2010 CollegeInsider.com Honors

Mid-Major Defensive Player of the Year
Ronald Nored, Butler

Butler's run to the Final Four has been fueled by a defensive performance that's been a true revelation. That performance has been keyed by Ronald Nored, who is College Insider's choice for Mid-Major Defensive Player of the Year. With his 6.0 ppg scoring average, he truly epitomizes the term "defensive specialist."

Nored is such a fantastic on-the-ball defender that he actually helps prevent an opposing team from running its offense. In the regionals, both Kansas State and Syracuse were held to season lows in points by Butler, and that’s in large part due to Nored's disruptive presence. On the season he averaged 1.8 steals a contest, a figure that ranked fifth in the Horizon League.

National Freshman of the Year
John Wall, Kentucky

Few freshmen in the history of the game had the instant impact that John Wall had for Kentucky this season. He and fellow freshman phenom DeMarcus Cousins became the first Kentucky teammates to make the AP All-America first team since Ralph Beard and Alex Groza in 1949.

Wall's floor leadership and ability to score in transition propelled Kentucky to a 13-win improvement over the 2008-09 season. He set a school record for assists with 241 and his average of 6.5 assists ranked third nationally. He averaged 16.9 points a contest and his 616 total points are a school record for freshmen. He also led the Wildcats with 66 steals.

Mid-Major Freshman of the Year
Colt Ryan, Evansville

It was a tough season for a young Evansville basketball team as it struggled through a 9-21 campaign. However, the play of freshman combo guard Colt Ryan was a true bright spot for the Purple Aces. He was selected as the MVC Freshman of the Year and is also College Insider's choice for Mid-Major Freshman of the Year.

Head coach Marty Simmons leaned on his freshman phenom this season as if he was an upperclassman. Ryan led the MVC in minutes played (35.3) and his 14.5 ppg led the team. He became the first freshman since Marcus Wilson in 1996 to lead the Aces in scoring. On the season he scored 20 or more points seven times, including a career high 31 at CIT participant Creighton on February 3.

National Most Valuable Player
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia

West Virginia's trip to the Final Four this season can be in large part attributed to the improved play of Da'Sean Butler. He is averaging twice as many assists this season as he did a year ago while also significantly cutting down on his turnovers. The senior forward has broken the school record for games played and minutes played this year and is also third in career scoring behind Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley.

Butler's flair for the dramatic in the Big East tournament underscored just how important he was for the Mountaineers this season. He banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Cincinnati and two days later scored with 4.2 seconds left to provide the winning margin over Georgetown and give West Virginia its first Big East championship. He was an easy choice for College Insider's National Most Valuable Player.

Mid-Major Most Valuable Player
Louis Dale, Cornell

In the history of the storied Ivy League, there have been few basketball seasons like the one Cornell just completed. The Big Red won 29 games and advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, the first time an Ancient Eight team had done that since Penn in 1979. Leading the charge was senior point guard Louis Dale, who is College Insider's choice for Mid-Major Most Valuable Player.

He was magnificent in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 21.3 points on 51% shooting while only turning it over eight times in three contests. On the season, his 4.7 assists per game led the Ivy League as did his 2.1 assist to turnover ratio. His proficiency in running the Cornell offense was a huge reason why the team led the country in 3-point field goal percentage (43%) and ranked 14th nationally in overall field goal percentage (48.2%).