2009 NCAA Tournament Awards

So that's it. March Madness is over. Your bracket burned two rounds ago and all you were hoping to see was a competitive championship game. Carolina was the Goliath, filled with NBA first round players and having just come off a Final Four run last season. And Michigan State was the perfect David, seizing the moment during the last two weeks, gelling together and playing with unmatched confidence. On top of that, they were playing in Detroit, which was pretty much a home game for them.

The hype was high and after last year's spectacular final, there was hope that last night would provide similar theatrics.

Instead, the game was over by halftime. And for the second time in five years, we had this...


As a Carolina fan, I was thrilled by the result. But if you were just a fan of basketball, last night's final, in a word; sucked.

So to make up for the lackluster final, we'll give out some Flavors of Lovelace Tournament Awards and put a final bow on the college basketball season.

***

BEST TEAM - North Carolina

Fairly easy pick here. The Tarheels were clicking on all cylinders for nearly the entire tournament and showed the talent and firepower that made them the preseason No. 1. When they really got going, there was no one on their team you could stop on the offensive end. Wayne Ellington couldn't miss. Ty Lawson was unstoppable. Tyler Hansbrough was Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the team all did their part.

What put the team over the top though, was their commitment on the defensive end. They played with a sense of urgency, and were swarming to the ball. They finally figured out that scoring 100 points, but giving up close to 90 would catch up to them if they didn't dig in on defense. If you watched the Oklahoma game, you saw this first-hand. Blake Griffin still got his stats, but he was facing double-teams and traps every time he touched the ball. They made him uncomfortable, which is all you could do when you're facing a future NBA All-Star.

Whether you like North Carolina or not, if you're a basketball fan you have to appreciate just how good this team was. You just do.


BEST COACH - Tom Izzo

I admit, I didn't see Michigan State coming. I saw a team that was good, but was very beatable, and I thought that they just didn't have the talent to beat the top-tier teams.

And looking at the team, I still don't think they had the talent. But what I forgot to consider was just how good a coach Tom Izzo was. He made up for the team's shortcomings by getting his team to play efficiently, controlling the pace and getting them to run when they had openings. They played great team defense and believed that they were a Championship-caliber team.

In the three games before the final, Sparty knocked off the defending champion (Kansas), the No. 1 seed in the tournament (Louisville) and the most dominant team in the tournament going into the Final Four (UConn).

You don't get lucky three times. Credit goes to Izzo.

Feel free to brush your shoulders off, Tommy.
You earned it with this year's Tournament run.

BEST PLAYER - Ty Lawson

An injury about a big toe was the dominant story of the first two rounds. That's how important Ty Lawson was to a Carolina team stocked with talent.

And when he came back, he showed why he was so important. Lawson was the best player on the floor every time he was out there. His ability of being able to play 100 miles-per-hour, while still being able to stay completely in control made him absolutely deadly in the open floor. It got to a point where every time he rose up for a three, you expected it to go in. Every time he drove the floor and drew contact for a foul, you expected him to make the lay-up for a three-point play. Plus he didn't make many mistakes, posting a nearly 5 to 1 assist to turnover ratio in the tournament.

Ellington and Green were great in this tournament. If you think that's not a direct correlation to Lawson's play, than you're not watching the same game I am. Hansbrough will be higher regarded in Carolina lore, but Lawson's the reason this team won the title.


BEST OVERACHIEVER - Villanova

In a chalk-filled tourney, 'Nova provided us our best glimpse of a true Cinderella. They were scrappy. They played with heart. And most importantly, they played smart. Scotty Reynolds didn't shoot the ball that well, but the guy's a gamer and Dante Cunningham, at times, looked like a star.

I think what was most impressive by the Wildcats is how physical they played. Their tallest guy was 6'8", but they were deceptively hard to score on in the post. It wasn't the 1985 team, but this 'Nova team was still plenty impressive.

Dante Cunningham, Scotty Reynolds and Co. made this
a season to remember for the Wildcats

MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM - Memphis

Memphis started out the tournament by terrifying the entire nation in their first-round, near defeat to Cal State Northridge. At the time, that game looked like just a minor scare. In hindsight, that game told the whole story.

Not playing anyone during the season caught up with the Tigers this year. I'm not saying that as an indictment on the team or their scheduling; they played who they had to play. The problem is, they weren't truly tested enough, and when they faced some adversity in the tournament, they didn't respond well.

