Big East's Beasts: Top 10 Candidates for Conference Player of the Year

With so many good teams and so many good players, how in the world can you sort through the selection process of who will win the Big East Player of the Year?

In a 16-team conference that has half of its members in the Top 25, you have a remarkable collection of talent to sort through to determine who is the best of the bunch.

Here are the top 10 candidates for Big East Player of the Year:

Before you look at this, see how many players you can name that might be considered for this award.

10. Corey Fisher: Villanova Wildcats

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ROSEMONT, IL - FEBRUARY 19: Corey Fisher #10 of the Villanova Wildcats puts up a shot past Brandon Young #20 of the DePaul Blue Demons at the Allstate Arena on February 19, 2011 in Rosemont, Illinois. Villanova defeated DePaul 77-75 in overtime. (Photo by

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 185 pounds

PPG: 15.7

RPG: 2.8

APG: 5.0

BPG: 0.1

SPG: 1.6

Corey Fisher is the No. 8 scorer in the Big East.

He had his career-high game (34 points) against DePaul.

Fisher has a nice assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1).

Not related to this POY award, but still very cool: On Aug. 7, 2010, Fisher scored 105 points (while shooting 23-for-28 from three-point territory) in a single organized summer-league game.

It is believed to be a new street-basketball scoring record

9. Jimmy Butler: Marquette Golden Eagles

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NEW YORK - MARCH 12: Jimmy Butler #33 of the Marquette Golden Eagles handles the ball against Julian Vaughn #22 of the Georgetown Hoyas during the semifinal of the 2010 Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 12, 2010 in New York City. (Pho

Height: 6'7"

Weight: 220 pounds

PPG: 15.6

RPG: 6.2

APG: 2.2

BPG: 0.4

SPG: 1.3

Jimmy Butler is the No. 9 scorer in the Big East.

Butler has scored in double figures in all but one of Marquette's games this season.

He had his career high tonight (30) against Cincinnati.

8. Brad Wanamaker: Pitt Panthers

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PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 27: Brad Wanamaker #22 of the Pittsburgh Panthers lays one in against the Connecticut Huskies at Petersen Events Center on December 27, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh defeated Connecticut 78-64. (Photo by Justin

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 210 pounds

PPG: 12.3

RPG: 5.2

APG: 5.1

BPG: 0.4

SPG: 1.6

Brad Wanamaker is one of the Big East's most versatile players.

Wanamaker leads Pitt in assists and steals, and he is the Panthers' No. 2 scorer and rebounder.

He is No. 4 in the Big East in assists (5.1 apg)

7. Austin Freeman: Georgetown Hoyas

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Austin Freeman #15 of the Georgetown Hoyas takes a jump shot during a college basketball game against the Providence Friars on February 5, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The Hoyas won 83-81. (Photo by Mitchel

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 235 pounds

PPG: 17.7

RPG: 3.7

APG: 2.5

BPG: 0.2

SPG: 0.7

Austin Freeman is the No. 5 scorer in the Big East.

He is one of best free-throw shooters in the league (85.9 percent).

Freeman has scored 20 points or more in 11 games, and 30 points or more in three games (32 against  UNC-Asheville; 31 against Missouri and 30 against Villanova).

6. Rick Jackson: Syracuse Orange

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 26: Rick Jackson #00 of the Syracuse Orange goes after a loose ball against Julian Vaughn #22 of the Georgetown Hoyas on February 26, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC The Orange 58-51. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Get

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 240 pounds

PPG: 13.1

RPG: 10.8

APG: 2.3

BPG: 2.4

SPG: 1.2

Rick Jackson is one of if not the most dominating big men in the Big East.

Jackson leads the conference in three statistical categories: rebounds, blocks, and field-goal percentage (59.1 percent).

He has put up 17 double-doubles.

Jackson pulled down his Syracuse career-high for rebounds against Detroit (22).

