Milwaukee ? With conference tournaments on the next page of our day-planner and the announcement of the 65-team NCAA field only 16 days away, we felt it appropriate to hand out some almost-end-of-the-year hardware.

So without further delay. . . .

Coach of the year: Al Skinner, Boston College. No one, not even Dick Vitale, saw Boston College winning 22 of its first 23 games, rising to the top of the Big East Conference and to No. 3 in both national polls.

Despite the six-point loss at Villanova on Wednesday, Skinner has taken a modicum of star power and molded a tough-minded, efficient and selfless team that could receive one of the four No. 1 seedings for the NCAA tournament. If you haven’t yet seen Boston College play, do so. The Eagles won’t dazzle you but they’ll likely win you over.

Some fans might wonder whether we’re forgetting about or simply ignoring the job Bruce Weber has done at Illinois, unbeaten and No. 1 in the nation. We’ve done neither. Weber’s work should be lauded. Watching the Illini work as one is a pleasure.

We give the edge to Skinner, though, because he is working with his players. We aren’t sold on Weber’s recruiting acumen and wonder whether he will be able to sustain such success with a roster of players he has lured to Champaign.

Player of the year: Andrew Bogut, Utah. Don’t laugh at our pick. The 7-foot sophomore center is a rarity in today’s game: A big man who does his damage around the basket rather than from the three-point line.

Bogut has led Utah (23-4, 11-1 Mountain West Conference) to the No. 13 spot in The AP top 25 poll. He leads the nation in double-doubles with 18. In addition, he has made 72.1 percent of his free-throw attempts.

Would Bogut post such impressive numbers if he played in the Big East or ACC, where the level of competition would more consistently demanding? Probably not. But if he played on a team with more talent on the perimeter, which would keep teams from swarming him, his numbers might be even more impressive.

Fab five: G — Chris Paul, Wake Forest; G — Salim Stoudamire, Arizona; G — Rashad McCants, North Carolina; F — Josh Boone, Connecticut; C — Bogut, Utah.

Outstanding guard play can generally carry a team deep into the NCAA tournament and we decided to start with Paul, a dynamic point guard who can score if needed. And with Paul running the offense, who better on the wings than Stoudamire, a 56 percent shooter from three-point range, and McCants, who can score from the perimeter or drive and finish as well as any guard around?

Boone isn’t as heralded as Charlie Villanueva. Yet we like the fact he can rebound (8.9 per game), block shots (3.2 per game), score on the inside (13.4 points, 61.5 percent on field-goal attempts) and is more concerned with victories than individual numbers.

Best conference: If Wake Forest and North Carolina continue to play well, the ACC could garner two of the four No. 1 seedings for the NCAA tournament.