Paste BN Sports' men's college basketball 2021-22 All-America team, player and coach of the year
The men's NCAA Tournament has tipped off, with 68 teams being trimmed down to 16. But it's also awards season this March, a time to honor the best players of the entire 2021-22 season.
Paste BN Sports unveils its 2021-22 All-American team, national player of the year and national coach of the year. Selections, made before the NCAA Tournament began, are based on a panel of Paste BN NETWORK beat writers – Jordan Guskey (The Topeka Capital-Journal), David Thompson (Fayetteville Observer), Mike Carmin (Lafayette (Ind.) Journal and Courier), David Woods (Indianapolis Star) – and Paste BN Sports national reporters Scott Gleeson and Eddie Timanus.
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National player of the year
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky, Jr., F: The 6-9 big man was expected to make an impact on coach John Calipari's team after transferring from West Virginia, but the type of season he's put forth – averaging a double-double of 17.3 ppg and 15.3 rpg – has morphed Kentucky into a national title contender. His high motor and tenaciousness on the glass gave the Wildcats a backbone this year that's positioned them for a deep run in March.
Rest of the first team
►Drew Timme, Gonzaga, Jr., F: The 6-9 forward didn't have quite the dominant season he did last year in the Bulldogs nearly-undefeated squad, but he's been the focal point of another team that garnered the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and shot 59% from the floor.
►Kofi Cockburn, Illinois, Jr., C: The 7-footer's return and decision to bypass the NBA helped the Fighting Illini win a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Cockburn vastly improved from the previous season, this year averaging 21 points and 10.6 rebounds a game while shooting 60% from the field.
►Johnny Davis, Wisconsin, So., G: The breakout star of this men's college basketball season, Davis was the face of a Big Ten champion Badgers squad. The sophomore do-everything guard averaged 20 points and eight rebounds a night, blending in perfectly in coach Greg Gard's system.
►Ochai Agbaji, Kansas, Sr., G: The senior guard helped carry this Jayhawks squad to a share of the Big 12 regular season title, being a steady force on both ends of the court. He averaged 19.8 points and 5.2 rebounds a game for this Final Four-caliber KU team.
Second team
►Paolo Banchero, Duke, Fr., F
►Jabari Smith, Auburn, Fr., F
►Keegan Murray, Iowa, So., F
►Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona, So., G
►Jaden Ivey, Purdue, So., G
Third team
►Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga, Fr., C
►Armando Bacot, North Carolina, Jr., F
►James Akinjo, Baylor, Sr., G
►Johnny Juzang, UCLA, Jr., G
►Collin Gillespie, Villanova, Sr., G
Coach of the year
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke: The story line feels almost too formulaic: Winningest coach in the sport going out in his final season with a coach of the year award. But the praise certainly has merit. Coach K had a talented team in 2021-22 – hardly his most talented in his 42 seasons at the helm in Durham – and turned the young and inexperienced group into a title contender. It goes to show how much emotional energy Krzyzewski could devote in his curtain-call season with associate coach Jon Scheyer manning the recruiting for the future. This team, his last team, got Krzyzewski's best. And it showed with an ACC regular season title and No. 2 seed in the NCAAs.
- Runner-up: Ed Cooley, Providence.
- Runner-up: Tommy Lloyd, Arizona.
Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson