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Monday, February 26, 2007
Does Byars top the list?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This surely would have been a laughable thought when the season started: a Vanderbilt player for SEC player of the year.
Yet Derrick Byars is making a stronger case for the honor after his big showing in Vandy’s upset of Kentucky over the weekend. Would he be your pick?
If not, who’s your choice? Big Baby at LSU, which is having a rough year? Anybody from Florida, which has four strong starters? Chris Lofton of Tennessee, who was injured for a while but has returned strong? What about Tre Kelly of South Carolina?
Give us your best five players for the All-SEC first team. There are a lot of outstanding players to choose from.
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Who’s your player of the year?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Picking an ACC player of the year might be just as difficult as to predict as who’ll win the conference tournament, depending on some upsets in recent games. But it’s not too soon to speculate on who will earn the league’s highest individual playing honor.
Which player would you pick? Tyler Hansbrough of UNC? How about Jared Dudley of Boston College? Could Al Thornton of Florida State win out while playing for a team that’s not assured of an NCAA bid? Then there is the Virginia backcourt of J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary. Are either one of them POY material? Anybody like Zabian Dowdell at Virginia Tech?
And what about your first-team All-ACC team? Give us your best five players of the season.
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Orangemen, Red Raiders on the verge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even with a tough schedule this week Syracuse is one of many teams from BCS leagues that has made a strong push for NCAA consideration.
A convincing win by the Orangemen over Big East-leading Georgetown Monday night probably clinched a berth for Jim Boeheim’s team.
They’re 20-8 with an RPI in the 50s. They have plenty of company in making a late-season effort to get in. Texas Tech nipped Oklahoma State over the weekend, and with an 18-11 league and an RPI in the 40s, the Red Raiders are poised to claim a bid. They’ve got Big 12 bottom feeders Baylor and Iowa State remaining before the conference tourney.
Also trying to step into the mix, or hold on to what seemed like certain bids earlier in the season, are Clemson, West Virginia, Michigan, Stanford and Alabama, to name a few from the power conferences.
The mid-majors continue to make their mark, and make some of the big boys earn their way in the field. With the regular season winding down, and some conferences starting tournaments this week, which teams are your most likely party-crashers? Which well-known teams do you think will get left behind? And who will be the biggest surprises to receive invitations?
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Last time to make a good impression
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s the last week of the regular season and a whole bunch of teams are running out of chances to impress the Selection Committee. This is a huge week for:
— Georgia Tech (18-10, RPI 51): The Yellow Jackets finish with North Carolina (Thursday) and Boston College (Sunday) at home. Win them both and the Yellow Jackets are a lock. Split the games and they still should get in. Lose them both and Georgia Tech will have a very nervous Selection Sunday.
— Syracuse (20-8, RPI 53): The Orange are not in right now, but could play themselves into the field with a home win tonight against Georgetown (22-5, RPI 17) plus a win at Villanova (18-9, RPI 21) on Saturday.
— Purdue (18-10, RPI 47): The Boilermakers have four wins in the top 48 (Michigan State, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia) but are vulnerable if they lose this week to Minnesota (RPI 178) or Northwestern (167).
— Florida (25-4, RPI 7): After losing on consecutive Saturdays at Vanderbilt and LSU, the defending national champions are playing to hold on to a No. 1 seed. They play at Tennessee Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, where the Vols are 15-0 this season. Then Kentucky (19-9, RPI 10) comes to Gainesville on Sunday. The Wildcats have lost four of their last five.
— Georgia (17-10, RPI 52): The Bulldogs could lock up a bid if they could find a way to win at Kentucky on Wednesday and on Senior Day against Tennessee on Saturday.
THE TOP 65
1: Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
2: UCLA (Pac-10 champ)
3: North Carolina (ACC champ)
4: Florida (SEC champ)
5: Wisconsin (at-large)
6: Georgetown (Big East champ)
7: Texas A&M (Big 12 champ)
8: Kansas (at-large)
9: Memphis (C-USA champ)
10: Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley champ)
11: Duke (at-large)
12: Pittsburgh (at-large)
13: Butler (Horizon champ)
14: Washington State (at-large)
15: Louisville (at-large)
16: Maryland (at-large)
17: Virginia Tech (at-large)
18: Marquette (at-large)
19: Arizona (at-large)
20: Virginia (at-large)
21: Vanderbilt (at-large)
22: Air Force (Mountain West champs)
23: Texas (at-large)
24: Kentucky (at-large)
25: Nevada (WAC champ)
26: Indiana (at-large)
27: Southern Cal (at-large)
28: Tennessee (at-large)
29: UNLV (at-large)
30: Stanford (at-large)
31: Creighton (at-large)
32: Boston College (at-large)
33: Michigan State (at-large)
34: Oregon (at-large)
35: Villanova (at-large)
36: BYU (at-large)
37: Notre Dame (at-large)
38: Texas Tech (at-large)
39: Illinois (at-large)
40: Georgia Tech (at-large)
41: Xavier (Atlantic 10 champ)
42: Winthrop (Big South champ)
43: Santa Clara (West Coast champ)
44: Alabama (at-large)
45: VCU (Colonial champ)
46: Purdue (at-large)
47: Missouri State (at-large)
48: Old Dominion (at-large)
49: Davidson (Southern champ)
50: Drexel (at-large)
51: Holy Cross (Patriot champ)
52: Long Beach State (Big West champ)
53: Akron (MAC champ)
54: Vermont (America East champ)
55: Oral Roberts (Mid-Continent champ)
56: TAMU-CC (Southland champ)
57: South Alabama (Sun Belt champ)
58: Penn (Ivy League champ)
59: Marist (Metro Atlantic champ)
60: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley champ)
61: Delaware State (MEAC champ)
62: East Tenn. St. (Atlantic Sun champ)
63: Weber State (Big Sky champ)
64: Jackson State (SWAC champ)
65: Central Conn. (Northeast champ)
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