Heading into the stretch run the inevitable question that comes up, in addition to which teams could be headed to the NCAA Tournament, is who are the frontrunners for the individual awards. The Big East has been the nation's premier conference for much of the season, with a number of outstanding coaches, players and teams on display every night.
But who are the five players that will appear on every voter's Player of the Year ballot? It will be tough to pick those five, especially for a season in which the dominant team (Pittsburgh) has shown itself as a team that as a whole is better than its' individual parts. A prime example of that is their winning at both West Virginia and Villanova without leading scorer Ashton Gibbs. Here's just one attempt to rank those five players.
(Note: the Big East uses conference-only statistics to determine their category "champions", so those are the numbers used below)
1. G Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
Walker's getting back to the form that captivated the nation during the Maui Invitational as well as their win at Texas in early January. The junior from the Bronx is second in the Big East in scoring (21.2 ppg) while also averaging 5.3 assists per game. Walker's shooting percentages are up from last season across the board, and he also averages 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.
2. G Ben Hansbrough (Notre Dame)
Hansbrough's been the focal point of Mike Brey's "burn" offense, with the basketball ending up in his hands in both late-game and late-shot clock situations. The senior from Poplar Bluff, MO has raised his scoring average nearly six points from last season, currently averaging 19.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. Ben also averages 1.5 steals per game and can be a handful defensively as well.
3. G Austin Freeman (Georgetown)
Many scoffed at the notion of the smooth senior being named preseason Player of the Year but Freeman's more than backed it up. The DeMatha Catholic product ranks 5th in the Big East in both scoring (17.6 ppg) and free throw percentage (84.0%). Overall Freeman shoots 51.7% from the field and 41.8% from three, making him not only a good volume scorer but an efficient one as well.
4. F Rick Jackson (Syracuse)
Syracuse has gone through their struggles this season but Jackson's been a constant for them, and when the guards remember to get him the basketball he's essentially a guaranteed double-double. The senior from Philadelphia leads the Big East in rebounding with an average of 10.5 per contest and ranks second in both field goal percentage (58.0%) and blocks (2.5 per game).
5. G Marshon Brooks (Providence)
There tends to be a guy from a losing team that merits consideration, but the lack of team success is exactly why a guy like a Brooks rarely wins the league's highest individual honor. Brooks leads the Big East in scoring (25.5 ppg) and is ranked in the top 15 in the conference in many other statistical categories. But a quick history lesson: only twice in the history of the conference has a player from a team with a losing league record won Player of the Year: Dan Calandrillo (Seton Hall, 1982) and Pat Garrity (Notre Dame, 1997).
6th Man: G Dwight Hardy (St. John's)
Hardy's been outstanding for the Red Storm of late, especially with head coach Steve Lavin moving him to the point. Hardy's 8th in the conference with an average of 16.5 points per game and ranks third in free throw percentage at 85.5%. The senior from the Bronx has also benefitted from their varying defenses, as he also averages 1.4 steals per game.