Sure, they destroyed a Maryland team with far inferior talent, but they looked completely outmatched against Mizzou. Memphis was a favorite to make the Final Four, and a darkhorse to win it all. Instead, they bowed out in the Sweet 16. For a team with such talent and lofty expectations, that's a failure of a season.


BEST SURPRISE PLAYER - Cole Aldrich

Maybe Cole's play shouldn't have been much of a surprise. I mean, the guy averaged a 15 and 11 during the season and was the second best player on Kansas all year.

But Aldrich was a beast in the tournament. Check out his stat line: 17.7 points, 15.7 boards, 5.3 blocks. That's putting in serious work. And in the words of the infamous Ice Cube, Cole even "fucked around and got a triple double," dropping a 13-point, 20-rebound and 10-block performance against Dayton in the second round.

He seemed to get better every game he played in the tourney, and if he and Sherron Collins return, Kansas should be right in the mix for a National Championship next year.

Nothing against Cole, but I figured you rather see
these Kansas cheerleaders. You're welcome.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER - James Harden

I don't know if you knew this, but apparently James Harden is a legit high lottery pick. No, seriously.

You'd never have guessed after watching him in the tournament. He averaged 20 points, five boards and four assists during the season - in the soft Pac-10 - and then i have no idea what the hell happened to his game. He scoring dropped dramatically, as he scored 10, nine and 10 in his three tournament games. He couldn't throw the ball in the ocean either, shooting a stellar 19% from the field.

Is that what you want for from a guy you're taking with a Top-5 pick? Didn't think so.


MOST EXCITING TEAM - Missouri

Missouri's style of play was thoroughly entertaining and head coach Mike Anderson deserves most of the credit here. A disciple of Nolan Richardson, Anderson had his players play a frenetic press-defense that led to more turnovers, more Tiger possessions and more easy points.

And since I don't know what else to say about Mizzou, just enjoy these highlights of their Elite 8 run.

"THE MELO AWARD" - Tyreke Evans

Named after Carmelo Anthony, who was awesome as a freshman and raised his game in the tournament, taking Syracuse to the National Championship. So why am I picking Evans, who clearly didn't lift Memphis (who, coincidentally, was the most disappointing team)?

Because Evans was the only Tiger player who showed up, that's why. It's pretty impressive when a 6'6" freshman, that's built like a prototypical shooting guard, can move over to the 1-spot and run point for a team that won 27 straight games.

In the Mizzou disaster, he was still great, dropping 33 points. The kid can fill it up with ease, and he has such great control over his body. He doesn't really blow by you, but always knows exactly how to maneuver around his defender to score. He'll be a great NBA player.


"MEA CULPA AWARD" - (tie) Danny Green and Michigan State

"It takes a big man to admit his mistakes, and I am that big man." - Michael Scott

Even here at Flavors of Lovelace, we make mistakes. I owe apologies to both Danny Green and Michigan State. Let's start with Green. In my Sweet 16 Power Poll, I wrote:

"North Carolina tends to go through long stretches where all they want to do is score, score, score. The best example of this is Danny Green. Last year he came off the bench and provided energy, scoring punch and rock-solid, perimeter defense. Now? I can't tell you how many times I see him play lazy on defense, then jack up a bad three-point shot in transition on the other end."

Well all Danny Green did in Carolina's run to the Championship is morph into the most versatile player on the Carolina roster. He made threes in transition, made smart decisions and was a force on the glass. What was even more important is that he started to commit on the defensive end again. He did all the little things that a Championship team needs. My bad Danny.

This is what I wrote about Sparty in that same post:

"But it's hard for me to take a team seriously that nearly lost to Penn State the first time they played, then got beat by the Nittany Lions at home. I've seen first-hand that Sparty can go down. I don't think they can get enough scoring if they get caught in a high-scoring affair..."

I thought they couldn't win in a high-scoring game, and at first, maybe they couldn't. But instead of trying to outscore opponents, they controlled the pace and forced teams to play their game. They completely owned Louisville, holding them to just 52 points. Then, they showed that when forced to score, they can, dropping 82 on a UConn team that almost everyone had penciled into the final. So yeah, sorry Michigan State.

Pop that jersey Danny. You earned it.

BEST PLAY

This tournament, for the most part, was pretty uneventful. But one play easily stands out as the sickest of the tournament; if not the year.

So enjoy your last bit of college basketball. You may not admit it now, but when it's July and baseball is the only sport on, you're damn sure going to miss it.

Photos Courtesy of Sports Illustrated's John Biever and Google Images