College Basketball's All-American Picks After the First Month of the Season

With nearly a quarter of the regular season in the books, it’s time to take stock of how well the nation’s best players have lived up to their hype.

Some of last season’s stars, like Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, have picked up right where they left off, but many of the country’s top performers were well off the radar only a month ago.

UNLV standout Mike Moser has led an unheralded team to an 8-1 record and (for the moment) the No. 20 ranking in the nation. At 6’8”, Moser is leading the country in rebounding for the squad that handed North Carolina its first loss of the season.

Herein, a closer look at Moser and the rest of the stars whose performances in the season’s first month has them looking like All-Americans.

Third Team: G Shabazz Napier, UConn

Kemba Walker’s successor has proven to be an able combo guard in his own right. Shabazz Napier is averaging 16.8 points and 6.1 assists a game for the Huskies.

The 6’0” sophomore has also played a lot bigger than his frame, pulling in 4.9 rebounds a contest.

He’ll need to be at the top of his game to face off with a conference schedule that includes standouts like Syracuse’s Scoop Jardine and Louisville’s Peyton Siva.

Third Team: G Marcus Denmon, Missouri

The leader of surprising No. 13 Missouri, senior Marcus Denmon has been a force on both ends of the floor. The 6’3” Denmon leads the Tigers with 20.3 points per game, and he’s also recording 1.7 steals a night.

Denmon has been particularly devastating from long range, hitting 47.8 percent of his three-point tries. He’s a big part of the reason the 7-0 Tigers haven’t had any opponent come within 10 points of them all season. 

Third Team: F Robbie Hummel, Purdue

Even with JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore gone, Purdue has gotten off to a strong start in 2011-12, with its only two losses coming against No. 12 Alabama and No. 11 Xavier.

A big part of the reason is that Robbie Hummel is finally healthy and playing like himself again.

The much-injured senior is averaging 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds a game this year. He’ll need to keep up his career-high scoring pace for a Boilermakers team with few other offensive weapons this season.

Third Team: F John Henson, North Carolina

One of the nation’s best defensive players, John Henson has also stepped up on the offensive end this year. The 6’11” junior is second on the Tar Heel roster with 14.1 points a game.

Of course, Henson’s real value is on the other end of the floor, where he’s getting most of his 10.5 rebounds a night and averaging a whopping 3.3 blocks per contest.

UNC may be down after Henson’s last-ditch shot got swatted away in a loss to Kentucky, but the Tar Heels are sure to be back near the top of the rankings by season’s end.

Third Team: C Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

The early favorite for best transfer in the nation, Arnett Moultrie has been a rousing success at Mississippi State. The former UTEP center ranks 11th in the country thus far with 11.1 rebounds a game.

Moultrie is no slouch on offense either, scoring 16.7 points a night. The 6’11” junior has his new team ranked 24th in the country and climbing after a seven-game winning streak.

Second Team: G Travon Woodall, Pitt

Entering the season, Ashton Gibbs was a known quantity at 1-guard spot for Pitt, but replacing Brad Wanamaker’s playmaking was a definite concern. 5’11” junior Travon Woodall has stepped into that vacuum admirably.

Woodall is dishing out 8.3 assists a game, while also contributing 14.1 points a night to the Pitt attack.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, he’s on the shelf for the next month with a strained groin, which will put even more pressure on Gibbs for the remainder of Pitt’s non-conference schedule.

Second Team: G Will Barton, Memphis

The Memphis Tigers didn’t exactly romp through their Maui Invitational competition, hence their fall from No. 8 to No. 21 in the polls.

However, Josh Pastner’s team has gotten just the kind of outstanding play it expected from sophomore guard Will Barton.

The Tigers’ returning leader in several statistical categories, Barton is again topping the team's lists with 18.2 points and seven rebounds a game. The 6’6” Barton has also been a serious presence defensively, posting 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest.

