Conference play is now in full swing across the country which means we\u2019ve played a little more than two months of regular season men\u2019s college basketball with a little more than two months still to go.<\/p>\n
With this being just about the exact halfway point of the regular season, it feels like the perfect time to hand out some midseason awards.<\/p>\n
Midseason National Player of the Year: Cameron Boozer, Duke<\/p>\n
The race for national POY isn\u2019t \u201calready over\u201d like some are suggesting, but Duke\u2019s freshman sensation would be the clear choice for every major individual award of this nature if the season ended today. Boozer has been every bit as good as advertised for Jon Scheyer, currently ranking first in the nation in scoring (23.3 ppg), 11th in rebounding (9.7 rpg), and 7th in double-doubles (7).<\/p>\n
Midseason National Coach of the Year: Mark Byington, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n
With six undefeated teams still remaining and a number of other squads with surprisingly gaudy midseason records, there are no shortage of candidates to put in this space. I\u2019m going with the guy who has taken a Vanderbilt team picked to finish 11th in the SEC at the start of the season and led them to a perfect 15-0 start following Wednesday night\u2019s win over Alabama.<\/p>\n
Byington, who spent seven seasons as the head coach at Georgia Southern and four at James Madison before landing the Vandy gig, wasn\u2019t as splashy as some of the other SEC coaching hires of the last five years, but he\u2019s already proven to be one of the best. Through a season and-a-half in Nashville, Byington has posted a 35-13 overall record. That\u2019s music to the ears of Commodore fans who sat through five seasons where Jerry Stackhouse\u2019s teams went a combined 70-92.<\/p>\n
Midseason National Freshman of the Year: Cameron Boozer, Duke <\/p>\n
We could get cute here and give this award to A.J. Dybantsa, but any time a freshman wins a best overall player award but not a best freshman award, it just feels silly. Cam Boozer has been the best player in college basketball so far this season, which means he\u2019s also been the best freshman in college basketball so far this season.<\/p>\n
Midseason First Team All-Americans<\/p>\n
Again, he\u2019s really good.<\/p>\n
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan<\/p>\n
If we were handing out a \u201cmidseason team of the year\u201d award, it would almost certainly go to Michigan, and Lendeborg has been the player most responsible for the Wolverines\u2019 historically dominant 14-0 start. The 6\u20199 transfer from UAB has had no trouble acclimating himself to the power conference level, averaging 14.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game despite playing through a lingering calf injury in recent weeks.<\/p>\n