We're coming down to it, folks. In exactly one month, the NCAA Tournament[1] will start with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. That means the spotlight is shining ever brighter on college basketball, which means plenty of fans are flocking to the sport in preparation for when March Madness[2] engulfs all of our sports consciousness.
That means it's time for an update to the CBS Sports Top 100 (and One).
It's our monthly ranking of the Top 100 (and one) players in college basketball, this time through three months of the season. Given that we're only a few weeks away from the end of the season, the criteria is becoming ever more clear.
- Pure production against strong competition levels matter. Over the first two iterations of this list, I baked in a bit of a talent adjustment (i.e., for young players that still had some potential). However, getting down to the last month of the season, production matters above all else, especially in great leagues. It's why you see a player like Clemson's Jaron Blossomgame enters the list this time around, as he's upped his already-terrific performance in ACC play. It's also why you see Florida State's Dwayne Bacon fall out of the list, as he's really struggled to adjust with a .47 true-shooting percentage in league play.
- Having said that though, I have given a bit more leeway on the talent end to players who seem to be on the rise. The best example of that comes with Jaylen Brown at Cal, who has been awesome over the last month and is getting closer to asserting his will as the most talented player in the Pac-12.
- Value matters to me. If you're playing on a good team and acting as one of the most important pieces, that's something that's worth taking into account. If your team crumples without you in the lineup, that's also pretty important to note. Hi, Fred VanVleet.
- Both offense and defense are important. It's why you see guys like Kris Dunn, Isaiah Cousins, and Malcolm Brogdon rate highly. It's also why you see Brice Johnson fall a bit this time around.
- One other note: I basically start the list from scratch every time so as not to be influenced by older iterations. If there end up being slight contradictions, so be it. Conference play tends to bring out the best or worst in players, and sometimes it takes a while for players to show their true talent level.
Before we get started, I wanted to give a quick note on the five players I really struggled to leave off of this list.
- Joel Bolomboy was the final cut. The Big Sky Conference has given us some pretty strong players over the last few seasons, what with Tyler Harvey, Damian Lillard, and Rodney Stuckey being drafted. Bolomboy has a shot to be the next guy in that line, as the 6-foot-9 big man out of Weber State is throwing up a ridiculous 17.5-point, 13.5-rebound line for one of the top-two teams in the Big Sky Conference. He can shoot from distance too, and is certainly someone NBA teams are keeping an eye on. I wish I could have found a spot for him, but just ultimately went another way.
- D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera is putting up similar numbers to what he did last season, but this year just feels different for the Georgetown group as a whole. The entire group seems to be deferring to each other more, including its senior point guard. Also, Smith-Rivera has been passed in the Big East point guard pecking order by Creighton's Mo Watson and Seton Hall's Isaiah Whitehead, which makes it so tough to find a place for him here.
- Jaysean Paige deserves note as a guy who has really come on strong for West Virginia. He's a tough, physical guard from New York who brings that intensity with him every time he steps on the floor. That makes him a perfect match for Bob Huggins "Press Virginia" system, and over the last month he's been the team's best player on offense. If he keeps that up and isn't seriously injured after Tuesday night's scare, he'll find himself here next time around.
- Jake Layman, based on pure talent, is a top-100 player in college basketball. But the lack of ideal fit seems to be clouding his play. He's averaging under 10 points per game in Big Ten play, and has a sub-15 PER. Layman's always been more natural at the 4 spot -- look at how he closed last season while in that "small ball" 4 role -- but with Robert Carter around, he's forced to move a bit out of position to the 3. He can play the 3 fine and help his team, but it bumps him from being a top-100 player in the sport.
- Kaleb Tarczewski was a guy I really struggled with this time around. As far as importance to a winning team, there aren't many who can match him in that regard. Arizona's defense has improved a lot since he's been healthy. He's able to cover up a lot of their pick-and-roll problems due to his agility, and his defensive rebounding rate would be third in the Pac-12 if he was eligible despite the presence of another elite rebounder in Ryan Anderson. In fact, the Wildcats are the No. 1 team in all of college basketball at ending possessions on the glass with a defensive rebound, only allowing offensive boards on 22 percent of their possessions. Ultimately, I just decided to go with players who provide a little bit more production for their team than Tarczewski does. But his importance deserves note and should not be understated.
The list of guys who fell off the list this time includes Dedric Lawson, Jameel McKay, Smith-Rivera, Tyler Dorsey, Terry Allen, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Tonye Jekiri, Jamel Artis, Sindarius Thornwell, Devin Thomas, and the aforementioned Layman. All were relatively close to making it again.
Other players who just missed out on making the list include Luke Kornet, Josh Hawkinson, Dwayne Bacon, Justin Sears, Jordan Price, Yante Maten, Ryan Spangler, Edmond Sumner, Robert Gray, Emmett Naar, Evan Bradds, Luke Fischer, Wes Washpun, D.J. Balentine, Shevon Thompson, Dyshawn Pierre, Chinanu Onuaku, Angel Rodriguez, Tim Quarterman, Mike Daum, Ja'Quan Newton, Gary Clark, Ben Moore, Gavin Ware, Andrew White, Nathan Boothe, Antonio Campbell, Stefan Jankovic, Roderick Bobbitt, Myles Davis, James Farr, Patrick McCaw, Thomas Bryant, Matt Costello, Marvelle Harris, Melvin Johnson, Jordan McLaughlin, and Nikola Jovanovic.
With that, let's get started.
101. Isaiah Miles | F | St. Joseph's (previous rank: NR)
The first of two consecutive Isaiahs to kick off the list, and the first of two St. Joe's players. Miles has been really terrific this season as a matchup nightmare that can score at all three levels. He's averaging 17.5 points per game on a ridiculous shooting line of 52.8/40.4/88.5 while also adding over eight rebounds per game. Plus, he's a pretty versatile cog on defense who is helping the Hawks to the third-best defense in the Atlantic-10.
That's a pretty sweet accomplishment for a kid that apparently lightly considered transferring at different points of his early career while he was averaging under 10 minutes per game. With he and DeAndre Bembry in tow, Phil Martelli's group is out to a 21-4 start, and they could really make waves in the NCAA Tournament[3] depending on the matchup.
100. Isaiah Whitehead | G | Seton Hall (PR: NR)
Whitehead has been a tough player to place throughout the entire season. On one hand, he was clearly the key cog on a Seton Hall team that is running toward a potential NCAA Tournament[4] berth. On the other hand, last month when I compiled the list Whitehead's true-shooting percentage was 837th nationally out of 877 players who had taken over 100 field-goal attempts. That's pretty remarkable inefficiency, and the mark of a player that was trying to do too much scoring the basketball.
Since then though, Whitehead has curtailed some of the poor shots from his game throughout conference play and really taken it upon himself to get his teammates involved. The 6-4 point guard has a 36 assist rate in conference play this season, plus his true-shooting percentage has skyrocketed up to a solid 54 percent in conference play. He's always been an explosive player who can lead you to wins with his athleticism ability to create off the bounce. The thrilling brashness of his game hasn't gone away, as you can see with this terrific little play in transition against Butler over the weekend.
But by reigning in some of the more reckless parts of his game, Whitehead has taken his play to another level and he's deserving of a spot on this list.
99. David Walker | G | Northeastern (PR: 87)
Walker is still knocking down shots at an awesome clip in the CAA. He's shooting 46 percent from 3 and averaging 18 points and four assists a game. He's been terrific all year despite a Northeastern team that's struggled and just got out of a stretch of games where it lost eight of nine.
98. Juan'ya Green | G | Hofstra (PR: NR)
Green is one of the more fun stories in college basketball at Hofstra. He fills the stat sheet like few others do every night, putting up 17.8 points, 7.2 assists, over four rebounds and nearly two steals. But it's not just the production that nets him high marks, it's the ridiculous endurance with which he is able to stay on the court.
A former transfer from Niagara, Green is working on his fourth season of playing at least 90 percent of his team's minutes. If you're wondering if that's abnormal, that's a fair question. Well, it is. According to Ken Pomeroy[5], no player has been able to accomplish that feat in the last decade that his database has been up and running. The closest that I've been able to find was Matthew Dellavedova, who played in over 90 percent of his team's minutes three of his four years at Saint Mary's.
Green's endeavoring to take Hofstra to its first NCAA Tournament[6] since 2001, and at 10-4 in the Colonial the Pride will definitely have a nice draw when it comes to the CAA Tournament.
97. Jaron Blossomgame | F | Clemson (PR: NR)
Clemson fans have been on me all season to include Blossomgame in this thing. At this point, it's impossible to ignore the production that he's been able to provide. On the season, he's averaging a nice 17.3 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field. That's impressive. But even better is what he's been able to do in conference play.
