Awards

NCAA Tournament 2012: Top 68 Players

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:08:10 -0800

When it comes time to pick your NCAA Bracket, its a good strategy to focus on teams with superstar players. Just look at UCONN last year: Kemba Walker put the Huskies on his back and led them to a surprise National Championship.

Which individual stars will lead their teams to success in the 2012 Tournament? It might be household stars like Anthony Davis, or lesser known stars like Casper Ware and Nate Wolters. Here are the 68 best players in the Dance:

LET THE DEBATES BEGIN...

Rank	Player	School	League	Yr	Pos
1	Anthony Davis	Kentucky	SEC	Fr	F
2	Thomas Robinson	Kansas	B12	Jr	F
3	Jared Sullinger	Ohio St	B10	So	F
4	Doug McDermott	Creighton	MVC	So	F
5	Draymond Green	Michigan St	B10	Sr	F
6	John Henson	North Carolina	ACC	Jr	F
7	Harrison Barnes	North Carolina	ACC	So	F
8	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	Kentucky	SEC	Fr	F
9	Isaiah Canaan	Murray St	OVC	Jr	G
10	Marcus Denmon	Missouri	B12	Sr	G
11	Perry Jones	Baylor	B12	So	F
12	Kevin Jones	West Virginia	BE	Sr	F
13	Will Barton	Memphis	USA	So	G
14	Jeremy Lamb	UCONN	BE	So	G
15	Cody Zeller	Indiana	B10	Fr	C
16	Tyler Zeller	North Carolina	ACC	Jr	C
17	Mike Scott	Virginia	ACC	Sr	F
18	John Jenkins	Vanderbilt	SEC	Jr	G
19	Kenny Boynton	Florida	SEC	Jr	G
20	Tyshawn Taylor	Kansas	B12	Sr	G
21	Scott Machado	Iona	MAAC	Sr	G
22	Jae Crowder	Marquette	BE	Sr	F
23	Kendall Marshall	North Carolina	ACC	So	G
24	J'Covan Brown	Texas	B12	Jr	G
25	Trey Burke	Michigan	B10	Fr	G
26	Tu Holloway	Xavier	A10	Sr	G
27	Austin Rivers	Duke	ACC	Fr	G
28	Robbie Hummel	Purdue	B10	Sr	F
29	Matthew Dellavedova	St. Mary's	WCC	Jr	G
30	Darius Johnson-Odom	Marquette	BE	Sr	G
31	Jordan Taylor	Wisconsin	B10	Sr	G
32	Casper Ware	Long Beach St	BW	Sr	G
33	Dion Waiters	Syracuse	BE	So	G
34	Kris Joseph	Syracuse	BE	Sr	F
35	Drew Gordon	New Mexico	MWC	Sr	F
36	Nate Wolters	South Dakota St	SUM	Jr	G
37	Wendell McKines	New Mexico St	WAC	Sr	F
38	CJ McCollum	Lehigh	PAT	Jr	G
39	JaMychal Green	Alabama	SEC	Sr	F
40	William Buford	Ohio St	B10	Sr	G
41	Henry Sims	Georgetown	BE	Sr	C
42	Bradley Beal	Florida	SEC	Fr	G
43	Mike Moser	UNLV	MWC	So	F
44	Jamaal Franklin	San Diego St	MWC	So	G
45	Jason Clark	Georgetown	BE	Sr	G
46	Aaron Craft	Ohio St	B10	So	G
47	Ramon Moore	Temple	A10	Sr	G
48	Mike Glover	Iona	MAAC	Sr	F
49	Royce White	Iowa St	B12	So	F
50	Jeff Taylor	Vanderbilt	SEC	Sr	G
51	Andrew Nicholson	St Bonaventure	A10	Sr	F
52	Doron Lamb	Kentucky	SEC	So	G
53	Shabazz Napier	UCONN	BE	So	G
54	Terrence Jones	Kentucky	SEC	So	F
55	Lorenzo Brown	NC State	ACC	So	G
56	Kerron Johnson	Belmont	AS	Jr	G
57	Chance Stanback	UNLV	MWC	Sr	F
58	Rob Jones	St. Mary's	SEC	Sr	F
59	DJ Cooper	Ohio	MAC	Jr	G
60	Garrett Stutz	Wichita St	MVC	Sr	C
61	Mark Lyons	Xavier	A10	Jr	G
62	Kim English	Missouri	B12	Sr	G
63	Jake Cohen	Davidson	SoCo	Jr	F
64	Ray McCallum	Detroit	HL	So	G
65	Bernard James	Florida St	ACC	Sr	C
66	Elias Harris	Gonzaga	WCC	Sr	F
67	Sean Kilpatrick	Cincinncati	BE	So	G
68	Khalif Wyatt	Temple	A10	Jr	G

