Here's my final AP Top 25 ballot of the season. It's potentially the most inconsequential Top 25 all year. After all, once we find out what teams are going where and playing when in the NCAA tournament, does it really matter where they're ranked?

Of perhaps more interest is the three All-America teams and Player of the Year and Coach of the Year picks voters are asked to submit. Here are my selections:


FIRST TEAM
Trey Burke, Michigan
Victor Oladipo, Indiana
Otto Porter, Jr., Georgetown
Doug McDermott, Creighton
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State


SECOND TEAM
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
Mason Plumlee, Duke
Cody Zeller, Indiana
Shane Larkin, Miami
Ben McLemore, Kansas


THIRD TEAM
DeShaun Thomas, Ohio State
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut
Russ Smith, Louisville
Anthony Bennett, UNLV
Shabazz Muhammed, UCLA

Player of the Year: Otto Porter, Jr., Georgetown

Coach of the Year: Jim Larranaga, Miami

Yup, I went with Napier on Third Team. That's not homerism, but rather someone who watched him play all season while much of the rest of the country seemed to ignore him and his team.

I often side with the Big East, so Porter was an easy choice for me. As for Coach of the Year, I strongly considered Jim Crews of St. Louis, who took over for the late Rick Majerus under tough circumstances. But people forget the Billikens were expected to be a Top 15/20 team this season. I gave the slight edge to Larranaga, who, I'm sure, is hated more by UConn fans for being the coach of THAT George Mason team in 2006 than he is for being a former standout player at Providence.

Oh yeah, that Top 25 I was talking about earlier:

1.       Gonzaga

2.       Louisville

3.       Indiana

4.       Kansas

5.       Miami

6.       Duke

7.       Ohio State

8.       Georgetown

9.       New Mexico

10.   Michigan

11.   St. Louis

12.   Michigan State

13.   Kansas State

14.   Florida

15.   Memphis

16.   Oklahoma State

17.   Arizona

18.   Virginia Commonwealth

19.   Marquette

20.   Creighton

21.   Pittsburgh

22.   Oregon

23.   Syracuse

24.   Wisconsin

25.   Mississippi

Shabazz Napier earns first team all-Big East honors, while Omar Calhoun makes the all-rookie team. I thought Napier might get jobbed in the voting (that Mick Cronin!) because of UConn's postseason ban, and even his injury that forced him to miss two late games. But I was wrong. Of course, there's no doubt he's a first-teamer. I'll even probably vote for him as a third team All-American. Not homerism, just someone who watched him all season while most of the rest of the nation ignored UConn.

I thought Ryan Boatright might get honorable mention honors, but no dice. Fuquan Edwin? Really?

Here's the all-Big East teams and all-rookie team. Otto Porter of Georgetown was a unanimous choice, meaning he'll be the player of the year, too. JaKarr Sampson and Ryan Arcidiacono were unanimous all-rookie choices, too, but it says here that Sampson will be rookie of the year.

Keep in mind, Peyton Siva (third team) was the preseason player of the year, and Steven Adams was pre-season rookie of the year.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM

Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, G, Jr., 6-1, 171, Roxbury, Mass.

*Otto Porter, Jr., Georgetown, F, So., 6-8, 205, Sikeston, Mo.

Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, C, Jr., 6-11, 245, Kebemer, Senegal

Russ Smith, Louisville, G, Jr., 6-0, 165, Briarwood, N.Y.

Jack Cooley, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-9, 246, Glenview, Ill.

Bryce Cotton, Providence, G, Jr., 6-1, 165, Tucson, Ariz.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, G, Jr., 6-4, 221, White Plains, N.Y.

Vander Blue, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-4, 200, Madison, Wisc.

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame, G, Jr., 6-5, 202, Bowie, Md.

Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse, G, So., 6-6, 185, Hamilton, Mass.

C.J. Fair, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-8, 215, Baltimore, Md.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM

Markel Starks, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6-2, 175, Accokeek, Md.

Peyton Siva, Louisville, G, Sr., 6-0, 185, Seattle, Wash.

Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh, G, Sr., 6-0, 190, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-4,210, Jamesville, N.Y.

JayVaughn Pinkston, Villanova, F, So., 6-6, 240, Brooklyn, N.Y.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION

Davante Gardner, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-8, 290, Suffolk, Va.

Kadeem Batts, Providence, F, Jr., 6-9, 245, Powder Springs, Ga.

JaKarr Sampson, St. John’s, F, Fr., 6-8, 204, Barberton, Ohio

Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall, F, Jr., G-F, 6-6, 205, Paterson, N.J.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM^

Omar Calhoun, Connecticut, G, Fr., 6-5, 195, Brooklyn, N.Y.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown, G, Fr., 6-3, 227, Indianapolis, Ind.

Steven Adams, Pittsburgh, C, Fr., 7-0, 250, Roturua, New Zealand

Chris Obekpa, St. John’s, C, Fr., 6-9, 223, Makurdi, Nigeria

*JaKarr Sampson, St. John’s, F, Fr., 6-8, 204, Barberton, Ohio

*Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-3, 195, Langhorne, Pa.

