If the Season Ended Today: End of the Year Awards Given Much Too Early 2

Were back for the second installment of the If The Season Ended Today "Year-End Awards". As we all know, one week of college basketball can alter a teams entire season. A cold streak from an elite player can take them out of the Naismith Award running, and new Cinderellas can show up every night of the week.

I mean, it's so hard to predict a national champion only a week into conference play. That's why its better to imagine that the season ended today.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS:  WAKE FOREST

Don't think that the W over UNC on Sunday was the sole reason I'm giving them the 'ship at this point. They are the most complete team I have seen all year. They have one of the nation's best point guards (Soph. Jeff Teague) who has taken his game to the next level. (He has the same number of 30-point games as Steph Curry.) A Good shooter, great defender, and outstanding at driving to the hole. I believe it all starts at the point guard position, and great teams usually always have an outstanding PG.

Let us not forget about Wake's stellar frontcourt. Al-Farouq Aminu is continuing to improve, and James Johnson is becoming a absolute force on the block. Both studs are averaging close to a double-double per contest. Chas McFarland has impressed me the most outta the bunch so far. (Mainly because I didn't expect much from him.) He had 20-plus against UNC and really asserted himself down low, he had five offensive boards; nine total.

Have I forgotten to mention anything about Dino Gaudio? He has his team playing at an extremely high level, and it is because his committed to the program and the kids committed to him. He has done as good a job in the past three years as any coach in the country.

Wake Forest also has the distinction of being one of the biggest teams in the country. They have three pairs of players that measure 6'9, 6'11 and 7'0. They have talent, size, depth, and a great coach. I'm pretty sure that's enough to be a national champion. HONORABLE MENTION: PITTSBURGH, OKLAHOMA, NORTH CAROLINA, DUKE

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  BLAKE GRIFFIN (OU)

I remember the first time I saw him play on TV. It was his first TV game as a freshman, and the kid practically jumped out of the TV and dunked on the hoop in the alley behind my house. he has all the tools. He's a freak athlete who can score from everywhere, but he also distributes well and knows where to be on the floor. Plus, you don't see too many superstars with the amount of hustle this kid has. He's constantly making players around him better. He has had six consecutive double-doubles, and I've yet to see him have an off game. If I was a betting man, I'd probably put most of my money on Griffin for Player of the Year. HONORABLE MENTION: STEPHON CURRY (DAVIDSON), LUKE HARANGODY (NOTRE DAME), JODIE MEEKS (KENTUCKY)

COACH OF THE YEAR:  DINO GAUDIO (WAKE FOREST)

If your team is No. 3 in the country and national champs (in my book), I'd say you must be one hell of a coach. That's Dino Gaudio for ya. What he has done to this program in the past three years is only rival to what Baylor's Scott Drew and Oklahoma's Jeff Capel. I expected Wake to be good this year, but not THIS good. If they stay consistent, I see them as a real contender for the NCAA title. Gaudio has recruited tons of talent, and now, he has more than a handful to use at his disposal. His bench runs four deep, and four of five starters average double digits. He has done a phenomenal job, and Wake continues to get better at a lightning-fast pace.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:  GREG MONROE (GEORGETOWN)

He had a tough time during nonconference play, but you cant blame him for having a bit of jitters coming into the spotlight at Georgetown as a freshman. Conference play has seen him raise him game significantly. He is picking up the regimented Georgetown-style offense a lot better, he has two games with eight boards and eight assists. His outside shot is underrated, and he moves up and down the floor really well. He also has great court vision and great hands, making him more of a threat away from the basket. As Hasheem Thabeet found out in the UConn game, if you guard Monroe outside, he will drive past you to the hole. But if you give him room, he will hit a smooth trey from downtown.

If Monroe isn't the best freshman in the country, then he is definitely the most important freshman around. You can take Jrue Holiday or Samardo Samuels of their teams, and the squads wouldn't be nearly as weak as Georgetown with out their stud. HONORABLE MENTION: TYREK EVANS (MEMPHIS), AL-FAROUG AMINU (WAKE FOREST), SAMARDO SAMUELS (LOUISVILLE)

SLEEPER TEAM OF THE YEAR:  FLORIDA

Why Not? I know this team has absolutely no resemblance to the back-to-back championship team of recent past, but Billy Donovan has his boys playing solid basketball. This type of basketball should be enough to control their own fates in the lowly SEC. I think Tennessee will be their only other competition.

I Know they haven't beaten a lot of great teams, but they only have two losses, both close. A two point loss to rival Florida state and a neutral-size loss to ranked Syracuse. Nick Calathes is a really good player, and he has the size to impose his will at the guard position. Don't be surprised if we see the Gators make a push for a conference championship. HONORABLE MENTION: BAYLOR, ILLINOIS, ARKANSAS

SLACKER TEAM OF THE YEAR:  TENNESSEE

Around Thanksgiving, this team was in the top-10. But four losses have dropped them from the top 25. The loss to Gonzaga is pretty legit, but they also got scorched by Dionte Christmas and Temple, fell asleep against a under-manned Kansas team, then decided to get scorched again, this time by Jodie Meeks, who dropped 50-plus points on them last night.

The Vols should be able to stay afloat in the SEC because, as I mention nearly every week, the conference is beyond sub-par. This is such a head-scratcher because Tennessee has four starters averaging double digits, one of them being stud PF Wayne Chism. (I'm a big fan of this guy; he just needs to put his headband on the right way.) They have a good bench, too, and I can't say enough about Bruce Pearl.

The Vols might be back in the hunt come later on, but they are slacking. Bruce Pearl's team love to launch the three-pointers, but when they are cold, it's like shooting blanks. Again, Kentucky didn't even beat them, Jodie Meeks did. They need to get better on the defensive side. If they can force turnovers, they run up and down the floor well, but as of late, they haven't been doing a lot of that. HONORABLE MENTION: GONZAGA, MISSOURI, NORTH CAROLINA