Blossomgame has upped those numbers to over 19 points per game while continuing to shoot well from distance and keep reasonably similar efficiency. Very few high-major players actually see their numbers improve in conference play, but the 6-7 forward from Chattahoochee High School down in Alpharetta, Georgia has done just that. A great season from him, and he's the driving force behind Clemson staying near the bubble.
96. James Webb | F | Boise State (PR: 71)
I was probably just a touch too high on Webb last time. Nothing that he's particularly done wrong to "fall." He got a lot of notoriety for the "buzzer beater that wasn't"[7], but Webb was deserving of some praise regardless. He's averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game despite the fact that his jump shot has totally eluded him this season. He's an important part of a Boise State team that will be a factor in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, even if they're out of the running for an at-large berth.
95. Michael Carrera | F | South Carolina (PR: NR)
How about this kid? For three years at South Carolina, he was nothing more than a role player who shot 41 percent from the field as a glass-crashing non-shooter.
Now, he's putting up nearly 15 points per game along with seven rebounds while knocking down over 50 percent of his shots from the field and grabbing seven boards. During SEC play, he's been even better, averaging 17 points per while leading South Carolina to a mark near the top of the league. His PER of 23.2 is good for fifth in the league, and he's scored at least 20 in five of his previous seven games. Also, let's not forget that Carrera is just fun to watch. He constantly wears his heart on his sleeve, and is demonstrative throughout contests. Also, I don't know that I've seen a guy play harder than Carrera does this year.
Just a remarkable turnaround for someone who deserves a lot of credit for turning his career around. The Venezuelan stretch-four will have a nice shot to make some money overseas next season.
94. Ryan Arcidiacono | G | Villanova (PR: 82)
Arch is still just trucking along as the metronome for the No. 1 team in the nation. He's not going to be named the Big East player of the year again (at least, I'd think not given the wealth of better options), but he's still an incredibly valuable piece on a winning team who makes all of the little plays you could ask for (as well as a few big ones).
93. Michael Young | F | Pittsburgh (PR: 63)
Pitt is in a bad place right now, having lost six of its last nine before needing double-overtime at home to beat Wake Forest on Tuesday. For his part, Young has been the most consistent piece on a team that still could make the tournament, averaging 16.5 points per game and seeing very little in the way of diminishing returns against tougher competition.
92. Bryce Alford | G | UCLA (PR: 80)
UCLA is in some trouble right now, but Alford has basically been himself in conference play this season, averaging the same number of points and assists per game both in and out of the league. Sometimes it'll be 30, sometimes it'll be 10, but you can count on him for something resembling 16 points and five assists per night.
91. London Perrantes | G | Virginia (PR: 97)
Perrantes is still shooting extremely well, and still defending extremely well as the third option on Virginia's team this season that is among the top three in the ACC. Not much else to get excited about there.
90. Elijah Brown | G | New Mexico (PR: NR)
Formerly at Butler, Brown has thrived in his first season at New Mexico, scoring 20.7 points per game while also grabbing over five rebounds and dishing out three assists. The son of former NBA coach Mike Brown, Elijah is a sweet-shooting lefty with a ton of shiftiness to his game.
He's not a highlight waiting to happen athletically or anything on the Mountain West level, but he's a crafty ball-handler and finisher who knows how to score and attack a defense at all three levels. This sophomore is going to be fun to watch develop over the next few seasons.
89. Allonzo Trier | G | Arizona (PR: 85)
88. Andrew Andrews | G | Washington (PR: 75)
A pair of scoring guards in the Pac-12. Trier is more efficient, Andrews is responsible for creating more at Washington. Each are having terrific seasons, with Andrews leading the Pac-12 in scoring and Trier now getting back from a broken hand injury that took away about a month of his season.
Unlike Trier though, Andrews may not even be the most skilled scorer on his team. Dejounte Murray is coming on strong for the Huskies, as is Marquese Chriss. However, as freshmen they do have their problems. With Murray, it's decision making and with Chriss it's foul trouble. Take that into account wtih the leadership Andrews provides as the lone senior on a young team, and it's clear Andrews deserves the nod as the most important player on a surprising Washington team.
87. Jordan Woodard | G | Oklahoma (PR: 73)
Woodard's hit a bit of a cold-shooting spell for the Sooners. His early-season play was terrific, and his overall numbers still make him worthy of note on this list. The key for Woodard moving forward is finding a way to finish a bit better inside of the arc, as he's shooting 37 percent on the season.
86. Charles Cooke | G | Dayton (PR: NR)
Pierre, Scoochie Smith, Kyle and Darrell Davis, Steve McElvene, Kendall Pollard. Everyone on Dayton has been terrific this season. The Flyers are a legitimate Final Four candidate right now. But Cooke's the guy who has made the most happen for them this season. The James Madison transfer in his first year of Atlantic-10 play has just been superb, averaging 16 points and six rebounds per game.
He's become an even more potent scorer in conference play as well, upping his averages to 17.5 points on 52 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He's also a really strong defender due to his long arms. It's tough for opponents to get around him, and that length allows him to recover when he does get beat and pick up blocked shots far more often than most guards are capable of (a 4.6 percent block rate). Basically, he's turned into a really nice force that should help keep the Flyers relevant all season.
85. Alec Peters | F | Valparaiso (PR: 81)
It's going to be a shame one of Peters or Kay Felder has to lose the Horizon Player of the Year award. And unfortunatley, that person is going to be Peters despite putting up 16.5 points on a shooting line of 49/44/85. Tough go, maybe he'll get it next year.
84. Julian Jacobs | G | USC (PR: 92)
Jacobs is the maestro of USC's solid offense. He, Jordan McLaughlin and Nikola Jovanovic could all feature in this portion of the list, but Jacobs is my personal choice due to the explosiveness with which he plays on offense and the athelticism he's capable of utilizing on defense. The 6-4 guard is currently leading the Pac-12 in assists at 5.7 per game, as he lives in the lane due to his quickness.
Oh, he's also pretty explosive vertically. Just ask Marquese Chriss about that.
Man, Julian. That was just mean.
83. Troy Williams | F | Indiana (PR: 70)
Another player capable of rising up on anyone and throwing down with the best of them.
Williams has had a nice little season for Indiana, but he falls a bit this time around due to his relative struggles in Big Ten play thus far. He's only averaging about 10 points per game, and his jump shot has really been a struggle after looking relatively competent early in the season.
Basically, Williams hasn't shown a ton of growth from last season. That's fine, overall. He's athletically gifted enough to where he's a really good player even at his current level. Still, you'd like to see him improve a bit more off the bounce and eventually get that jump shot down. If he can do that, he'll have a chance at becoming an NBA player.
82. Justin Jackson | G/F | North Carolina (PR: 69)
Based on his production in ACC play, Jackson is probably not deserving of being on this list at all. He's been held to single-digits in half of the Tar Heels' ACC games this season, and his shooting efficiency has suffered. He's been in an undeniable slump.
However, he gets a spot here because he seems to be coming out of it at just the right time. Over his last four games, he's averaging 14 points, three rebounds and three assists while generally being a positive for the team's ball movement and energy. He's an incredibly high IQ basketball player who helps by being out there. But sometimes, the shot just falters. If the shot falls, he's a top-50 player. If he goes back into the slump by the end of the year, he'll be outside of the top-100.
81. Damian Jones | F | Vanderbilt (PR: 72)
Vanderbilt is probably the worst team on this list to have two players on the list, and they even have another guy that would feature in the next 50 in Luke Kornet. Jones for his part has thrown up nearly 14 points and seven rebounds per game. He's probably capable of more, but so is the rest of this team.
That's all that really needs to be said on that.
80. Bryn Forbes | G | Michigan State (PR: 88)
Forbes is putting up 14 points on 48 percent shooting from the field, 48 percent shooting from 3, and 82 percent shooting from the line. Plus, he's doing it on a team that probably has a top-five resume in all of college basketball.
Tough to come up with something negative there. Forbes has been tremendously effective for the Spartans next to a guy in Denzel Valentine who is much higher on this list.
79. Danuel House | G/F | Texas A&M (PR: 68)
House does a lot of stuff for Texas A&M. He's a versatile defender, an athletic finisher in transition, a guy who can attack a closeout, and a tough shot-maker. The problem with him is that he takes a ton of tough shots and his efficiency suffers as a result. He's averaging 16.5 points and five rebounds, but his 53 true-shooting percentage just isn't quite good enough for a player the Aggies count on so heavily from beyond the arc.
78. Justin Robinson | G | Monmouth (PR: NR)
The 5-foot-8 Robinson has been a deadly scorer this season, throwing up 20.3 points per game while also knocking down 43 percent of his 3s. Rider learned this lesson all too well last Friday, when Robinson hit a 23-footer to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for the Hawks.
