NCAA Basketball: Player of the Year power rankings (Edition 11)
Jan 21, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) drives to the basket as Texas Longhorns guard Andrew Jones (1) defends during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 79-67. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Is Josh Hart back atop Busting Brackets’ weekly Player of the Year power rankings?
Conference play continues to heat up, so things continue to round into form regarding the Player of the Year conversation. The top three or four looks set, but that doesn’t mean that players on the outside looking in cannot make a late push over the next month.
Remember the regular season doesn’t end until early March, which still creates plenty of opportunities.
But the time is now to start to increase production.
So how do you progressively build a Player of the Year candidacy? You must have strong overall numbers, your team must be successful and of course, you must have clutch season-defining moments.
Obviously, players’ numbers aren’t final, teams are going to have their fair share of inconsistencies and there is still a month remaining for clutch plays and surprising performances that will capture the attention of the nation now that football is completed. But for now, we will use the information we have been provided with, and the games that we have watched to project the favorites.
Every week until the end of the season, Busting Brackets will list the top five candidates (in order) for Player of the Year. In our 10th edition, Frank Mason III remained on top of the rankings. Has Josh Hart passed the Kansas point guard in the 11th edition?
Feb 2, 2017; Provo, UT, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nigel Williams-Goss (5) celebrates after scoring during the second half against the Brigham Young Cougars at Marriott Center. The Bulldogs won 85-75. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
5. Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga
With De’Aaron Fox battling an ankle injury, Johnathan Motley struggling in the first half against Kansas State and Luke Kennard starting to split the scoring duties with Grayson Allen, Nigel Williams-Goss has jumped into the top five of the Player of the Year power rankings for the first time this season.
However, this shouldn’t be a surprise given how both Williams-Goss and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have played.
The biggest question earlier this season for the Bulldogs was if the team had a true closer that could help them win tight games in March. They were searching for their man at the time and some thought that sophomore guard Josh Perkins would be the player to step up.
That wasn’t the case. Instead, it’s been the Williams-Goss show. Sure, the Bulldogs haven’t played a close game since December 3 against Arizona, but in their showdown against BYU, the Cougars cut the Bulldogs’ lead down to eight during the second half.
And that’s when Williams-Goss absolutely took over the game. After Przemek Karnowski made a layup to make it a 10-point game, Williams-Goss scored 11 straight points to put the game officially out of reach.
On the season, the junior point guard is averaging 15.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He is shooting 51 percent from the field overall, 36 percent from beyond the arc and 88 percent from the free throw strike. Add in 1.7 steals per game, and Williams-Goss is an all-around player that is playing at an elite level.
The Bulldogs are undefeated and are on track to earn a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. Their balance, depth, and versatility up front have all been keys to their success, but let’s not forget about the Washington transfer.
Feb 4, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) drives to he basket defended by Maryland Terrapins forward Ivan Bender (13) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
4. Caleb Swanigan, Purdue
After watching Caleb Swanigan up close on Saturday afternoon in College Park, I appreciate his improvements even more than I did before the Boilermakers’ road victory over the Terps.
Swanigan was limited on the glass in the first half and was being doubled in the post on a consistent basis. Maryland’s bigs were also doing an excellent job of protecting and challenging shots around the rim, helping limit Swanigan’s looks.
But that didn’t last for long. Swanigan was scoring around the basket, using his improved post moves and soft touch. He was drilling threes. He was finishing in transition. And he was opening up the floor for other shooters around him (particularly Carsen Edwards, Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline).
That in turn, resulted in a monster victory for the Boilermakers in a hostile environment.
With the game of basketball continuing to favor spacing, ball movement, and shooting, you know a team has a special big man when their offense runs through the post. That’s what the Boilermakers have in Swanigan.
On the season, the sophomore is averaging 19.1 points and 12.8 rebounds, while shooting 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. He’s also recorded a double-double in 20 of Purdue’s 24 games. That’s what you call a beast.
Feb 4, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) blocks a shot by Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
3. Lonzo Ball, UCLA
A lot of the nation has cooled on Lonzo Ball and the UCLA Bruins. However, Steve Alford’s team has just three losses on the season (Arizona, Oregon, and USC) and have the same record as the two top teams in the Pac-12.
And a lot of the credit for the 21 win season thus far goes out to Ball, who continues to play sensational basketball.
Last week in two straight games against the Washington schools, Ball dropped 36 points, dished out 12 assists and grabbed 13 rebounds. He also shot the ball efficiently (13-of-23 from the field) and hit four treys in the Bruins’ thrashing of Washington.
I’ll keep going back to this in regards to Ball’s Player of the Year status: UCLA was 15-17 last season and wasn’t even good enough to make the NIT.
Sure, T.J. Leaf is a terrific freshman and Aaron Holiday has developed as a sixth man, but Ball’s unselfishness, vision and shooting ability has helped make everyone around him better. UCLA is still going to be a trendy pick in March, especially if they knock off the Ducks at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday.
Feb 7, 2017; Villanova, PA, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) against the Georgetown Hoyas during the first half at The Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
2. Josh Hart, Villanova
I debated moving Josh Hart up to the number one spot after his sensational week against Georgetown and St. John’s.
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Hart scored 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists in the Wildcats’ beat down of the Johnnies at the Wells Fargo Center. Then, Hart helped Nova hold off a late Georgetown rally at The Pavilion by hitting a monster three with 1:26 left, making a layup with under a minute remaining and nailing two free throws with 35 ticks left.
Hart struggled for the majority of that second half against the Hoyas, but still finished with 25 points and seven rebounds.
On the season, the senior guard is averaging 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. Hart is the heavy favorite to win the Big East Player of the Year award.
Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) is helped off the court by Baylor Bears guard Al Freeman (25) and forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (0) during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
1. Frank Mason III, Kansas
Yes, Kansas’ 54-game home winning streak was snapped by the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday. However, Frank Mason III had another terrific week that included a 32-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance in the Jayhawks’ loss to Steve Prohm’s squad.
Mason followed up one of his best games of the year by dropping 21 points and making clutch plays down the stretch to hold off the Kansas State Wildcats’ upset bid in Manhattan. The senior point guard struggled with his shooting (7-of-17 shooting), but he made hustle plays on defense and battled in a tough environment after playing more than 40 minutes two days earlier.
Mason’s overall averages are just ridiculous that it would be a crime not to have him at number one — 20.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals. On top of those averages, Mason is shooting a highly efficient 51 percent from the field, 52 percent from beyond the arc and 76 percent from the free throw strike. Kansas is still a top three team even with the loss to Iowa State.
