With Auburn's Johni Broome injured, and Duke's Cooper Flagg surging, the odds in the betting market to win national player of the year have essentially flipped.
Broome was a heavy favorite.
Now it's Flagg.
As Matt Norlander and I discussed on Sunday's episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast, it really does, at this point, kinda feel like a two-man NPOY race. And it might end up being exactly that (or something even less if Flagg runs away with it). But if you're looking for an alternative candidate, for somebody who checks all of the boxes NPOY candidates typically need to check, turn to CBS Sports Network on Tuesday night at 7 ET for Marquette at DePaul.
Kam Jones will be the best player on the court.
He's Marquette's 6-foot-5 guard who is averaging 19.7 points, 6.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 50.6% from the field. He's a statistical monster for a Big East team that's 14-2 and No. 6 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. He's a great player having a great season — so great that Jones actually ranks third, behind only Broome and Flagg, in the player ratings at EvanMiya.com.
Will Jones ever catch Flagg?
For what it's worth, the betting markets don't think so. But First Team All-America honors, and the Big East Player of the Year award, are totally within his grasp. And it's a great story given that Jomes was a sub-100 prospect coming out of high school in Memphis, and just a role player as a freshman at Marquette, before blossoming into a star who now has a chance to finish his college career as just the second 2,000-point scorer in program history.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 15 points and two assists in Saturday's 66-63 win at South Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against Mississippi State. | -- | 15-1 |
| 2 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 26 points and two steals in Saturday's 85-84 overtime win at Texas Tech. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Kansas. | -- | 14-1 |
| 3 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 42 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 86-78 win over Notre Dame. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Miami. | -- | 14-2 |
| 4 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 71-63 win at Arkansas. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against Missouri. | -- | 15-1 |
| 5 |  | Mark Sears finished with 27 points and four assists in Saturday's 94-88 win at Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday against Ole Miss. | -- | 14-2 |
| 6 |  | Chase Ross finished with 27 points and six steals in Tuesday's 74-66 win over Georgetown. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at DePaul. | -- | 14-2 |
| 7 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 16 points and eight assists in Saturday's 74-70 win at Texas. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Georgia. | -- | 15-1 |
| 8 |  | Jaxson Robinson finished with 27 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 95-90 win at Mississippi State. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Texas A&M. | -- | 13-3 |
| 9 |  | Jaden Akins finished with 14 points and five steals in Sunday's 78-68 win at Northwestern. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday against Penn State. | -- | 14-2 |
| 10 |  | Josh Hubbard was 5 of 16 from the field in Saturday's 95-90 loss to Kentucky. The Bulldogs' next game is Tuesday at Auburn. | -- | 14-2 |
| 11 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 54-40 win at Cincinnati. The Jayhawks' next game is Wednesday at Iowa State. | -- | 12-3 |
| 12 |  | Zhuric Phelps was 9-of-29 from the field in Saturday's 94-88 loss to Alabama. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday at Kentucky. | -- | 13-3 |
| 13 |  | Jackson Shelstad finished with 17 points and eight assists in Sunday's 82-81 win at Penn State. The Ducks' next game is Saturday against Purdue. | -- | 15-2 |
| 14 |  | C.J. Cox finished with 23 points and four steals in Sunday's 104-68 win over Nebraska. The Boilermakers' next game is Wednesday at Washington. | -- | 13-4 |
| 15 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 74-70 win over East Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Thursday at Temple. | -- | 13-3 |
| 16 |  | Malik Dia finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 77-65 win over LSU. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday at Alabama. | -- | 14-2 |
| 17 |  | Tre White was 3-of-12 from the field in Saturday's 82-72 loss to USC. The Illini's next game is Tuesday at Indiana. | -- | 12-4 |
| 18 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 91-75 win over Washington. The Wolverines' next game is Thursday at Minnesota. | -- | 13-3 |
| 19 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 68-60 win at Georgetown. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Creighton. | -- | 13-4 |
| 20 |  | Graham Ike finished with 21 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-75 win over Washington State. The Zags' next game is Thursday at Oregon State. | -- | 14-4 |
| 21 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 15 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-57 win at Kansas State. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against West Virginia. | -- | 12-3 |
| 22 |  | Ian Martinez finished with 18 points and three assists in Saturday's 81-79 win over Boise State. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday at UNLV. | -- | 16-1 |
| 23 |  | Asa Newell finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 72-62 win over Oklahoma. The Bulldogs' next game is Wednesday at Tennessee. | -- | 14-2 |
| 24 |  | Steven Crowl finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Friday's 80-59 win over Minnesota. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday against Ohio State. | -- | 13-3 |
| 25 |  | Norchad Omier finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 72-66 win in overtime at Arizona State. The Bears' next game is Tuesday at Arizona. | -- | 11-4 |
| 26 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 80-68 win over Villanova. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday against Georgetown. | -- | 14-3 |