He's an absolutely terrific scorer that is leading Monmouth to an awesome season and a likely NCAA Tournament[8] berth.
77. Tyrone Wallace | G | California (PR: 39)
Wallace is averaging 15 points, five rebounds and four assists for Cal, but missed the last few weeks with a broken hand. His shooting and efficiency is dropping a bit during Pac-12 play, but he's still providing an all-around impact on the game next to Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown. If he can improve his scoring efficiency going forward, he'll rise on the last iteration of this list. Call this a bit of a conservative ranking while waiting to see how he performs after the injury.
76. Chris Boucher | F | Oregon (PR: 95)
Boucher is currently third nationally with a 12.3 percent block rate to go with 12.3 points per game on a 62 true-shooting percentage. The 23-year-old product out of Canada can really play, as his ability to protect the rim and stretch the floor is terrific for what Oregon needs.
His skill set is extremely rare in college hoops. In fact, he and Jarrod Uthoff are the only players in the country to have made 25 3s and blocked 70 shots. He can still get pushed around a bit due to his bulk, but he's a really solid player on this level that still might have some room to grow despite his age.
75. Devin Williams | F | West Virginia (PR: 55)
Williams hasn't been particularly great over the last month, but over the course of the entire season he's been West Virginia's best player. He's still averaging 13 points and nine rebounds despite a rough Big 12 season that's seen him shoot 38 percent.
He needs to start playing better, as West Virginia is now 5-5 in its last 10 games.
74. Peter Jok | G/F | Iowa (PR: NR)
Jok has a really interesting story. When he was in his freshman year of high school, he was known as one of the best prospects in his age group. Then, he ended up getting injured, and then battling through recurring injuries for the rest of his high school career. His problems ended up being Iowa's gain, as he stayed in-state and pledged to Fran McCaffery.
Both parties are better for it.
In Big Ten play, Jok is averaging 18 points per game with a ridiculous 48/46/80 shooting line. He'll likely be named to one of the All-Big Ten teams by the time that he's done with this season as one of the league's leading scorers, and he'll come into next season as one of the favorites to win the league's player of the year award.
73. Moses Kingsley | C | Arkansas (PR: 64)
Kingsley has been a per-possession monster in the SEC this season. He's fourth in the SEC in block rate, third in total rebounding rate, and tenth in true-shooting percentage. That's all led to a 28.9 PER, which is among the top marks in the SEC and among the top-40 marks nationally.
A great season for one of the most improved players in college basketball. He should be rewarded with an All-SEC team membership.
72. Roosevelt Jones | G | Butler (PR: 74)
Jones has been the driving force behind Butler's resurgence over the last few weeks. They've won four of their last five games as he and Kelan Martin have led the offense to strong heights. He also put up the first triple-double at Butler since 1984 earlier this month.
Oh, and despite the fact that it feels like he's been at Butler since the Reagan administration (although, he has been there since the Horizon League era), he finally hit his first 3-pointer of his career.
Hopefully Jones can give us a few more magic moments in his last month of college basketball.
71. Frank Mason | G | Kansas (PR: 47)
Mason's still one of the most consistent guards in the Big 12. You can basically count on him for 13 points, five rebounds and four assists a night, plus absolutely terrific defense. Heck, Buddy Hield has said he believes Mason is the toughest defender he's gone against this season.
That's pretty great for a guy that almost ended up at Towson.
70. Kevin Punter | G | Tennessee (PR: 84)
I've written about Punter in-depth[9]. He's averaging 22 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field in his senior season.
69. Isaiah Cousins | G | Oklahoma (PR: NR)
Cousins is probably the guy I got the most yelled at the most for omitting last time. That was probably fair. Cousins is putting up 14 points, 4.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game for Oklahoma as well as playing terrific defense. There are a lot of similarities between he and Mason at Kansas. They play differently, sure. Cousins is more of a shooter and mid-range attacker, Mason is more attack-oriented and aggressive.
Still though, they're the metronomes that make two of the best teams in the country tick and that's something worth recognizing.
68. Egidijus Mockevicius | C | Evansville (PR: 83)
All Mockevicius is doing is leading the country in all total rebounding metrics -- due to his dominance on the defensive glass -- for a team sitting at 20-7. He's also averaging 17 points per game with an incredibly efficient 67 true-shooting percentage.
He's in the top-20 nationally in PER, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see he and D.J. Balentine lead Evansville to an NCAA Tournament[10] appearance with a Missouri Valley Tournament win.
67. Maurice Watson Jr. | G | Creighton (PR: NR)
The highest new entrant into the list, Watson is the second-best point guard in the Big East behind Kris Dunn right now. Given that the league also features guys like D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Isaiah Whitehead, Ryan Arcidiacono, Myles Davis and Billy Garrett, that's an incredible accomplishment for the Boston University transfer.
Simply put, he controls the tempo of the game at all times for Creighton. He's averaging 15 points and 6.6 assists per game with the ninth-best assist rate of any player in the country. He's fearless despite his 5-foot-10 size, taking 55 percent of his shots at the rim and finishing them at a 61 percent clip according to Shot Analytics. Creighton's on the outside of the bubble looking in, but with Watson around next season the Bluejays will be favored to make the NCAA Tournament[11].
66. Diamond Stone | C | Maryland (PR: 62)
Stone is in the news for the wrong reasons this week, as he's been suspended for slamming Vitto Brown's face off of the ground in the Terps' recent game against Wisconsin. But that should only take away slightly from what's been a really nice season for the big man.
Stone is averaging 13 points and five rebounds per game for Maryland this year while providing Maryland with plenty of options on offense. He's solid in pick-and-roll settings, can occassionally post up, and provides an excellent target for dump-offs from Melo Trimble on drives when he draws help. He's coming along nicely, and could be in for a huge postseason.
65. Malik Beasley | G | Florida State (PR: 76)
Beasley just continues to put in yeoman's work with his polished game. He's fourth in scoring among high-major freshmen behind Ben Simmons, Jamal Murray and Brandon Ingram, scoring 16.7 points per game. His numbers haven't seen any drop-off in ACC play either, as he's still the owner of a 49/40/83 shooting line.
He just has a really mature game for a player his age, possessing the ability to change speeds and directions as well as move off-ball and knock down mid-range jumpers. Seriously, his shot chart is just all sorts of fire.
Beasley wasn't expected to be a one-and-done, but he's put himself in position to be one with his performance this year.
64. Isaiah Taylor | G | Texas (PR: 66)
I've never been a huge fan of Taylor's game in general, as he tends to be a scorer that isn't a particularly efficient finisher or a strong shooter. However, he's the clear catalyst on what is turning into an excellent Texas team, averaging 15 points and five assists per game.
63. Trevon Bluiett | G/F | Xavier (PR: 49)
CBS Sports' own Matt Norlander wrote extensively about Bluiett earlier this month[12]. Fun story there, you should check it out. Bluiett's averaging 15 points and six rebounds per game for one of the 15 or so best teams in America, and is well-deserving of a spot here.
62. Caris LeVert | G | Michigan (PR: 29)
LeVert is coming off of an injury. He played Saturday against Purdue, but then missed Tuesday game against Ohio State. It's also been said that he might be more of a role player at this stage of the season as opposed to a full option. If that's the case, this ranking is too high.
But if he's fully healthy, he's a top-25 player in the country. After all, he's averaging an efficient 16.5 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. I've basically split that difference here until we know more about how limited he's going to be going forward. But without LeVert, Michigan is susceptible to missing the NCAA Tournament[13] entirely, so hopefully for them he can return to a reasonable approximation of his old self.
61. Wade Baldwin | G | Vanderbilt (PR: 40)
Baldwin has been really good, but he gets dinged a bit this time around as his efficiency in scoring the basketball has taken a slight ding. Also, like I mentioned in the Damian Jones section, this team should be far better than it is, and that at least falls partially on Baldwin as the team's point guard, especially on offense.
Still though, the kid is a playmaker through and though. He makes things happen when he's on the floor due to his athleticism and length, and he'll have a good chance to be a first round pick if he leaves school this summer.
60. Jalen Jones | F | Texas A&M (PR: 67)
Jones should be first-team All-SEC when the team is released this March. He's putting up 16 points and seven rebounds per game for the Aggies. Even though Billy Kennedy's group has fallen off a bit recently, Jones has been a pretty consistent piece who will lead the Aggies back to the NCAA Tournament[14].
59. Ivan Rabb | F | California (PR: 52)
Rabb seems to be going under the radar a bit among freshmen. For instance, he doesn't appear in the top-10[15] of our own Matt Norlander's freshman watch rankings. That seems misguided to me. He's a big man averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game while tossing up a 21 PER with a 61 true-shooting percentage in Pac-12 play. Plus, he's a pretty big part of Cal's third-best defense in the league as his mobility and length allows him to defend pick-and-rolls well as well as defend the paint a bit.
He's just one of those guys who does so many of the little things you like to see from big guys. Plus, he's been extremely consistent in scoring in double-figures in nine of his team's 12 Pac-12 games. I'm a pretty big fan of what I've seen from Rabb so far this season.
58. Pascal Siakam | F | New Mexico State (PR: 54)
Siakam is throwing up 21 points and 11 rebounds per game on a 33 PER. Being able to dunk everything is a pretty big help in this regard. Check out this one where he leaps from outside of the restricted zone to throw one down in a crowd against UT-Rio Grande Valley.
Yup, he's a kid you should get to know before the NCAA Tournament[16] starts, given that New Mexico State is the favorite in the WAC.
57. Daniel Hamilton | G/F | Connecticut (PR: 59)
You'd like to see Hamilton eventually become a more consistent and efficient scorer. If he was, he'd be a top-30 player in the country. But even without it, he affects the game in so many different ways that he's impossible to ignore. He's a truly unique player nationally who leads the AAC with a 27 percent defensive rebounding rate and is second in the league in assist rate.
That strange combination of skills makes him a tough player to judge, but in the end he's a tremendously valuable player.
56. Robert Carter | F | Maryland (PR: 61)
Carter is the perfect second-fiddle to Melo Trimble. He's currently in the top-10 in the Big Ten in rebounding, blocks, PER, and true-shooting percentage while averaging nearly 13 points per game. Essentially, Carter is among the most versatile players in the country. He can shoot, defend, lead the break, post up smaller players, rebound, protect the rim, switch screens, and attack closeouts as he showed Wisconsin this weekend.
Again, just another extremely unique player.
55. Malcolm Hill | G/F | Illinois (PR: 48)
I chatted with and wrote about Hill last week[17]. He's a good player in a bad situation who is currently third in the Big Ten in scoring.
54. Dorian Finney-Smith | F | Florida (PR: 77)
Like Carter above him, Finney-Smith is a really versatile forward who can do a little bit of everything on both ends. He's the best player on a Florida team that could be headed to a surprising NCAA Tournament[18] berth in Mike White's first season in charge. Without him, it's tough to see how they get there.
53. Ron Baker | G | Wichita State (PR: 60)
Baker's probably gone a bit unnoticed this season nationally due to the concern over Fred VanVleet's injury, the concern over Anton Grady's neck scare, the addition of Conner Frankamp to the lineup, and trying to integrate all of these pieces together.
All Baker has done is go about his work as a swiss-army knife that can shoot, slash, score, defend, and also create as a primary ball-handler for his teammates. His contributions shouldn't go unmentioned when discussing the story of the Shockers' season. Of all people, he's been the one constant in the face of craziness.
52. Stefan Moody | G | Mississippi (PR: 53)
Moody stays about in the same spot. Despite the fact that Mississippi will likely miss the NCAA Tournament[19], Moody has been his steady self in scoring points and getting his teammates involved. He's averaging 23 points and four assists per game.
There are few players I'm more excited to watch try to make a team as an undersized scorer in NBA Summer League than Moody. It's going to be a blast.
51. Josh Adams | G | Wyoming (PR: 58)
Adams is one of those guys though that I'm going to enjoy watching a bit more in Summer League this year. He's the kind of guy who's going to be playing harder than anyone else out there and not caring who he angers in the process. I wrote about and spoke with[20] him last week, if you want to learn more about what makes one of the most unique athletes in college basketball tick.
Even since I spoke with him, college basketball's human highlight machine put up another sweet one on this put-back slam where he started his run from about 30-feet away.
Put-back dunk from Josh Adams in Saturday's 84-65 @wyo_mbb win over Utah State #gowyohttps://t.co/XpP8ZwRK7y[21][22][23]
— Wyoming Cowboys (@wyoathletics) February 8, 2016[24]
50. Daniel Ochefu | C | Villanova (PR: 44)
Another player who was much higher last time around but has suffered a recent injury. Ochefu is another player who suffered an injury, but he gets dinged a bit less than the others because he's returned and played as well as ever over the last two games. Over the weekend, he dropped 25 points and nine rebounds over St. John's, and prior to that he scored 11 points in his return against DePaul.
Seems like the concussion is behind him, and he'll be ready to do well the rest of the way inside for the Wildcats.
49. Anthony Gill | F | Virginia (PR: 43)
Gill has been great this season, averaging 14 points and six rebounds while also being one of the smarter defensive players in all of college basketball. He's a perfect ball of frenetic energy for Virginia as a second-fiddle to Malcolm Brogdon.
48. Jack Gibbs | G | Davidson (PR: 41)
Gibbs averages about 25 points per game plus puts up five assists per game. The 5-11 guard has gone from leading the A-10 in assists last season to leading it in scoring this season, showing just what kind of versatile offensive weapon he can be. He's the perfect fit in Bob McKillop's offensive system due to his ability to play both on and off-ball, his ability to shoot, and his overall unselfishness.
47. Shawn Long | F | Louisiana Lafayette (PR: 65)
I wrote about Long earlier this season[25], but he's only improved since then. He's averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds per game in the Sun Belt this season, leading Lafayette to the second-best record in the league thus far. He's fifth in the country in total rebounding rate and ninth in overall PER at 31.2.
He's an absolute beast in the paint, and he'll have a good chance to play in the NBA one day.
46. Damion Lee | G | Louisville (PR: 31)
Simply put, Lee hasn't played as well since entering ACC play. He's shooting below 40 percent from the field, his scoring has decreased, and he just hasn't made as much of an impact on the game. Whether this is an adjustment to playing in a tougher conference or not, who knows. But with the Cardinals not exactly having a ton to play for, the road to improvement for him isn't exactly clear.
45. Michael Gbinije | G | Syracuse (PR: 45)
Think he's the first guy that has the same ranking as last time around. Gbinije has just been a steady player all season for the Orange, providing his 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals per night, be it for Mike Hopkins or Jim Boeheim.
His efficiency has dropped a bit during conference play as his shot has started to miss a bit (only at 34 percent from 3), but overall he's a really good player at the point and at the top of the zone for Syracuse.
44. A.J. English | G | Iona (PR: 33)
English plays in the crazy up-tempo Iona scheme, but he's still the only player in America averaging 21 points, six assists and four rebounds per game. The Gaels' season hasn't gone totally according to plan -- in large part due to to Monmouth -- but they'll have a chance to make their mark in the MAAC Tournament. If they do that, it wouldn't be a surprise to see two teams from that league get in due to the overall weakness of the bubble.
43. John Brown | F | High Point (PR: 56)
For some, this might be high for Brown. But honestly, I think I might even be conservative with this ranking. Brown is currently leading the NCAA with a 37.0 PER. That's not just first this season though, that's the best mark since at least 2010, which is as far back as sports-reference.com's database goes. Other players to lead the nation in PER:
- 2010: DeMarcus Cousins (34.2)
- 2011: Kenneth Faried (34.7)
- 2012: Anthony Davis (35.1)
- 2013: Kelly Olynyk (36.2)
- 2014: Alan Williams (35.7)
- 2015: Frank Kaminsky (34.4)
So yeah, Brown is in some pretty stellar company at the moment with his play. Someone over at High Point also put together a mix of his biggest dunks in his career, which I'll share with you now because, man, can he fly.
42. Rico Gathers | F | Baylor (PR: 37)
Gathers is one of two high-major players to average a double-double in each of the last two seasons (the other being Josh Hawkinson at Washington State). His size does genuinely hinder him around the rim in scoring, but he's just so physical that he leaves an impact on the game.
That physicality is something that Texas Tech learned about this weekend, when Gathers just decided he was sick of being a part of a blowout and decided to pick up a flagrant 2 instead of continuing on.
Not a great look from Gathers, and not a thing you'd like to see from one of your top players. He sat out Baylor's win over Iowa State on Tuesday after being declared sick. Regardless of whether one had to do with the other, it's probably right that he sat that one out.
41. Wayne Selden | G/F | Kansas (PR: 46)
Selden had that massive game against Kentucky where he almost single-handedly beat the Wildcats in Phog Allen Fieldhouse, but since then has been hit or miss on offense. Also, his play in the Big 12 has been pretty rough, as his shooting has dropped and his ability to finish inside has still been a bit of a problem.
Still though, Selden has been really good this season, and redeemed many of the complaints about him over the course of his first two seasons. He's a willing defender, a good athlete, and his shooting has turned him into a legitimate second option for the Jayhawks.