Top 10 One-Bid League Stars

1 Isaiah Canaan - Murray St

2 Casper Ware - Long Beach St

3 Nate Wolters - South Dakota St

4 CJ McCollum - Lehigh

5 Kerron Johnson - Belmont

5 DJ Cooper - Ohio

6 Jake Cohen - Davidson

7 Ray McCallum - Detroit

8 Will Cherry - Montana

9 Matt Dickey - UNC-Asheville

10 TJ Robinson - Long Beach St

2012 All-America Team: CollegeHoops.net

CHN — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:44:56 -0800

Player of the Year Anthony Davis, only a freshman, highlights CollegeHoops.net's 2012 All-America Team. Davis, the nation's leading shot-blocker, led Kentucky to a 30-1 regular season record. Davis is joined on the First Team by Thomas Robinson of Kansas, Draymond Green of Michigan State, Doug McDermott of Creighton, and Isaiah Canaan of Murray State.

Davis is one of only two freshmen on the list, as teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist made the Third Team.

CollegeHoops.net All-America Teams were voted on by staffers Shawn Siegel, Raphielle Johnson, Greg Mengelt, and Jon Teitel.

Last year's winner was BYU's Jimmer Fredette.

Player of the Year: F Anthony Davis, Kentucky, Fr

First Team All-American

G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr
F Doug McDermott, Creighton, So
F Draymond Green, Michigan St, Sr
F Thomas Robinson, Kansas, Jr
F Anthony Davis, Kentucky, Fr

Second Team All-American

G Scott Machado, Iona, Sr
G Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas, Sr
G Damian Lillard, Weber St, Jr
F Jared Sullinger, Ohio St, So
F Tyler Zeller, North Carolina, Jr

Third Team All-American

G Marcus Denmon, Missouri, Sr
G John Jenkins, Vanderbilt, Jr
F John Henson, North Carolina, Jr
F Mike Scott, Virginia, Sr
F Kevin Jones, West Virginia, Sr

Fourth Team All-American

G Kendall Marshall, North Carolina, So
G Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, Sr
F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky, Fr
F Will Barton, Memphis, So
F Jae Crowder, Marquette, Sr

Honorable Mention

G Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, So
G Kenny Boynton, Florida, Jr
G J'Covan Brown, Texas, Jr
F Perry Jones III, Baylor, So
F Kris Joseph, Syracuse, Sr
G Jeremy Lamb, UCONN, So
F Mike Moser, UNLV, So
F Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi St, Jr
F John Shurna, Northwestern, Sr
F Royce White, Iowa St, So

2012 All High-Major Team: CollegeHoops.net

CHN — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:39:54 -0800

Player of the Year Doug McDermott, only a sophomore, highlights CollegeHoops.net's 2012 All High-Major Team. McDermott averaged 23 ppg while shooting over 60% from the floor in leading Creighton to an MVC Tournament title.

McDermott is joined on the First Team by fellow sophomores Mike Moser of UNLV and Will Barton of Memphis. Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's and Ramone Moore of Temple round out the squad.

CollegeHoops.net All High-Major Teams were voted on by staffers Shawn Siegel, Raphielle Johnson, Greg Mengelt, and Jon Teitel. The High-Major Team is comprised of players in the Atlantic 10, Conference USA, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, and West Coast Conference.

Last year's winner was BYU's Jimmer Fredette.

High-Major Player of the Year: F Doug McDermott, Creighton, So

First Team High-Major

G Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's, Jr
G Ramone Moore, Temple, Sr
F Doug McDermott, Creighton, So
F Will Barton, Memphis, So
F Mike Moser, UNLV, So

Second Team High-Major

G Deonte Burton, Nevada, So
G Jamaal Franklin, San Diego St, So
F Wendell McKines, New Mexico St, Sr
F Andrew Nicholson, Saint Bonaventure, Sr
F Drew Gordon, New Mexico, Sr

Third Team High-Major

G Tu Holloway, Xavier, Sr
G Khalif Wyatt, Temple, Jr
F Noah Hartsock, BYU, Sr
F Garrett Stutz, Wichita St, Sr
F Rob Jones, Saint Mary's, Sr

Fourth Team High-Major

G Kevin Dillard, Dayton, Jr
G Joe Ragland, Wichita St, Sr
F Chris Gaston, Fordham, Jr
F Cameron Moore, UAB, Sr
F Kyle Weems, Missouri St, Sr

2012 All Mid-Major Team: CollegeHoops.net

CHN — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:34:23 -0800

Player of the Year Isaiah Canaan of Murray State highlights CollegeHoops.net's 2012 All Mid-Major Team. Canaan, a junior guard, led Murray State to an impressive 30-1 season.

