As the end of school draws near for college students nationwide, we can finally reflect on the year in college athletics. Granted, there are still some baseball games and tennis matches to be played, but the big NCAA sports have completed their seasons. So without further ado, here are my awards for the year, as broken down by sport.
Most Valuable Player:
Football: Johnny Manziel- Texas A&M: Won the Heisman as a freshman, and led Texas A&M to an 11-2 record in its first SEC season. Highlights included a commanding performance in the Aggies’ shocking 29-24 win at Alabama, and his seven passing TD’s in a 59-57 win at Louisiana Tech
Men’s Basketball: Trey Burke- Michigan: Won the Naismith Award as America’s best player, and led the Wolverines to the title game in his sophomore season. Highlights included a game-tying three in the Sweet 16 vs. Kansas and numerous outbursts in the rugged Big 10.
Women’s Basketball: Brittany Griner- Baylor: Was undoubtedly the nation’s best player in an exemplary class and led the Bears to a 34-2 record. She averaged well over a double-double and frequently dunked. She has already been selected as the #1 pick in the WNBA draft.
Other: Allison Schmitt- Georgia (W. Swimming): After winning six Olympic medals, Schmitt led the Bulldogs to a national title. She won the 200 freestyle and 800 meter relay at the national championships. She is regarded as the world’s best female freestyler.
Most Disappointing Team:
Football: USC- The preseason #1 team lost five of its final six games en route to a 7-6 finish. Heisman hopeful Matt Barkley suffered an injury against UCLA, and the defense never seemed to click. Lowlights included a loss to unranked Arizona, a 14 point offensive output at Stanford, only 7 points against an average Georgia Tech squad and losses to Notre Dame and UCLA in the same year.
Men’s Basketball: Kentucky- This is a no-brainer. The highly regarded preseason #3 team struggled through SEC play and inexplicably was handled by lowly Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament with an NCAA tournament berth at stake. Then the ‘Cats lost to Robert Morris in the NIT first round.
Women’s Basketball: Stanford- A #1 Tournament seed and conference co-championship are very respectable accomplishments. But a loss to Georgia in the Sweet Sixteen is not. The Cardinal played their worst basketball in the biggest games, losing by 26 points at home to UConn and by 12 at home to Cal.
Other: Notre Dame (Men’s Soccer): The Irish were the top-seeded team in America entering the tournament, but were stunned 2-1 by the 16th-seeded Indiana Hoosiers. Another disappointing team when it mattered most.
Best Storyline:
Football: The Rise of Notre Dame- While the Irish did not win the national title, Notre Dame’s football team shocked the world with its undefeated regular season and appearance in the BCS title game. The Irish won several barnburners and relied on its superb run defense to make big plays when necessary. Manti Te’o led the charge, and nearly won the Heisman for his efforts. Even with the loss to Alabama, the program earned the national respect that it had so long been missing.
Men’s Basketball: Revenge for Louisville- Last year, the Cardinals lost to bitter rival Kentucky in the Final Four, and watched them cut down the nets. This time, the NIT-bound Wildcats had to watch Louisville win its final 16 games en route to the national title. For Louisville fans still smarting about the previous year, 2013 delivered plenty of bragging rights for the Cardinals.
Women’s Basketball: The Genius of Geno- UConn played everyone this season and beat them all excepting Notre Dame. Even Baylor fell short against the Huskies in a 77-76 classic. After three narrow losses to the Irish, Geno Auriema employed a stingier double team on Skylar Diggins and it worked beautifully in a convincing 20 point win. After that, the title was merely a formality, thanks to Auriema’s continued mastery of the game.
Other: Yale (Men’s Hockey)- Yale entered the NCAA tournament as a 15 seed, the equivalent of a basketball squad whose bubble nearly burst. But overtime wins over #2 Minnesota and #3UMass Lowell placed Yale in the championship for the first time ever. They faced local rivals Quinnipiac, who beat the Bulldogs three times previously. But when Yale broke the game open with four goals in the final 20:07, we finally saw a true underdog prevail.