40. Josh Scott | F | Colorado (PR: 36)
Scott's still just plugging along, doing his thing for a Colorado team that seems likely to return to the NCAA Tournament[26] on his back. He's averaging nearly 17 points and nine rebounds and two assists per game. He's a really smart player who knows how to use leverage and angles to carve out all of the space he needs to be effective, then also has solid touch around the basket to finish. It's good to see him back after he had some pretty major back problems last year. He will need to get over some ankle issues that he suffered in a game a couple weeks ago against Oregon State, but overall it's nice to see hard-workers get back and perform like their old selves.
39. Jameel Warney | F | Stony Brook (PR: 57)
Right behind John Brown in the PER race is Jameel Warney of Stony Brook at 36.8, another number higher than anything that has ever been posted over the last six years. Even more impressive than Brown though is that Warney is leading an excellent Stony Brook team to a potential NCAA Tournament[27] berth at 22-4 and 13-0 in the America East.
In case you've never seen him play, this is Warney.
He's a big-bodied, 6-8 center with a huge wingspan who gets by more on grace and guile than on explosiveness. The best way to describe him would be a technician. He knows exactly how to carve out little inches of space all over the floor, he can pass, he has touch, he protects the rim and has a terrific basketball IQ. I'm not sure if NBA teams are going to be knocking down his door necessarily, but he'll have a chance to make a roster.
38. Taurean Prince | F | Baylor (PR: 38)
Prince has turned into Baylor's best player by providing a little bit of everything on the floor. He's not the best athlete, but he can still get by guys and rise up for a dunk if he needs to, as seen below.
But more than that, Prince is just the complete package. He can score from all three levels, play on or off ball, pass, defend, rebound, force turnovers, create offense. There's just so much to like about him, and it's why he has a strong chance to be a first round pick this offseason.
37. Jaylen Brown | F | California (PR: 51)
Boy, what a difference a month makes. Brown is figuring things out by the day right now for the Golden Bears, and that makes this team awfully scary. Yeah, he still can't shoot, but he's becoming an all-around athletic force that is starting to understand more about how to find the little cracks in the defense instead of just aimlessly driving to the basket. He's also doing an excellent job of using his length and his strong body to swallow up offensive players on the defensive side of the ball (just ask the next guy on this list).
Basically, Brown is starting to actually fulfill the promise that was expected of him. Here's the highlights of him scoring 27 points against Utah late in January, and you'll see some of the stuff I mean above. Driving with a purpose instead of recklessly. Finding spaces that he wasn't finding early in the year. It's all there for him to succeed, he just needs to continue learning.
36. Dillon Brooks | F | Oregon (PR: 94)
Brooks makes one of the biggest leaps on the board all the way up to this spot. He can occassionally get swallowed up a bit by length, but overall the Ducks' swingman has really rounded out his perimeter game and made himself a more dangerous overall player. He's no longer just bulldozing his way aggressively into the paint. He's able to shoot more confidently from distance now and he's much willing to create looks for his teammates. That's opened up a lot of room for him to operate in the midrange and also helped him have an easier time on those drives to the basket.
Impressive play this season and it's put him in the running for Pac-12 player of the year.
35. Sheldon McClellan | G | Miami (Fla.) (PR: 24)
Well, the crazy shooting wasn't going to last forever, was it? He's still knocking down 49 percent of his field goal attempts in ACC play, but his 3-point shooting has fallen down to earth now at 33 percent.
It's no matter though. McClellan is still one of the best players in the conference, as he's able to provide many things for the Hurricanes. Namely, he's a solid wing defender who takes on tough assignments, a decent passer, a ball-handler you can trust, and a weapon to get to the foul line. Oh, he can also rise up with the best of them, too.
34. Kyle Collinsworth | G | BYU (PR: 34)
The Cougars' triple-double machine has been up to his typical tricks this year, averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game. It feels a bit less meaningful this year given that BYU will not go dancing unless they can get a couple of upsets in the West Coast Conference Tournament. Still though, the 6-5 point guard deserves recognition as one of the best players in college basketball as he has his team out to a 19-8 mark.
33. Marcus Paige | G | North Carolina (PR: 15)
I guess this might seem a bit low to some people, but if you look at what Paige is actually doing on the floor it's tough to place him above any of the players ahead of him.
His scoring has regressed for a second straight season. His assist numbers are down. The rebounds are down. His PER is at 18.8, which is fairly low for a point guard in the top-100. Plus, things aren't really even getting better in ACC play, as he's the owner of a 50 true-shooting percentage.
Paige provides a lot for the Tar Heels in the way of leadership and steadiness, and that's to be commended and accounted for. On a team that has national title aspirations, those things cannot be overemphasized. But until he starts actually producing better, I just can't move him above the guys on this list.
32. Nigel Hayes | F | Wisconsin (PR: 50)
We probably shouldn't go overboard and say Hayes is playing like the All-American that many predicted coming into the season. However, his last 10 games have been pretty terrific as the Badgers have reeled off an impressive streak that has them back in the NCAA Tournament[28] picture. During that time, he's averaging 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists with a much-improved 56 true-shooting percentage.
He's the key factor in Greg Gard and Wisconsin's surge here recently, and it's been fun to watch.
It's also always fun to listen to Hayes off the court, as he's a guy who just never stops going in. Last week, it was on Maryland's Under Armour balls and the ridiculousness that is the NCAA. Earlier this month, it was this hilarious soundbyte after the Badgers beat Ohio State:
Nigel Hayes with the mic drop on Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/xBCY4VHv66[29]
— Scott Phillips (@phillipshoops) February 5, 2016[30]
Please never stop, Nigel.
31. Josh Hart | G | Villanova (PR: 20)
Hart's been great on both ends of the floor this season, providing Nova with what it lost in Darrun Hilliard this offseason when he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. He's a really good defender, a shooter, a rebounder, a guy who can slash, he finishes about as well as any wing in the country, and he's also a consistent performer who the Wildcats can basically count on at all times.
Not a bad guy to have around for Jay Wright.
30. Henry Ellenson | F | Marquette (PR: 32)
Ellenson is still putting up really strong numbers for a freshman that could likely place him higher on this list. After all, he's a terrific young talent who could end up being a top-10 pick by the time everything is all said and done on NBA Draft[31] night in June.
Let's take a second though and say why he's not higher. For one, he's shooting 43 percent from the field with a 52 true-shooting percentage. Not great. Second, he's also not a particularly agile defender, and he's still learning how to use his length on that end to slow down opponents. Below-average scoring efficiency plus below average defense will do the trick.
Still though, Ellenson is averaging a double-double of nearly 17 points and 10 rebounds a night, and he has to create so much on this team due to its youth and inexperience alongside him. A really strong season from him, and he likely has made himself quite a bit of money.
29. Ryan Anderson | F| Arizona (PR: 90)
Anderson's a guy I was just too low on last time. Call it an oversight, a miss, whatever you will. This kid is one of the top-30 players in all of college basketball, full stop. He's one of the nation's best rebounders, he's averaging a double-double at 16 points and 10 rebounds per game, and he's also more efficient than just about anyone else in America at putting up those numbers.
Plus, let's not forget he's a good team defender that is also the leader of a young team that hasn't played a ton together yet this season due to injury. Even because of that though, the Wildcats are the No. 12 team in the AP Poll, largely on the back of their 6-9 worker in the post.
28. Ben Bentil | F | Providence (PR: 23)
Honestly, Bentil could probably be even higher than this. He's leading the Big East in scoring at 20.4 points per, he grabs 7.8 rebounds a game, and basically lives at the foul line. The versatility of his offensive game is always extremely impressive, as he can score at all three levels as either a pick-and-pop big man, a posting center, or an option in dump offs for Kris Dunn on drives. One of the best things he does is make himself available at basically all times, and he catches almost everything thrown in his direction.
Against Marquette earlier this month, he showed off all of these skills in dropping 42 on the Eagles. The jump shot is just so pretty for a big man, and it'll be his key skill if he wants to play in the NBA due to his size.
So why doesn't he go higher here? Well, for one he's not a particularly good rebounder on the defensive end. His defensive rebounding rate of 16.4 is probably the main reason why Providence has been the worst team on the defensive glass in the Big East. His ability to defend the pick-and-roll and move with smaller players is also really solid, but he's not much of a rim protector as a true center for the Friars. Maybe that's unfair given that he's miscast in that role, but the Friars could use him more inside going forward.
