Who wins Player of the Year? Conference races go to the wire
Conference Player of the Year races are wide open. Breaking down the top contenders and picks in the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East.
This is the final week of the regular season. Can you believe it? Award season has started to shift to the front of mind, especially due to the number of Player of the Year races that are still undecided in the home stretch.
Part of that is the balance. Arizona is the best team in the Big 12 thanks to a deep rotation. Florida is the best team in the SEC with a deep rotation of dudes. Michigan is the best team in the Big Ten with a cavalry of options. Some of the best players on the best teams have had to sacrifice some counting stats in the pursuit of winning.
That makes the awards that much more interesting. Will the voters reward winning? Or will counting stats reign supreme?
Let's dive in.
It's been over in the ACC for weeks
The contender winner
Numbers to know: 22.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 40% from 3-point range, 60% from 2-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Like Thanos, Boozer is inevitable; this is one of the most productive seasons we've ever seen from a freshman in the history of college basketball.
Boozer should get every single vote. NC State's Darrion Williams getting Preseason ACC Player of the Year over Boozer has aged quite poorly.
Parsing the Big East is a chore
The contenders
Numbers to know: 15.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.6 APG
The one-sentence sales pitch: Ejiofor is a warrior who brings his hard hat to the floor every single game; the defensive menace has transformed into one of basketball's best-passing big men this season.
Numbers to know: 10.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.5 APG, 43% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: No disrespect to Tarris Reed or Alex Karaban, but Demary is UConn's best all-around player: he defends, rebounds, distributes, scores and sticks his face in the fan relentlessly.
The Big East POTY pick
St. John's-tilting observers will think it's Ejiofor. The UConn Hive will stand for Demary. In reality, this is shaping up to be one of the closest calls, especially because St. John's and UConn will likely tie for the Big East regular-season championship. You can't go wrong with either of these outstanding competitors.
I lean slightly toward Demary because UConn's offense is 16 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the floor against top-100 competition, while acknowledging that Ejiofor's counting stats jump off the page a bit more.
Wiiiiide open in the SEC
The contenders
Numbers to know: 21.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 39% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Philon ranks first in the SEC and No. 2 nationally in pick-and-roll scoring and he is a fearless assassin in clutch time.
Numbers to know: 22.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.2 APG, 43% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Acuff is leading the league in scoring and assists while shooting the absolute cover off the ball, so is there anything else you truly need to hear?
Numbers to know: 18.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.2 APG, 36% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: The elastic, jet-quick point guard is a paint-touch machine, a staunch defender, a much-improved scorer and one of the best pound-for-pound athletes in the league.
F Thomas Haugh, Florida
Numbers to know: 17.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 34% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: The hard-playing Haugh is the engine of a Florida team that is the SEC's best club; no one in the league has a better plus-minus than Haugh.
Wing Dailyn Swain, Texas
Numbers to know: 17.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.1 APG
The one-sentence sales pitch: Once someone who could be dorked, Swain has transformed into one of the league's top isolation scorers who has terrorized the SEC all year with get-off-me drives.
G Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee
Numbers to know: 18.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 35% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Gillespie is an Every Day Guy who rarely checks out of the game and relentlessly puts pressure on the defense as a three-level scorer and creator.
The SEC POTY pick
My vote would be for Arkansas' Acuff because he's getting his numbers so efficiently. 36% on pull-up 3s? Whew. 48% on catch-and-shoot treys? Chill out. 60% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3s? Whew. Oh, and a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Special, special season.
The Big Ten is down to three
The contenders
Numbers to know: 18.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 42% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Wagler is the catalyst for Illinois' top-rated offense in the country while posting historic numbers that only Magic Johnson and three other freshmen have ever garnered in Big Ten history.
F Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Numbers to know: 14.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.4 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 57% effective field goal percentage
The one-sentence sales pitch: Lendeborg is the best player on an all-time dominant Michigan team and impacts the game on both ends of the floor at a ridiculously high level.
PG Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Numbers to know: 15.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 9.1 APG
The one-sentence sales pitch: No one is more valuable to his team than Fears, and the stats back it up; Michigan State has a plus-17 net rating against top-100 teams when he's on the floor compared to a minus-nine net rating when the fiery, ultra-competitive floor-general sits.
The Big Ten's POTY pick
Lendeborg, but a vote for Fears or Wagler is a totally fair conclusion. All three are deserving, but Michigan's 17-1 mark in Big Ten play is hard to overlook.
A fascinating decision awaits in the Big 12
The contenders
Numbers to know: 19.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 40% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Peterson's scoring binges are dazzling and he's one of the best shooters in the league, even amid a year where his availability has been hit or miss and he hasn't looked quite like himself athletically.
Numbers to know: 16.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.2 APG, 38% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Flemings has rockets attached to his sneakers, which help him blow past every defender and score at all three levels.
F Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Numbers to know: 16.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.1 APG
The one-sentence sales pitch: The stat-stuffing forward can pass, dribble, shoot, defend and ranks second in KenPom.com's National Player of the Year ratings.
G Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
Numbers to know: 19.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 7.7 APG, 43% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: Anderson has created 1,193 points this year, which is the most by any player in college basketball.
Wing AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Numbers to know: 24.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.7 APG, 36% from 3-point range
The one-sentence sales pitch: With his combination of fadeaways, pull-ups, step-throughs and confrontational drives, Dybantsa has become the most unguardable player in the league.
The Big 12's POTY pick
There are no bad selections here, but Dybantsa's season is so insanely dominant that I'll give him the slight nod even with BYU's 8-8 mark in conference play. He's just been insane.