Canaan is joined on the First Team by fellow guards Scott Machado of Iona and Damian Lillard of Weber St. A pair of senior forwards round out the squad in Dominique Morrison of Oral Roberts and Ryan Pearson of George Mason.

CollegeHoops.net All High-Major Teams were voted on by staffers Shawn Siegel, Raphielle Johnson, Greg Mengelt, and Jon Teitel.

Last year's winner was Morehead St's Kenneth Faried.

Mid-Major Player of the Year: G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr

First Team Mid-Major

G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr
G Scott Machado, Iona, Sr
G Damian Lillard, Weber St, Jr
F Dominique Morrison, Oral Roberts, Sr
F Ryan Pearson, George Mason, Sr

Second Team Mid-Major

G Casper Ware, Long Beach St, Sr
G Zack Rosen, Penn, Sr
G Nate Wolters, South Dakota St, Jr
F Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso, Jr
F Mike Glover, Iona, Sr

Third Team Mid-Major

G CJ McCollum, Lehigh, Jr
G Kerron Johnson, Belmont, Jr
G Reggie Hamilton, Oakland, Sr
F Orlando Johnson, UCSB, Sr
F Mike Muscala, Bucknell, Jr

Fourth Team Mid-Major

G Matt Dickey, UNC-Asheville, Sr
G Lamarcus Reed, Texas-Arlington, Sr
F TJ Robinson, Long Beach St, Sr
F Jake Cohen, Davidson, Jr
F Mitchell Watt, Buffalo, Sr

Honorable Mention

G Nick Barbour, High Point, Sr
F Julian Boyd, LIU Brooklyn, Jr
F De'Mon Brook Davidson, So
G Will Cherry, Montana, Jr
G DJ Cooper, Ohio, Jr
F LaRon Dendy, Midd Tennessee, Sr
G Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart, Jr
F Ken Horton, Central Connecticut St, Sr
F Greg Mangano, Yale, Sr
G Ray McCallum, Detroit, So
G Charles Odum, Portland St, Sr
F Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk St, Sr
G Jesse Sanders, Liberty, G
F Keith Wright, Harvard, Sr
G Alex Young, IUPUI, Sr

Weekly Awards: Devoe Joseph, Rakim Sanders, Ohio St & More

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:06:27 -0800

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for CollegeHoops.net's weekly awards by Greg Mengelt.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Devoe Joseph, Oregon Senior Guard: Joseph led Oregon to wins over Colorado and Utah with 45 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals.

On Thursday, Joseph went 11-for-16 from the field, including 2-for-4 from the 3-point line, and scored 24 points in the Ducks’ 90-81 win over Colorado. He also had five boards, five assists and two steals in the win.

The senior guard came back for 21 points – on 8-of-9 from the floor – six boards, five assists and a pair of steals in a 94-48 win over Utah on Saturday.

Behind Joseph – Oregon’s leading scorer at 16.8 points per game – the Ducks have won three straight and five of their last six, and at 22-8, they may be a viable option for an NCAA Tournament bid.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Rakim Sanders, Fairfield Senior Forward: Sanders had team-bests with 15 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s MAAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Rider.

In Sunday’s 85-75 upset of Iona, Sanders was even better. He went 11-for-17 from the field and 2-for-3 from the 3-point line and scored 26 points as Fairfield advanced to Monday’s title game against Loyola (Md.). He also had 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot against the Gaels.

For the season, Sanders is averaging 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals and is shooting 50 percent from the floor.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Ohio State: The 11^th-ranked Buckeyes earned a pair of road victories to come two games from behind and clinch a share of their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.

Jared Sullinger banked in the game winner with 3.1 seconds left Wednesday to give OSU a 75-73 win over Northwestern.

On Sunday, the Buckeyes overcame an early 23-9 deficit to beat league-leader Michigan State, 72-70. William Buford hit a 20-foot jumper over the outstretched fingertips of Keith Appling with a second to play.

“I was fortunate to knock down the big shot of the night to give us another Big Ten title,” said Buford, who finished with a game-high 25 points.

Ohio State, which finished the regular season 25-6 overall, is the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will face either Purdue or Penn State in Friday’s conference quarterfinal.

SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State Sophomore Guard: Franklin concluded his second regular season at SDSU with his best performance as an Aztec.

In Saturday’s 98-92 overtime road win over Texas Christian, which gave the Aztecs a share of the Mountain West Conference championship, Franklin went off for 35 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot. He made nine of his 18 shots from the floor, 14-of-17 from the charity stripe and went 3-for-8 from the 3-point line.

For the season, Franklin is averaging 17.1 points, eight boards, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals.

WIN OF THE WEEK

North Carolina 88, Duke 70: The Tar Heels jumped out to a 24-8 lead midway through the first half and were never really threatened en route to the ACC regular-season crown.

The 18-point win was the third-largest victory ever at Cameron Indoor Stadium. UNC led 48-24 at the half, shot 54.5 percent from the field, out-rebounded the Blue Devils 45-28 in its seventh straight victory.

“We were kind of overwhelmed by them and the situation,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted.

The No. 6 Tar Heels, who were led by sophomore Kendall Marshall’s 20 points and 10 assists, will face either Maryland or Wake Forest in Friday’s ACC quarterfinal as the tourney’s top seed.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Arkansas State 64, Middle Tennessee 61: Arkansas State entered the Sun Belt Tournament with just 11 wins. The Red Wolves had lost two straight, five of their last seven and 10 of their last 14.

But after Saturday’s first-round win over Florida Atlantic, the tournament’s No. 9 seed earned its biggest win of the season by knocking off the top-seeded Blue Raiders.

Middle Tennessee is 25-6 overall, is ranked 47^th in the latest RPI and has wins over UCLA, Akron, Belmont and Mississippi on its resume. The Raiders will have to wait a week to find out whether that’s enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament.

LOSS OF THE WEEK

Fairfield 85, Iona 75: The nation’s leading scoring team was held to 75 points as its 6-game winning streak came to an end.

On the other end, Fairfield shot 59.6 percent from the field, out-rebounded the Gaels 32-20 and went on a 16-1 run midway through the second half to turn a 60-54 deficit into a 70-61 lead.

Iona’s fate will now be decided by the NCAA Tournament committee. The Gaels have 25 wins, a strong RPI at 48 and have victories over Nevada, Maryland, St. Joseph’s, Long Island, Denver, Marshall and Richmond.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Jewaun Long’s layup sinks Tennessee State’s hopes: Murray State trailed 50-43 with five minutes left, and after a 9-2 run got the Racers even with the Tigers, Long hit a layup with 4.4 seconds left to send Murray to the NCAA Tournament.

The senior scored just six points on 2-of-7 shooting.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” Murray State coach Steve Prohm said. “He hadn’t made a lot of shots all night, but that’s his shot.”

Long’s shot put the No. 9 Racers within a game of their school-record 31^st win and gave them their seventh consecutive triumph.

It was heartbreak for Tennessee State, which handed Murray its only loss on Feb. 9. But it was relief for several teams on the bubble. With the Racers already presumably in the field, if the Tigers had held on, they would have bumped one of the current bubble teams out of the field.

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams, Part Two

Jon Teitel — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:01:39 -0800

Last week CHN writer Jon Teitel unvelied part one of his CollegeHoops.net All-Conference selections, featuring the fourteen conferences that begain conference tournament play at that time. The final seventeen teams are here, with the Player of the Year in each league in italics.

Atlantic 10
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G Khalif Wyatt (Temple)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G C.J. Harris (Wake Forest)
F Tyler Zelller (North Carolina)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F John Henson (North Carolina)

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
G Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Royce White (Iowa State)

Big East
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Jae Crowder (Marquette)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier (Penn St.)
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio St.)
F Draymond Green (Michigan St.)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach St.)
F Stephan Hicks (Cal-State Northridge)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach St.)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
G Miguel Paul (East Carolina)
F Cameron Moore (UAB)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Independents
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Jeremy Robinson (Chicago St.)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Brian Barbour (Columbia)
G Sean McGonagill (Brown)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)

Mid-American
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
G Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)
F Mitchell Watt (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
G Jay Threatt (Delaware St.)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina St.)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Mountain West
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Jamal Franklin (San Diego St.)
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)
F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
G Devoe Joseph (Oregon)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Dee Bost (Mississippi St.)
F Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

Southland
G Mike James (Lamar)
G Anthony Miles (Lamar)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)
F LaMarcus Reed III (UT-Arlington)
C William Mosley (Northwestern St.)

