Column: College basketball halfway report

Top Conference
1. Big East— With 16 teams and a lot of talent in the top half of the conference, the Big East is the best conference in America. It’s no surprise that they are the conference to beat with four top-10 teams. In addition to boasting some of the nation’s best teams, 10 of those 16 teams have a good chance of making the NCAA tournament.

2. Big Ten— Top to bottom the Big Ten has strong teams, which has always meant a race for the top spot. Last year, three teams (Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State) shared that No. 1 spot (classic Ludacris) atop the Big Ten at season’s end. The biggest surprise so far was Penn State defeating two ranked opponents in No. 16 Illinois and No. 19 Michigan State and then losing to No. 1 Ohio State by just three points on the road.

3. Big 12 — This conference is among the best because of the increased success of Big 12 coaches to land top recruits. Coaches like Kansas’ Bill Self and Texas’ Rick Barnes raised the bar for the lower half of the conference to keep up. Ten of their 12 teams have at least a dozen wins, which show the conference’s depth this year.

Top Freshman
1. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State — Standing tall at 6 feet 9 inches and 280 pounds, he would make a perfect defensive end in the NFL, or just a dominating threat in the paint for any of OSU’s opponents. Nearly averaging a double-double, this beast is the main reason for the Buckeyes No. 1 ranking and is more dominant than Greg Oden was at OSU.

2. Terrence Jones, Kentucky — Jones took his talents to Lexington at the last minute to play under Coach Calipari. Jones is a player that has the athleticism of Blake Griffin and the defensive presence of Dwight “Superman” Howard.

Player of the Year
1. Kemba Walker, UConn — UConn started unranked, but with the leadership of the junior guard, the Huskies are now in the top 10 mainly because of him.

2. JaJuan Johnson, Purdue — This versatile big man has an inside-out game and has been key during crucial moments. The Purdue senior’s 20 ppg and eight rpg could make him one of the top picks of the NBA Draft if his numbers remain consistent.

3. Jimmer Fredette, BYU — His 26 ppg leads the nation, but he plays in a weaker conference (Mountain West), which inflates his numbers. His shot-making ability and efforts to land BYU on the map is seen through their No. 9 ranking.
 
Final Four Predictions
1. Ohio State — This team is stacked and won’t lose to many before making it to March.
2. Duke — Seniority and tourney experience does help. Although losing highly touted freshman guard Kyrie Irving to an injury, this team will still be a threat in the deeper rounds.
3. Kansas — The Jayhawks won’t get beat again by a team like Northern Iowa and might be cutting down the nets after the championship game.
4. Pittsburgh — Ashton Gibbs and the Panthers could be clawing down opponents in the tourney with the help of their outstanding coach, Jamie Dixon.