Connecticut Point Guard Kemba Walker

Jimmer Fredette doesn't deserve this award. Jimmer is the best offensive player in the country, but he is a subpar passer that does nothing else but score. He is also one of the worst defensive players out there, and he doesn't even try at that half of the game. Kemba is ultra-clutch, and nobody has anywhere near the number of tough, crucial shots that Walker has hit this year. He is easily the National Player of the Year.

Kemba Walker led his team to the championship and the Big East Tournament title. Yeah, the one where they won 5 straight days in a row with Walker hitting that incredible shot to beat Pitt at the buzzer. Unlike Fredette, Kemba is a solid passer that is decent at getting boards and plays tougher defense than you may think. He is fit defensively for the rugged Big East. While he isn't a great defensive player, Kemba Walker is a pretty good one.

If I was sitting there with the first pick in the NBA Draft next year, I would take Kemba Walker with that pick- granted I had an open spot at guard. Walker is an efficient scorer that gets to the rim and has a great mid-range shot. He excels off the ball and can create shots for himself at will. His toughness and athleticism allow him to take and make incredibly difficult shots that are remarkable at the college level.

Walker is probably the best ball-handler in the country, and his arsenal of moves to penetrate and attack the rim are easily the best in college basketball. He is a great leader, and his teammates feed off of him.You can try whatever scheme you want to, but you will never be able to truly stop Kemba Walker.

2010 National Player of the Year

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NCAAB, Big East, Connecticut, Kemba Walker, Pitt, Jimmer Fredette

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2010 NCAAB PSW Defensive Player of the Year

April 5th 2011 15:07

Kentucky Shooting Guard DeAndre Liggins

The official award went to Kenneth Faried, but my pick goes to DeAndre Liggins of Kentucky. He is a lock down defender that can also get boards, and that's a nice bonus from a guard. He is an unselfish player that leads by example and can also play at shooting guard.

Liggins is a poor shooter, but his toughness makes him an average offensive player overall. He earns his keep through defense, and he has an important story to tell. He is driven by the death of his brother and has risen to become one of the best defenders in the country. In 2010, Liggins truly was the best.

Liggins is a poor decision maker as well, and that's easily seen with all the shots he takes when he is well guarded. However, Liggins is extremely athletic and can take a star offensive player out of the game when he is locked in. That's his game, and D is all he needs.

"You have a 6-6 player with long arms who can guard a point guard, a 2-man, a 3-man, and if I wanted him to, he could probably guard the 4," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Whoever is hurting you, he can go guard."

Great defensive players like Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace were versatile enough defenders that they could go up against a 4 or 2 respectively when they were in their primes. While Liggins will probably not be that good, he is a great defensive player in his own right and was one of the biggest reasons why Kentucky made it to the Final Four.

Kemba Walker was the only offensive player this year to have success when matched up against Liggins- Maui Invitational Final- yet the best player in college basketball doled out some heavy praise to the best defensive player in the game. Walker said he was the best defensive player he has faced, and he added that he has faced off against other great defenders as well.

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, NCAAB, Kemba Walker, Kentucky, DeAndre Liggins, John Calipari, Kenneth Faried

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2010 NCAAB National Championship Preview

April 3rd 2011 13:13

Wow, it's come to this already. I am psyched. Butler is back and as good as ever, even without Gordon Hayward who was the team's best player on last year's squad. Shelvin Mack pushed Butler over VCU, and they find themselves facing the best player in college basketball. However, UConn is about more than just Kemba Walker. Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, and Alex Oriakhi are also solid players. Lamb is a great sidekick for Walker.

Brad Stevens and Jim Calhoun will be pitted against each other in a matchup that won't disappoint. It's Butler's stingy defense against Kemba's show. Connecticut was able to get by Kentucky, but Butler is going to be an even bigger challenge. For all the talk about Calhoun vs. Calipari, Butler have the youngest coach to ever get to 2 Final Four appearances. While Cal is better than Stevens, Stevens will find a great scheme to try and slow down Walker.