*Denotes unanimous selection.

^Due to a tie in the voting, an additional position was named.

Spoke with Amida Brimah this morning for a story that will run in tomorrow’s Register. Yes, he watched the UConn game last night, as he tries to do for every UConn game.

Why did he choose UConn over other suitors like Wake Forest, South Carolina and even Miami?

“I love the environment,” he said. “Coach Ollie is a very family-oriented guy, and (there’s an emphasis) on education.”

Brimah (it's pronouncd Ah-MEED-ah BrAYE-mah) added that he feels like he can make an immediate impact next year at UConn, and loves the team’s prospects, though he noted: “I hope Shabazz and Boatright come back.”

So do UConn fans everywhere.

Brimah plans on studying hospitality management when he gets to Storrs in June. The goal is for him to have added about 10-15 pounds to his 210-pound frame by then, as well, thanks to an off-season weight-lifting regimen he just began on Monday.

Brimah’s got an interesting story. He came to the States from Ghana three years ago at the age of 16, “recruited” by Nana Baafi, a native of Ghana who has lived in the States for over a decade and played college ball at Texas State and St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Brimah played soccer in Ghana (he was a striker) before converting to hoops, largely on Baafi’s suggestion. Baafi is now his legal guardian.

Anyway, here's my feature on Brimah.

*** Meanwhile, another UConn commit, point guard Terrence Samuel out of Brooklyn, announced Thursday on Twitter that he's been invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic all-star game.

*** Finally, here are a few videos from Wednesday night's Georgetown game. When I asked Kevin Ollie whether or not he could appreciate what a great game it was, despite losing in hearbreaking fashion, I was thinking about how Jim Calhoun failed to appreciate the greatness of the six-OT loss to Syracuse during his postgame press conference -- and, indeed, still to this day.



And here's Otto Porter, with some nice words about DeAndre Daniels:

Well, it sure is a good thing they’re breaking up the Big East, eh? Wouldn’t want any more instant classics like Wednesday night's double-overtime UConn-Georgetown battle, would we?

“I thought I had seen it all,” Kevin Ollie said when it was over. “But I guess I haven’t.”

A truly amazing game (even if the first half was as ugly as many figured the whole game would be). A 3-point shooting exhibition by both teams in the second half. UConn rallies from 12 points down with 4 ½ minutes left in regulation and five down with as little as 11 seconds left to send the game to OT. Georgetown rallies from seven down with less than 2 minutes left in the second OT and four down inside the final minute.

Otto Porter being Otto Porter. DeAndre Daniels being better than Otto Porter, at least on this night (25 points, 10 boards, three blocks, strong ‘D’ on Porter most of the night).

Great stuff. Shame this rivalry could be over, in the unlikely event that the Catholic 7 somehow breaks off by next season.

Here are a few quotes (we’ll have some video up around 12:30 a.m.):

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

“It was a very, very, very emotional game, man. These losses are the toughest, because you fight so hard to win the game and you fall short. These are the toughest pills to swallow, but it’s basketball, you’ve got to move on.”

(on his final shot in double OT)

“I just tried to get it up the court as fast as I (could). When I made my initial move, he kind of knocked me off line and I lost the ball. I had to move myself and try to get to an open spot. I thought I had an open shot, but I ran into Smith-Rivera. Once I hit him, I knew I only had two seconds so I went right up with it.”

“It actually felt good coming out of my hands, but it fell short.”

OMAR CALHOUN

“I’m confident when I get the ball. That’s one thing I’ve always had.”

DANIELS:

(on why he seemed to play with extra passion on Wednesday)

“Just hearing a lot of people saying I can’t play with Porter, and all this other stuff. But this is a team game, I just came out, my teammates were finding me and I was able to knock down shots tonight.”

JOHN THOMPSON III:

(on the Hoyas winning at Gampel for the first time in four tries)

“Storrs, Hartford, Fairfield, wherever. That was a great game.”

(on UConn)

“The guys in the other locker room, they could have cashed it in … they fought and fought and fought.”

PORTER:

(on Daniels)

“He’s a terrific player. He was just setting ball screens, popping, and we were having miscommunication with that. He’s a tough kid. He was knocking down shots when they needed it. He was playing good defense, trying to make it hard for me, clogging up the paint.”

(on game-winning shot)

“First, we were just trying to get the stop. That’s what I was worried about. Once we got it, I just sprinted the lane. D’Vauntes (Smith-Rivera) was able to hit me and I saw Mikael (Hopkins) sprint to the rim. So I was able to use him to get to the rim.”

KEVIN OLLIE:

(on Boatright’s last shot)

“We weren’t loking for that shot, but Otto Porter got to the rim with (9.5) seconds on the clock. Ryan got the ball. You try to push it and get to the rim, see if we can get an offensive rebound, see if we can get a kick-out. They played good defense, they bottled him up in the corner and he just had to make the play.”

