The anticipation is finally over folks, it's time to unveil the top 5 players in the ACC. Without further ado...
5. Kendall Marshall, North Carolina- For Kendall Marshall, his journey has been a little strange. He came in as a top 30 recruit but was on the sideline for the better part of the first half of his freshman season. Larry Drew II was the starting point guard for the Tar Heels during that time. Since then Drew transferred to UCLA after riding the bench and Marshall has become the best passer in college basketball. Marshall has played the exact same amount of minutes as he did last year and now has 275 assists (9.8 apg), 45 more than he did a year ago. His total of 505 puts him at a pace to outdo Bobby Hurley's NCAA record of 1,076, provided Marshall stays all four years. The knock for the 6-4 Marshall was his scoring, and when he scored a career high 22, including 4-5 from three in the Tar Heels most recent matchup against NC State, the rest of the season had a collective "uh-oh". With the most effective "eye for the open guy", Marshall could become a lottery pick if he starts hitting outside shots.
4. Michael Snaer, Florida State- Michael Snaer's numbers are not going to wow you, averagin 13.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg but coach Leonard Hamilton recently came out saying he is "the best perimeter defender in the conference--and it's not even close". Snaer has not only showed defense prowess this season, but also exploded into the team leader. The junior came in as a McDonald's All-American and Seminole fans had high hopes 8.8 points per game as a freshman. But his sophomore year showed little hope as he remained at 8.8 exactly. This season is a different story. The multi-talented guard leads the ACC's best field goal percentage defense and is only one of two players to average double digits. Oh, I almost forgot, he hit a game winner to end Duke's 45 game home winning streak and completed a frantic comeback by hitting a game winner with 2.6 seconds left to avoid an upset bid by Virginia Tech.
3. Harrison Barnes, North Carolina- 3 is a good number for Barnes, seeing as that might be the position he will be picked in June's NBA draft. 3 is also the position that the 6-8 Barnes will snuggle into nicely as a pro for the next decade plus. 3 is also the position that no one in the country can match up with. Barnes's length and natural athleticism make him a matchup nightmare. He average's 18 points a game, good to lead the nation's second most proficient scoring offense, and good enough to be second best in the conference. Given that North Carolina will end up with four of the top seven players on this list, it's hard to imagine him not averaging more just about anywhere else in the country. As an ACC fan, it's impossible not to know what kind of expectations Barnes came in with. He was selected preseason All-AMERICAN, becoming the first ever freshman to do that, and was expected to be a good step ahead of future first round draft pick Kyrie Irving. Since the initial result was not completely up to expected, Barnes has been nothing short of spectacular.
2. Tyler Zeller, North Carolina- Tyler Zeller came into this season as probably the fourth option on this Tar Heel squad. He has come to the end of his up and down, four year career as the number one player on the squad. People wanted to criticize Zeller for being soft, not athletic enough, and hurt too often. He proved all doubters wrong by averaging a tremendous 15.4 ppg and 9.4 rpg. He is probably most noted for his work ethic and team effort these days, showing it by beating everybody down the floor throughout every game and being on the other end of a Kendall Marshall assist. While he is in the conversation for best offensive big man in the country, he has also teamed up with John Henson to make the most intimidating interior defense in the nation. Zeller is also the story that we all miss in college basketball. He's a senior who is set to graduate and has overcome injuries that kept him to 25 total games his freshman and sophomore seasons.
1. Mike Scott, Virginia- Scott, after the past few games, has reemerged as my pick for ACC player of the year. Scott averages a team high 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds a game and is a natural team leader as a fifth year senior. Scott is also the most VALUABLE player in the conference, with only one other player on the team averaging double figures. Coach Tony Bennett has instituted a defense first, defense second philosophy in Charlottesville, as seen in their second ranked nationally scoring defense of 52.1 points against per game. Scott is the ring leader on the defensive side of the ball for the Wahoos, plugging the middle while also having the range to defend outside. Scott is taking 23% of the Cavaliers shots, and not a bad choice to do that if you are going to pick someone. To me, it's a clear choice for player of the year: who means most to their team? Mike Scott--by a long ways.
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