Fact or Fiction: Will The Kentucky Wildcats Go Undefeated?

Feb 4, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Matt Jones (13) and center Jahlil Okafor (15) react after a defensive stop against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

The National Player Of The Year Will Be A Freshman

Tran – Fiction. As good as Okafor and Stanley Johnson may be, this year belongs to the seniors. At this point, Okafor may not even be the best player in his conference with Jerian Grant bursting onto the scene and leading Notre Dame to a successful season so far. Frank Kaminsky has improved upon his breakout season last year to have better numbers this season and better pace adjusted stats than Okafor, leading him in every per 100-possession category except rebounding.  Talented freshmen may be the biggest draw for college basketball, but it is the seniors in 2015 that will be in the best position to win the national player of the year award.

Sherman – Fiction. Kaminsky deserves to be player of the year. He impacts the game in so many areas. Freshmen get a lot of hype, but Kaminsky just goes about his business with great versatility.

Piasecki – Fact. The player of the year debate will come down to either Okafor or Kaminsky. I ultimately see Okafor winning out because I see Duke making it farther into March than the Badgers, and Okafor’s ability to force teams to double and triple team him.

Kaminsky deserves to be player of the year. He impacts the game in so many areas. Freshmen get a lot of hype, but Kaminsky just goes about his business with great versatility.

Lopez – Fiction. I think the award will come down to how certain top ten teams finish out their season – teams like Wisconsin or Notre Dame. Both teams are lead by seniors, Kaminsky for Wisconsin and Grant for Notre Dame. That is becoming a very rare sight in today’s college basketball landscape, and if a senior-lead team such as Wisconsin or Notre Dame makes a solid run through the tournament, expect the award to go to a senior over a freshman phenom.

Bennett – Fact. This award is going to Okafor and I really don’t think there is much of a debate. You can include Kaminsky in the discussion, but Okafor has better numbers and already beat Kaminsky head-to-head at Wisconsin. It is going to take an early Duke loss in the tournament and 2013-esque heroics from Kaminsky to make this a race.

Parker – Fiction. Duke’s struggles are causing a lot of negative focus to shift to Okafor’s defense, and Kentucky relies too heavily on WCS for any of its freshmen to jump into the mix. I’ll go with Frank Kaminsky as my favorite to win it, with Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant a contender as long as the Irish keep playing well.

Miller – Fiction. With All due respect to Okafor, Kaminsky is the best player in college basketball right now. He’s a better defender than Okafor and has the ability to stretch the defense by stepping out and hitting 41.1% of his threes, something Okafor hasn’t attempted all season. While Okafor might be a better pure post player, the senior Kaminsky is the more complete player. It’s his award to lose right now.

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