SWAC
G Quincy Roberts (Grambling St.)
G Savalace Townsend (UAPB)
G Terrence Joyner (Mississippi Valley St.)
F Quinton Doggett (Southern)
C Paul Crosby (Mississippi Valley St.)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Deonte Burton (Nevada)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Vander Joaquim (Hawai'i)

CollegeHoops.net Awards: Crowder, Horton, Belmont, Kansas

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:08:54 -0800

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for CollegeHoops.net's weekly awards by Greg Mengelt.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jae Crowder, Marquette Senior Forward: Crowder – the reigning Big East Player of the Week – scored 53 points, grabbed 11 boards, handed out five assists and had five blocks and five steals in a pair of Golden Eagle wins.

In Wednesday’s 82-65 win over Rutgers, Crowder made 11 of his 14 field goal attempts and finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocked shots.

He followed that performance with 26 points, four rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist in Marquette’s big 61-60 win at West Virginia.

“He’s a really good player,” Mountaineer star Kevin Jones said. “He came in with a chip on his shoulder. You can’t take away anything from him and his team. They’re a tough team, as you can see.”

For the season, the senior forward is averaging 17.4 points on 51.6 percent shooting. He’s also gets 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals, two assists and a block per night.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Ken Horton, Central Connecticut State Senior Forward: Horton ended his scoring slump in a big way last week, scoring 61 points in a pair of Blue Devil wins last week.

In Thursday’s 78-63 victory over Mt. St. Mary’s, Horton went for a career-high 39 points on 15-of-20 from the field, including 4-of-8 from behind the 3-point line. He also had 13 rebounds, six steals, five assists and a blocked shot. On Saturday, he scored 22 points, grabbed seven boards, blocked five shots and had four steals and three assists in a 78-61 win over Wagner.

For the season, Horton is averaging 18.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks while shooting 49.3 percent from the field.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Belmont: After clinching at least a share of the Atlantic Sun regular-season title with an 88-79 win over South Carolina-Upstate on Monday, the 24-7 Bruins clinched the championship outright with a 62-61 win at second-place Mercer on Saturday.

In the win over USCU, five Belmont players scored in double-figures. On Saturday, Mick Hedgepeth hit a free throw with 12 seconds left to seal the conference title. Ian Clark led four Bruins in double-figures with 16 points.

SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Daniel Mullings, New Mexico State Freshman Guard: Mullings continued a nice freshman campaign with a triple-double in Thursday’s 115-73 win over Hawaii.

Mullings led the Aggies’ offensive explosion with a career-high 28 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and a blocked shot. He made 11 of his 15 field goal attempts and 6-of-9 foul shots. It was the first triple-double in NMSU history

The Toronto native, who hadn’t had a double-double before Thursday’s triple-double, is averaging nine points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals for the year. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and four steals over his last four games.

WIN OF THE WEEK

Kansas 87, Missouri 86 (OT): The Jayhawks clinched their eighth consecutive Big 12 championship by coming from 19 points down in the second half to defeat their rivals in overtime.

Tyshawn Taylor hit a pair of free throws with 8.3 seconds left in overtime as Kansas improved to 24-5 overall and 14-2 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks now have a 2-game lead over Missouri with two games to play. They only need to win at Oklahoma State on Monday or at home against Texas on Saturday to clinch the title outright.

“That couldn’t have been scripted a lot better for us,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I’m not the most emotional guy, but that’s about as good as it gets.”

The 19-point comeback tied the largest ever for Kansas at home (it did the same against UCLA on Dec. 2, 1995 in an 85-70 win) and was three points shy of its largest comeback in program history.

“We had the game in our hands, and we gave them a gift,” Missouri senior Kim English told the Associated Press.

With the 105-year rivalry coming to a close – at least for the time being – Kansas will have eternal bragging rights.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Penn 55, Harvard 54: Zack Rosen scored 20 points, including Penn’s last nine, and nailed a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left as the Quakers kept Harvard from essentially wrapping up the Ivy League title and the first NCAA Tournament bid.

With the win, Penn pulled within a half-game of the Crimson and only has to beat Brown (Friday) and Yale (Saturday) at home and at Princeton (March 3) to force a 1-game playoff between the Quakers and Crimson for the Ivy League’s tourney bid.

LOSS OF THE WEEK

Northeastern 85, George Mason 82 (OT): Any hope George Mason had of collecting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament probably went away when 13-15 Northeastern outscored the Patriots 10-7 in overtime.

