Self, Griffin Win National AP Awards

The east coast means better college basketball, right? Maybe?

The Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference were consistently named the top two conferences in the country, and rightly so. However, the Big 12 proved that although it may not be as strong throughout, some of the biggest names in the conference are the best in the country. 

The Associated Press announced its national coach and player of the year, which was given to Kansas coach Bill Self and Oklahoma forward and walking double-double Blake Griffin, both from the Big 12 conference.

The Kansas Jayhawks are the defending national champions and all we heard this year is how this isn't the same team. The reason why, all five starters on the national-championship team left for the NBA, with those players representing 80 percent of the Jayhawks' scoring. 

With that kind of loss, I heard some people say the Jayhawks could not accomplish much this season, even if the Big 12 had some struggling teams. I predicted the Jayhawks to go 13-3 in the Big 12 and received looks like I was crazy. No way could they only lose three games in the Big 12. Well, I was wrong, they went 14-2 and won the Big 12 for the fifth season in-a-row. Kansas finished the season with a 27-8 record and made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to Michigan State. 

How did this happen? Coach Self turned these freshmen from nervous, inexperienced players into confident, well-rounded play-makers. Cole Aldrich barely saw time on the floor last season and has come on to be one of the more dominate post players in the game. Self's turnaround job earned the coach 28 of the 71 votes, easily beating out Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon, who received 10 votes. 

Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina never had a chance to repeat as national player of the year with the emergence of Blake Griffin.  Hansbrough beat Griffin in the Elite 8 as North Carolina advanced to the Final Four, but in this matchup it was all Griffin. Griffin received 66 votes out of a possible 71, with Hansbrough and Dejuan Blair tying for second with two votes apiece.

Griffin, averaged 22.7 points per game and 14.4 rebounds per game, leads the country in rebounds per game during the regular season.  Griffin also had 30 double-doubles.   His best game came against Texas Tech, scoreing 40 points and pulled down 23 rebounds. Griffin also put up 35 points and 21 rebounds against Gardner Webb and 33 points and 17 rebounds against Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

This is the first time an Oklahoma player has been given this award.