There have hardly been two bigger surprises this college basketball season than the BYU Cougars and Utah State Aggies.
Neither was expected to do much this season — BYU was projected to finish the year as the second-worst Big 12 team, whereas USU was picked ninth in the Mountain West Conference — but yet as of March 7, Utah State has won at least a share of the MW title and is projected to be anywhere from a No. 5 to a No. 7 seed, while the Cougars are roundly considered a No. 5 seed.
To say both programs have exceeded outside expectations is an understatement. The question is, how much recognition will BYU and Utah State get for their storybook campaigns?
Awards season is near and there is a real argument for both Mark Pope and Danny Sprinkle to be named coach of the year; both are in the discussion.
USU also has multiple players — Great Osobor especially — with an argument to be MW player of the year.
Osobor has already been recognized for his work this season.
On Thursday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Osobor is one of five finalists for the Karl Malone Award, awarded annually (since 2010) to the top power forward in DI men’s basketball.
A native of Bradford, England, Osobor ranks 24th in the nation in double-doubles (13), 34th in field goal percentage (.578), 49th in rebounds per game (8.93), and 50th in defensive rebounds per game (6.23). He has scored in double figures 27 times this season, including 11 20-plus point performances and three 30-plus point outings. He has hauled in double-figure rebounds in 14 games and had at least five rebounds in 25 games.
Osobor isn’t the only college basketball player playing in Utah to have been recognized.
Weber State forward Dillon Jones was named a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, which recognizes the best small forwards in DI men’s basketball.
And while not an official arbiter of awards, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello released his award winners for the season Thursday, recognizing both BYU basketball as a whole, as well as Sprinkle.
Borzello tabbed the Cougars as runners-up in his “Biggest Surprise” category. (Iowa State won the prize.)
Of BYU he wrote: “... let’s talk about BYU a moment. The Cougars were picked 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll, but impressive metrics and six Quadrant 1 wins have them poised for a 5- or 6-seed in the NCAA tournament.”
As for Sprinkle, Borzello tabbed him Mid-major Coach of the Year (he picked UConn Huskies’ coach Dan Hurley as Coach of the Year).
“Picked ninth in the preseason Mountain West poll, Utah State entered the week tied for first with a legitimate shot at taking home the regular-season title in Sprinkle’s first year at the helm,” Borzello wrote. “Sprinkle arrived in Logan after four years at Montana State, bringing two Big Sky stars with him in Great Osobor and Darius Brown II. He guided his new team to a 15-game winning streak earlier this season with a win over San Diego State in late February that proved the team was no fluke.”
