I'm on a college basketball kick right now and I thought this idea would make a good post (for those of you who usually come here for stuff on the NBA, I'll be making a post on the Association pretty soon). I stumbled upon this question last year in an SI.com column, and I think it's pretty cool.

If you were to make an ultimate team of college basketball players, and you had to take one player from each class (one frosh, one soph, one junior, one senior, and one of any class), what would your team look like?

Now, there are a few things to remember about this. First of all, sometimes you're going to have to sacrifice a player who you might have otherwise put on because it's more important to get another guy of his class in at a different position. Second, we're not necessarily looking for the 5 most talented players, I don't need 5 guys who average 20+, we're trying to put together the best TEAM.

I came into this with a basic plan of how I wanted the team built. I want players who can play defense, shoot the ball, and who don't turn the ball over much. Having shooters is especially important in college basketball because zones are much more prevalent than in the NBA. You also see a lot more full-court pressure in college, making it more important to have players who can handle the ball without giving it away. Lastly, I wanted, as much as possible, to have 5 good free throw shooters, so as not to have a weak link that could be easily focused on.

Alright, we're going to build from the base up, starting with the best freshman in the land, and probably the most talented player in the nation.

PF - Michael Beasley, Kansas State, Fr
He's the nation's 5th leading scorer, he leads the nation in rebounds, he's scored 30+ five times, he's topped 20 rebounds twice, and he's had double digit boards in every game. He does all that while shooting 56% from the field, 71% from the line, and 35% from three-point range. Not only that, but he often looks like he isn't even trying. The game comes so easily to him that there are times when he isn't even using all his tremendous athletic ability and he still dominates. For example, I watched him play against a good Oregon team and he didn't even look particularly athletic, he wasn't facing up from outside, getting out on the break, or dunking over people. What he was doing was winning the position battle every time down the court and either sealing his man and finishing, or ending up with great rebounding position. He finishes through contact as well as anyone in the nation, taking the hit and still finishing with a soft touch. Beasley is dominant when he isn't trying, and he's transcendent when he's giving full effort.

C - Jason Thompson, Rider, Sr
The most underrated player in the country, and it isn't close. After being one of only three D1 players to average 20-10 last year (along with Kevin Durant and Nick Fazekas), and he's been even better this year. I've watched him a few times this year, and both times I came away amazed that NBA scouts aren't more excited about this guy. He's got an NBA body, strong post moves, and perimeter skills that few 6-10 guys have. He'll kill you on the blocks, he'll kill you on the glass, and he'll kill you facing up from mid-range. On top of all that, and this was one of the big reasons for his selection, he's one of the nation's premier defenders. He was named to collegeinsider.com's All-Defensive team last year, and he did a great job on Beasley earlier this year, holding him to 13-10 on 5 for 11 shooting. Not only does he block a ton of shots, but he plays great fundamental defense too. For this position, I wanted to get someone who could defend and rebound to complement Beasley, and my first thought was Joey Dorsey. However, Dorsey isn't an offensive force at all, and I just couldn't take the horrific FT%. I also thought about Roy Hibbert, but he isn't the versatile threat that Thompson is and isn't as dominant a rebounder.

PG - D.J. Augustin, Texas, So
Now we get to the really tough decisions. There were any number of players that I could've put here, and compelling arguments could be made for all of them. UNC's Ty Lawson, Kansas' Mario Chalmers, MSU's Drew Neitzel, Marquette's Dominic James, and Virginia's Sean Singeletary all made this a difficult choice. In the end, the final decision finally came down to Augustin versus VCU's Eric Maynor (you might remember him from when he dispatched Duke in the tourney last year). Maynor has been brilliant this year, and we know he's clutch after seeing him clinch games down the stretch last year. However, Augustin has to be the pick here. He was underrated last year playing in the shadow of Kevin Durant, and he has been nothing short of brilliant this year in leading a very surprising Texas team to much more early success than was expected of them. He has shown the ability to distribute and manage a game, he's shown the ability to defer to another star player, and he's shown the ability to take over on his own. If you're looking for a point guard, it doesn't get much better than that in my opinion.

SF - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis, Jr
When looking for a junior to fill the G/F spot, there are really only 2 choices, CDR and Kansas' Brandon Rush. Now, while Rush is a fantastic player, he is starting slowly after an offseason injury, and he just isn't in the same class as Douglas-Roberts. CDR is the driving force for the country's best team on both ends of the court, and he has really stepped his game up this year. He's one of the premier slashers in the nation, getting to the rim seemingly at will, and he can finish with either hand, as well as having a very good floater in the lane. Defensively, he's one of the best lockdown perimeter defenders out there. He doesn't rack up a lot of steals or blocks, so it doesn't show up in the box score, but his strength and defensive fundamentals make him a really tough matchup.

SG - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt, Sr
I really wanted to put Washington State's Kyle Weaver here, but he and Douglas-Roberts are just too similar, and neither are very proficient shooters. Foster, on the other hand, does not have that problem. He may be one-dimensional, but what a dimension it is. Foster was a good shooter last year, but he's been absolutely unconscious this year. He's shooting a blistering 51% from behind the three-point arc, and has easily been college basketball's best shooter this season. He runs off screens really well, and he has a high, behind-the-head type release that makes his shot very tough to contest. It was a tough choice between Foster and Davidson's Stephen Curry, but Foster has just been too good. He may not bring a whole lot else to the table, but you can be sure nobody is going to try and throw a zone at this team with Foster out there.

Coach - Tom Izzo, Michigan State
With all due respect to the wonderful jobs that Mike Krzyewski (Duke), Tony Bennett (Washington State), Sean Miller (Xavier) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin) are doing, Izzo's coaching this year has been nothing short of brilliant. I watched his Michigan State team put on an absolute clinic against my beloved Wolfpack, running them out of the gym with brilliant off-the-ball screens and near-perfect execution to get wide open shot after wide open shot. He has seamlessly integrated an infusion of younger talent with his older, veteran guys and has really gotten the most out of his players. He's been a coaching icon for years now, but this season has been some of his best work.

There you go, let me know what you think about my picks. Remember, it's ok to disagree with me as long as you don't mind being wrong.