1. Jahlil Okafor – C – Duke (18.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.5 BPG) – Okafor has been incredibly consistent all season, possessing the reliability and maturity of a senior while leading the Blue Devils as only a freshman, and one that entered the season with lofty expectations on top of that. He has met and exceeded those preseason accolades, and his combination of strength, excellent hands, passing skills, and soft, finishing touch around the rim are things coaches dreams of.
His 17-point, 10-rebound, 70 percent field goal percentage outing against St. Johns was a big reason that the Blue Devils were able to come back from a 10-point deficit in the last eight minutes to get Mike Krzyzewski his 1,000th win. Okafor led the way in a defensive charge that held the Red Storm without a field goal for a crucial six-minute stretch.
Perhaps even more impressive was his 22-point, 17-rebound performance in a losing effort to No.8 Notre Dame on Wednesday night. The 20-and-10+ stat total was his third of the season, and he is currently the only freshman to have more than one this year. Okafor remains on the top of most draft boards ahead of this summer’s NBA draft, and is expected to declare when the season is over.
2. Jerian Grant – PG – Notre Dame (17.1 PPG, 6.2 APG, 3.0 RPG) – Grant has been unstoppable in January, and the highlights just keep coming. The senior point guard has averaged 22.0 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in his last three while shooting 56 percent from the field. Grant did it all while leading the Fighting Irish in a huge win over over Duke, and almost single-handedly won the game in the closing minutes with a crazy circus shot, crucial assist on a made three-pointer, and clutch block in the final seconds on Quinn Cook as he was driving to the basket. Dick Vitale didn’t know what to do with himself half the time while calling Grant’s plays during the ESPN’s broadcast.
And while we are at it, even though it was a few weeks back, I present to you again, Jerian Grant telling gravity to shut up while he dunks on an (obviously) lowered rim:
https://vine.co/v/Od5DKUPleaW
Okafor seemed like a no-brainer for Player of the Year up until this week. Grant won the head-to-head matchup, and if he keeps having games like he did last night, just might steal the award away from Okafor.
3. Frank Kaminsky – F – Wisconsin (17.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.4 APG) – Kaminsky has returned to his usual ways after missing a game against Rutgers with a concussion back on Jan. 11th. Kaminsky has averaged 19.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while leading the Badgers to three straight wins over decent Big Ten teams in recent weeks. The 7-footer is shooting a career-high from the field (53 percent) and three-point range (40 percent.) Yes, a 7-foot post player is hitting threes better than half the wing players in the NCAA. His size and range have continued to make him a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Smaller player guarding him? Kaminsky will go down low in the post. Too much defensive help down low? Kaminsky will head to the wing and take a three. You can’t win against him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRipMuU-Iz0
4. D’Angelo Russell – G – Ohio State (19.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.1 APG) – Russell has completely gone off in his last two games, averaging 27.5 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.5 rebounds in the Buckeyes wins against Indiana and Northwestern. The 6-foot-5 freshman continued his hot shooting streak last week while hitting 65 percent of his field goals, including 8-of-18 from behind the arc, and is currently the leading scorer among his fellow underclassmen.
Russell is an explosive scorer for sure, who seems to be growing in confidence each week as the points continue to pile up. What you may now know however, is that he is an amazing passer — at least as far as left handed back-spinning bounce passes are concerned:
Want to see another one? Yeah you do.
I’ll be you he’s a pretty good bowler too.
5. Melo Trimble – PG – Maryland (16.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.9 APG) – Trimble shook off a mediocre 10-point showing in a loss to Indiana on Jan. 22nd with a 27-point outburst in a close win against Northwestern on Sunday. Trimble played calm and collected while shouldering the offensive load for the Terrapins, though he did have the added benefit of teammate Dez Wells tipping in his terrible three-point attempt in the closing seconds of the game. His shooting stands at a marginal 44 percent in his last two games, but that mark stands to improve if he can continue to drive and get to the line like he did on Sunday, creating 10 total free-throw attempts for himself on the day. Trimble possesses the most upside out of the five on this list currently, and is growing each game, which is a scary thought for a scorer with his skill set.
Other notables: Justin Anderson, Virginia, Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, Delon Wright, Utah, Georges Niang, Iowa State.
