a Big 10 title or made it past the second round of the tournament since then.

Prediction: Shaka Smart is coaching Illinois this time next year.

Wednesday Night Should Be Awkward

On Wednesday night at 9pm, we will witness the latest chapter in the best rivalry in all of college sports - Duke vs. UNC. There will be many headlines for the game, but my favorite will be the relationship between the Rivers family and Dexter Strickland. Below are the facts:

1) Austin Rivers (son of Doc Rivers) is likely the ACC Freshman of the Year and starting point guard for Duke.
2) Dexter Strickland is a junior shooting guard for UNC who started for the first half of the season before tearing his ACL.
3) Callie Rivers is Austin Rivers' sister.
4) Callie Rivers dates Dexter Strickland.
5) Wednesday's game is at UNC.

Something tells me that Austin's first game in the Dean Dome will be slightly awkward - I expect the fans will remind him early and often about what's going on off the court. I hope to see some Callie Rivers Big Heads in the stands...

Game of the Weekend - #4 Missouri Takes Down #8 Kansas

Down by 8 with just over two minutes to go, Marcus Denman put Missouri on his back, hitting three 3 pointers in the final 2 minutes to bring Missouri back for a 74-71 victory over Kansas. Ridiculous game and maybe the best of the year thus far. Below is Denman's last dagger, which would prove to be the game-winner.

Other Big Dunks From The Week That Was

Oklahoma State's Markel Brown off glass:

Detroit's Doug Anderson all over Valpo:

Nerlens Noel - Coming to a School Near You

Nerlens Noel, the 6'11" high school swat machine, has just reclassified to the Class of 2012 (from 2013). That means he will be playing college ball next year. Get to know him - you'll hear about him all next year.

You have to respect the high-top fade.

High School Flashback

March 4, 2006: Oak Hill vs. Montrose Christian.  Ridiculous battle between Durant and Lawson. 

Oak Hill (black):
Ty Lawson (1)
Also: Michael Beasley, Nolan Smith

Montrose (white):
Kevin Durant (3)
Also: Greivis Vasquez

Leading Contenders for Major Conference POYs

ACC:

1)      Mike Scott, Virginia

2)      Tyler Zeller, North Carolina

3)      Terrell Stoglin, Maryland

4)      Michael Snaer, Florida State

5)      Kendall Marshall/Harrison Barnes/John Henson, North Carolina

Notes: Barring suspension or major injury, this award is Mike Scott’s to lose. He has been an absolute beast and the model of consistency during ACC play. Zeller is coming on strong with 5 double doubles in his last 6 and Snaer is averaging 18ppg in his last 5. Although Marshall and Barnes are great on the offensive end, their inability to defend ANYBODY makes them non-factors for this award. This will likely be the first time in almost a decade that a Duke player does not make first team All-ACC.

SEC:

1)      Anthony Davis, Kentucky

2)      Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky

3)      John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

4)      Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

5)      Kenny Boynton, Florida

Notes – Although Davis still can’t create his own shot on offense, he is the most fearsome defensive presence (averaging 10rpg and almost 5bpg) to come through college basketball since Emeka Okafor and he alters games on both ends of the floor. MKG and Moultrie do it all for their respective teams and Jenkins and Boynton are scoring at an impressive clip (20ppg and 17ppg, respectively) but don’t have a strong enough all-around game for consideration for the top spot.  

Big East:

1)      Kevin Jones, West Virginia

2)      Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette

3)      Herb Pope, Seton Hall

4)      Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut

5)      Kris Joseph, Syracuse

Notes - There is a clear Top-2 in the Big East and a very big drop-off after Jones and Johnson-Odom. Both players are former glue-guys who have put their teams on their backs during their senior years. Jones puts up better all-around stats (21 and 12) but Johnson-Odom has been fierce in Big East play (averaging 18ppg on the season) and has Marquette sitting in second place in the league at 8-2. Joseph is included because he is the best player on the best team, but you could put multiple Cuse guys in this position.

Big Ten

1)      Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

2)      Draymond Green, Michigan State

3)      Cody Zeller, Indiana

4)      Trey Burke, Michigan

5)      John Shurna, Northwestern

Notes - Sully came into the season as the favorite to win Big Ten player of the year honors and he hasn’t disappointed. The slimmed down big man continues to be virtually unguardable in the post and is letting the game come to him, putting up an efficient 17 and 10 on only 11 shots per game. Draymond Green has been equally as impressive, leading Michigan State in virtually all categories (1^st in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals, second in assists), but his injury against Illinois could sideline the big fella. Zeller and Burke are having dynamite freshman seasons in leading their teams to the top half of the league, while Shurna leads the league in scoring at 19ppg.

Big 12

1)      Thomas Robinson, Kansas

2)      Ricardo Radcliffe, Missouri

3)      J’Covan Brown, Texas

4)      Royce White, Iowa State

5)      Perry Jones, Baylor

Notes - Robinson is probably the leading candidate for the Wooden Award and has taken over the reins from the Morris twins with style by leading Kansas back to the top of the conference. He is averaging 18ppg and is second in the nation with 12rpg, while playing against some of the better big men in the country in the Big 12. Ricardo Radcliff has had one of the most efficient seasons in recent memory, leading the nation with an absurd 75% FG percentage and averaging 15ppg and 7rpg. Perry Jones has been the biggest individual disappointment in college basketball this season, but sneaks in to the top 5.

Pac-12

NA – league should be considered Mid-Major

Blast From The Past: Manute Bol

Make it rain big fella. That stroke is silky smooth.

Salavace Townsend - Oh. No. He. Didn't.

That Grambling State guy just got POSTERIZED!!!