5. Ashton Gibbs: Pitt Panthers

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WASHINGTON, DC- JANUARY 12: Ashton Gibbs #12 of the Pittsburgh Panthers dribbles around Vee Sanford #11 of the Georgetown Hoyas during a college basketball game on January 12, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The Panthers won 72-57. (Photo

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 190 pounds

PPG: 16.3

RPG: 2.3

APG: 2.8

BPG: 0.0

SPG: 0.3

Ashton Gibbs is the No. 6 scorer in the Big East.

He is the best shooter in the conference.

Gibbs is the top three-point shooter (46.1 percent) and the No. 3 free-throw shooter (88.8 percent) in the league.

When Gibbs has struggled, so have the Panthers. In Pitt's four losses, Gibbs has shot 19-for-51 (37 percent).

4. Marshon Brooks: Providence Friars

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Marshon Brooks #2 of the Providence Friars takes a jump shot over Chris Wright #4 of the Georgetown Hoays during a college basketball game on February 5, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The Hoyas won 83-81. (P

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 190 pounds

PPG: 25.1

RPG: 7.2

APG: 2.2

BPG: 1.2

SPG: 1.6

Marshon Brooks is the leading scorer in the Big East and No. 2 scorer in the country.

He has scored in double figures every game this season and he has scored 20 points or more in 24 of Providence's 29 games.

He scored 52 against Notre Dame and 43 against Georgetown.

Brooks has seven double-doubles this year.

He is currently No. 7 in the conference in rebounding.

He makes just under half (49.4 percent) of his shots from the field, and he is making 76.4 percent of his free throws.

One knock on Brooks is that he is putting up big numbers, but he is not helping Providence (14-15, 3-13 in the Big East) win games.

3. Dwight Hardy: St. John's Red Storm

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NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 30: Dwight Hardy #12 of the St. John's Red Storm fakes in front of Kyle Singler #12 of the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden on January 30, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 196 pounds

PPG: 17.9

RPG: 3.1

APG: 2.0

BPG: 0.1

SPG: 1.4

Dwight Hardy is the No. 4 scorer in the Big East.

He is a main reason why the Red Storm have vaulted back to being a relevant team in the conference and on the national scene.

Starting with a close road loss at UCLA, Hardy has been on fire. He has scored over 30 points three times in this seven-game stretch in which the Red Storm are 6-1. 

2. Ben Hansbrough: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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LOUISVILLE, KY - DECEMBER 08: Ben Hansbrough #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles the ball during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2010 DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational at Freedom Hall on December 8, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 203 pounds

PPG: 18.4

RPG: 3.8

APG: 4.5

BPG: 0.2

SPG: 1.9

Ben Hansbrough is the No. 3 scorer in the Big East.

He has scored 20 points or more in 13 games this season.

Hansbrough is the No. 4 three-point shooter (43.7 percent) in the conference.

Hansbrough is coming on strong at the right time of the season. In his three most recent games, he scored 32 (Providence), 21 (Seton Hall) and 30 (Villanova) points.

Hansbrough has the chance to lead Notre Dame to their most wins and best season in school history.

1. Kemba Walker: Connecticut Huskies

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PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 27: Kemba Walker #15 of the Connecticut Huskies drives to the basket against Ashton Gibbs #12 of the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center on December 27, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Gett

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 172 pounds

PPG: 22.8

RPG: 5.3

APG: 4.5

BPG: 0.2

SPG: 1.9

Kemba Walker should win the Big East Player of the Year award.

He is the No. 2 scorer in the Big East and No. 7 scorer in the nation.

Walker has scored 30 points or more in seven games this season, with a high game of 42 against Vermont.

He has scored 31 points against three Big East opponents (Pitt, DePaul and Georgetown).  

Even though Walker is thought of as a scoring point guard, he is No. 9 in the conference in assists and he has a surprisingly high assist-to-turnover ratio (2.21).

Because of his ability to get to the rim, Walker leads the Big East in free throws attempted (7.1) and made (5.6).

From a shooting percentage standpoint, the Huskies rise and fall with how Walker is hitting. In their seven losses, Walker has shot 32 percent (45-for-140) from the field. On the season, Walker is shooting 42.6 percent.