Monday, February 12, 2007

College Basketball player of the year

In my mind, there are clearly 6 candidates for player of the year: Kevin Durant, Alando Tucker, Jared Dudley, Nick Fazekas, Acie Law IV, and Mario Boggan. I'm not saying that these guys will be the best pro basketball players, but I don't really see anyone but these guys getting it. Aaron Brooks was in this conversation a few weeks ago, but now that Oregon has cooled off, Oregon would have to play really well for him to get back in the converstion.
Currently Durant is the front runner. He's averaging 25.1 points 11.4 rebounds (both top 5 in college hoops), to go with 1.9 blocks, 1.6 steals, on 49% shooting, and 80% Ft and 38.5% 3pointers. His team is good enough to be around the top 25 mark, and he has had some explosive games. Some negatives I would like to point out are that he doesn't shoot as well as people like to believe, he is only a freshman and most writers favor older players, and lastly, his team is underachieving (Texas is not a one-man show like everyone says). I hate how people say that Texas has Durant and nobody else when he has AJ Abrams and DJ Augustine players who average 15 points, and 14 points and 7 assists.
Next up is Alando Tucker, the senior who has led his team to a great record and has quietly improved every year a la Brandon Roy. He is averaging 20.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2 assists, on 49% FG, 67% FT, and 29% 3pg. The numbers aren't stunning but his team has a 24-2 record. Things going for him are his teams' record and his senior status. Things against him are that he is a 5th year senior, his stats aren't that impressive, his teammates don't get nearly the credit they deserve, as Kammron Taylor and Brian Butch have been great all season.
Third in the discussion is Jared Dudley the 4 year senior from BC. I don't know why he came back for a fourth year, but he is posting some great numbers now that Craig Smith is gone. 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and .4 blocks on 59% FG 76% FT and 50% 3pg is pretty good. Except for blocks, he does everything above average. He has led his team to an 18-6 record with a 9-2 ACC record, and after his teammates were suspended, he has led his team in an even more dominant fashion. I would put my vote for this guy, but I have a feeling that Durant will get it because he is top 5 in both points and rebounds. I'd rather go for the ultra efficient Dudley, who shoots FGs and 3pointers at an extremely high clip.
Fourth, and my preseason favorite is Nick Fazekas. He is averaging 20.8 points 11.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks on 58% FG, 86% FT, and 47% 3pg. If that statline doesn't make you say wow, nothing will. It's true he plays in a bad conference, but he played well against both Gonzaga and Oregon State. His team is 22-1 with its only loss to UNLV, and is ranked 11th, but I think the lack of quality big men Fazekas has seen will hurt him, though his shooting is through the roof.
Underrated throughout the beginning of the year, but someone I had on my 2nd team is Mario Boggan. He is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 steal and .9 blocks on 57% shooting, 77% FT, and 23% 3pg. He has improved dramatically since last year, and has led Oklahoma State to a 20th ranking so far. He has to share the ball with NC product JamesOn Curry a lot, but even so, has plenty of points to his name. Just like Durant, Boggan has some crazy 35 15 games on his game log. Reasons to not vote for him are that he doesn't do anything better than Durant, and that Oklahoma State is slumping right now.
Lastly, one of my new favorite players, Acie Law IV. This 6-3 combo guard has a great all-around stat line with 16.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He's also shooting at a very high rate of 51% FG, 79% FT, and 46% 3pg. He has led Texas A&M to a 21-3 record and a 7th spot in the rankings. His stat line against Texas was even more impressive because he had 21 points and 15 assists on 7 for 11 shooting. Votes against him are that he only averages 16.6 points, and when the other players are all averaging over 20, its pretty hard to get there unless you're single-handedly getting your team into the tournament, something he is not doing because they're team is pretty good all around.
Not a single Pac-10 player on this list, though Afflalo and Brooks could certainly be mentioned for 2nd team All-American at this point. All in all, it's supposedly a race between Durant and Tucker, but I'd say that Dudley and Fazekas have a pretty good shot too.

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