By ROB ROSE
On the same day that March Madness began, the top players in the country were honored.
The AP All-America teams were announced and the first team included a player from each of the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
The AP All-America first team featured Alabama forward Brandon Miller, Houston guard Marcus Sasser, Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kansas forward Jalen Wilson and Purdue center Zach Edey.
Wilson, Edey, Miller and Sasser were all named Player of the Year in their respective conferences.
Edey was the only unanimous first team selection. The Purdue star averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds with an NCAA-leading 26 double-doubles.
“Everybody goes: ‘You go to him so much,’” Purdue coach Matt Painter told the AP. “If they call it by the rules, they’re fouling him on every possession. So why shouldn’t we get it to him and just try to get in that bonus early and steal points?”
Miller led all freshman in the NCAA in scoring at 20 ppg and added eight rebounds as the Crimson Tide’s top player.
The second team included Penn State guard Jalen Pickett, Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe, UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., Gonzaga forward Drew Timme and Arizona forward Ąžuolas Tubelis.
Jaquez Jr. was the Pac-12 Player of the Year after he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds for the Bruins. Timme won a second straight West Coast Conference Player of the Year with averages of 21 ppg and seven rpg.
Third team selections featured North Carolina center Armando Bacot, Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, Iowa forward Kris Murray and Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell.
Johnson and Nowell were the Wildcats’ first All-America players since Jacob Pullen in 2011. Kansas State was the only team with two players on any team.
Kokek was named Big East Player of the Year 13 ppg, seven assists per game and four rpg.
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