27. Monte Morris | G | Iowa State (PR: 22)
Morris is working on another season of pick-and-roll dominance, as the Iowa State point guard is currently sixth nationally among all players with at least 100 possessions in points per possession scoring as a pick-and-roll ball-handler according to Synergy. He's been absolutely terrific this season, as he and Georges Niang will look to take the Cyclones to a deeper NCAA Tourney run this year under Steve Prohm.
26. Anthony "Cat" Barber | G | NC State (PR: 30)
What Cat is doing right now is truly impressive. He's the top option in a lost season for NC State, scoring 24 points a night with 4.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Plus, he's doing so while playing in 96 percent of NC State's minutes, the second highest rate in the country.
But let's cool it with the talk of him being up for national player of the year or even ACC player of the year. The numbers are great, but they're slightly inflated by the fact that he's taking on such a high minute load as well as taking on an extremely high total of his team's offensive usage. Basically, somebody has to take shots on bad teams, and Barber's efficiency in doing so has been solid with a 56 true-shooting percentage, but not spectacular. This isn't to say that players on losing teams can't be league player of the year, but rather to just enumerate that he's not necessarily doing anything others aren't. To compare him to another player, Malcolm Brogdon -- who will be featured higher on this list -- is taking a higher percentage of his team's shots while he's on the floor, making them at a higher rate, and also playing defense at possibly the highest level of anyone in America.
That's not to write off Barber's season, but I think it does him a disservice to unrealistically compare him to other players around the country. Barber has been terrific this season. He's improved by leaps and bounds since his sophomore season, and he's largely keeping the Wolfpack competitive in games that they probably shouldn't be. He's worthy of being called a top-30 player in the country, and that's well in the conversation for first-team All-ACC and potentially even third-team All-American. But let's not go overboard, either.
25. Demetrius Jackson | G | Notre Dame (PR: 25)
It'll probably be controversial to have Jackson ahead of Barber. But what it came down to for me was simply that I think their production is close enough, and that there's no circumstance I'm taking Cat over Jackson if I'm starting a team. Another great guard in the pick-and-roll, Jackson has the Notre Dame offense humming along as the top rated unit in the country. He's averaging nearly 17 points and five assists per game and controlling the pace and tempo of every game in the process.
Don't believe me? Just watch:
Jackson knows exactly how to manipulate defenders through ball-screens and really puts them through the wringer when trying to defend him. Sometimes it's one screen, sometimes it's a double where he'll call his partner back and use him to get space in the other direction. Then, once he inevitably gets by his defenders -- and if he wants to, he will get by you -- he knows exactly how to keep the defender on his back by using a wide base, staying low to the ground, and changing pace and direction just enough to keep you away from him.
There are few point guards in America as purely enjoyable to watch as Demetrius Jackson.
24. DeAndre Bembry | G/F | St. Joseph's (PR: 42)
Bembry is one of the most vital pieces to an NCAA Tournament[32] team in the country. He and Ben Simmons are the only two players in America averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game. In fact, only eight players since 1995 have been able to pull that off.
So yeah, that's the company that Bembry is keeping this season for the Hawks. You'd probably like him to be a bit better of a shooter, but he provides value in so many other places that I'm not sure it's possible to complain about what he's giving them in any way. Let's also not forget that he has a pretty terrific afro, and that has to count for something, right?
23. Gary Payton II | G | Oregon State (PR: 8)
Payton has fallen off a bit as Pac-12 play has kicked into high gear. He's only the owner of a 50.5 true-shooting percentage in conference play after scoring at a higher, more efficient level in the non-conference. Still though, the defense and the rest of the production is there to make him one of the five best players in the Pac-12. He's averaging 16.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, plus, snatching two steals per game while playing terrific defense on the perimeter.
All of those skills were on display against USC late last month.
The glove's kid can play, folks. No ball is safe on the perimeter, and every defender at the rim is in danger of getting slammed on.
22. Jamal Murray | G | Kentucky (PR: 35)
Last time I wrote up this thing, I said that I was a firm believer in what Jamal Murray is capable of. Over the last month, he's rewarded that belief with terrific play.
Murray is currently averaging 18.8 points per game. But in SEC play, he's up over 21 points per, with a PER of 25.2 and a true-shooting percentage of 58.2. Most importantly though, his turnover rate is down to a miniscule 8.3 percent in conference play after struggling a bit with them early in his year. Basically, as the season has progressed, the Canadian lottery prospect has ironed out some of the more rough parts of his game and become a more efficient player. He now attacks with a purpose instead of recklessly driving into the paint and trying to make things happen without a plan. He's shooting with more confidence as well from distance. Murray is always a kid that has played hard, but now he's playing smart too, and that's a dangerous combination.
A lot of this has to do with the emergence of Tyler Ulis taking some pressure off of him and opening up some holes inside as teams have to focus a lot of their efforts on the diminutive point guard. But while you were looking away or staring at Ulis, Murray has become arguably the best freshman scoring threat in college basketball. Check out his game against Florida earlier this month where he dropped 35 points on Florida, a top-15 defense in the country, if you want to see how his game has matured.
21. A.J. Hammons | C | Purdue (PR: 25)
I mean, there are just so few players that do as much as Hammons does on both ends of the floor. He's one of the nation's truly elite rim protectors, swatting shots away with impunity from those who dare enter his paint.
It's pretty easy to see why Purdue has one of the five or six best defenses in the country, right?
As you can see from the video above, Hammons is also a more than capable post player on offense as well. Purdue likes to funnel their offense through him if possible, and he's capable of both scoring inside and passing out and creating open 3-point looks off of double teams. Few players can affect both ends of the floor like Hammons can when he's playing with energy and in condition. He's doing both of those things now for Matt Painter's team, and they're reaping the rewards.
20. Nic Moore | G | SMU (PR: 17)
Moore is just humming along under the radar, leading the nation's sixth-best offense with averages of 17 points and five assists per game. Just a really nice little player who does a little bit of everything for SMU. It's a true shame we're not going to get to see him in the NCAA Tournament[33] this season, as he's the kind of player who can win a game all by himself.
Also, with Moore here at No. 20 it's worth noting that he's one of FOUR players in the top-20 under six-feet tall. It's been a great year for the little guys of college hoops, and hopefully it'll continue.
19. Fred VanVleet | G | Wichita State (PR: 16)
VanVleet just barely measures out above six-feet (he was listed at 6-1 this summer in his Pan-Am measurements per DraftExpress), but he's still a terrific player who controls the tempo of the game better than any other guy in the country. He knows exactly when to push the ball out in transition, and knows exactly when to slow down and run offense. Then when he's running offense, he knows how to get every single player involved in the offense in the spots they want to get the ball. VanVleet is just one of those preternaturally gifted distributors who knows exactly how to lead an offense.
He's fifth nationally with a 41.9 percent assist rate, and he's making shots from distance at a 42 percent clip. Plus, he's improved defensively this year. Last year, with Tekele Cotton in the mix along with Ron Baker, VanVleet had some insulation on that end and could take lesser matchups at times. This year, that's not the case, as he's taking on tougher point guard responsibilities and rewarding the Shockers by forcing turnovers and being a part of a defense that is currently ranked second nationally.
The Shockers are the team that nobody wants to see in the NCAA Tournament[34]. A lot of high-majors are hoping for an upset in the Missouri Valley Tournament followed by the committee leaving them out.
18. Melo Trimble | G | Maryland (PR: 5)
Man, this is where things get so difficult. Trimble has been one of the nation's best players in the pick-and-roll this season, ranking fourth nationally and first among high-major players in points created per possession out of the pick-and-roll in both scoring and passing situations. The Terps have been lethal in these settings due to the variety of different looks they can show. You can send Diamond Stone to run a traditional pick-and-roll, you can send Robert Carter or Jake Layman to screen and pick-and-pop, you can send 1-4-5 or 1-5-4 combos where Trimble has multiple options and can navigate multiple screens. Oh, then you also have to worry about Trimble scoring and shooting off the dribble, where he's in the 75th percentile nationally according to Synergy.
The Terps' game against Wisconsin this season was a pretty good example of all of these different looks.
So why does Trimble rate so lowly here if he's that impressive? Well, simply put he hasn't quite been consistent enough in Big Ten play so far. He's shooting 37.5 percent from the field in the league, while also not getting to the line as much as he did last season. His passing and playmaking ability has really improved, and it's made him a better prospect for the NBA than he was last season.
Still though, when you get to the top-20 players, the littlest differences matter and Trimble is just a small step below these guys right now.
17. Yogi Ferrell | G | Indiana (PR: 26)
Ferrell is the catalyst behind a Hoosier team that is currently second in the Big Ten and only a game out of first place. He does many of the same things as the guy right next to him on this list, but pushes slightly ahead of Trimble here because of his play has actually improved since Big Ten play kicked up, as he's averaging 17.5 points and over five assists per game while posting a solid 58 true-shooting percentage.
