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Monday, March 6
Handing out the hardware

By Dick Vitale
Special to ESPN.com

As we approach Championship Week and Selection Sunday, I am so excited, baby! It is time to give out some hardware, my seasonal awards ... The Dickie V's!

Let's start with coach of the year. There are a lot of good candidates out there. Larry Eustachy at Iowa State has done a super job, leading the Cyclones to the top of the Big 12. John Brady has turned it around at LSU. Kelvin Sampson has been impressive at Oklahoma.

My choice is Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski. Duke lost four players to the NBA, plus Chris Burgess transferred, yet the Blue Devils have come through to win the ACC again with ease. After losing Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, Corey Maggette and William Avery to the NBA, many experts felt this would be the year Duke stumbled. Think again!

My PTP'er, player of the year is a no-brainer, a hands-down choice. Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati has clearly been the man all season long for Bob Huggins' Bearcats. He can do it all, run the court, block shots and defend, and it is amazing to see how much he has improved on offense.

My All-America team consists of a starting five and three more off the bench. I start with Martin, Notre Dame's Troy Murphy and Marcus Fizer of Iowa State. Chris Carrawell of Duke and Indiana's A. J. Guyton round out my starting five. That's a pretty good squad!

Then off my bench are Texas center Chris Mihm, Fresno State sharpshooter Corey Alexander and Duke's Shane Battier. I love the overall production of this group. Fresno State was 3-4 when Alexander was out of the lineup and 18-5 with him. That proves his value to the Bulldogs.

My point guard of the year isn't an easy choice. Mateen Cleaves just had a 20-assist performance and he has been a key for the Spartans. I love Scoonie Penn at Ohio State and Erick Barkley has had an outstanding season at St. John's. My choice is Temple's Pepe Sanchez. He does a great job running the Owls offense and handles the rock. Keep an eye on Temple as a contender for the Final Four.

Time for the Diaper Dandy of the year. There have been a lot of talented freshmen, including Duke's Jason Williams and Carlos Boozer, Cincinnati's Kenny Satterfield and DerMarr Johnson, Joseph Forte at North Carolina, Sir Valiant Brown of George Washington, and the list goes on and on. My choice is Arizona's Jason Gardner, who has been super all season. Remember, he also has a freshman backcourt mate in Gilbert Arenas.

For top forward, I am going to go with Murphy. He can do it inside or outside.

As for a surprise team, Iowa State gets the nod. Fizer has been the top player in the Big 12 all season. North Carolina has been disappointing. It has been a mediocre season, with ups and downs for the Tar Heels.

Upset of the season...there have been a lot of them, but what about Wright State beating Michigan State? Unbelievable, baby!

More thoughts
Hey baby, this is the greatest time of the year with March Madness. This is the greatest sporting event of them all. This is also the time where David has a shot to upset Goliath. I love college basketball and this time of season.

For those who think Connecticut is in trouble, think again. Saturday's win over Syracuse was impressive and Jim Calhoun's team seems to be geared up for another run. Remember, the Huskies beat Arizona, Texas and Syracuse.

Every March, Kentucky gets tough and this season should be the same story. The win over Florida was a solid one and Tubby Smith knows how to prepare his team to perform at the right time.

I am often asked for a sleeper team and my answer is Tulsa. This is a team with great balance, with five and even six players capable of scoring. You can't just stop one player. Plus Bill Self can flat-out coach. His name will be mentioned as one of the hot coaches in America as jobs open up.

My choice for Cinderella is Utah State. The Aggies had a perfect record (16-0) in the Big West, 25-5 overall. Stew Morrill has a great club that will be heard from come tournament time.

It will be interesting to see where Arizona is seeded. Remember, their recent struggles came without Loren Woods in the middle. We're not talking about a deep team, and Lute Olson had Richard Jefferson sidelined for a long time too.

This year the selection committee will have to evaluate how teams will do with their stars returning. For example, Michigan State after Mateen Cleaves returned, or Temple after Pepe Sanchez came back. Courtney Alexander at Fresno State is another good example.

Finally, my pick to win it all. It's a year of destiny for Michigan State and Tom Izzo. This is a battle-tested club and I feel they will get the fourth No. 1 seed and cut down the nets in Indianapolis.


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