2011-12 College Basketball Preview: Preseason Awards

The 2011-12 college basketball season is less than two months away, and it's time to pick the winners of every major preseason award (and a few of my own design).

Every year there are surprises in the winners of some awards, but these are solid preseason predictions that could easily come true.

With that, here are my preseason predictions for every award winner.

Third Team All-Americans

G Tu Holloway, Xavier

G Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin

F Kris Joseph, Syracuse

F JaMychal Green, Alabama

C Andre Drummond, Connecticut

These are the five players who will be Third Team All-Americans this season. The biggest points of interest are Tu Holloway, JaMychal Green and Andre Drummond.

Holloway is a combo guard for the Xavier Musketeers, and he just misses out on Second Team honors. Holloway averaged 20.2 points and 5.5 assists per game last season as a sophomore, and was a Third Team All-American then too. Holloway is a great player who should be a first-round pick or even a lottery pick in the NBA Draft, and he could be a Second teamer when all is said and done.

JaMychal Green is a big power forward for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is interesting to me because Third Team All-American may be a stretch to some. He played for a team that did not even make the NCAA tournament last season, but he averaged over 16 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game last year, and he should be even better this year. The question is: How much better, and will it be enough to be on the Third Team?

Andre Drummond is only a freshman, but he decided to forgo a year in prep school to join the Connecticut Huskies this season. He is an incredible player who is touted as the No. 2 recruit in the 2011 class, and he is an NBA player who is stuck in college. He should be a Third Team All-American, but it will be interesting to see if he has any struggles as a freshman who committed to the 2011 class so late.

It is also worth mentioning that Jordan Taylor is the leader of the Wisconsin Badgers, and Kris Joseph led the Orange in scoring last season. Joseph should score even more this year because of the departure of Rick Jackson.

Second Team All-Americans

G Scoop Jardine, Syracuse

G Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh

F Will Barton, Memphis

F Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota

C Perry Jones, Baylor

Led by Scoop Jardine, Ashton Gibbs and Perry Jones, the Second Team All-Americans have an incredible amount of talent.

Jardine is the talented point guard running the Syracuse offense. He averaged about 13 points and six assists per game last season, and with center Rick Jackson gone, his individual stats are going to improve. It also helps to lead a national championship contender.

Gibbs is not expected to be the second-best shooting guard in the nation by any means, but the fact of the matter is that he is going to be the best player on the Pittsburgh Panthers this season. Gibbs is going to have to do a lot more this season than last season, and he averaged almost 17 points per game; not to mention he shot about 49 percent from three.

Jones was a lock to be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft if he had left after his freshman season (just like the First Team center), but he decided to come back to college for another year. The expectations for Jones are high, but his potential is even higher. Jones is 6'11" and averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season. He is probably going to improve in the 2011-12 season, and will become a Second Team All-American in the process.

Will Barton of Memphis is deserving of being a Second Team All-American because he is the leader of a young Memphis Tigers team that is going to improve by an incredible amount this season. Mbakwe, on the other hand, is an incredible athlete as a power forward, and he is going to do big things at Minnesota this season.

First Team All-Americans

G Kendall Marshall, North Carolina

G John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

F Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

F Terrence Jones, Kentucky

C Jared Sullinger, Ohio St.

The First Team All-Americans are all incredible players, and they are all worth going into detail about.

Kendall Marshall of the North Carolina Tar Heels runs the offense from the point. The Tar Heels are preseason favorites to win the NCAA tournament because of their incredible frontcourt, and the fact that Marshall is distributing the ball to them.

Marshall was not the starting point guard for the Tar Heels for most of the season last year, but he still had enough assists at the end of the season to lead the ACC with 5.8 per game. Marshall is a true point guard who is the best in the nation, and he will prove it this season.

John Jenkins is the leader of the Vanderbilt Commodores. He led the SEC in scoring as a sophomore with 19.5 points per game last season. With a returning veteran cast around him, Jenkins is going to post big numbers this season. There aren't a lot of exceptional shooting guards this season, but Jenkins is one of them.

Harrison Barnes (as said in the title to this article) is my preseason pick for Player of the Year, and he is a lock for a First Team All-American. Barnes is an incredibly gifted player who could've been a lottery pick after last season, but decided to come back to college for another year. Barnes is going to have an unbelievable sophomore year, and everyone knows it.

Terrence Jones is a returning starter for the Kentucky Wildcats who went to the Final Four last season. He averaged 16.5 points and an SEC-leading 8.5 rebounds per game last season, and he could very well lead the conference in both categories this season. Jones is incredibly athletic and versatile, and this combo forward is going to be another great sophomore that is a First Team All-American.

Last, but certainly not least, Jared Sullinger of the Ohio State Buckeyes is the third sophomore on this list who should have been a lottery pick. Sullinger is the incredible big man for the Buckeyes who led the team that went 32-2 last season. He averaged over 17 points and 10 rebounds per game last season, and he too is due for an improvement. Look for Sullinger (along with Barnes and Jones) to be in the Player of the Year conversation.

Conference Rookies of the Year

ACC- G Austin Rivers, Duke

Big Ten- F Cody Zeller, Indiana

Big 12- F Quincy Miller, Baylor

Big East- C Andre Drummond, Connecticut

Pac 12- G Josiah Turner, Arizona

SEC- F Michael Gilchrist, Kentucky

No real surprises here for anyone who is into college basketball recruiting. While there are a lot of good recruits in the SEC (three of the top five), there really isn't much question about who will win the Rookie of the Year award.

