2007 – Mario Chalmers
If ever there were a team to warrant a dual-winner, it was the National Championship team. However, that seems like the easy way out and that’s not how I roll. They had four players that scored between 11.2 and 13.3 points per game, with three of those players averaging between 5.1 and 6.7 rebounds per game (the fourth player was the leading assist man). In the end, I went with the guy who had a slightly bigger impact on both sides of the ball. Chalmers was a three-time Big 12 All-Defense selection and was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. While Brandon Rush was a very close second place, Mario’s work on the defensive side of the ball was what put him over the top. Plus, we all know what he can do when the game is on the line.