Second Team: F Doug McDermott, Creighton

Creighton is looking like one of the season’s top mid-majors after a 7-0 start highlighted by wins at home over Iowa and on the road against UAB and San Diego State.

The key to the Blue Jays’ sudden success is an offense that’s scoring the second-most points in the nation, led by sophomore star Doug McDermott.

The sharp-shooting McDermott is fifth in the country with 23.7 points per game. At 6’7”, McDermott is also putting up a solid 8.5 rebounds a night for the Blue Jays.

Second Team: F Mike Moser, UNLV

UNLV’s stunning upset of North Carolina placed an immediate spotlight on the nation’s 20th-ranked team. The Rebels’ ranking will drop after getting thrashed at Wichita State yesterday, but star forward Mike Moser deserves more time in the sun.

Moser leads the Rebels with 16.9 points per game, not to mention leading the nation with 12.6 rebounds a night. The 6’8” sophomore, paired with swingman Chace Stanback, has the Rebels looking like the front-runners for the Mountain West title in 2011-12.

Second Team: F Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Even after losing three NBA draft picks, Kansas is ranked No. 14 and looking like a Big 12 title contender once again. The biggest reason is that former sixth man Thomas Robinson has proven an outstanding replacement for the departed Morris twins.

The 6’9” Robinson is averaging 16.1 points a game (second on the Jayhawks) and 12.1 rebounds a night (second in the country).

Even in losses to two of the country’s best front lines—Kentucky and Duke—Robinson hung tough, recording 11 points and 12 rebounds against the Wildcats and 16 points (with 15 boards) against Duke.

First Team: G Kendall Marshall, North Carolina

Kendall Marshall doesn’t contribute much scoring to the mighty Tar Heel offense, but no single player is more important to making Roy Williams’ team go.

Marshall is averaging 10 assists per game, the second-best figure in the nation.

Although UNC will be falling further from its No. 5 ranking after Saturday’s loss to Kentucky, Marshall put in a valiant effort in the defeat. He scored a season-high eight points along with eight assists against the Wildcats.

First Team: G John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

The absence of injured center Festus Ezeli has crippled Vanderbilt’s performance in non-conference play, but when it comes to individual numbers, John Jenkins is right where he was expected to be.

The defending SEC scoring champ is leading the conference again (and ranked 18th in the nation) with 21.1 points a game.

The 6’4” junior has ramped up his three-point production this year, hitting 43.3 percent from long range.

Even in last week’s losses to Xavier and Louisville, Jenkins stood tall, posting 20 points and seven boards against the Musketeers and pouring in 27 points in the loss at the Cardinals.

First Team: F Herb Pope, Seton Hall

Seton Hall may not be as good as its 6-1 start, but star forward Herb Pope appears to be the real deal. The 6’8” senior has doubled his scoring average to 20.9 points a game, placing him in the top 20 nationally.

Pope is also fifth in the country with 11.7 rebounds a night, and he’s recording 1.7 blocks per contest. After a soft non-conference schedule, he’ll face a serious culture shock when the Pirates open Big East play against third-ranked Syracuse at the end of the month.

First Team: F Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Unbeaten and second-ranked Ohio State has validated its preseason buzz by beating both No. 9 Florida and No. 4 Duke in its first eight games. To no one’s surprise, the heart and soul of this Buckeyes team is power forward Jared Sullinger.

Last season’s national Freshman of the Year is averaging 19.1 points and 10.3 boards a game this year. He’s even stepped up on defense, recording 1.6 steals a night for the Big Ten’s top team.

First Team: C Anthony Davis, Kentucky

After just a month on campus, Anthony Davis has set himself up as one of the top freshmen, and the best center of any age, in the nation. The 6’10” Davis is averaging 12.3 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds a game for the top-ranked Wildcats.

Even more remarkable, Davis places second in the nation with a jaw-dropping 4.5 blocks per game.

The most recent of those was also the biggest play of Kentucky’s season so far: a game-saving rejection on UNC’s John Henson to ice a one-point home win.