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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.
Nolan Smith
ACC Player of the Year
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2010 NCAAB PSW All-Americans

April 1st 2011 19:10
First Team

PG Kemba Walker Connecticut
SG Nolan Smith Duke
SF Kawhi Leonard San Diego State
PF Derrick Williams Arizona
C Jared Sullinger Ohio State
Head Coach Rick Pitino Louisville

Second Team

PG Jimmer Fredette BYU
SG Ben Hansbrough Notre Dame
SF Harrison Barnes UNC
PF Marcus Morris Kansas
C JaJuan Johnson Purdue
Coach Billy Donovan Florida

Third Team

PG Jordan Taylor Wisconsin
SG Ashton Gibbs Pittsburgh
SF Chandler Parsons Florida
PF Jon Leuer Wisconsin
C Kenneth Faried Morehead State
Head Coach Mike Brey Notre Dame
Jimmer Fredette
Kemba's Better






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2011 Final Four Previews

March 28th 2011 14:51
This is it my readers. It's the games we have been waiting for since the start of the college basketball season. Before the season started, who would have guessed that Butler would return to the Final Four, and VCU and UCONN would join them? Before the tournament began, who thought a First Four team that most people thought didn't deserve a bid would make it all the way to this point? Who though a team that barely made it past the Horizon League would put themselves into the Final Four? The answer to all of those above questions are "almost nobody". But that's what makes the tourney so exciting. You never know.

8 Butler and 11 VCU

The only game I had VCU winning in this entire tourney was that Purdue game. Anyway, since nobody wants to hear about my horrendous predicting skills, VCU really only won that Kansas game because Kansas had an uncharacteristically bad shooting game. VCU shot the ball really well, and that always equates to a win. What worries me about this VCU team is that Kansas still stuck around in that game to some extent.

Against Butler, that brand of basketball doesn't work at all. See, Butler wins tight games and wins without having to shoot the ball really well. While they aren't the juggernaut that Kansas is, they have a better defense and are the better tournament team. Nothing against Shaka Smart, but Brad Stevens is the better coach. Smart is good, but Stevens is one of the best in the business.

Matt Howard vs. Jamie Skeen should be a fun matchup to watch, and Joey Rodriguez is always a huge factor in games. Shelvin Mack and Ronald Nored will have to be on their bests. I think they will be, and Butler gets back into the Final Four. This time, they aren't a Cinderella.

3 Connecticut and 4 Kentucky

Sorry Butler and VCU, but this is the game I am tuning in to watch. It features Jim Calhoun, Kemba Walker, Coach Calipari, and Brandon Knight. In my last game preview, I said that two keys for Kentucky were big games from DeAndre Liggins and Brandon Knight. I said that Knight would actually have to play well for the entire game. The star freshman showed up.

The truth is, it's impossible to stop Kemba Walker. It took his former AAU coach's gameplan in the Zona game to even slow him down. Liggins has the tough task of being among those that have to stop the best player in college basketball. Kentucky needs to slow down Walker, but they also need to put up some offense of their own.

Connecticut is tough, but Kentucky has shown that they are tougher. They need to show it, and they need to clamp down on Jeremy Lamb on the inside. Lamb is growing in confidence with every shot he takes, and he is becoming an underrated force down low. Josh Harrellson, this is your job. I have Kentucky winning this game by the slimmest of margins. This is such a difficult game to predict, which means it will be such a terrific game to watch.
Kemba Walker
Best Player in NCAAB
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2011 Bracket Preview Round of 64

March 14th 2011 16:08
One Game Playoffs

University of Texas-San Antonio over Alabama State
Arkansas Little-Rock over UNC-Asheville
Clemson over UAB
USC over VCU

Round of 64 East

1 Ohio State over 16 University of Texas-San Antonio
9 Villanova over 8 George Mason
12 Clemson over 5 West Virginia *Upset* Upsets are deemed as games in which a team 7 seeds lower than another team wins. They also are when a team is 5 seeds or less in a game that is in the Sweet 16 or further.
4 Kentucky over 13 Princeton
11 Marquette over 6 Xavier
3 Syracuse over 14 Indiana State
7 Washington over 10 Georgia
2 North Carolina over 15 Long Island

West

1 Duke over 16 Hampton
9 Tennessee over 8 Michigan
5 Arizona over 12 Memphis- who shouldn't have even been in the tourney
4 Texas over 13 Oakland
6 Cincinnati over 11 Missouri
3 Connecticut over 14 Bucknell
10 Penn State over 7 Temple
2 San Diego State over 15 Northern Colorado

Southwest

1 Kansas over 16 Boston U.
8 UNLV over 9 Illinois
5 Vanderbilt over 12 Richmond
4 Louisville over 13 Morehead St.
11 USC over 6 Georgetown
3 Purdue over 11 St. Peter's
7 Texas A&M over Florida State
2 Notre Dame over 15 Akron

Southeast

1 Pittsburgh over 16 Arkansas Little-Rock
8 Butler over 9 Old Dominion
5 Kansas over 12 Utah State
4 Wisconsin over 13 Belmont
6 St. John's over 11 Gonzaga
3 BYU over 14 Wofford
7 UCLA over 10 Michigan State
2 Florida over 15 UCSB
Pittsburgh Panthers
Can You Say Final Four?

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