NCAA basketball: Ranking the 30 Naismith award finalists

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 16: Mike Daum is the best player in the Summit League, and one of the best players overall in the country. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

No. 18: Jevon Carter – Senior guard, West Virginia

2017-18 stats: 16.9 ppg 4.9 rpg 6.8 apg

Best season performance: 17 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in the win over Oklahoma

Who might be the best on-ball defender in all of college basketball, Carter’s offensive game has started to catch up. He’s had nine games of at least 20 points, along with four other times, where the Mountaineer had double figure assist numbers.

For West Virginia to go deep in March, it’ll all come down to how Carter plays. He’s one of only a couple of upperclassmen in the rotation and his senior leadership will be needed for what’s been an inconsistent team overall.

No. 17: Mike Daum – Junior forward, South Dakota State

2017-18 stats: 23.3 ppg 10.0 rpg 1.4 apg

Best season performance: 31 points and six rebounds in a loss to Wichita State

There are three players in the country who leads their respective conferences in both scoring and rebounding, all of whom are on this list. Daum is one of those, destroying everyone and everything in front of him in the Summit.

With the Jabbrabbits having a good chance for a return trip to the NCAA tournament, the nation will get a chance to see the junior again. But he’s already shown a capability to score against power competition, with great numbers against Ole Miss, Wichita and Kansas.

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