Some quick hitters off today's AAC coaches teleconference call, in advance of this week's championship tournament in Memphis:

KEVIN OLLIE:

“I look forward to getting back on the court. We’ve got a sour taste in our mouth after our defeat at Louisville. I think we’ll become a better team off that defeat. I just like the resilience of this team all year. It’s the focus of our seniors, and the development of our players to get that champion mind-set.”

“It’s gonna be a great crowd. We’re looking forward to being int hat atmosphere. The game changes from each game. First game, DeAndre came out, he was shooting and penetrating. The second game, we got to the free throw line a lot. We’ve got to trust each other. We can’t have seven assists like we had against Louisville … We’ve got to make the right decisions. Sometimes, throwing a shot over a guy who’s 6-11 isn’t a good decision. Maybe finding Niels Giffey for a jump shot is a better decision.”

(on Shabazz Napier and Sean Kilpatrick)

“They mean a lot to both teams. I imagine Mick (Cronin) says the same thing. They're the heartbeat of our team. (Napier) leads us in all the important categories … he just means so much to our team dynamic. I also know Kilpatrick is the same way. When they need a big shot, he’s always making it – maybe a dump-down pass, maybe a rebound. Big-time players make big-time plays."

(Kilpatrick Player of the Year?)

“If he got it, it’d be a worthy choice. He’s had an awesome career there, and I know he’ll be playing at the next level.”

*** The conference player of the year vote is going to be interesting. Most of the coaches evaded naming who they voted for, but UCF's Donnie Jones noted that Kilpatrick should be the choice.

Rick Pitino sounded like he might think Kilpatrick should win, too -- though it should be noted he was responding to a question from a Cincinnati reporter.

"I think you could pick three, four different players," Pitino said. "Russ Smith, Shabazz Napier, Sean Kilpatrick are all capable of winning that award. I don't think Anthony Davis won the SEC player of the year and he got national player of the year (with Kentucky). It could not go to Russ Smith, and he could be a first-team All-American. If you took (Kilpatrick) out of Cincinnati, it would hurt them tremendously, because they count on him so much for points. He's a worthy candidate to win that award."

Said Larry Brown:

“I put all three names down, and there were a couple of others I considered whose teams weren’t quite as successful. I don’t know how you choose between any of those guys. I think they’ll all be playing next year, at a very high level. They’re all great team guys, and they all finished at the top of their conference. That’s a really, really tough choice to make.”

Not surprisingly, Cronin believes Kilpatrick should win it.

"But we have three guys in this league worthy of being first-team All-Americans," the Cincy coach said.

*** Memphis coach Josh Pastner was full of compliments. He called the AAC "the best league in the country," continuously pushed for Mike Aresco to be rewarded with a lifetime contract and said Ollie is a "future Hall of Famer ... no doubt about it."

As for playing UConn on Thursday night:

“Any time you play a game, home, away, neutral, you're gonna feel a little pressure. But especially at home, a little more. But this league is loaded. If you don’t bring you’re A-game, there’s a good chance you’ll lose. You’ve got to be on-point in everything you do. And that’s extra true against team like UConn that’s well-coached and has so many good players, like they do.”

"We have to do a great job defensively. They are a great 3-point shooting team, not a good 3-point shooting team, a great one ... Napier is a stud, Boatright is a stud, Daniels is a stud. They have multiple studs."

*** Pitino on the AAC after its first year of existence:

"Very strong, very competitive, and a very well-run conference. A little weaker at the bottom than the Big East, because some of those programs are rebuilding.”

*** Eddie Jordan subscribes tot he theory that its tough to beat a team three times in the same season.

“The team that’s lost twice, it’s just human nature, their motivation is higher, they have a little bit of an edge, their will and determination is probably a little bit higher than the team that beat you twice," he said.

The season-ending Top 25 poll is easily the most inconsequential of the season. The only numbers anyone is thinking about right now are regional seedings. But, gotta do what you've gotta do.

Of perhaps more interest is my AP All-America teams, as well as Player of the Year and Coach of the Year selections:

1. Kentucky
2. Syracuse
3. Missouri
4. North Carolina
5. Kansas
6. Michigan State
7. Ohio State
8. Baylor
9. Florida State
10. Duke
11. Marquette
12. Murray State
13. Georgetown
14. Wisconsin
15. New Mexico
16. Creighton
17. Indiana
18. Michigan
19. Wichita State
20. St. Mary’s
21. San Diego State
22. Louisville
23. Gonzaga
24. Temple
25. UNLV

All-America
First Team
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Thomas Robinson, Kansas
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Jae Crowder, Marquette
Draymond Green, Michigan State

Second Team
Doug McDermott, Creighton
Kevin Jones, West Virginia
Marcus Denmon, Missouri
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
Isaiah Cannon, Murray State


Third Team
Perry Jones III, Baylor
Terrence Jones, Kentucky
Austin Rivers, Duke
Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

Coach of the Year: Frank Haith, Missouri
Player of the Year: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

We interrupt your dreams of another miracle Big East tournament and NCAA tournament run to remind you that both Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb should be lottery picks in this year's NBA Draft and, in all likelihood, will go pro once the season is over.