He can get a little reckless at times, but Ferrell is an elite point guard in college basketball and should be on the short-list for any All-American team even with the strength of point guards nationally this season.
16. Perry Ellis | F | Kansas (PR: 19)
Ellis has taken his level to new heights in Big 12 play this season, scoring 18.5 points per game with a shooting slash line of 51.9/46.7/80.9. He's the model of efficiency in a college basketball player, with tremendous basketball IQ.
(cue jokes about Ellis' terrific IQ being due to his playing basketball since the Eisenhower administration.)
Seriously though, because of the aged, weathered look on his face, Ellis is often under-estimated as an athlete. Look at him get up to block Devin Williams here. He also threw down a pretty nice alley-oop later on.
Perry Ellis with the HUGE block@KUHoops up by seven at the break. https://t.co/o3UaN1ZMTL[35][36]
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) February 10, 2016[37]
A very real All-American candidate here in the Big-12.
15. Kyle Wiltjer | F | Gonzaga (PR: 18)
Eh, I whiffed on Wiltjer being the national player of the year. But he's having a great season anyway, averaging 21 points with a 61 true-shooting percentage. His shooting line of 48.9/42/86 is absolutely remarkable. Over the last 20 years, only 16 players (including Buddy Hield and Zeek Woodley this season) have put up 20 points while shooting 48 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 85 percent from the line.
Wiltjer is right in line with luminaries like McDermott, Stephen Curry, Jaycee Carroll, Ryan Anderson, Luke Jackson, Luke Babbit, and Keith Van Horn in that conversation. All of those guys have carved out nice professional careers -- be it here or overseas -- and I'd expect Wiltjer to do the same. If his team was living up to expectations this season, he probably would be right in that player of the year mix. Unfortunately for the Zags though, injuries and ineffective guard play have made it so that they're going to have to win the West Coast Tournament to get into the Big Dance, in all likelihood.
14. Domantas Sabonis | F | Gonzaga (PR: 14)
Sabonis has just been slightly better than Wiltjer this year, averaging a ridiculous 17.5 points and 12 rebounds qith a 30.6 PER and 66.6 true-shooting percentage.
He does this through an absolutely obscene plethora of post moves that make him among the most efficient players in the country in post-up situations. Among the 300 players who have at least posted-up an opponent 100 times, Sabonis is scoring at the second-most efficient rate in America at nearly 1.2 points-per-possession. This is probably my favorite post move of his this season. He posts up Arizona's Dusan Ristic, faces him up, posts him again, drop-step pivots, then goes under the basket to protect the ball.
Look at Sabonis work. That's not your everyday 19-year old's post move. Drop step, pivot, reverse finish. pic.twitter.com/wtc3kK7oJW[38]
— Camden. (@Camden_Cash) February 16, 2016[39]
That's just not fair. I feel bad for Ristic that he had to be the victim of that. It's just all in one impossible fluid motion.
Little Sabonis is for real, and he's learned from his dad, kids.
13. Brice Johnson | F | North Carolina (PR: 6)
Johnson's had an awesome senior season with the Tar Heels, but he falls a bit here. Why? Defense.
Nobody doubts that Johnson can score and rebound the basketball. But on defense, it's pretty much the exact opposite. When your coach is making public jokes[40] like "Brice even got down in a stance one time. He broke out in a sweat, and he lived through it so that was alright...", you know there's an issue.
He just doesn't pay enough attention on that end to be an adequate defender. He ball watches, doesn't get down in his stance against pick-and-rolls to cut off penetration, and then tries to recover. It's not a matter of effort or anything with Johnson. I think he's playing hard. He always makes the attempt to recover once he's beaten, and sometimes it results in blocked shots. It just seems like he doesn't quite get that he needs to be aware of what's happening around him at all times. Basically, it seems like a habitual thing as opposed to him not caring.
Having said that though, it says a lot that a player who plays poor defense could be this high, and Johnson is deserving. He's averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds with a 32.4 PER. If he can fix the defense at some point this season, he'll have a chance to be an All-American.
12. Kay Felder | G | Oakland (PR: 21)
If I'm going to have a 5-foot-9 point guard that plays for Oakland this high, I probably need to have a damn good argument.
Well, here's that argument. Felder is averaging 24.4 points and 9.2 assists per game, good for fourth and first nationally, respectively. He's doing it with a 57.7 true-shooting percentage, and a 29.0 PER. But that honestly only scratches the surface.
Felder has 15 games where he's scored 15 points and dished out 10 assists. No one else in America has FIVE such games. No one in the last 20 years has averaged at least 18 points and nine assists per game, let alone 24. Felder is over six points clear of that metric. If he returns for his senior season, he's placed himself in terrific position to challenge the all-time NCAA assist record held by Bobby Hurley. Assuming Felder plays six more games this year (three regular season, two confernence tournament, and one postseason game, a conservative estimate), he'd need to average 9.3 assists per game to over the course of the rest of his career to get it. So, basically what he's doing now.
Plus, there's also just the fact that he's an incredibly fun player to watch. He'll drop step-back jumpers on you all day, throw nifty little pocket passes, and he's not afraid to rise up and throw down when he gets the chance.
Felder is absolutely leigt, folks. You should watch him while you have the chance.
11. Georges Niang | F | Iowa State (PR: 9)
Niang is just quietly going about his business for Iowa State, throwing up an awesome line of 19 points, six rebounds and three assists for a top-25 team in the country. He just passed his former coach Fred Hoiberg on Iowa State's scoring list this week, and could move into second by the time the season is over.
It's worth noting that Niang is also one of the more thoughtful players in all of college basketball. In an interview with ESPN[41], Niang was asked who in all of college basketball he would start a team with, and who he would name as national player of the year. His answer to the first was Kris Dunn and Ben Simmons, and the latter was Buddy Hield.
Something tells me Niang will agree with the top of this list.
10. Grayson Allen | G | Duke (PR: 11)
Allen has just been superb all season, and his high level of play has continued into the ACC. He's averaging 20.6 points, five rebounds and four assists per game, to go with a just absurd 63.1 true-shooting percentage. Out of the five players to have put up the numbers he is over a full season over the last 20 years, four went on to play in the NBA and were selected in the first round (George Hill, Damian Lillard, Brent Barry and Luke Jackson).
Allen is setting himself up for that as well, given his high level of athleticism and shooting ability. In fact, the aforementioned Barry isn't a bad comparison for Allen at all. He's not just an athlete or a shooter anymore, either. He's become a technician around the rim with a variety of ways to finish around the rim beyond dunking. His footwork and ball-handling ability has also proven to be improved, as are his little shot fakes to get guys off-balance. Check out his game against NC State as an an example of him controlling a game with his skill as opposed to his fiery athleticism.
He's a really good player that is continually improving.
9. Jakob Poeltl | C | Utah (PR: 7)
Poeltl is about as boringly good a player as you'll find. And I mean that as a total compliment. Poeltl just goes on his way averaging nearly 18 points and nine rebounds per game while finishing at an absurd 68.4 true-shooting percentage. He passes well out of the post, runs the floor, defends well, and can now shoot free throws at a reasonable rate.
Basically, he's solidified himself as a lottery pick if he chooses to come out after this season, but before then he could lead Utah to a nice run in the NCAA Tournament[42], surrounded by some really solid role players like Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Taylor, Jordan Loveridge, and Lorenzo Bonam.
8. Brandon Ingram | F | Duke (PR: 10)
Ingram is averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for Duke in ACC play. He's basically figured things out, and is dominating in the way everyone expected coming into the year. His jump shot has been about as strong a weapon as anything else in the ACC, knocking down 45 percent of his shots from beyond the arc in league play.
He can heat up in a hurry and really get a defense on its heels. Even a terrific defense like Virginia learned that this weekend when he dropped 25 on them, including 18 straight for Duke at one point.
However, he's not the top-rated player in the ACC on this list. The top-rated played in the ACC, in fact, was switched onto Ingram in the second half and shut him down after that 18-point outburst. That guy is...
7. Malcolm Brogdon | G | Virginia (PR: 12)
Man, has Brogdon been good this year. Let's start with his offense before we even get to that other side of the ball.
Brogdon's offense has been underrated a bit nationally due to Virginia's pace of play. Here's a comparison to note that adjusts play on a per-possession basis (all stats per-100 possessions):
- Player A: 34.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 59.2 true-shooting percentage
- Player B: 35.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 56.4 true-shooting percentage
- Player C: 34 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 63.1 true-shooting percentage
Player A? Brogdon. Player B? Cat Barber, who is widely recognized as the most productive offensive player in the conference. Player C? Grayson Allen, another potential ACC player of the year contender at guard.