(on his team)

“I’m very proud of my guys. They fought … down 12, they just kept battling, kept fighting, showed character, showed perseverance and showed heart. And that’s what our team is all about. You can say we’re small, we don’t rebound. You can write whatever you want to. But I hope you all write that we’ve got heart … I will go to battle with them any day. All of them, even the walk-ons.”

Big game -- the last truly big game of the season for UConn -- on Wednesday night at Gampel, when No. 7 Georgetown ambles into town.

The Big East player of the year race may be over (G'town's Otto Porter has all but sewn that up), but coach of the year is still somewhat open, and two of the three favorites (Kevin Ollie and John Thompson III) will be on opposing sidelines. Incidentally, he Republican-American's Ed Daigneault polled 13 out-of-town college hoops writers on Big East player of the year and coach of the year. Porter was unanimous for player and, surprisingly, JTIII got all but two votes for coach of the year. Ollie and Buzz Williams split the other two. It's possible the league's coaches (who actually vote on the award) could see things differently.

About 300 tickets were still available for the game as of Tuesday afternoon.

Here's some of what Ollie and Shabazz Napier had to say before Tuesday's practice at Gampel.

OLLIE:

(On Georgetown)

“I don’t think we’ve seen a team – probably since some of Coach (Calhoun’s) teams that went 16-2, 17-1 in league – both offense, defense, field goal perentage. They’re doing it on both ends of the table. They’re a great team – long, athletic. Can’t let them get out in transition, can’t give up easy buckets, and we’re going to have to guard them for the whole 35 seconds.”

(on Otto Porter)

“He’s just a great player. He’s a typical wing player, can put it on the floor, can shoot at a high rate … long, gets offensive rebounds, can go down on the block. Anything else I missed?”

(Ollie said it’ll be a group effort trying to stop Porter)

“Just like our guards. They don’t put one guy on Shabazz or one guy on Ryan (Boatright) … Otto’s gonna be a concentrated effort by all five of our guys in the paint, loading up, making sure he’s not on his sweet spots, distorting his catches, and making sure he sees a lot of UConn players and not getting a lot of easy buckets in transition.”

(on Omar Calhoun)

“He’s passing the ball a little more because of the wrist. It’s a good thing. He had to alter his game by default.”

NAPIER:

"I love Gampel. If I had a chance to pick our home games, they would all be at Gampel. The crowd is so right there on you, it can be devastating for the other team. It helps when we go through spurts where we don’t score, and when we go through spurts when we do score. I just really appreciate Gampel.”

(on what happens if DeAndre Daniels guards Porter)

“DeAndre always comes up big in games where we need him to come up big.”

(on the possibility of winning their 20th game of the season on Wednesday)

“It would be a lot. We’ve been through so much, and not one day have we allowed excuses to overcome this team. We’ve continued to fight and be resilient.”

(on how big a game Georgetown is)

“This is, I guess you could say, a championship game, in a sense.”

*** A heavily-bearded Stanley "Sticks" Robinson was at Gampel on Tuesday. He's taken a break from hoops after suffering an Achilles tendon injury, living in Willimantic and working at Prime Materials, the scrap-metal place at which he worked while sitting out the first semester in 2008-09.
Always good to see Sticks.

*** The UConn athletics department and office of environmental policy will host a Green Game Day on Wednesday night. As part of the event, fans are encouraged to bring any lightly-used sneakers to donate for reuse – especially children’s shoes. These shoes will go to Kicks for Africa, a UConn student-run organization whose mission is to donate lightly-used shoes to less fortunate children in Africa. The shoes will be collected at all entrances as fans enter the game.

Let the Shabazz Napier for Big East player of the year debate begin.

Napier has been named to the league's weekly honor roll once again. It's the fourth time in the last seven weeks that Napier has been so honored. He was also named the league's player of the week a couple of weeks ago, the second time this season he's earned that distinction. Sean Kilpatrick of Cincinnati is the only other player who's been player of the week twice.

No doubt, Napier is worthy of player of the year consideration. If UConn were a little higher in the standings -- or, for that matter, eligible for postseason play -- he might even be the front-runner. As it stands now, I'd agree with Kevin Duffy of the Connecticut Post that Georgetown's Otto Porter is likely the leader in the clubhouse right now. Then again, preseason pick Peyton Siva, as well as Russ Smith, Michael Carter-Williams and even Kilpatrick have all probably been the front-runners at different points this season.

I believe that UConn's banishment from the postseason will hurt Napier's chances. It shouldn't, but I think it will. Coaches (or whoever winds up making the decision for player of the year) may be leery to pick a guy from a team that can't even play in its own conference tournament.

And that's too bad, because this is turning into a truly special season for Shabazz Napier -- even if it will come to a thunderous halt on March 9.

*** Oh, and don't look now, but after Sunday's 21-for-23 effort from the foul line, UConn leads the Big East in free throw shooting at 74.5 percent. As of last week, they were ranked 49th in the nation in the category and have now likely moved up.

Guess there are some positives to losing Andre Drummond to the NBA.