College Basketball Award Predictions

Freshman of the Year: Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA
Any prediction surrounding Shabazz Muhammad comes with the caveat "if eligible." If Muhammad misses 10 -15 games, he's still probably the Freshman of the year because he's just that good and will provide the kind of stat sheet stuffing and highlight plays that lead to awards and national recognition. Obviously, if he's out for the whole year then the race is more wide open. Isaiah Austin and Nerlens Noel will both be dominant defensive players who'll average 2-3 blocks and 9-10 rebounds a game, but I'll give the edge to Austin because he's a better offensive player.

Defensive Player of the Year: Gougi Dieng, Lousville
Jeff Withey of Kansas is also a strong contender, but Dieng will likely play more minutes, grab more rebounds, and play on an overall better defensive team. Dieng will likely block 3+ shots a game and provide tough interior defense against both driving guards and post up players. Nerlens Noel is another possibility, but it's hard to predict a Freshman to win an award like this.

Coach of the Year: Mark Few, Gonzaga
Gonzaga is a preseason top 20 team with a really good chance to finish in the top 10, which means Mark Few will be in the running for Coach of the Year. There will probably be an overachieving team that comes out of nowhere and has a great season, and that coach will win the award. As of now, I like Gonzaga to be a top team because they have very winnable non-conference games against Clemson, West Virginia, Kansas State, and Washington State and have a great chance to knock off Baylor at home.

Player of the Year: Cody Zeller, Indiana

I'm not as sure about this one as some other people, Cody Zeller is absolutely one of the best, if not the best player in the country, but he plays on such a loaded team that I'm not sure that can compete with some of the gaudy numbers Doug McDermott or even Shabazz Muhammad (if eligible...) will put up. Zeller will have to average 17+ points and 7-8+ rebounds (up from 15 and 6) while still shooting great percentages and provide a defensive presence to a perviously average defensive team. If Zeller does those things, which are easily possible, and Indiana lives up to expectations, he'll be player of the year no matter how many points Doug McDermott averages.

First Team All-American
G: Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
G: Trey Burke, Michigan
F: Doug McDermott, Creighton
F: Mike Moser, UNLV
C: Cody Zeller, Indiana

Second Team All-American
G: Phil Pressey, Missouri
G: Pierre Jackson, Baylor
F: Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA
F: Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State
C: Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota

Third Team All-American
G: Michael Snaer, Florida State
G: Jamaal Franklin, San Deigo State
F: Otto Porter, Georgetown
F: Tony Mitchell, North Texas
C: Gorgui Dieng, Louisville

All-Freshman First Team
G: Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
G: Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA
F: Kyle Anderson, UCLA
F: Isaiah Austin, Baylor
C: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky

All-Freshman Second Team
G: Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke
G: Archie Goodwin, Kentucky
F: Alex Poythres, Kentucky
F: DaJuan Coleman, Syracuse
C: Steven Adams, Pittsburgh

All-Freshman Third Team
G: Gary Harris, Michigan State
G: Glen Robinson III, Michigan
F: Grant Jerrett, Arizona
F: Anthony Bennett, UNLV
C: Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona