This far into the season, I am suprised that so many talking heads are still gabbing about Hansborough on track for another POY award. Yes, he is consistently good in each game. He is averaging 22 pts/game which is very good. Nevertheless, looking around the country - it just looks like there are other players separating themselves as truly elite in their play. I look at the way Steph Curry, Blake Griffin, and even Jodie Meeks have played over the past month, and their performances seems just as stellar if not more so, and they too have good consistency night in and night out.
I love the ACC - best basketball conference. But when it comes to big men, the Big East rules the roost, and I can't help but think if we saw Hansborough go up against the likes of Dujuan Blair, Thabeet, Greg Monroe and Harangody numerous times, we wouldn't see POY stats for him. (Yes, I realize that he had a good game against ND this year, but we now know that Harangody had pneumonia at the time...) I know, that sounds like a cop-out, but its true. Put Hansborough in the Big East and his stats would be much more pedestrain, although I'm sure he would have the same work ethic and tough play. But if POY awards were given out for work ethic and heart, then Greg Paulus would have won it already.
I realize that, as a Duke die-hard, I'm not terribly open-minded about this. But I think its fair to say that Tyler is not the best college basketball player in the country right now - maybe not even in the top three. If things continue on the path they are now and he wins POY, then I think it will greatly cheapen the award.
He's a great player, don't get me wrong, but if I were picking my own starting five for a college team, he wouldn't be on it.