Awards

G: Aaron Brooks (Oregon)
G: Acie Law (Texas A&M)
G: Drew Neitzel (Michigan State)
F: Dionte Christmas (Temple)
C: Hebert Hill (Providence)

- Last year’s CHN Most Improved Player was Florida’s Joakim Noah.

Best Performance: Greg Oden, Ohio State

One can only imagine Coach John Calipari’s reaction.

Trying to get ready for his Elite Eight showdown with the #1 team in the country, a team on a 20 game winning streak, he opens up the newspaper or turns on the TV and discovers what his star forward Joey Dorsey had been saying about his match-up with Greg Oden:

"I'm an underrated big man and he's a lot overrated as a big man."

"I'm going to have a 20-rebound night.."

"I'm Goliath… he's the little man."

Whether because of sheer physical talent, basketball savvy, impressive hustle, or a sterling personality, the Collegehoops.net All-Excitement Team is for players who make it fun and exciting to be college basketball fans.

All-Excitement Team
G: Acie Law (Texas A&M)
F: Chase Budinger (Arizona)
F: Kevin Durant (Texas)
F: Julian Wright (Kansas)
C: Greg Oden (Ohio State)

Second Team All-Excitement
G: Dominic James (Marquette)
F: Deron Washington (Virginia Tech)
F: Al Thornton (Florida State)
F: Jaokim Noah (Florida)
C: Stephane Lasme (UMASS)

Best Performance: Ron Lewis, Ohio State

In the best game of the Tournament so far, there were plenty of great performances to choose from, particularly from two Buckeyes who willed their team to an improbable victory. Neither of them was named Greg Oden.

Not that Oden, who ended up with his umpteenth double-double, had an off night. But after fouling out with his team down nine and less than three minutes to play, it was up to Oden’s teammates to step it up and save their season. You probably know the rest.

Best performance: Eric Maynor, VCU

Eric Maynor had reason to be nervous. After all, here he was playing in his first ever NCAA Tournament. He had just come off a brilliant performance against George Mason in the Colonial Athletic Conference title game, to earn his team only their second NCAA berth in 20 years. And who did they find themselves matched up with come Selection Sunday? The Duke Blue Devils.

In terms of individual performances there have been some major surprises this season in the Big East. Quite a few players who were picked to earn all-conference honors prior to the season did not live up to expectations, while others who were relatively unheralded have had outstanding seasons. Some players, of course, did live up to their advance billing and deserve to be considered for post-season awards.