FanHouse Awards

Look, I understand the Big East has 16 teams, and it can be hard to pick the best players for an All-Big East team, but to have a 1st team with 11 players is a joke. It may create some hard feelings (maybe) or may take a little more effort but if conferences with 12 members can have a 5-member or even 6-member All-conference squad, surely the Big East could at least limit it to a max of 8.

Instead there's this:

2006-07 All-BIG EAST First Team
*Jeff Green, Georgetown, Jr.
*Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, Jr.
Dominic James, Marquette, So.
Russell Carter, Notre Dame, Sr.
Colin Falls, Notre Dame, Sr.
*Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh, Sr.
*Herbert Hill, Providence, Sr.
Lamont Hamilton, St. John's, Sr.
*Demetris Nichols, Syracuse, Sr.
Curtis Sumpter, Villanova, Sr.
Frank Young, West Virginia, Sr.

The asterisk indicates a unanimous choice.

At least five of the choices were unanimous -- even if it was all forwards and centers. Not a particularly strong year in the Big East for guards.

That's ridiculous. There's a 10-member second team and 7 players listed for the "honorable mention."

The Big East designated 28 players as all-conference. That's 35% of the starters in the Big East being put among the "best" of the group. Clearly the Big East doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I'd say if you start in the Big East, you have to be pissed that you somehow didn't make the cut. They must really think you suck.

But wait, there's more. There's still the 11-member All-Rookie Team.

Halfway through Big East play and things are not normal. UConn is struggling to get to the NIT. Notre Dame is heading to the NCAA after the graduation of Chris Thomas Quinn and being forced to start a freshman at point guard mid-stream. Syracuse isn't nearly as good as expected and neither is DePaul. Providence is actually a tough team this year and Louisville is winning without shooting well.

Player of the half-season: Herbert Hill, Providence.

Yeah, that's a stunner, huh? Honestly, this was close. Hill's teammate Geoff McDermott was a close second along with Russell Carter, ND. There hasn't been one player that has been so far above everyone else. Hill gets the nod at this point. In the conference he is 4th in scoring, 2nd in FG%, 5th in rebounding, and 4th in blocked shots. He may not be at the top of any one stat, but he is consistently in the top range all the way across.

All Big East Team:

Tough when there are 16 teams, but...

Aaron Gray C, Pitt; Herbert Hill F/C, Providence; Russell Carter F, ND; Geoff McDermott G/F, Providence; Dominic James G, Marquette

Notable omissions/2nd team: Demetris Nichols F, Syracuse; Jerel McNeal G, Marquette; Roy Hibbert C, Georgetown; Levance Fields G, Pitt; Curtis Sumpter F, Villanova

Surprise Team: Notre Dame

Edging out Providence and WVU, the Irish have gotten out to a 6-3 record in the Big East 1/2 of a game out of second. Notre Dame was expected to compete for another NIT bid, but is now firmly in the NCAA as Russell Carter has emerged as a legitimate scoring threat, Colin Falls remains a dangerous outside shooter and Rob Kurz is a power inside. It didn't hurt that they finally got a break in the Big East schedule this year.

Most Disappointing Team: UConn

DePaul was supposed to be a sleeper pick in the Big East and Syracuse has suddenly made a run from the NCAA to the NIT. Still nothing compares to the performance from UConn. Everyone knew they were young, but they had talent and potential coupled with a coach who has always gotten his teams to play better as the season continues. Not this year. This is a team that has responded to being challenged by folding. They have lost 4 straight in-conference and are 1 game out of last place in the Big East.

Coach of the Year: Mike Brey

He's kept this team together through the loss of their starting PG Kyle McAlarney, and for the first time since becoming head coach at ND, has actually developed and improved the players.

Poised for a Second Half Run: Syracuse

This is as much about the schedule as it is the talent. They still have two games with UConn, along with playing DePaul and St. John's at home. They also have USF on the road. They also go on the road against Providence with whom they match-up well. They should be able to win 5 of those 6 games.

Poised for a Second Half Slide: West Virginia

West Virginia has only one conference road win -- against lowly Rutgers. 4 of their final 7 conference games are on the road -- Georgetown, Pitt, Providence and Seton Hall. Plus they have home games against Pitt and UCLA. Losing 5 of their final 8 is a distinct possibility.

Freshman of the Year: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

Villanova Coach Jay Wright is probably still sending Kelvin Sampson thank you cards for bolting Oklahoma. Reynolds decommitted from the Sooners and has been tremendous for the Wildcats, especially once the conference slate got underway. In conference play, the guard is 4th in scoring (17.0 ppg) and averaging nearly 4 assist/game. Against Texas he outplayed Kevin Durant in leading Villanova to the win. He has won 2 Big East rookie of the week honors.

In the running: Deonta Vaughn, Cinci and Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall.

Best Conference Game:

Marquette beating Pitt in OT 77-74.

I spent so much of my time over the past few weeks wrapping up the Chiefs' 2006 season. It's about time that I put the final nail in that coffin. Here is my overview of the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Chiefs last season.

Offensive player of the year:
Larry Johnson. Raise your hand if you're surprised by that choice.

Defensive player of the year:
Tamba Hali. You know what pisses me off about the sports media? They have become so obsessed with fantasy football that they are now blindly choosing award winners by paper statistical achievements. Tamba Hali should have been neck-and-neck with Demeco Ryans for Defensive Rookie of the Year; instead, Hali did not even crack the top 4 in the voting. I absolutely cannot believe there are voters out there who actually think Mark Anderson was a better defensive end than Tamba Hali. First, Hali lines up to two career backup defensive tackles; Anderson lines up with Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson, one of the most lethal tandems in the NFL. Anderson is a pure pass rusher; Hali is an every-down lineman. Anderson's outstanding 12 sacks were only marginally better than Hali's very good 8.5 sacks, but Hali's 58 tackles far surpass Anderson's 28. Tamba, you deserved better than that.

Biggest disappointment
The big uglies up front becoming... just ugly. Jordan Black was better than expected, but he was still lousy. The problem is, the rest of the offensive line was just as bad.