Austin Rivers is a phenomenal freshman who will be thrown into the leader's role for the Duke Blue Devils. He is an NBA-ready shooting guard, and the fact that he has ice in his veins and will be taking most of the big shots for the Dukies can only help him.

Cody Zeller is a big 6'11" power forward who will be a major contributor for the Indiana Hoosiers on both sides of the ball. It also helps that he is the only top 20 recruit going to a Big Ten school.

Quincy Miller is a power forward for the Baylor Bears, and he and Perry Jones will make up a formidable frontcourt for the Bears. Look for Miller to get a lot of credit for his work in the paint.

Andre Drummond is arguably the best recruit in the 2011 class. He decided to forgo a year at prep school and play in college basketball right away. He is an incredible center, and being the Big East Rookie of the Year won't be his only honor.

Josiah Turner is the point guard who will lead a surprisingly good Arizona Wildcats team. He is the only top 15 recruit heading to the Pac-12, but he would win Rookie of the Year honors in quite a few conferences.

Michael Gilchrist of the Kentucky Wildcats is the most interesting pick here. He is ranked behind fellow Wildcat Anthony Davis, but Davis could very well be a bust because of how much he has grown recently, and I see his lack of muscle hurting him. Gilchrist, on the other hand, is a long, athletic small forward who will be a major contributor for the Wildcats.

Conference Players of the Year

ACC- F Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

Big Ten- C Jared Sullinger, Ohio St.

Big 12-C Perry Jones, Baylor

Big East- G Scoop Jardine, Syracuse

Pac 12- G Jorge Gutierrez, California

SEC- F Terrence Jones, Kentucky

Bring the Player of the Year for each conference is a very big honor, and these players will all have huge seasons.

Harrison Barnes is the talented small forward for the North Carolina Tar Heels who could have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft if he had decided to leave college. However, he is back, and ready to prove that he is the best player in college basketball.

Jared Sullinger could also have been a very early pick in the NBA Draft, but he also came back for a second year in college basketball. Sullinger will be the leader of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and he is going to put up some incredible numbers this season. He is a force in the paint, and it is almost unfair for the Buckeyes to have him.

Perry Jones is yet another sensational sophomore who could've been a lottery pick. Back for more, however, he is ready to use his versatility to improve upon his average of 14 points and 7.2 rebounds per game from last season. He is a big player who has the athleticism of a small forward, and that unique combination will help him both in college and the NBA.

Scoop Jardine is the point guard for the Syracuse Orange. Without stand-out stars like Kemba Walker, the Big East will reward the man heading the best team in their conference this season. Jardine and the Orange will be great this season, and battle-tested point guard will be the man doing it all for them.

Jorge Gutierrez is the only senior on this list. He would not win this award in most seasons, but having so many departures, the Pac-12 does not have a lot of other options. Gutierrez led California in scoring and assists last year, and he could lead the conference in both of those stats this year.

Terrence Jones is an incredibly athletic power forward for the Kentucky Wildcats. He can scoring, rebound or pass to others, and he is the best player on the Wildcats this year. Kentucky is a serious national title contender, and being the best player on possibly the best team in the nation usually wins you conference Player of the Year honors.

National Rookie of the Year: Andre Drummond, Connecticut

As mentioned before, Andre Drummond is the center for the Connecticut Huskies. He decided to come to college in the 2011 class instead of the 2012, and he is ready to dominate.

Drummond is big (6'10" 275 lbs), athletic and skilled. He can play facing or with his back to the basket. His hook is incredible and he is more than comfortable making shots through contact. He also can drive with one or dribbles to finish with spectacular dunks.

Despite Alex Oriakhi being in the paint too, Drummond will be the best big man on the team, and will be scoring and rebounding more than Oriakhi.

Drummond is going to be one of the best players for the Huskies this season, and considering the fact that the Huskies are poised to win back-to-back national championships, he is going to be considered a vital player.

Defensive Player of the Year: C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's

C.J. Aiken of St. Joseph's is a shot-eraser. He is a great shot-blocker with incredible timing and length, and his stats say it all.

In only 27.5 minutes per game last season, Aiken was rejecting 3.5 shots per night. With Idris Hilliard having left Aiken is now the starting center, and his increase in playing time will result in a huge boost in blocks.

Blocking shots is a way to play defense physically and mentally because it disrupts the opponents' confidence and rhythm. Aiken was the third-best shot-blocker in the nation last season despite coming off the bench, and he will lead the NCAA this season.

National Player of the Year: Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

As promised, Harrison Barnes is the National Player of the Year. As you know by now, Barnes was a highly-touted recruit in the 2010 class and was expected to be the first or second pick in the NBA Draft, but he decided to return to college for another season.

Barnes had a great 2010-11 campaign as a freshman, averaging 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He was arguably the best player the North Carolina Tar Heels had, and with another year of development, he is their best for sure.

Barnes is surrounded by good teammates, including future first-round picks Tyler Zeller, John Henson, James McAdoo and P.J. Hairston. Not to mention exceptional point guard Kendall Marshall and potential borderline first-rounder Dexter Strickland.

While having good teammates could hurt some players, Barnes will use it to his advantage to keep defenses away from him and still being the leader of the bunch.

Barnes is almost a lock for Player of the Year, but it's worth mentioning that his main competition will be Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones.

Josh Schoch is an aspiring sports writer dedicated to bringing you everything related to college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, Fantasy Football and more. Follow him on Twitter.