You can't stop Kemba though. The best you can do is slow him down. Butler was able to throw together another great defensive scheme to take out VCU's prolific perimeter shooting, but it's going to take more than a plan to take down the man. Oriakhi is one of the best interior defenders in the game, and he's going to be able to challenge Matt Howard. Howard's too good to stop, but Oriakhi isn't going to make things easy.

UConn's Roscoe Smith is another tough interior player. This game is full of enticing matchups on the inside and on the outside. The Shelvin Mack and Kemba Walker battle could make this game one for the ages. Shabazz Napier is a great perimeter defender, and he shows the toughness and great defense of this team that goes unnoticed because of the offensive explosion that is Kemba Walker.

Butler and Connecticut are two teams that like rough games, and I fully expect this game to be a 60 point affair for both teams- not combined of course. I think there will be about 130 points scored in total.

In order for Butler to win, they need to play things through Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack. Their two stars have to be at their best. They need to establish the paint early with Howard, and then they can start shooting 3s with guys like Shawn Vanzant. Defensively, Howard needs to lock down on Jeremy Lamb. Mack has to help lock down the perimeter, and they need Ronald Nored to dog Walker. Nored is the key to this game. He can't shut down Walker, but he can make life extremely difficult for him.

UConn has to pass the ball around and play to Butler's style. They both have similar styles of play, so that shouldn't be a problem. If you try to play fast against Butler, they'll will their way to slowing down the game and will greatly decrease your offensive chances. It doesn't work. UConn has to emphasize ball movement and wait for good looks. It's exactly what Butler does.

Defensively, Connecticut has to frustrate Matt Howard early. If they can get him into foul trouble early, things will be much easier. Then, they can focus on shutting down Shelvin Mack on the perimeter. Napier has to have a good day today defensively.

Both teams are great, and it is no surprise that both of them have made it this far. Butler and Connecticut are both the perfect tournament teams. They have great coaches, superstars, and role players. They will their way through games and hit big shots. I think UConn have too many weapons, and they just barely escape through this one with Kemba hitting some big shots. The role players on UConn will also come through.

Will He Be MVP?

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: Gordon Hayward, NCAAB, March Madness, Connecticut, Alex Oriakhi, Jeremy Lamb, Jim Calhoun, Kemba Walker, Roscoe Smith, Shabazz Napier, Kentucky, John Calipari, Virginia Commonwealth, Butler, Matt Howard, Ronald Nored, Brad Stevens, Shelvin Mack, Shawn Vanzant

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2010 PSW NCAAB Conference POYs

April 2nd 2011 13:57

It is time for me to unveil my picks for Conference Player of the Year for each of the Big Six conferences (Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC, and PAC-10). After the National Championship, I will announce my Player of the Year. Are you fired up?

Big East Connecticut Point Guard Kemba Walker

Before the season started, Connecticut was not an NCAA Tournament pick. Kemba Walker wasn't an All-American pick. Now, UCONN is in the Final Four and Walker is a National Player of the Year contender. Times have changed for this team, and it all has to do with college basketball's Mr. Clutch.

Just ask Pitt how amazing Kemba is. His dazzling shot to down them in the Big East Tournament at the last second was one of the many crazy shots that the star point guard hit in tough situations. The counting numbers show that he averaged 23 points per game, 5 boards, almost 5 assists, and almost 2 steals per game. Kemba Walker had the 4th best offensive rating according to KenPom. While Ben Hansbrough won the official award, Kemba was the one that deserved it.

Big Ten Ohio State Center Jared Sullinger

There isn't much of an argument against Sully. The freshman sensation was rivaled to none, and he mowed over everybody that stood in his path. If you double teamed him, he showed his Shaq-like down-low passing and kicked it out to the many great shooters on his team. Sullinger was nearly impossible to stop. While guys like JaJuan Johnson deserve some merit, it was Sullinger who was the best rebounder in the conference and second most efficient scorer. All efficiency stats are from Kenpom.com.

