1. Jahlil Okafor – C – Duke Blue Devils (18.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.4 APG)
The star freshman sat out with a sprained ankle during the Blue Devils’ 78-56 win against Clemson on Saturday, but returned on Wednesday against Virginia Tech, and ended up being the difference for a Duke team that was able to outlast the Hokies 91-86 in overtime. Okafor was extremely efficient, scoring 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting, and also managed to grab nine rebounds. He has averaged an astounding 73 percent from the field in his last four games, and has continued to be a force on the boards, with three games of 10 or more rebounds since the start of February. Okafor has the body control of players a full foot shorter than his 6-foot-11 frame, and continues to frustrate opponents with his disproportionate speed and agility off of the dribble, combined with his vintage post-moves.
2. Frank Kaminsky – C – Wisconsin Badgers (17.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.4 APG)
The Badgers might have fallen to Maryland on Tuesday night, but it certainly wasn’t Kaminsky’s fault. The senior big man was his usual self, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds, although he was limited somewhat on the outside. His previous effort on Saturday against Minnesota was the better of the two, as Kaminsky shot 69 percent on his way to scoring 21 points, while also chipping in five rebounds, three assists, and three blocks during the win. It’s hard to find any flaws in Kaminsky’s game this season, but his free-throw percentage has actually been hovering around 66 percent in the team’s last five game. Such a drop could be a factor for his team during tighter matchups going forward, as more than half of the Badgers’ offense flows directly through him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpM4Q-0XAnw
3. Jerian Grant – G – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 2.9 RPG)
Grant has shaken off that bad performance against Duke on Feb. 7, and had been shooting the ball much better for the most part as well. The only thing is, he’s shooting it less as of late. After a combined 29 field goal attempts against Wake Forest and Clemson. Grant has attempted 16 total shots in his last two games combined. He was able to get to the line for 12 attempts during Tuesday night’s loss to Syracuse, and has combined for 20 assists in the Irish’s past two games however, so all is not lost, but his 2-for-9 field goal shooting hurt the team in a close loss. Grant is simply looking to pass more lately, and it’s provided some mixed results. Still, he has displayed the traits of a true point guard, looking to set up others more when his shots aren’t falling, on a team with a very simple offense.
4. D’Angelo Russell – G – Ohio State Buckeyes (19.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.4 APG)
Russell has been astounding all season, and continues to lead all freshman in scoring. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes’ complete reliance on him is beginning to take its toll, which was evident in Ohio State’s loss to Michigan State back on Feb. 14, when Russell scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting, laboring relentlessly against double-teams to create his own shots while the rest of his team basically stood around waiting for him to make something happen. His performance against Michigan this past Sunday in yet another loss was only slightly better, but his shooting has still not recovered since his masterful triple-double outing on Feb. 8. Russell will need some help going forward from his team if he expects to keep up his level of play, and especially if the Buckeyes want to win, now having lost three of the last five.
5. Rakeem Christmas – F/C – Syracuse Orange (18. PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.5 BPG)
The Orangemen might not have much to play for at this point, but don’t tell that to Rakeem Christmas. His 20-point, 12-rebound effort against Pittsburgh was almost enough to topple the surging Panthers, and his 14-point, 12-rebound outing against Notre Dame on Tuesday was key to Syracuse’s 65-60 win, despite missing 12 minutes with foul trouble. Christmas continues to be the lone bright spot on a Syracuse team that has had little to be excited about this season, and it’s especially impressive to consider the fact that his dominant and efficient play down low is coming from a slightly-undersized 6-foot-9 frame.
