Duke forward Shane Battier, left, can handle a basketball or a book with equal dexterity.

When I am on the road, broadcasting a game, a lot of people ask me about my choice for Player of the Year.

This has been a wild year in college basketball, and there are a number of candidates for the postseason honor.

My choice is Duke's Shane Battier in a close call. He is an inspirational player and a person who gets the job done both on and off the court. Battier is a class act, a leader and an individual who epitomizes everything that is good about college athletics. He works hard as a student-athlete.

You have to love his tenacity on both ends of the court. He's been one of the premier defenders the last few years. Nobody does a better job taking the charge in college basketball. On offense, he is a true inside-outside threat, able to consistently hit the trifecta.

Battier has a great attitude and is an iron man for the Blue Devils. He was given the tremendous honor of having his jersey retired recently.

I'm looking forward to seeing Battier on Sunday as Duke and North Carolina tangle again (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET). Then comes the ACC tournament and the Big Dance. I hope fans appreciate all he has done during his collegiate career.

I give Battier the nod over a couple of other ACC players. Here is my top five for Player of the Year:

1. Shane Battier, forward, Duke
2. Joseph Forte, guard, North Carolina
3. Jason Williams, guard, Duke
4. Troy Murphy, center, Notre Dame
5. Casey Jacobsen, guard, Stanford

Add Michigan State forward Jason Richardson and Villanova center Michael Bradley to this group, and you have my Super Seven for the 2000-01 season.