Earlier today we released our picks for the conference awards, handing out, among others, Player of the Year to Allen Crabbe and Freshman of the Year to Jahii Carson. Not surprisingly, those two players lead our picks for the All-Conference team as the only two players to wind up on the first teams of all four of our voters’ ballots. While the Pac-12 goes a little insane this time of year and somehow decides to put together a 10-man All-Conference First Team, we’re going to follow, you know, the rules of basketball and field a five-man team (with a second team for good measure).
First Team All-Conference
- Jahii Carson, Freshman, Arizona State (17.7 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG) – Our Freshman of the Year, Carson led a resurgence for the Sun Devils, helping his team double its win total from last season and likely earning it a spot in some postseason tournament somewhere. He played 91% of his team’s minutes, and was a catalyst repeatedly for all of his team’s offense.
- Allen Crabbe, Junior, California (18.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG) – Our Pac-12 Player of the Year, Crabbe paired up with backcourt partner Justin Cobbs to turn around the season for a once-floundering Golden Bears team helping reel off 11 wins in the team’s final 13 games to put them firmly in the NCAA Tournament.
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Sophomore, Colorado (15.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG) – A skillful leader for Tad Boyle’s Buffaloes, Dinwiddie earned a spot on the first team on two of our four ballots. Nearly equally adept at scoring from behind the arc or in the lane as he is at creating for teammates or getting to the line, Dinwiddie blossomed in his sophomore campaign.
Spencer Dinwiddie Took Over As The Buffaloes’ Leader In His Sophomore Campaign (David Zalubowski, AP Photo)
- Shabazz Muhammad, Freshman, UCLA (18.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG) – The most-talked-about freshman in the nation, Muhammad came to Westwood with a reputation as a great scorer and he did not disappoint. The nation’s leading scorer among freshmen, Muhammad’s offensive punch was a key factor in UCLA’s run to the conference title. Muhammad was picked as a first team member by three of our four voters.
- Dwight Powell, Junior, Stanford (15.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.1 BPG) – A 6’10” jumping jack who averaged less than 20 minutes per game last season, Powell exploded into the upper echelon of Pac-12 players this season, establishing himself as a versatile threat with a promising future on his way to winning RTC’s Most Improved Pac-12 Player award.
Second Team
- Larry Drew II, Senior, UCLA (7.3 PPG, 7.7 APG, 1.5 SPG) – After a disappointing and controversial career at North Carolina, Drew was the consummate floor general for the Bruins this year, making the most of the talented offensive players around him to turn UCLA into an improved and more up-tempo offensive team.
- Solomon Hill, Senior, Arizona (13.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG) – The Wildcats’ do-everything forward, Hill’s numbers dipped in some areas (rebounding, shooting percentages), but his positive impact on his team remained unchanged.
- Arsalan Kazemi, Senior, Oregon (9.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.2 SPG) – Kazemi’s surprising eligibility was a boon for Dana Altman and the Ducks, as he was plenty happy to do all the dirty work for the squad while chipping in only occasionally in the scoring column.
- Brock Motum, Senior, Washington State (18.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG) – Motum’s efficiency dipped this year as opposing defenses put the priority on slowing the big Aussie, but he still scored in double figures in every game the Cougs played.
- Roberto Nelson, Junior, Oregon State (17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.0 SPG) – After a rather ordinary start to the season, Nelson turned it up in conference play, scoring in double figures in the final 16 conference games and averaging, 19.8 PPG over that span.
Also receiving votes:
- Andre Roberson, Junior, Colorado
- Mark Lyons, Senior, Arizona
- Carrick Felix, Senior, Arizona State
- Jason Washburn, Senior, Utah
- C.J. Wilcox, Junior, Washington
- Joe Burton, Senior, Oregon State