Is this a year when two top-player awards ought to be bestowed for Big 12 men’s basketball?
Speaking Monday during the weekly Big 12 teleconference with the media, several coaches said it would be an injustice if Texas A&M senior point guard Acie Law IV does not receive recognition along with 6-foot-9 freshman sensation Kevin Durant of Texas.
How about Durant getting Big 12 player of the year and Law being named the league’s MVP?
“I think Kevin Durant is the best player in college basketball,” Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton said. “But Acie may be the most valuable player to his team in the Big 12.”
Since no MVP award is given by the coaches or media, Sutton said an argument could be made for Durant being named the national player of the year and Law the Big 12 player of the year.
That gets a bit messy. I prefer the suggestion of adding a league MVP award – if not now, at least for the future. Often, the outstanding player and most valuable player will be the same guy. Not this time.
Durant and Law are both top dogs.
With two regular-season games remaining, Durant is on pace to set Big 12 records for scoring (28.6) and rebounding (12.5) for conference games only. Durant is the most talented player in the Big 12’s 11-year history.
In conference play, Law entered the week ranked second (20.0) to Durant in scoring. Law also is second (to Nebraska center Aleks Maric) in field-goal shooting (.511) and ranks third in assists. Stats don’t tell half the story about Law’s contributions, however. He became Mr. Clutch for the seventh- ranked Aggies, beating Kansas in Lawrence with a 3-pointer and taking control of several other games in the final minutes.
Said Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel of voting for player of the year: “If you’re going strictly on numbers, you have to go with Durant. If you’re going on the impact a person has on his team, then I think it makes that (decision) more challenging.”
Drum roll, please
For the record, here is the all-conference ballot I submitted to The Associated Press:
First team (in no particular order): Durant; Law; Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State; Jarrius Jackson, Texas Tech; Brandon Rush, Kansas. Second team: Maric; Mario Chalmers, Kansas; Julian Wright, Kansas; Joseph Jones, Texas A&M; D.J. Augustin, Texas. Third team: Richard Roby, Colorado; Cartier Martin, Kansas State; Martin Zeno, Texas Tech; Sherron Collins, Kansas; JamesOn Curry, Oklahoma State.
Coach of the year: Billy Gillispie, Texas A&M (gets nod for winning at Kansas).
Player of the year: Durant.
Newcomer (transfer) of the year: Mike Taylor, Iowa State.
Freshman of the year: Durant.
Footnotes
Unless there are major surprises at next week’s conference tournament in Oklahoma City, the Big 12 appears on target to get five teams into the NCAA Tournament: Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas State and Texas Tech. Bubble teams Oklahoma State, Missouri and Oklahoma lost swing games last week….Kansas finished 10-0 against the Big 12 North….Cliff Meely, from 1968-71, was the only CU player to reach 1,400 points in fewer games (80) than Roby (84).
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
