On Saturday, December 8th, unranked North Carolina State defeated ninth-ranked Syracuse, 82-68. Talent is being spread across the NCAA, since the number of scholarships has decreased in the past few years. The powerhouses like Duke, UNC, Kansas, UCLA, and Maryland are now being challenged by teams with fresh, young players, who will stop at nothing to win.

Speaking of North Carolina, what has happened to them has been the most unexpected thing this whole year. The UNC program has always been solid, but they've faltered so far this year, and have a record of 1-4, with losses to Hampton, Davidson, Kentucky, and Indiana. The tide has changed in the ACC this year, and the key matchups this year will be between Duke and Maryland, who they both play at arenas where it is difficult for the opponent to play. Here are my predictions for the teams that will win their conferences:

ACC: Duke
Atlantic-10 East: St. Joseph's
West: George Washington
American East: Vermont
Big East: Boston College
West: Georgetown
Big Ten: Illinois
Big 12: Missouri
Big West: Utah St.
Conference USA American: Marquette
National: Memphis
Ivy League: Pennsylvania
Pac-10: Arizona
SEC: Florida
WAC: Fresno State

And here are the rest of my predictions for awards:

Naismith Player of the Year: Jason Williams, Duke
Naismith Coach of the Year: Quin Snyder, Missouri
NCAA Rookie of the Year: Dajuan Wagner, Memphis

NCAA All-American Team
C Chris Marcus, Western Kentucky
PF Lonny Baxter, Maryland
SF Mike Dunleavy Jr., Duke
SG Juan Dixon, Maryland
PG Jason Williams, Duke

NCAA All-American Second Team
C Carlos Boozer, Duke
PF Drew Gooden, Kansas
SF Casey Jacobsen, Stanford
SG Dajuan Wagner, Memphis
PG Lynn Greer, Temple

It's been great, until next time...

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