Player of the Year? No question.

Toney Douglas has stated his case loud and clear for ACC Player of the Year after a season for the ages

Following a 63-53 victory Sunday afternoon against Virginia Tech, a calm and confident Toney Douglas entered the media room of the Donald L. Tucker Center with a smile that seemed to stretch from Tallahassee to Douglas' hometown of Jonesboro, Ga.

Maybe Douglas was smiling because Florida State's victory over the Hokies gave them 10 conference wins for the first time since the 1992-93 season and pushed their record to 23-8 - their best regular season since that 92-93 season.

Perhaps it was the fact that Douglas, along with fellow seniors Uche Echefu and Brian Hoff, were victorious on their senior day and all but officially punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament, as no ACC team with 10 wins has ever been left out of the tournament field.

Both of those reasons are likely why T.D. had that huge smile on his face, but while he's a consummate team player, a part of Douglas had to be smiling knowing that he likely clinched ACC Player of the Year with his performance in the regular season finale.

Douglas finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals to help FSU clinch the No. 4 seed in the upcoming ACC tournament, giving the Seminoles a first-round bye.

Like every Player of the Year candidate should, Douglas stepped up when the game mattered most: in the second half, which he's done all season.

Douglas scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and on the season has scored over 75 percent of his points in the decisive frame.

"My teammates always say in the second half 'It's your time, Toney. Take over,'" Douglas said after the Virginia Tech game. "Every time in the second half with about five of six minutes left, they say it's TDT - Toney Douglas Time. I knew I was going to take over."

That kind of confidence is why Douglas is leading the ACC in overall points scored (645) and points per game in conference play (23.1). He is also third in steals per game at 1.9, has an ACC-leading 21 games of 20-plus points and has scored over 20 points in 13 of the 'Noles' 16 ACC games. Douglas is also tied with Miami's Jack McClinton for the conference lead in 30-point games this season with three (Nov. 22 vs. Coastal Carolina [30], Jan. 21 @ Miami [30] and Jan. 28 vs. North Carolina [32]).

While his stats alone are good enough to earn him ACC Player of the Year, his undeniable leadership should make him the run-away favorite.

Take into consideration that Florida State entered the 2008-09 season having lost over 50 percent of its offense from a year ago in guards Jason Rich, Isaiah Swann and Ralph Mims, had six newcomers to the program that would see significant playing time and was predicted by the media to finish 10th in the 12-team ACC. It was far from the ideal scenario you'd want your team in heading into a basketball season. Fans in Tallahassee were already looking ahead to the football season next fall (myself included), not realizing just how special of a player we had in Douglas.

One person that has recognized from day one how special Douglas is, is Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton, who has been singing the praises of Douglas all season long.

"I can't say enough about Toney," Hamilton said. "I think the one thing that separates Toney from a lot of people is that he's taken a team with six first-year players that was picked to finish near the bottom of the league and has turned them into a very competitive team. You have to give him a lot of credit for that.

"Not only does he defend, not only is he our leading scorer, but the intangible of having a person out there with the character, the will and desire and the ability to communicate with six first-year players and bring them together during some tough times and compete at a high level in a very tough conference says a lot about his character and the type of person he is. I hope people recognize that. There are a lot of good players in our league having good years, but I think Toney's contribution to our league and to our team has been a cut above what I've witnessed in a long, long time."

Can anyone form a legitimate argument against that? Point blank, the answer is no.

Sure, the Tyler Hansbrough's, Ty Lawson's, Jeff Teague's, Trevor Booker's and Kyle Singler's of the world are great and deserve recognition, but none have been faced with the grueling task of having to put their respective teams on their shoulders EVERY NIGHT. Douglas has done exactly that. As a result, Florida State will be dancing for the first time in 11 years and should wind up giving Douglas the ACC Player of the Year Award that he deserves.

When I asked T.D. specifically to make his case for Player of the Year after the VT game, that swaggering smile that was on his face when he entered the media room reappeared, and he answered with a simple, truthful response.

"I'll let my play speak for itself," Douglas said.

Case closed.

CREDIBLE QUOTES ON DOUGLAS

"Toney Douglas is a Player of the Year candidate in the league. He doesn't even have to make plays to be effective out there, because you have to be paying attention to him. He almost opens the middle by himself; you have to really pay attention to him. He is an outstanding player, an outstanding defender." -- Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell

"You have guys that you can prepare for all you want. But Toney Douglas is going to do what he is going to do. He's a fifth-year guy. He has confidence, he's got strength and he has worked on his game. He is in another place than most players." -- Virginia head coach Dave Leitao

"Florida State's Toney Douglas is one of the most unheralded defenders in the country. Douglas gets deflections and steals and he works as hard as any player I have seen. And don't forget, he also goes down on the other end and leads his team in scoring. He deserves to be recognized and put in the mix for (National) Defensive Player of the Year." -- Jay Bilas, ESPN

"Toney Douglas is a superb player. He creates havoc with his defense. There is not a better on the ball defender - I mean, he has got to be a candidate for National Defensive Player of the Year. That kid really does an amazing job. He is one of the best players in the country, and a great kid obviously. He is an unbelievable leader for them." -- Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski

"In a league of great guards, perhaps the best one is Florida State's Toney Douglas." -- Reece Davis, ESPN