Big 12 Kansas Power Forward Marcus Morris

Marcus and Markieff Morris are Kansas's unstoppable twins. While Markieff had a terrific year, Marcus had the edge. There is a lot of talent in the Big 12, like Jordan Hamilton and Alec Burks, but it was Marcus Morris who was the league's most efficient scorer. Morris was masterful on the inside, and he intimidated so many opposing bigs.

ACC Duke Point Guard Nolan Smith

All the hype was around freshman sensation Kyrie Irving, but it was Nolan Smith who had the big year. Irving missed most of the season with a toe injury, so Smith led the Blue Devils to another number one seed in the tournament. He was easily the team's most important player, and Duke would have no hope without Smith on their team. Nolan was the second best passer in the ACC- behind Kendall Marshall- and he was involved in more possessions than any other player in the conference.

SEC Florida Small Forward Chandler Parsons

Parsons means everything to the Gators, and he is arguably the most versatile player in college basketball. He passes, gets boards, scores, and he is incredibly clutch. Parsons is one of the leaders and good guys of the game. While he isn't a great shooter or scorer, he is unselfish and is one of the top ten rebounders in the SEC.

PAC-10 Arizona Power Forward Derrick Williams

I don't think there is an argument against Williams for this award. Isaiah Thomas and Nikola Vucevic were great, but Williams was in a class of his own. He was everything to the Wildcats, and he was easily the the PAC-10's most efficient player. Williams can shoot extremely well, get boards, draw an insane amount of fouls, and he has some really nice game-winning blocks.

ACC Player of the Year

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: Shaq, NCAAB, Big East, Connecticut, Kemba Walker, Big Ten, Ohio State, Jared Sullinger, JaJuan Johnson, Big 12, Alec Burks, Kansas, Marcus Morris 2010, Markieff Morris 2010, Jordan Hamilton, ACC, Duke, Kyrie Irving 2010, Nolan Smith 2010, Kendall Marshall, SEC, Florida, Chandler Parsons, Pac-10, USC, Nikola Vucevic, Washington, Isaiah Thomas, Arizona, Derrick Williams

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2010 NCAAB PSW All-Americans

April 1st 2011 19:10

First Team

PG Kemba Walker Connecticut

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2011 Sweet 16 Preview

March 22nd 2011 15:48

1 Ohio State and 4 Kentucky

Brandon Knight and Terence Jones are the two best players, but DeAndre Liggins is the guy to watch out for. Can he help close of the perimeter? The answer is no. Liggins is great, but OSU have too many shooters. Jared Sullinger will destroy UK down low. Kentucky will put up a fight- Cal is too good to go down without one- but OSU is just so darn good

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3/11: NCAAB Team Talk

March 11th 2011 16:04

Kemba Walker put up a crazy and amazing shot, as he has done all year, to win it for UConn. They beat my favorite team, Pittsburgh, but the Big East Player of the Year's team's victory doesn't make Pittsburgh any worse. Buzzer beaters are really unlucky for the opposing team, and I thought Pitt outplayed Connecticut during that game. Ashton Gibbs had 27, and he is an incredible scorer especially when you factor in his team's style and his conference's style.

Pittsburgh is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, and they are the toughest. If people start to sleep on Pitt just because of this loss and the Louisville loss- and St. John's too, although that was due to more horrible officiating- they must be reminded that those teams are extremely difficult conference teams that barely survived right at the wire. Pitt isn't going to lose those kinds of games all the time, and they will definitely step it up in the tournament. Nasir Robinson is solid, Brad Wanamaker is the team's heart, Gary McGhee can defend, Gilbert Brown is a nice scoring option, and Dante Taylor is solid too. This is a deep team that is the third best team behind OSU and KU respectively

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