Oklahoma's Blake Griffin Player of the Year, Rick Pitino and Bruce Weber Share Coaching Honor

Rick Pitino led Louisville to a 16-2 record in the deepest conference college basketball has to offer.

However, because one of those losses came in blowout fashion at the hands of Notre Dame, and because the Cardinals only had to play Connecticut and Pittsburgh once, some questioned that outright regular season title.

The 'Ville backed it up in the Big East tournament, leaving no doubt that they deserved the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAAs.

While Louisville's success was expected--the Cardinals we're tabbed as preseason conference runner-up and ranked in the top three nationally—Illinois' was not.

That's at least part of the reason why Bruce Weber earned a share of our 2009 Coach of the Year award.

Like a mad scientist, with the voice to boot, Weber somehow restored chemistry to what was a fragmented Illinois locker room last season.

The Illini finished in a tie for second in the Big Ten standings and advanced to the conference semifinals before bowing out to Purdue.

With point guard Chester Frazier likely sidelined for Thursday's game against Western Kentucky, Weber will have to live up to his Coach of the Year billing to get the Illini out of the first round.

I think the B/R college basketball community will attribute at least two of the lasting memories of this season to Blake Griffin; coincidentally, both occurred against Texas Tech

First, his career-high 40 point, 23 rebound performance on Valentines Day, after which Red Raiders' head coach Pat Knight gave him the nickname "The Terminator."

Then two weeks later, in his first game back from a concussion, Griffin showed reckless abandon by diving parallel to the floor, and over the scorers table.

College basketball will certainly miss the Terminator when he becomes the NBA's No. 1 overall draft pick this June.

Has any moment so perfectly captured the essence of a conference?

When Pitt's DeJuan Blair arm-wrenched Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet to the floor in mid-February, the 2009 college basketball season began in earnest.

For the first time, this teams from the same conference earned No. 1 regional seeds for the NCAA Tournament--just one of the many reasons why the Big East is our Conference of the Year.

When you're the reigning Player of the Year on the most talented team in the sport, living up to expectations is downright unrealistic.

Yet Hansbrough managed to lead his Tar Heels to an ACC regular season title, while become the leading scorer in program history. (Just two points shy, he'll soon own the conference mark as well.)

One thing that characterizes our All-American team is efficiency.

James Harden has a unique combination of scoring ability and shooting percentage for a guard, averaging well over 20 points per, while converting on more than 50 percent of his attempts.

The Pac-10 Player of the Year, Harden has the ability to take the Sun Devils on a deep tournament run.

Not that we ever questioned Ty Lawson's value to North Carolina. But college basketball's was reminded that he is the driving force behind the Tar Heels... when Lawson was forced to assume the position pictured above.

With him in the lineup, it's all chalk in the South Regional. Without him, March Madness is about to become an understatement.

The Pitt Powerhouse shared conference honors with Hasheem Thabeet—but not here.

Perhaps it was the WWE throwdown in their first head-to-head meeting of the season. Or maybe the slight advantage that Blair holds in both points and rebounds resonated with voters.

Whatever the reasoning, "6'7" center" has never sounded so big.

You want to talk about efficiency?

Blake Griffin averages 22 points per game, ladies and gentlemen. And in 21 of the 31 games he's appeared in this season, he's missed FIVE OR FEWER shots.

College basketball can only hope he and Hansbrough have the opportunity to go head-to-head in Memphis before both move on.

Finally, and just for fun, we looked ahead to our favorite three weekends of the year and made a prediction.

Nearly 40 percent of the vote belonged to the Tar Heels. Louisville and Pitt both registered 17 percent. Memphis and Syracuse also received votes.

A special thanks to all who voted, both for your time and though in this piece, and in all those you've published for Bleacher Report this season.

Enjoy March Madness everyone!