On Saturday, GMU fell to VCU, 89-77 to fall to third in the Colonial standings, making a CAA tournament championship run vital for the Patriots.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

No shot?: After Taylor hit his free throws to give Kansas an 87-86 lead, Missouri’s Michael Dixon dribbled out the final 8.3 seconds of the clock and the Tigers never got a chance to upset the Jayhawks.

With a second left, Dixon finally got the ball to Marcus Denmon, who hit a 3-pointer but not until after the buzzer had sounded as Missouri dropped consecutive games for the first time this season.

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams, Part One

Jon Teitel — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:51:43 -0800

It's that time of the year again. With conference tournament action beginning today, it was a perfect time for Jon Teitel to present CollegeHoops.net's All-Conference Teams. Part one focuses on the teams who will enter conference tournament play this week, and the rest of the conferences will be posted next week. Player of the Year selections are in italics.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)
F Alasdair Fraser (Maine)

Atlantic Sun
G Drew Hanlen (Belmont)
G Adam Sollazzo (ETSU)
G Kerron Johnson (Belmont)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
F Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
G Charles Odum (Portland State)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)
F Chehales Tapscott (Portland State)

Big South
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Keith Gabriel (VMI)
G Matt Dickey (UNC Asheville)
F Stan Okoye (VMI)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Horizon
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown State)
G Ray McCallum (Detroit)
G Julius Mays (Wright State)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)
F Ben Averkamp (Loyola (IL))

Metro Atlantic
G Juan'Ya Green (Niagara)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F George Beamon (Manhattan)
F OD Anosike (Siena)

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Kyle Weems (Missouri State)
C Garrett Stutz (Wichita State)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Kyle Vinales (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Jamal Olasewere (LIU-Brooklyn)
F Julian Boyd (LIU-Brooklyn)

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray State)
G Jud Dillard (Tennessee Tech)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee State)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri State)

Patriot League
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Charles Hinkle (American)
F Ella Ellis (Army)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)
F Ryan Willen (Lafayette)

Southern
G Eric Ferguson (Georgia Southern)
G Brad Loesing (Wofford)
F Trevis Simpson (UNC Greensboro)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Summit League
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota State)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts)

Sun Belt
G DeJuan Wright (FIU)
G Brian Stafford (Denver)
F Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
C LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

West Coast
G Drew Viney (Loyola Marymount)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
G Anthony Ireland (Loyola Marymount)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

College Basketball: Gordon, Wolters, McDermott Win Weekly Awards

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:08:31 -0800

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for CollegeHoops.net's weekly awards by Greg Mengelt.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Drew Gordon, New Mexico Senior Forward: Gordon scored 17 points and snatched 17 boards in Wednesday’s 77-67 upset win at No. 13 San Diego State on Wednesday – and that wasn’t even his best performance of the week.

On Saturday, Gordon led the Lobos to a 65-45 win over No. 11 UNLV – and a 2-game lead in the Mountain West Conference – with 27 points and 20 rebounds. Gordon, who went 13-for-20 from the field, scored 10 straight points during as 16-1 run as New Mexico outscored the Rebels 29-9 in the final 12 minutes.

“He put on a performance that hasn’t been seen in this place in a long time, if ever,” New Mexico coach Steve Alford said. “He was 27-20 against not just a team, but a team in the top-15 in the country. That’s pretty special.”

In the victory, Gordon became the fifth player in the last 20 years to have at least 20 points and 20 rebounds against a ranked team. For the season, the senior forward is averaging 12.7 points (on 51.7 percent shooting), 11.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Nate Wolters, South Dakota State Junior Guard: Wolters continued his impressive season with two more incredible all-around performances in a pair of Jackrabbit wins last week.

On Wednesday, Wolters hit 14 of his 18 field goal attempts and went for 30 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals in South Dakota State’s 80-57 Summit League win over rival North Dakota State.

“Nate’s a great player,” SDSU coach Scott Nagy said. “If he’s making jump shots, he’s nearly impossible to guard.”

Wolters then had a 22-point, 8-assist, 6-rebound performance as the Jackrabbits ripped Buffalo, 86-65 as part of the BracketBuster. Wolters is averaging 21.8 points, 6.1 assists, five rebounds and 1.6 steals this season.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Wichita State: The Shockers ended last week with a 21-point romp over rival Creighton to take over first place in the Missouri Valley.

WSU then clinched at least a share of the MVC regular-season championship with a 73-58 win over Missouri State on Wednesday, then shot 64 percent from the field in a road victory over Southern Conference leader Davidson on Saturday for its sixth straight win.

