ACC records and awards

Regular Season Records

Silver Chips All ACC Team:

Josh Howard, Sr. Forward- Wake Forest: 20.1 points per game (1st in the ACC), 8.0 rebounds per game (3rd), 49.6% field goals (6th), 1.4 blocks per game (4th), 2.1 steals per game (3rd).

Julius Hodge, So. Guard- NC State: 17.6 ppg (4th), 5.9 rpg (10th), 3.6 assists per game (8th), 150-186 Free Throws (1st in made and attempted).

Steve Blake, Sr. G- Maryland: 11.9 ppg (20th), 7.1 apg (1st), 2.3 assists to Turnover ratio (1st of at least 15 assists), 43% 3-pt FG (2nd).

Travis Watson, Sr. F/C- Virginia: 14.0 ppg (12th), 10.6 rpg (1st,) 51% FG (4th), 1.3 bpg (Tied for 5th), 1.5 spg (7th).

Dahntay Jones, Sr. G/F- Duke: 17.2 ppg (5th), 47.7% FG (T9), 5.3 rpg (T16).

Honorable Mention: Edward Scott, Sr. G Clemson: 18.0 ppg (2nd) 5.6 assists (5th) 1.4 steals (T11) 2.0 ass-TO ratio (T7)

Silver Chips honors

Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Howard, Wake Forest.
Howard, who was in the top five in the ACC in the blocks, rebounds and steals, shut down his opponent with great man-on-man defense. He used his long arms and jumping ability to block shots and grab rebounds most 6'6" swingmen cannot. It's no surprise that he forced Hodge, Maryland's Drew Nicholas and Duke's J.J Redick to shoot 35.2% from the field in the six games against him.

Coach of the Year: Skip Prosser, Wake Forest.
Prosser led a team that Sports Illustrated did not even include in their pre-season selection of the top 65 teams, to a number 9 national rank at the end of the regular season. Prosser is deservingly the national coach of the year favorite. He led the Demon Deacons to a 23-4 record (13-3 in the ACC), a team with nine freshman or sophomores, one year after a disappointing 20-12 (9-7 ACC) performance.

Best Newcomer: Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech.
He was first in the conference in Field Goal Percentage (56.2%), seconds in rebounds (8.9 per game) eighth in scoring average (15.4 ppg) and first in blocks (2.1 per game), while making All-ACC Defensive Team honors. Bosh, a 6-10 freshman power forward who recorded 11 double-doubles, has plenty of upside and if he bulks up and doesn't turn pro, could be next year's Most Valuable Player.

Best Dunker: Dahntay Jones, Duke.
Game after game, Jones threw down spectacular SportsCenter type dunks. His incredible slam over Virginia's 6'10" Nick Vander Laan against Virginia on Feb. 15 was the dunk of the year. It was made even more memorable by his ensuing push-ups.

Most Improved Player: Drew Nicholas, Maryland.
Nicholas improved his scoring average more than any other ACC player, by over ten points per game to 17.3, third best average in the ACC. A spectacular shooter, he excels everywhere from the foul line to behind the arc. Nicholas appears to have learned many skills from former Terp Juan Dixon, whom he backed up last year. He hopes to lead Maryland to its third consecutive final four appearance.

Most Valuable Player: Josh Howard, Wake Forest.
He's a stud in nearly all facets of the game, at or near the top of most statistical categories. Howard was a big reason why the Demon Deacons claimed their first outright league title since 1962. It's not surprising that he is a Wooden Award finalist, or that he is a highly touted NBA prospect. Look for Howard to take Wake Forest deep into the NCAA tournament.

Biggest Disappointment: Virginia Cavaliers.
The Cavs were predicted by many to become a solid, top-25 team. Unfortunately, their trio of imported players, Devin Smith, Nick Vander Laan, and Todd Billet didn't materialize into the stars as expected. Instead, they are 6-10 in the ACC and struggling to make the NIT tournament, having lost seven out of their last eight games.