Breakfast with Berndon: Award Tour and the Quest for .700 Edition

 

In this edition of Breakfast, I take a stab at picking the all-league teams. I did this based off of what I’ve seen myself and the statistics at my disposal. Everyone loves lists and most people love to argue about lists, so feel free to comment/verbally bash me if you so choose. I’m also going to attempt to pick the conference tourney champs, striving for a .700 winning percentage as the pre-test before the final exam, where I, much like every year, am going to dominate every pool I’m in and win a wheelbarrow full of money in the process.

ACC
Player of the Year: Jon Scheyer, Duke
Frosh of the Year: Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Coach of the Year: Gary Williams, Maryland

1st Team:
Scheyer, Duke
Grevis Vazquez, Maryland
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
Trevor Booker, Clemson
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech

2nd Team:
Nolan Smith, Duke
Kyle Singler, Duke
Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech
Ishmael Smith, Wake Forest
Chris Singleton, FSU

3rd Team:
Tracy Smith, N.C.State
Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Solomon Alabi, FSU
Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech
Deon Thompson, UNC

Big East

Player of the Year: Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Frosh of the Year: Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati
Coach of the Year: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

1st Team:
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Deshaun Butler, West Virginia
Lazar Hayward, Marquette

2nd Team:
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Kemba Walker, UCONN
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Andy Rautins, Syracuse
Dominic Jones, South Florida

3rd Team:
Ashton Gibbs, Pitt
Rich Jackson, Syracuse
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame
Jerome Dyson, UCONN
Chris Wright, Georgetown

Big 12

Player of the Year: LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor
Frosh of the Year: Xavier Henry, Kansas
Coach of the Year: Frank Martin, Kansas St.

1st Team:
Dunn, Baylor
Daimon James, Texas
Jacob Pullen, Kansas St.
Ekpe Udoh, Baylor
Sherron Collins, Kansas

2nd Team:
Tweety Carter, Baylor
Denis Clemente, Kansas St.
James Anderson, Oklahoma St.
Cole Aldrich, Kansas
Donald Sloan, Texas A&M

3rd Team:
Xavier Henry, Kansas
John Roberson, Texas Tech
Cory Higgins, Colorado
Dexter Pittman, Texas
Bryan Davis, Texas A&M

Big 10

Player of the Year: Evan Turner, Ohio St.
Frosh of the Year: Christian Wattford, Indiana
Coach of the Year: Thad Matta, Ohio St.

1st Team:
Turner, Ohio St.
Jajuan Johnson, Purdue
Manny Harris, Michigan
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue
Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin

2nd Team:
Kalin Lucas, Michigan St.
Jon Diebler, Ohio St.
Demetri McCamey, Illinois
William Buford, Ohio St.
Robbie Hummel, Purdue

3rd Team:
John Shurna, Northwestern
Deshawn Sims, Michigan
David Lighty, Ohio St.
Dallas Lauderdale, Ohio St.
Draymond Green, Michigan St.

SEC

Player of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky
Frosh of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl, Tennessee

1st Team:
Wall, Kentucky
DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Jarvis Varnado, Miss. St.
Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

2nd Team:
Chris Warren, Ole Miss
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Trey Thompkins, Georgia
Wayne Chism, Tennessee
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt

3rd Team:
J.P. Prince, Tennessee
Jeffrey Taylor, Vanderbilt
Tay Waller, Auburn
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU
Mikhail Torrence, Alabama

Pac 10
Player of the Year: Quincy Pondexter, Washington
Frosh of the Year: Derrick Williams, Arizona
Coach of the Year: Mike Montgomery, Cal

1st Team:
Pondexter, Washington
Jerome Randle, Cal
Derrick Williams, Arizona
Patrick Christopher, Cal
Landry Fields, Stanford

Mid-Majors
Player of the Year: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Frosh of the Year: Elias Harris, Gonzaga
Coach of the Year: Steve Alford, New Mexico

1st Team:
Fredette, BYU
Darington Hobson, New Mexico
Gordon Hayward, Butler
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Randy Culpepper, UTEP