“This gives us a quality win and will enable us to move up, if not (into) the top-15, then the top-20,” Shockers junior Demetric Williams told the Associated Press.

Joe Ragland scored 30 points – on 11-of-14 shooting – and grabbed seven boards in Saturday’s win.

“How about 30 points on 14 shots?” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall asked. “You talk about efficiency.”

The Shockers, who have also won 14 of their last 15, can clinch the outright league title with a win at Illinois State on Wednesday.

SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Doug McDermott, Creighton Sophomore Forward: McDermott led a BracketBuster comeback 81-79 win over Long Beach State on Saturday.

The Blue Jays trailed 76-69 with five minutes left. McDermott didn’t miss a shot from the field or the foul line in the second half, leading Creighton back during his 36-point, 11 rebound performance. Antoine Young capped the rally with a game-winning shot with one second left as Creighton improved to 23-5 on the season.

“Doug was on a mission tonight,” Creighton coach and Doug’s father, Greg McDermott said. “I felt his effort on the backboards fueled the rest of his game. Doug went and got some offensive rebounds and was able to finish plays.”

McDermott, who is second in the nation at 23.2 points per game, hit 14 of his 20 field goal attempts in the win. For the season, he’s shooting 61.7 percent from the field, 48.9 from the 3-point line and 83.3 from the foul line. He’s also averaging 8.3 rebounds.

WIN OF THE WEEK

Murray State 65, Saint Mary’s 51: Three days after clinching the Ohio Valley regular-season championship with a 75-66 win at Southeast Missouri, the 14^th-ranked Racers left little doubt that it would be a factor in March with a 14-point win over the No. 16 Gaels on Saturday.

“This is definitely a confidence-builder,” MSU senior Jewuan Long told the AP. “It’s a ranked team, so it lets you know that you are as good as the rankings say you are. It gives us confidence to know we can play with other teams in bigger conferences, so we definitely have more confidence.”

Isaiah Canaan scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and the Racers shot 58 percent from the floor, including 9-of-17 from the 3-point line in Saturday’s win.

The OVC champions have a chance to avenge their only loss of the season on Thursday when they travel to Tennessee State, which defeated the Racers 72-68 on Feb. 9.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Kansas State 57, Baylor 56: Kansas State was in need of a big win – and it got it Saturday. Jordan Henriquez hit a layup with 1:55 to go and the Wildcats held Baylor scoreless the rest of the way, surviving a Quincy Miller 5-footer in the final seconds.

Kansas State, which had lost to Baylor in the final seconds in a 75-73 game on Jan. 10, evened its record at 7-7 in the Big 12 with the win, putting the Wildcats in a fifth-place tie with Texas.

Freshman Angel Rodriguez led the Wildcats with 15 points, six assists, four steals and a rebound in the win. The loss was Baylor’s first against an unranked team this season.

LOSS OF THE WEEK

Duke 78, North Carolina State 73: The Wolfpack had a chance to get a signature road win, but they couldn’t hold onto a 20 points lead in the final 12 minutes.

Duke had late 13-0 and 20-3 runs to erase the NC State lead and remain on top of the ACC. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack, who were later blown out at home by Florida State on Saturday, are fighting for their NCAA lives at 7-5 in league play.

“Well, I would say a tough night for us … a tough finish,” NC State coach Mark Gottfried said. “We have to be better late in games.”

PLAY OF THE WEEK

McCollum’s shot gets Lehigh back in Patriot League race: With his team tied with Bucknell tied at 53, there was no doubt who was going to take the shot for Lehigh.

McCollum, who led the Mountain Hawks in scoring (15), rebounding (7), assists (3), steals (3) and blocked shots (1), controlled the ball for the final 15 seconds. The junior guard, who is averaging 21.5 points and 6.7 rebounds, let the 3-point shot fly over Bucknell’s Cameron Ayers and found nothing but net with a half-second remaining to draw the Hawks within a game of the Bison in the Patriot League.

“I knew I was going to take the last shot,” McCollum said. “I just tried to make a play and luckily it went in.”

CollegeHoops.net Weekly Awards: Withey, Sanders, Moser, UNCA

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:01:53 -0800

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for CollegeHoops.net's weekly awards by Greg Mengelt.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jeff Withey, Kansas: Withey had a career-high 25 points – hitting 8-of-10 from the field and nine of his 11 free throw attempts – in the Jayhawks’ 68-54 win over No. 6 Baylor on Wednesday. On Saturday, he grabbed a career-best 20 rebounds in an 81-66 triumph over Oklahoma State.

