Denzel Valentine is The AP Player of the Year

[slides]

http://collegebasketball.ap.org/node/856755

:facepalm

 

[JBaker]

Thanks for the additional motivation, AP.


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[OhioBornSoonerBred]

Voting was done before the tournament, so this isn't really all that surprising.

 

[Chaser728]

Thanks for the additional motivation, AP.


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Exactly! And we all thought this could be the case where Hield and Valentine would split POY award. I'm pretty sure Hield wins the Wooden, which completed voting during tournament.

 

[OUFtball]

Thanks for the additional motivation, AP.


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Playing in the Final Four...Motivation will not be an issue. Even before the tourny....Buddy's stats were better than DV...but oh well.

 

[Chaser728]

Playing in the Final Four...Motivation will not be an issue. Even before the tourny....Buddy's stats were better than DV...but oh well.

I'm sure motivation will be high enough already, but Hield seems to rise to challenges and plays with a chip on his shoulder in moments like this...

 

[skyvue]

Exactly! And we all thought this could be the case where Hield and Valentine would split POY award. I'm pretty sure Hield wins the Wooden, which completed voting during tournament.

I didn't. This catches me by surprise. All year long, all we heard was that Buddy was the clear-cut favorite and only at the end of the season was Valentine's name heard nearly as often. I think this is a case of lazy sportswriters voting for the familar, for Izzo and the program as much as for Valentine.

If Buddy doesn't get the Wooden and the Naismith awards, I'm going to be miffed.

 

[Chaser728]

I didn't. This catches me by surprise. All year long, all we heard was that Buddy was the clear-cut favorite and only at the end of the season was Valentine's name heard nearly as often. I think this is a case of lazy sportswriters voting for the familar, for Izzo and the program as much as for Valentine.

If Buddy doesn't get the Wooden and the Naismith awards, I'm going to be miffed.

Me too!!! That would be a huge surprise. And I'm not saying Valentine deserved to win it over Hield, because I certainly think Buddy deserved to win all three. But after all the play Valentine got at the end of the year when OU stumbled, I expected the laziness you refer to.

 

[Zimwillett]

Massive fail by the AP. Even if this was voted on pre-tournament.

 

[tsou89]

AP looks pretty stupid right now. Hate to be one of their staff covering the final 4 and have to justify that one!

 

[sperry]

Clearly a pre-tournament vote. OU struggled down the stretch, while MSU played their best ball.

Still, AP voters have huge egg on their face. They didn't give the guy who is having one of the best seasons in CBB history their player of the year award. They just look like idiots.

 

[BigTime]

This was a fail.

 

[DenverSooner]

I didn't. This catches me by surprise. All year long, all we heard was that Buddy was the clear-cut favorite and only at the end of the season was Valentine's name heard nearly as often. I think this is a case of lazy sportswriters voting for the familar, for Izzo and the program as much as for Valentine.

If Buddy doesn't get the Wooden and the Naismith awards, I'm going to be miffed.

It is also population bias. A lot more sports writers in the Big Ten region and northeast than the Big XII. That likely means more representation among the voters.

 

[tycat947]

Massive fail by the AP. Even if this was voted on pre-tournament.

Exactly! Travesty!

 

[WTSooner]

Does the same guy normally win AP POY, Wooden, and Naismith?

For some reason, it seems like 2 guys normally split those awards.

 

[bgrch1350]

Clearly a pre-tournament vote. OU struggled down the stretch, while MSU played their best ball.

Still, AP voters have huge egg on their face. They didn't give the guy who is having one of the best seasons in CBB history their player of the year award. They just look like idiots.

Buddy won my vote during the tournament but Valentine had it before the tournament started. Lets not forget, Buddy had his worst game of the year against WV where he didn't even score in double digits. Valentine averages 19, 7 and 8. Thats pretty darn good.

I bet if the AP voters got to recast their vote now, Buddy would win it.

 

[hoopsaustin]

My Jimmies are rustled hardcore

 

[skyvue]

Buddy won my vote during the tournament but Valentine had it before the tournament started. Lets not forget, Buddy had his worst game of the year against WV where he didn't even score in double digits. Valentine averages 19, 7 and 8. Thats pretty darn good.

I bet if the AP voters got to recast their vote now, Buddy would win it.

Valentine only won by 3 votes, so yes, it likely wouldn't even be close.

Buddy had a bad game. His first one, really (his only game to score in single digits all season), but any AP voter who hadn't been paying attention all year -- let's face it, Buddy was the dominant player all season long -- and was swayed by one outing (one in which he came within a fingernail of hitting an astonishing game-winning shot, at that), is an idiot and doesn't deserve to have a vote.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

It was those damn army knives !

 

[scrybe]

Buddy won my vote during the tournament but Valentine had it before the tournament started. Lets not forget, Buddy had his worst game of the year against WV where he didn't even score in double digits. Valentine averages 19, 7 and 8. Thats pretty darn good.

I bet if the AP voters got to recast their vote now, Buddy would win it.

So you're saying Valentine, who averaged 19 points a game deserved the award over Buddy, who averaged 25 but had one bad game against WV?

Yeah, that makes perfect sense.