ESPN Men's Basketball

LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Here are the awards I would hand out from this year's EA Sports Maui Invitational: Best Big Man: Carl Landry, Purdue. Landry was a load in the low post. He gets good position, and he goes up strong to score, get fouled or both. He may be the best low post big man in the Big Ten this season, and that is saying a lot with Greg Oden of Ohio State in the league. Runner Up: Randolph Morris, Kentucky. Morris is much maligned because he is not yet what we all want him to be, but he is already pretty darn good.

Best Pressure Defender: Darren Collison, UCLA. Collison puts really good pressure on the ball, and keys UCLA's defense at the point of attack. He won the MVP award in Maui in large measure because of his defense. Collison's pressure allows his teammates to get out and guard with confidence. Jordan Farmar is certainly missed, but not nearly as much as we all thought he might be. Collison is good. Runner Up: Mario West, Georgia Tech. West is an underrated defender, and does a really good job on the ball.

Best Offensive Rebounder: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, UCLA. Mbah a Moute (we need to get this guy a nickname, and quick) scores and impacts the game without Ben Howland ever having to call a play for him. He goes after the ball with both hands, and is really difficult to box out. He just makes plays, and will play in the NBA because of it. If he ever develops any offense, that will be a big bonus. Runner Up: Joey Dorsey, Memphis. Dorsey is a man inside, and goes to the glass hard. He got position on Randolph Morris in the third place game, and turned and flushed one on his skull.

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