The AmStat All-Americans

The Associated Press announced its college basketball All-Americans today, so there’s no better time for us to announce ours. Without further ado…The Amateur Status All-Americans.

 
FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
Jimmer Fredette (Guard) - BYU
Kemba Walker (Guard) - Connecticut [pictured]
Derrick Williams (Forward) - Arizona
Jared Sullinger (Forward) - Ohio State
Marcus Morris (Forward) - Kansas


SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
Nolan Smith (Guard) - Duke
Jordan Taylor (Guard) - Wisconsin
Kenneth Faried (Forward) - Morehead State
JaJuan Johnson (Forward) - Purdue
Kawhi Leonard (Forward) - San Diego State [pictured]


THIRD TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
Ben Hansbrough (Guard) - Notre Dame
Marshon Brooks (Guard) - Providence
Chandler Parsons (Forward) - Florida
Harrison Barnes (Forward) - North Carolina
Kyle Singler (Forward) - Duke


FOURTH TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
Dwight Hardy (Guard) - St. John’s
Jacob Pullen (Guard) - Kansas State
Tu Holloway (Guard) - Xavier
Rick Jackson (Forward) - Syracuse
Keith Benson (Center) - Oakland [pictured]


FIFTH TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
Charles Jenkins (Guard) - Hofstra
Andrew Goudelock (Guard) - Charleston
Jordan Hamilton (Forward) - Texas
Taj Wesley (Forward) - Utah State
Terrence Jones (Forward) - Kentucky

Cinderella Still Dancing on the Women's Side Too!

Women’s basketball has not reached the level of parity that men’s basketball has in recent years. Cinderella stories and runs toward the second weekend by double-digit seeds are common place on the men’s side, but the efforts of 11-seed Gonzaga have been truly special in the women’s tournament. The Ladies Elite Eight is set, and as usual, all four top seeds remain. Three top seeds will face 2-seeds as their regional final opponent, but one top seed will face Gonzaga. The Lady Zags run through this tournament has been thrilling and I, for one, will be rooting for them to be the VCU of the Women’s Final Four. Gonzaga is led by senior point guard, Courtney Vandersloot. Her statistical achievements are staggering, and she is every bit as good as the stats suggest. If Gonzaga wins, they would be the lowest seed in the history of the Women’s Final Four, and Vandersloot would become a legend along the likes of Jackie Styles. Here are the games that will decide he goes to Indianapolis for a chance to become champions.  

(1)TENNESSEE VS (2)NOTRE DAME - DAYTON, OH

(1)CONNECTICUT VS (2)DUKE - PHILADELPHIA, PA

(1)BAYLOR VS (2)TEXAS A&M - DALLAS, TX
 
(1)STANFORD VS (11)GONZAGA - SPOKANE, WA

The Most Unlikely Final Four Ever

The 2010-2011 college basketball season has come down to one final weekend, and an epic Monday night conclusion that will surely be epic. For the first time in the history of the tournament, the Final Four does not contain a 1-seed or a 2-seed. Two mid-major programs broke through as regional champions, and the highest remaining seed entered the postseason as an 11-seed in their own conference tournament three weeks ago. Now four teams stand two games away from being the most improbable champion that this tournament has ever seen. Here are the contests that will decide the NCAA National Championship.

(8)BUTLER VS (11)VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
The only thing more amazing than the Butler Bulldogs returning to the Final Four for a second consecutive year is that they will be returning as the home team in the National Semifinal. Butler’s run through the Southeast Region was somewhat upstaged by VCU’s run from being one of the field’s most controversial inclusions to being the tournament’s biggest surprise. Not enough attention has been given to the fact that VCU has actually played one more tournament game than the other remaining participants. VCU was a victim of the horrible “First Four” gimmick that forced the Rams to play a play-in game as an 11-seed, but they have somehow found a reservoir of energy that has them flying the highest of any team going into the weekend. The Rams have gotten two of their best three-point shooting performances of the season during the tournament, and have seemingly peaked at a dangerous time for their competition. Butler has simply found the magic that brought them inches away from a championship last year. Butler’s role players returned to the otherworldly level that they played on last year while two things changed in the lineup. Shelvin Mack took the place of Gordon Heyward as the team’s unquestioned star player/future NBA draft pick, and Andrew Smith stepped in as a true center moving foul-prone Matt Howard to the four-spot in the process. Now that Smith has began to embrace his role as a major contributor, Butler has started to role.

(3)CONNECTICUT VS (4)KENTUCKY
On the other end of the Final Four bracket, the blue bloods await. Connecticut has rode their prized stallion to the brink of topping some of the great championship performances in history. Where would Kemba Walker leading UConn to a national championship stand among the great individual championship seasons by the likes of Danny Manning and Carmelo Anthony. At the beginning of the year, Walker led a one-man team into the top ten of both polls, willing his team to upset victories with incredible scoring efforts. Later, after sputtering to a 9-9 record in the Big East, Kemba led a more mature group of Huskies to an unprecedented five-game run to the Big East Championship. Now, the Huskies find themselves in the Final Four, after the entire country has watched the full emergence of Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, and Alex Oriakhi. The Huskies are no longer a one-man show. They have now proven to be one of the country’s best teams, instead of being an average team showcasing one of the country’s best players. Kentucky finally found the right mix of youth and experience to get to them to the final weekend. Much ado will be made about the freshman contributors such as Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, and Terrence Jones. However, what separates this team from Calipari’s previous pro-laden teams is the presence of veteran leadership that has been absent in the past. Juniors Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins give the Wildcats a sense of maturity that Calipari’s teams often lack. Josh Harrellson, the team’s only senior, has been one of the quietest difference-makers in the country. Harrellson went from barely touching the floor to being a starter and the ultimate glue guy for a team that usually is a role player or two short in March.