I asked a couple of NBA scouts -- one from the Eastern Conference, one from the Western Conference -- what they liked and disliked about the respective games of Drummond and Lamb. Most of what they said isn't ground-breaking or anything most UConn fans don't already know, but it's interesting to hear from guys who's jobs are on the line when it comes to scouting and rating potential NBA players.

Here's what they had to say:

“Drummond is what I call an alien,” said the Eastern Conference scout. “He’s from another planet, physically. He’s just so gifted, it’s mind-boggling. As a player, he’s just learning to play. For any guy like that, if he would just play as hard as he possibly could, all the time, the results will be good most of the time because he’s just flat-out physically superior to almost everyone on the planet.”

The scout added that Drummond “has the potential to be an NBA all-star, no question in my mind. But it’s a long way between where he is today and being an NBA all-star.”

"I know the Connecticut fans want performance night-in, night-out, but I don't know how realistic that is from a guy just learning to play. The NBA has shown time and time again that it will wait on a big. They won't on a smaller player. They want instant gratification on smaller guys."

The scout stressed that Drummond has to improve his fundamentals, particularly on offense.

“At times, I thought he was shooting not off his palm, but off his wrists,” the scout said. “I’d never seen anything like that. I didn’t think it the ball had any chance of going in. (Against West Virginia), he was hitting turnaround shots, and one of the scouts leaned over and said, ‘If he keeps hitting those shots, he’ll be the first pick, not the second pick.’”

The Western Conference scout echoed those sentiments.

“You’d have to start from scratch,” he said. “It’s a testament to the world of AAU. Someone who (cared) about the kid would have started at basic fundamentals. He doesn’t even hold the ball correctly. You can teach anyone how to do that, especially when they’re young enough. With his talent and athleticism, all he needs is a hook shot. If he can hit an open jump shot, he’d be basically unguardable.”

He added: "He’s very friendly, seems like a nice kid. With all those big guys, you’d like to crawl inside his brain. Does he like to play? A lot of big guys are forced into it because of their size. How much does he wanna work? He's so physically talented, he can probably make a living roaming the court, rebounding, blocking a shot here and tehre, alley-oops. But right now, there's a real lack of skill."

*** As for Lamb, the Western Conference scout believes he’s a perfect NBA two-guard.

“He has the position, you don't have to worry about him making the adjustment," he said. "I don’t know too many guys you’d take ahead of him at that position. He does have a nice arsenal of shots. He’s pretty smooth once he gets in a rhythm. The shot he hit (against Providence), that classic little floater, that’ll help him at the next level if he doesn’t forget about it. You can’t get to the rim all the time in the NBA, so you’ve got to offset that.”

Lamb hasn’t shot the ball as well as many expected this season – 32.7 percent on 3-pointers, and just 28.5 percent on 3-pointers in Big East play. But he’s been the focal point of many opponents’ defenses, something he won’t likely have to worry about in the NBA.

“(Scouts) take that into account,” the Western Conference scout said. “You’re not going to ask him to carry an NBA team and be a Kevin Durant or anything. He can even be a MarShon Brooks, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

The Eastern Conference scout likes Lamb, as well.

“He’s going to be a high pick also,” he said. “He’s got a high skill level, a bright upside. He needs to get stronger, a little tougher, and better off the bounce. He’s got a good 1, 2 dribble off the bounce, but after that I have questions. That being said, he’s young, it’s all ahead of him. He has a golden future.”

Both scouts pointed out that it would behoove both players – particularly Drummond – to stay in school for at least another year.

“In a perfect world he should stay in school, I think,” the Eastern Conference scout said. “But I’m not addressing the financial component, which is a driving force. I’d like to see him stay at Connecticut, I think a great deal of the coaching staff. Any player that will stay at Connecticut and work will have the opportunity to get better.”

But there are two words that any likely lottery pick needs to hear that normally convinces them to go pro:

"It’s called 'Greg Oden,'" the Eastern Conference scout said. "It's crystal-clear. If Greg Oden stayed at Ohio State, I have no doubt that they would have won a couple of national championships, if he was healthy. But the fact is he went to the NBA and he got his money. Thank God he got money, look what's happened since. It's been a nightmare physically. every player is a knee injury away from his career being over."

Indeed, all signs point to Drummond and Lamb going pro.

“(Lamb) will be right at the top (among two-guards),” the Eastern Conference scout added. “The only guy ahead of Drummond would be (Kentucky’s Anthony) Davis. You’ve got a kid like Thomas Robinson of Kansas playing at a very high level, he’s going to be a terrific NBA player, but he’s smaller, obviously, than Drummond.

“(Drummond) is going to go, if not second, then very high.”

*** Lamb earned first team all-Big East honors on Sunday while Drummond made the all-rookie team. The conference's Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards will all be announced on Tuesday, between morning and afternoon sessions of the Big East tourney at Madison Square Garden.

