If The Season Ended Today: End-Of-The-Year Awards Given Much Too Early

"If the Season Ended Today." It's one of sports' biggest cliches, the ones that never can get fully buried. Its like when a fan's favorite team puts together an unexpected run that sees his team posted at the top of the league with just nine weeks left.

Awards like these might be un-telling of the season as a whole, but it's a good measuring stick for who has come to play so far, as well as those who were suppose to show up, but slept through their wake up call.

National Champions: North Carolina

Is there really any doubt here? Will there really be any doubt here until tournament time pending freak injuries? UNC is so good that there bench team could compete for a Mid-Major conference championship. They have played a mixed bag of opponents so far (Notre Dame, Michigan State, Oral Roberts, Valparasio) and the results have been the same.

Their closest margin of victory is 14 points, and they have gotten to triple digits three times already. Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller are phenomenal freshman who are underrated and under appreciated because they play on such a deep team. This UNC squad has probably the best chance out of any team in the past 25 years to finish the season undefeated. Will they? I'm not sure yet, but as of right now, they're National Champions.
HONORABLE MENTION: UCONN, GONZAGA, PITTSBURGH

Player of the Year: Stephen Curry, Davidson

Again, no surprise here. Although I don't think he will end up winning the award that actually matters, as of right now, he is playing like the best player in the country. He's put up 40 points three times, and is apg average has gone up from the last two years as well.

Playing on a Mid-Major team like Davidson, the early part of the schedule is usually the toughest part, having to go up against BCS conference teams as cupcake games. With Curry on the team, Davidson is playing tougher non-conference opponents and losing less.

At the beginning of this season, I was sure that he was going to be a bust. I was sure people would realize that his performance last March was merely a string of fortunate events that happened to an above average player.

WRONG.

This kid is a point-scorer; a game changer. He can effect games even if hes not scoring (remember the bizarre game vs. Loyola-MD). If Curry continues to put up 30-point games every week, he is more than likely to take home some hardware at the end of the year.
HONORABLE MENTION: BLAKE GRIIFFIN(OU), JAMES HARDEN (ASU), TYLER HANSBROUGH (UNC)

Coach of the Year: Tubby Smith, Minnesota

This pick is just a bit more unexpected then the last two catergories but not less deserving at all. Smith was run out of Kentucky (wish they could have that back maybe?) and landed in one of the last places you would go to find top-tier basketball: Minnesota.

To be honest, I like the Big 10 this year. people think its down, but there are a handful of teams who are around the same level in talent. Smith has done a solid job recruiting, from both in and out of the Minnesota/Midwest region.

Sophomore Blake Hoffarber and Arizona native Lawrence Westbrook make a pretty solid back-court pair for the Gophers who will need to be able to keep up with the other guns that currently reside in the Big 10 (Purdue's Robbie Hummel leaps to mind).

The win over Louisville is a big reason I'm picking Tubby for this award so far. Yes I know Louisville is overrated (Continue reading and you'll hear more about this), and I know that the Gophers haven't exactly had a tumultuous non-conference schedule, but I really like the progress that is being made. 

This is definitely a gamble for me to pick him for this award so far, but think of it as a risky projection pick. Come back and re-read this in Mid-April and see if you shouldn't have skimmed over this section as fast as you just did.
HONORABLE MENTION: DINO GAUDIO (WAKE), JAMIE DIXON (PITT), OLIVER PURNELL (CLEMSON)

Freshman of the Year: Seth Curry, Liberty

OK, OK, you're probably thinking that I don't know SHIT after the Tubby Smith selection, but hear me out. The younger Curry brother (Yes, there's another slightly-altered version of Steph) takes this award because of the rest of the class.

There are some huge names in the freshman class (Monroe, DeRozan, Evans, Samuels, Holliday), I could list them all, but so far they haven't given me reason to hand them the award. Tyreke Evans takes WAY too many outside jumpers for his style, and Monroe goes missing from action for five to six minutes at a time.

Yes, Curry plays on a much weaker team, in a much weaker conference. But so far he's getting it done. Hes averaging 20ppg and nearly four apg. He put up big numbers against ACC contender Clemson, and is shooting %40 from behind the arc. Again, I'm picking him here because he is doing better at his level than a Tyreke Evans is doing at his.
HONORABLE MENTION: AL FAROUQ AMINU (WAKE), TYREKE EVANS (MEMPHIS),  LUKE BABBITT (NEVADA)

Sleeper Team of the Year: Ohio State

Thad Motta keeps recruiting big tall studs to Columbus, and they keep leaving after Freshman year for the NBA. Hopefully first-year center BJ Mullens won't do the same. He was a over-hyped freshman who started slow, but will continue to improve over his stay in Ohio. David Lighty was putting in his bid for breakout player of the year honors until he sprained his ankle this past week.

Before Lighty's injury, Ohio State had all the tools to be a competitor late in the season, but nobody figured them to be undefeated so far. Did anybody expect them to have a chance at beating Notre Dame? They are allowing just over 50ppg, and although they have only played one road game, the Big 10 with no true force, could be theirs for the taking.
HONORABLE MENTION: LSU, BAYLOR, MINNESOTA

Slackers of the Year Award: Louisville

I blame this pick partially on the preseason polls. Did they seriously think Louisville was the third best team in the country? They cant shoot from outside, and their point guard thinks hes a shooting guard. Granted their two best players, Williams and Clark, are studs, and their only two losses have been hard-fought to competitive teams, the team as a whole just doesn't have it yet.

They should have demolished a weak Ole Miss team who was on the heels of a huge scandal, and they let the Rebels back after being up 18 by settling for outside shots when they should be forcing the ball inside. When they did force it inside, their go-to players missed easy, make-able baskets.

This cant be easy to swallow for Cardinal fans with Big East play just around the corner. I know they will re-group and finish solid, but right now,  they are slacking at a very high rate.
HONORABLE MENTION: MEMPHIS, MIAMI, UCLA

Game of the Year: UConn @ Gonzaga

I cant remember a non-conference game that has been so hotly contested year-in and year out between these two teams in a long time. They play just about every year or so, and every game comes packed with a heavy dose of excitement. UConn was up early in the first half before blowing the lead.

Then they got down down double digits with about six minutes to go, and in typical UConn fashion, they rallied back before AJ Price hit a sensational second chance three-pointer with very few seconds remaining to force overtime.

Gonzaga made the error of being to aggressive, resulting in key players, such as Matt Bouldin and Josh Heydfelt fouling out heading into the extra period. Overtime was pretty much all UConn, as the Huskies were able to keep their moment going against a thin Bulldogs lineup.

Nonetheless, another epic battle took place that will be talked about until the next matchup between these two powerhouses. This could be the game of the year at the end of the season, just as it is now.
HONORABLE MENTION: OKLAHOMA VS. DAVIDSON, CLEVELAND STATE VS. SYRACUSE, GEORGETOWN VS. MEMPHIS