Basically, Brogdon is as good offensively as the elite players in the league. Then let's throw in the defense, where he's possibly the best perimeter defender in college basketball (and almost certainly the best wing defender). For my money, Brogdon is not just the ACC player of the year, he's the clear choice right now for his elite play on both ends of the floor. Imagine him as something of a college basketball Kawhi Leonard: understood as truly elite among diehard fans, but probably underrated by laymen.
6. Jarrod Uthoff | F | Iowa (PR: 13)
Uthoff is currently leading the way for a Hawkeye team that is surprising the country right now. He's at truly unique player that statistically is only matched by former national player of the year Shane Battier. Uthoff and Battier are the only two players over the last 20 years to accumulate 50 3s in a season and 70 blocks in a season.
Uthoff is averaging 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game. He's kind of a herky jerky, slow player who meticulously gets his job done and knocks down jumpers with ease. Defensively, he blocks shots around the rim and also does a good job of contesting and deflecting 3-point shots. UMHoops has a box score that shows Uthoff blocks shots from a farther distance than any other elite shot-blocker in the Big Ten.
Jarrod Uthoff isn't just a scorer, he also has the uncanny ability to block jump shots. https://t.co/Y9R9dCQTHN pic.twitter.com/4eudss9Zkd[43][44]
— Dylan Burkhardt (@umhoops) February 15, 2016[45]
Pretty cool little chart there that shows how strange of a player Uthoff really is.
5. Tyler Ulis | G | Kentucky (PR: 28)
There is an argument that over the last month, no player in the country has been better than Tyler Ulis. Let's go with a checklist:
Has had at least 14 points and five assists in every game? Check.
Has averaged 20.8 points and 7.6 assists over his last 10 games? Check.
Shot over 50 percent from the field in seven of those 10 games? Check.
Has a 4.2 assist-to-turnover ratio during that time? Yup, that's a check.
Basically, he's just been completely dominant since Jan. 12, leading Kentucky to a 7-3 mark in that time and mostly righting the ship for what had been a problematic team recently. He has a 29.6 PER in conference play with a 62.1 true-shooting percentage and a 37.1 assist rate in conference play. Put bluntly, these numbers are just all completely absurd.
If he can keep this up, lead Kentucky to an SEC title, and then take them to around a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament[46], he has a legitimate chance to win the national player award, like his coach thinks he deserves to be in the discussion for.
4. Ben Simmons | F | LSU (PR: 3)
Look, we all know what Simmons is doing. You don't need me to tell you that he's putting up 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists per game, something no one has done in 20 years, let alone a freshman.
Instead of that, let's just make this absurd Ben Simmons highlight session. Here's his game against Alabama, where you'll see thunderous alley-oop dunks in transition, whip passes to opposite corners for open 3s, him knocking down a couple of open jumpers when the defense is backed off of him, a weird backward pass to a wide open Tim Quarterman for 3, and ridiculous ambidextrous finishes through big physical defenders like Jimmie Taylor, more athletic, stretch-4 defenders like Shannon Hale, and smaller, quicker defenders like Riley Norris.
He's the biggest matchup nightmare in college basketball, and he's coming to an arena near you soon, NBA fans.
3. Kris Dunn | G | Providence (PR: 2)
All of the top-four players here are doing something wholly unique statistically over the last 20 years. Dunn is putting up 17 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and three steals per game. That hasn't been done by a high-major college player in 20 seasons. That's about a perfect testament to his ability to affect the game at every level on both sides of the floor.
Need a guy who can slash to the rim and get a bucket? Dunn can do it. Someone who can create a shot for a teammate? Yup. He'll knock down clutch jumpers. He'll defend like crazy on the other end, both on or off the ball. He'll create a turnover in a pinch.
He and Brogdon are the two best two-way players in college basketball.
2. Denzel Valentine | G | Michigan State (PR: 4)
Valentine is doing an excellent job of keeping the player of the year race alive. The Michigan State product is putting up monster numbers this season that can really only be rivaled by...
...well...
No one in recent history.
Valentine is putting up 19.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. In the last 20 years of college basketball, nobody has put up 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game. Plus, he's doing it while on a team tracking toward a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament[47]. It seems to me like everyone is acting like the player of the year race is over, when in reality Valentine's numbers are historic enough to easily get him into the conversation right now.
Plus, Valentine is on a heater right now, averaging 22.9 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.8 assists over his last eight games while possessing a 66.0 true-shooting percentage. If he keeps those numbers up, he's going to have a very real chance to pass Hield.
Still though, he's just in the conversation for now. The No. 1 player resides in Norman, Oklahoma still.
1. Buddy Hield | G | Oklahoma (PR: 1)
Yeah, Buddy is still No. 1. He's still putting up 25.6 points per game with just an absurd 51/49.8/90.2 shooting line. Even his so-called "off games" like he had against Kansas still look mighty fine in the box score when things come down to the end of it (24 points on 15 shots). Plus, that one free throw against the Jayhawks aside, it just seems like he's hit so many big shots this season. Here's the one that won the game for Oklahoma against a surging Texas team earlier this month.
Just the quick little jab-step into a swift right-to-left crossover. That's something Hield wasn't able to do last season. He often struggled to get separation, but this summer worked incredibly hard on his ball-handling and on his footwork. Hield made that shot with the framework he put in place this offseason, and his growth has been so fun to watch.
Having said that though, I do think people have been quick to anoint him as the surefire player of the year. Heck, in the video above the announcer even says to "hand him the Wooden Award now." This isn't necessarily to throw stones, as Hield is definitely the favorite coming down the home stretch. But rather, it is just to point out that we've seen plenty of situations where this thing has flipped midway through the year. Just last year around this time, plenty of people turned from this being Jahlil Okafor's award to Frank Kaminsky's, and by the end of the season Kaminsky was clearly the consensus.
Why has there been such a quickness to hand Hield the award? Well, there are a lot of factors there. One, he's a senior in a sport that's been dominated by freshmen recently. Two, he's an awesome kid that really exemplifies everything about collegiate sports in sticking around for four years and improving yourself on and off the floor. He also plays for a good team, which is important to note. He's also the only candidate outside of Ben Simmons to not miss a game this year.
Another factor here is that I think people are starting to recognize a 3-point revoution (for more details, Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn wrote about this exact phenomenon[48] with Hield as a major piece of the story). The 3-point shot is being taken more than ever, and Hield is a poster boy for that. The narrative runs parallel to what's happening in the NBA, as Steph Curry has taken the league by storm. Never underestimate the power of a good story.
Now, that's not to say Hield isn't deserving. He absolutely is. The 6-foot-4 Bahamian has dominated college basketball this season, and he's not going to stop until he gets Oklahoma to the Final Four, something he told me was a goal of his all the way back in the offseason.
But let's remember, there are a lot of really good players in college hoops.
I just gave you 100 (and one) of them.
(Notes: All historical player comparisons are taken from sports-reference.com[49]. Play-type data is taken from Synergy Sports if not expressly noted. Team efficiency metrics taken from KenPom.com[50]. Special YouTube shout out to users SquaDawkins[51] and ShowTyme Collegiate Basketball Media[52] for taking the time to craft highlight videos, and CampusInsiders.)
References
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ March Madness (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ According to Ken Pomeroy (twitter.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ "buzzer beater that wasn't" (www.cbssports.com)
^NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)- ^ I've written about Punter in-depth (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ CBS Sports' own Matt Norlander wrote extensively about Bluiett earlier this month (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ he doesn't appear in the top-10 (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ I chatted with and wrote about Hill last week (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ I wrote about and spoke with (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ @wyo_mbb (twitter.com)
- ^ #gowyo (twitter.com)
- ^ https://t.co/XpP8ZwRK7y (t.co)
- ^ February 8, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ I wrote about Long earlier this season (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournamen t (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/xBCY4VHv66 (t.co)
- ^ February 5, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ NBA Draft (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports. com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ @KUHoops (twitter.com)
- ^ https://t.co/o3UaN1ZMTL (t.co)
- ^ February 10, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/wtc3kK7oJW (t.co)
- ^ February 16, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ your coach is making public jokes (www.sco ut.com)
- ^ In an interview with ESPN (espn.go.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ https://t.co/Y9R9dCQTHN (t.co)
- ^ pic .twitter.com/4eudss9Zkd (t.co)
- ^ February 15, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ NCAA Tournament (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn wrote about this exact phenomenon (www.campusrush.com)
- ^ sports-reference.com (www.sports-reference.com)
- ^ KenPom.com (kenpom.com)
- ^ SquaDawkins (www.youtube.com)
- ^ ShowTyme Collegiate Basketball Media (www.youtube.com)
