Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Ranking 2019-20 National Player of the Year candidates

By Lukas Harkins

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans is defended by Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans is defended by Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 21
Next
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 20: Howard of Marquette attempts. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 20: Howard of Marquette attempts. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

NCAA basketball season is approaching and stars are ready to be born. Who are the top contenders to win the National Player of the Year award?

NCAA basketball season is almost here. There are only a couple of weeks remaining until the opening tip-off of the new campaign and this is an exciting time of the year. Teams around the country are putting the finishing touches on their preseason practice schedule and it is almost time to test each other on the court. With the season so close, it is time to take a deeper dive into some of the best players in the country to analyze who might have the best shot at taking home the National Player of the Year award for the 2019-20 season.

Even though the teams are yet to take the court, there are several players that appear to be positioned for a run at the biggest individual award in the sport. There does seem to be one clear favorite at the top heading into the year but that could change after just the first few weeks. It is always difficult to project award winners before the season but this article will break down my top 20 contenders for the POTY trophy this season.

As a bit of a history review, here are the last five winners of the Naismith Award:

Even though there are no true qualifications for the honor outside of being the best college basketball player of that season, the trophy is traditionally awarded to upperclassmen. This has even been true in the “one-and-done” era of the sport. Nonetheless, there are notable exceptions to that “rule” over the past few years, such as Williamson, Trey Burke, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Durant. As you can see, though, it takes a very special talent to make that happen.

Now, without any further introduction, let’s dive into these preseason rankings for the award.

Home/NCAA Basketball News