“Jeff was terrific,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Withey had a double-double in Saturday’s win, adding 18 points to his 20 boards. He also finished with seven blocks, a steal and an assist. Against Baylor, he had five rebounds, three blocks, two steals and an assist.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jesse Sanders, Liberty Senior Guard: Sanders’ incredible performances are starting to produce wins for the Flames.

Sanders, one of the most complete players in college basketball, led Liberty to road upsets over Charleston Southern and Presbyterian last week as the Flames improved to 11-16 overall and 6-9 in the Big South.

Sanders filled the stat sheet with 19 points (on 8-of-11 shooting), 10 assists, six rebounds and a steal in Saturday’s 77-64 win over Presbyterian. Earlier in the week, he had 19 points, connecting on eight of his 12 shots, nine assists, five boards, a block and a steal in a 75-74 win over Charleston Southern.

For the season, Sanders is averaging 12.6 points, 8.1 assists (to just 2.6 turnovers), 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He’s shooting 49 percent from the floor and 38 percent from the 3-point line.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

UNC-Asheville: With an easy 88-62 win over Radford and Campbell and Coastal Carolina losses, Asheville earned the Big South regular-season championship and home-court advantage through the conference tournament.

“That’s the first step of some other goals we hope to achieve this season,” Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach said.

The Bulldogs (19-7, 14-1 Big South) went 38-for-42 (90.5 percent) from the foul line and led 28-6 en route to their sixth straight win Saturday. They go to Myrtle Beach Tuesday before Saturday’s BracketBuster contest at Ohio on Saturday.

SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Mike Moser, UNLV Sophomore Forward: On top of a 19-point, 9-rebound, 4-block, 2-steal performance, Mike Moser made a key steal and assist to Anthony Marshall for the go-ahead basket with 42 seconds left in UNLV’s big 65-63 win over San Diego State on Saturday.

After missing his first five shots, Moser connected on 11 of his final 13 field goal attempts as the Rebels improved to 22-4 overall and ascended to the top of the Mountain West standings. At 6-2, they are now tied with San Diego State, which beat UNLV 69-67 on Jan. 14, and New Mexico.

For the season, the UCLA transfer is averaging 14.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a pair of steals per game.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Rivers buries Tar Heels: Duke freshman Austin Rivers capped a 29-point performance and a 15-4 run in the final three minutes with a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Blue Devils a stunning 85-84 win over No. 5 North Carolina on Wednesday.

Rivers’ 23-footer in the face of 7-footer Tyler Zeller hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, evening No. 9 Duke with the Tar Heels atop the ACC standings.

“Obviously, this is my favorite win I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Rivers said. “Everybody thought we were going to lose, and we just kept fighting. To get a (win), it’s amazing.”

WIN OF THE WEEK

Michigan State 58, Ohio State 48: With their fifth win in their last six games, the Spartans share the top spot in the Big Ten with Ohio State at 9-3 after Saturday’s victory.

Michigan State held the No. 3 Buckeyes to 26.4 percent from the floor Saturday, their third-worst performance at home in the last 15 years and forced National Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger into 5-of-15 shooting and 10 turnovers.

“Ohio State’s the best team in the league,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “But on this give day, we were able to get them.”

At 20-5 and winners of 20 of their last 23 games, the No. 12 Spartans are making a serious case for a top-2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Boston College 64, Florida State 60: Florida State had won seven straight and was on the top of the ACC standings. BC had lost six consecutive and was at the bottom.

Even in Boston, the Eagles win on Saturday was a major upset.

“We weren’t as focused as we should have been and that caught up to us at the end of the game,” Seminole guard Michael Snaer said. “We get national recognition, and we didn’t handle it well.”

Jordan Daniels led Boston College, which trailed 23-10 before a 23-3 first-half run, with 19 points.

LOSS OF THE WEEK

Tennessee 75, Florida 70: The No. 7 Gators lost their second straight game and saw their 19-game home winning streak come to an end as Tennessee outscored Florida 36-14 in the paint.

“This is one of the most impressive wins of the season,” Volunteer junior guard Kenny Hall said. “We got on them early and made sure we had the lead for most of the game.”

After the game, Florida coach Billy Donovan called his team “soft” and “immature.” Gator freshman Bradley Beal said his team may not worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid.

“Where we’re going might be in the NIT if we don’t just turn around right now,” Beal said. “We really have to turn around, and I think we’ll do that.”

Trae Golden led Tennessee, which is above .500 for the first time since Nov. 28 after its third straight win, with 17 points and seven assists.