Handing Out The Hardware

Now that conference play has wrapped up, it's time to dish out the awards before we get hit hard with conference tournaments, bubble craze and Billy Packer's annual douchebaggery. I'm here to dole out some trophies across the conference I know best, The Big Ten.

Kasko's All-Conference Team:

Heading my all-conference squad and my Conference Player of the Year would be Alando Tucker (Senior Forward - Wisconsin, 20.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG). Yes, it's predictable, as Tucker is in the running for National POTY, but who cares? I'm not sure if and how his game will translate at the next level, but Tucker has had a great college career. Take Tucker away and I'd my throw Conference POTY to Drew Neitzel (Junior Guard - Michigan State, 18.3 PPG, 4.1 APG). If you added the word "valuable" to the "Player of the Year" title, I'd be inclined to throw Neitzel in an argument with Tucker. He's been lights-out and clutch, bumping up his scoring considerably after the Spartans lost a their top-3 scorers off last year's team. He's simply carried State to 8 wins in conference.

Am I forgetting someone? Perhaps the most hyped freshman ever to step foot on a college campus? Yessir, Greg Oden (Freshman Center - Ohio State, 15.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.5 BPG) makes my team, although I think Conference POTY talk for him is absurd. Last I recall, the Buckeyes were pretty damn good even without him. Oden has been very good, especially on the defensive end of the floor, but he hasn't had too many games he has absolutely dominated. Hell, some might argue he hasn't even been the most important freshman on his own team (hello, Mike Conley, Jr.).

I'll round out my team with Adam Haluska (Senior Guard - Iowa, 20.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG) and Carl Landry (Senior Forward - Purdue, 18.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG). I had a feeling Haluska would be taking home honors at the end of the season, knowing Iowa's offense would be completely run through him. What I didn't expect out of him was leading scorer awards or being the focal point of a Hawkeye team that competed at the top of the conference. Landry was a beast for a Purdue squad that surprised many people and is a bridge to the improving recruiting classes Matt Painter is bringing in.

Bruce Weber Award:

Easily one of the hardest awards to hand out this year would be the Bruce Weber Award for Conference Coach of the Year. Ohio State and Wisconsin were predictably good and nobody predicted at the bottom of the conference came as a surprise for the most part. Cases could be made for just about anyone but the bottom three (unless I want to give it to the musical chairs of coaches at Minnesota) and Tommy Amaker (barring another superb NIT run out of the Wolverines...). I'm gonna toss another trophy in the corner of Tom Izzo, however. Why? Name a team in the Big Ten who lost more from the year before. He got a young team through the toughest schedule in conference and locked down another trip to the Big Dance. Kelvin Sampson may have been the favorite at one point, but then he finally played some roadies in conference and his denim-clad ass fell back into place. It's hard not giving it to Iowa's Steve Alford, as I felt he (finally) did a great job with the Hawkeyes this year.

Village People Award:

This is more of a career award to be presented to Northwestern's Tim Doyle for displaying the best YMCA game in the conference, nay, the nation. I will miss the antics of "Agent Double-Zero" as he takes his show over to Europe or the Middle East or perhaps the X-Sport Gym I have a membership to here in Chicago. Whether it was the just-out-of-the-shower hair he displays, the puff of chest hair that pops out of the top of his jersey or the array of undersized low-post moves with either of his ambidextrous hands, Doyle was always just a pair of Rec Specs away from being the ultimate gym rat of a ballplayer. It seriously wouldn't surprised me if it came out that he logged equal time jerking it with his left and right hands. Carpal tunnel is no match for Tim Doyle. About the only thing that makes me chuckle more about Tim Doyle is the fact he attended St. John's his freshman year before transferring. Good lord, he must have stuck out like a sore thumb on the Red Storm's roster.

Under The Radar Moment of the Year:

In Saturday's loss in Iowa City, the Illini were serenaded with "I-L-L...D-U-I" chants all day as they stepped to the line. Admittedly, pretty funny and creative stuff out of the Hawkeye student section, but I call bullshit. Just two years back, Steve Alford cried foul to the league office when the Orange Krush planned to chant similar things at notorious thug Pierre Pierce after some legal troubles. Alford is a pussy. It's as if he's a Coach K understudy with this lesson in hypocrisy. Needless to say, I'm not a big Iowa fan.

Game of the Year:

Ohio State's one-point victory over Wisconsin to take the league title on a last second lay-in by freshman sensation Mike Conley, Jr. Yes, it was ugly. Yes, it was low-scoring. Boo hoo, the Big Ten sucks. That's their style of play. Eat a dick and tell me the "Big Ten is down again" When are they ever up, by the way? The bottom line is the conference has two legit teams to contend for the Final Four and a few others I could see making some runs this month.


-- RK