My picks would be: Jae Crowder, Player of the Year; Moe Harkless, Rookie of the Hear; and Stan Heath, Coach of the Year. I'm guessing that's how it'll go, though Drummond (the preseason pick) probably has a shot at Rookie of the Year. And Mike Brey seems to win Coach of the Year every season, so maybe we should just earmark him for that one, as well.

Anyway, here are the all-Big East selections:

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM

Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut, G, So., 6-5, 185, Norcross, Ga.

Jason Clark, Georgetown, G, Sr., 6-2, 170, Arlington, Va.

*Jae Crowder, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 235, Villa Rica, Ga.

Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-2, 215, Raleigh, N.C.

Kris Joseph, Syracuse, F, Sr., 6-7, 210, Montreal, Quebec

Kevin Jones, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-8, 260, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, G, So., 6-4, 215, White Plains, N.Y.

Jack Cooley, Notre Dame, F, Jr., 6-9, 244, Glenview, Ill.

Jordan Theodore, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-0, 174, Englewood, N.J.

Scoop Jardine, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Philadelphia, Pa.

Maalik Wayns, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-2, 200, Philadelphia, Pa.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM

Henry Sims, Georgetown, C, Sr., 6-10, 232, Baltimore, Md.

Vincent Council, Providence, G, Jr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Herb Pope, Seton Hall, F, Sr., 6-8, 236, Aliquippa, Pa.

Dion Waiters, Syracuse, G, So., 6-4, 215, Philadelphia, Pa.

Darryl Bryant, West Virginia, G, Sr., 6-2, 195, Brooklyn, N.Y.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION

Cleveland Melvin, DePaul, F, So., 6-8, 205, Baltimore, Md.

Hollis Thompson, Georgetown, F, Sr., 6-7, 205, Los Angeles, Calif.

Kyle Kuric, Louisville, G-F, Sr., 6-4, 185, Evansville, Ind.

Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.

Moe Harkless, St. John’s, F, Fr., 6-8, 190, Queens, N.Y.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM^

Andre Drummond, Connecticut, C, Fr., 6-11, 275, Middletown, Conn.

Chane Behanan, Louisville, F, Fr., 6-7, 250, Bowling Green, Ky.

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame, G, So., 6-5, 185, Bowie, Md.

LaDontae Henton, Providence, F, Fr., 6-6, 220 Lansing, Mich.

Moe Harkless, St. John’s, F, Fr., 6-8, 190, Queens, N.Y.

D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s, G, Fr., 6-3, 186, Missouri City, Texas

Anthony Collins, USF, G, Fr., G, 6-1, 175, Houston, Texas

Here's my preseason Top 25 and All-America team I just submitted to the Associated Press. First AP poll will move this Friday:

1. North Carolina
2. Kentucky
3. Ohio State
4. UConn
5. Syracuse
6. Duke
7. Vanderbilt
8. Florida
9. Memphis
10. Pittsburgh
11. Louisville
12. Baylor
13. Wisconsin
14. Kansas
15. Xavier
16. Arizona
17. Alabama
18. Marquette
19. UCLA
20. Michigan
21. Cincinnati
22. California
23. Texas A&M
24. Michigan State
25. Missouri

All-America:

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
Jeremy Lamb, UConn
Perry Jones, Baylor
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin


Carolina obviously has the most overall talent and deserves to be a near-consensus No. 1. Doesn’t mean the Heels will win it all, but it’s hard to believe they won’t at least reach New Orleans.

I like UConn at No. 4 right now. I completely agree with Jim Calhoun’s assessment that the Huskies are more talented than last year’s national champs (which, of course, finished 9-9 and in ninth place in the Big East). And I also completely subscribe to the notion that Kemba Walker is irreplaceable. Who’ll provide all that leadership, make all the big plays in crunch time, hit all those buzzer-beaters? Well, maybe no one will have to. Maybe, with a far more balanced attack, UConn won’t have to constantly lean on one great player to bail them out, time and time again.

Elsewhere:

*** I’m going along with the general notion that Vandy is for real this year. Yes, they’ve been popped from the NCAA tourney in the first round three years running, but there is a lot of talent here. It won’t take much for me to change my mind on the Commodores, however – and get more angry e-mails from Vandy fans.

*** I don’t like the Big 10, don’t like Bo Ryan and can’t stand Wisconsin’s style of play. But with Jordan Taylor at the point and some good talent around him, it’s hard not to rate the Badgers pretty high.

*** I’m not as high on Marquette and Cincy as some others seem to be, but I’ll always err on the side of the Big East until the conference proves me wrong. It’s time for Yancy Gates to live up to his talent and physical presence.

*** As far as the All-America team, I picked Harrison Barnes as preseason first team last year and regretted it the minute I hit “Send.” I’ll never again vote a freshman as preseason All-American, so that’s why I’m not going for potentially legit candidates like Kentucky’s Anthony Davis or Duke’s Austin Rivers.

And yes, I expect a huge season from Jeremy Lamb this year. He’s added confidence to his already impressive feather-soft jumper, smooth drives to the hoop and impressive athleticism.