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The college football season wrapped up about a week ago. The Pitt Panthers recently have cracked the national polls, so if you aren't a big basketball fan, and want to be, now is the time to start. I am giving you a look at the names, teams, and games you have to be aware of as college basketball takes center stage for the next three months.
These lists and names reflect the first half of the college basketball season. I'm no basketball guru, but I do like to keep tabs around the country and college basketball is a personal favorite of mine. Here are my thoughts on how everything is going.
First Team All America
Marcus Smart PG Oklahoma State
DeAndre Kane PG Iowa State
Doug McDermott F Creighton
Jabari Parker F Duke
Adreian Payne C Michigan State
National Awards
Player of the Year - Doug McDermott Creighton
Coach of the Year - Jay Wright Villanova
Biggest surprise team - Iowa
Biggest letdown team - Marquette
First Team All ACC
CJ Fair SF Syracuse
Marcus Paige G North Carolina
Lamar Patterson SF Pitt
Jabari Parker PF Duke
TJ Warren SF NC State
ACC Awards
ACC POY - TJ Warren NC State
Top Newcomer - Jabari Parker Duke
Coach of the Year - Jim Boeheim Syracuse
Biggest Surprise - Pitt
Biggest let down - North Carolina
Five Games to watch Nationally
Creighton vs. Villanova Monday January 20
Michigan State at Wisconsin Sunday February 9
Florida at Kentucky Saturday February 15
Louisville at Memphis Saturday March 1
Iowa State at Oklahoma State Saturday March 8
Five ACC games to watch
Pitt at Syracuse Saturday January 18
Duke at Pitt Monday January 27
Duke at Syracuse Saturday February 1
Notre Dame at Virginia Saturday February 22
North Carolina at Duke Saturday March 8
The Number 1 seeds on Selection Sunday - Arizona, Michigan State, Syracuse, Oklahoma State
The college basketball season is as unpredictable as they come, and very much can change now and March. These are my best guesses about everything, feel free to remind me who I missed and what I got wrong.
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