College Basketball Preview: Freshman of the Year Picks for 10 Power Conferences

Harrison Barnes. Jared Sullinger. Terrence Jones.

Just a few names of those who won their respective conference's award for the top freshman player last year in the 2010-11 college basketball season. 

This year's class is every bit as talented. Many players will make a huge impact on their teams, their conferences and eventually the NCAA tournament.

Here is a quick list of the players who could win the Freshman Player of the Year Award in 10 power conferences:

10. Colonial Athletic Association: Erik Copes

Erik Copes is a 6'8", 220-pound center out of Philadelphia, and he is headed for George Mason.

Copes is so big that he doesn't even fit into the picture. 

He is listed as the No. 6 center in the country on ESPNU.

First-year Patriots head coach Paul Hewitt has to be thrilled with having another highly skilled, big-bodied post player.

GMU returns their two best rebounders from last year's 27-7 team: Ryan Pearson (6'6", 225 pounds—14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game) and Mike Morrison (6'9", 225 pounds—6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game).

9. Atlantic 10: Dezmine Wells

Dezmine Wells is a strong, physical wing who will help a good Xavier team get even better.

Wells (6'5", 220 pounds) can run the floor and throw it down on the break.

He is a fierce and forceful player who gets to the line and make his opponents pay. 

If Musketeers coach Chris Mack can blend Wells' skills with Tu Holloway's all-around game, look out A-10.

8. West Coast Conference: Gary Bell, Jr.

While the WCC has been thought of as a mid-major conference, they may have moved up a notch with the addition of BYU for hoops.

The class of the league this year is Gonzaga (big surprise), and Mark Few has signed a good one in four-star guard Gary Bell, Jr.

Bell (6’2”, 175 pounds) was pursued by most of the Pac-10 (now 12) schools, but chose to bring his talents to Spokane instead.

With Robert Sacre and Elias Harris returning from last year's 25-10 Bulldogs team, watch for Gonzaga to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament next March.

7. Conference USA: Adonis Thomas

Memphis coach Josh Pastner is ecstatic that Adonis Thomas stayed close to his Memphis home.

Thomas (6'6", 210 pounds) was a McDonald's All-American and a Jordan Brand Classic selection.

ESPNU ranked him as its No. 2 starting forward.

It's not as if the Tigers have a shortage of long, athletic perimeter players.

Will Barton (6'6", 12.3 points per game) and Wesley Witherspoon (6'9", 9.0 per game) return for what could be one of the scariest rosters in the country in terms of raw athleticism.

6. Big Ten: Cody Zeller

What helps players excel quickly in college hoops is when they find a great fit between their skills and the system they go into.

That is why Cody Zeller will excel from Day One at Indiana.

Sure, Zeller is 6'11" and a five-star, McDonald's All-American recruit. But he will benefit from Tom Crean's inside-out approach to offense and his emphasis on half-court defense and defensive rebounding.

Zeller runs the floor and scores exceptionally well in the post.

His brothers Luke (played for Notre Dame) and Tyler (plays for North Carolina) were both McDonald's All-Americans.

Zeller will line up alongside Christian Watford (6'9", 225 pounds; 16 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game) to form an intimidating frontcourt duo and hopefully help the Hoosiers get back on track.

5. Pac-12: Josiah Turner

Arizona has been known as "Point Guard U" because of the long-list of players (Gilbert Arenas, Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, Damon Stoudamire, and Steve Kerr, to name a few) who have come to Tucson to play for the Wildcats and then moved on to the NBA.

Add one more name to the list: Josiah Turner.

Sean Miller has been a recruiting wizard since coming to Tucson. Aside from John Calipari at Kentucky, Miller may have pulled in more elite-level talent than anyone else in the nation.

Turner (6'3") has good size and is both an outstanding playmaker and scorer. He has great handles and is a slick passer.

Turner can take you to the hole or pull up with a nice mid-range jumper.

4. Big 12: Quincy Miller

Quincy Miller is a unique talent.

Its hard to imagine a player of his size (6'9") breaking people's ankles, but he does.

Miller attacks the basket and finishes exceptionally well.

Scott Drew's challenge (if you can call it that) is to combine Miller's rare skills with another exceptional forward, Perry Jones.

With Miller and Jones, Baylor will have in one lineup two potential lottery picks who create an awesome inside-outside combo.

The Bears will be a very intriguing team to watch come the NCAA tournament.

3. Atlantic Coast Conference: Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers may be one of the best pure scoring guards in college basketball this season.

With his explosive athleticism and limitless shooting range, Rivers will be an instant Cameron Crazy favorite.

His size (6'4"), quickness and handles make him so much more than a catch-and-shoot threat.

While replacing perimeter stars like Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith is a huge challenge, Coach K has found his next go-to guy.

2. Big East: Andre Drummond

The late signing of Andre Drummond (6'11") turned the 2011-12 Connecticut Huskies from a good team to a frightening team.

Drummond will play alongside Alex Oriakhi (6'9", 240 pounds; 9.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game) and Roscoe Smith (6'8", 205 pounds; 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game) to form a menacing front-line that few teams will be able to match up against.

Drummond's great size and big body make him difficult to stop on the block, but he can also effectively hit the mid-range jumper.

UConn fans better soak up all of this season, because Drummond will only be in Storrs for one year.

1. Souteastern Conference: Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis can do it all.

With a rare combination of length and athleticism, no wonder Davis (6'10") is considered by most as the top player in the Class of 2011.

He moves like a much smaller player and can handle the ball and knock down jumpers beyond the arc.

But for all of his physical attributes, what may be most impressive about Davis is his high basketball IQ.

His advanced understanding of the game helps him not to over-rely on his size and skills.

Putting Davis alongside Terrence Jones, last year's SEC Freshman of the Year, as well as Darius Miller and Michael Gilchrist, almost seems unfair.