Now, for the All-American teams. I freely admit that I did not take a lot of time or pore through reams of statistics when putting these together. I simply
grabbed a list of prominent players, double-checked the Wooden and Naismith candidates, and went with my gut. Here is the first-team ballot I sent to the AP:
Sherron Collins, Kansas; Willie Warren, Oklahoma; Luke Harangody, Notre Dame; Cole Aldrich, Kansas; Kyle Singler, Duke
And here is how the vote came down:
Collins, Harangody, Aldrich, Singler, and Patrick Patterson, Kentucky.
The rules for selecting an All-American team are not well-defined. The AP asks us only to put together a team that can take the court. That's why I gave Warren the nod over Patterson -- otherwise, my team would have included four forwards and one guard. But before the Big Blue Nation rises up in outrage, take a look at my next 10:
Second team: Kalin Lucas, Michigan State; John Wall, Kentucky; Robbie Hummel, Purdue; Greg Monroe, Georgetown; Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
Third team: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; Talor Battle, Penn State; Craig Brackins, Iowa State; Matt Howard, Butler; Evan Turner, Ohio State
So I've got Wall on my second team, making him the only freshman to be on any of my All-American squads. Imagine my surprise when he didn't even make the preseason SEC first-team, which includes eight players.
I inserted Wall because I believe both him and his team will be that good. Aside from Wall, all of the guys I nominated have demonstrated they can put up great individual numbers while still helping their team win. They have established records, not unfulfilled potential. That's why, for example, I nominated Matt Howard for my third team even though I think Gordon Hayward will end up being the better player on that team. But Howard has done it in the past and Hayward hasn't, so Howard got my nod.
Sherron Collins, Kansas; Willie Warren, Oklahoma; Luke Harangody, Notre Dame; Cole Aldrich, Kansas; Kyle Singler, Duke
And here is how the vote came down:
Collins, Harangody, Aldrich, Singler, and Patrick Patterson, Kentucky.
The rules for selecting an All-American team are not well-defined. The AP asks us only to put together a team that can take the court. That's why I gave Warren the nod over Patterson -- otherwise, my team would have included four forwards and one guard. But before the Big Blue Nation rises up in outrage, take a look at my next 10:
Second team: Kalin Lucas, Michigan State; John Wall, Kentucky; Robbie Hummel, Purdue; Greg Monroe, Georgetown; Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
Third team: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; Talor Battle, Penn State; Craig Brackins, Iowa State; Matt Howard, Butler; Evan Turner, Ohio State
So I've got Wall on my second team, making him the only freshman to be on any of my All-American squads. Imagine my surprise when he didn't even make the preseason SEC first-team, which includes eight players.
I inserted Wall because I believe both him and his team will be that good. Aside from Wall, all of the guys I nominated have demonstrated they can put up great individual numbers while still helping their team win. They have established records, not unfulfilled potential. That's why, for example, I nominated Matt Howard for my third team even though I think Gordon Hayward will end up being the better player on that team. But Howard has done it in the past and Hayward hasn't, so Howard got my nod.
Digger can
never remember anything he said other than the fact he does not like Butler. 