2nd Team:
Elias Harris, Gonzaga
Derrick Carachter, UTEP
Lavoy Allen, Temple
Steven Gray, Gonzaga
Ryan Brooks, Temple

3rd Team:
Jackson Emery, BYU
Tra’von Willis, UNLV
Kevin Anderson, Richmond
Jordan Eglseder, Northern Iowa
Shelvin Mack, Butler


Now, here’s how I see the conference tourneys playing out. It almost seems like there are more upsets in these than in the real thing, so getting 70% of the games right might be a stretch, but if I can do that, I feel like I can up this to 80-85% for the Dance.

ACC

1st Round Winners: Boston College, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, N.C.State
Quarters: Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland, N.C. State
Semis: Wake Forest, Maryland
Champ: Maryland

Maryland is simply on fire right now. And no, that wasn’t a play off of Teach’s post about rioting etc. at College Park, just a poor choice of words. Wake Forest is trying to play themselves off of the bubble, and I think Ishmael Smith will be too much for Scheyer to handle in the in the semis. N.C. State seemingly always plays well this time of year, and I look for Tracy Smith and the Wolfpack to pull off 2 upsets.

Big 12

1st Round Winners: Texas Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma St, Texas
Quarters: Kansas, Missouri, Kansas St. Baylor
Semis: Kansas, Baylor
Champ: Kansas

I don’t see quite as many upsets in this league, as Kansas has been head and shoulders better than everyone the whole year. They’ll get challenge a little by Baylor, but will hold on for a tournament championship to go along with their regular season crown.

Big East

1st Round Winners: South Florida, UCONN, Seton Hall, Rutgers
2nd Round Winners: South Florida, Marquette, Seton Hall, Louisville
Quarters: Syracuse, Marquette, Pitt, Louisville
Semis: Syracuse, Louisville
Champ: Syracuse

I look for Syracuse to get a third crack at number 6 seeded Louisville, finally beating the Cardinal in the finals. Louisville will get there by beating an erratic Mountaineer squad, and barely squeaking by Pitt in the semis. Other upsets include Marquette knocking off Villanova, exacting revenge for their loss against them at the buzzer in last year’s tournament, and South Florida, led by Dominic Jones, who will beat Georgetown, enabling them to just barely get into the field of 65.

Big 10

1st Round Winners: Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota
2nd Round Winners: Ohio St, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota
Semis: Ohio St, Minnesota
Champ: Ohio St.

Ohio St. has been playing the best ball of anyone in the league as of late, and that, combined with having a player that can take over whenever they need him to will lead them to the crown here in my temporary home state of Indiana. Minnesota will be playing for their faint tournament hopes, going on a mini run knocking off Sparty, and a not as good as they used to be without Robbie Hummel, Purdue squad. Indiana over Northwestern is my other slight upset in the 1st round.

Pac 10

1st Round: Oregon
Quarters: Cal, Arizona, Washington, Arizona St.
Semis: Cal, Washington
Champ: Washington

Washington was a fringe top 10 team at the beginning of the season, they lost an extremely close 2nd round game to Purdue in the round of 32 last year, and will feed off of this, and the fact that Quincy Pondexter is simply the best player in the league to beat Cal in an extremely close final. The Huskies will also strugglewith,  but beat Arizona St. in the semis, with the winner of that game probably getting the second bid to the tourney out of the league.

SEC

1st Round Winners: Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia
Quarters: Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia
Semis: Kentucky, Florida
Champ: Florida

I don’t like my pick to win it all in a couple of weeks to win here. I think Florida has played them close both times they met in the regular season and will get the Cats here. I also like an underrated Georgia team, with two really good players in Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, to upset Vandy and make it to the semis. Aside from that, both Mississippi teams will lose in the 2nd round and will be playing in the NIT next week.

Total Games: 68 

Correct Picks Needed to get to .700: 48

Check back next week to see how I did, and whether or not my upcoming March Madness predictions are worth anything.