NCAA Basketball: 2018-19 preseason All-Americans/awards predictions

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 22: A general view before the start of the Michigan State Spartans versus Virginia Cavaliers in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 22, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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BOSTON, MA – MARCH 23: Konate /

Defensive Player of Year

Sagaba Konate | West Virginia | JR

Jevon Carter may have graduated this offseason but West Virginia will still be centered around one of the best defenders in the nation. Even though Sagaba Konate is only listed at 6-foot-8, he is one of the best shot-blockers nationally. A dominant force in the paint, Konate anchors the vaunted West Virginia defense, which should still be excellent this year even without Carter and Daxter Miles.

Additionally, while wing defenders might be more important to overall team defense at the college level, the winner of the National Defensive Player of the Year award is traditionally an elite on-ball defending guard or an elite rim-protector. In fact, here are the most recent winners of the award:

2012-13: Jeff Withey (C), Kansas
2013-14: Aaron Craft (PG), Ohio State
2014-15: Willie Cauley-Stein (C), Kentucky
2015-16: Malcolm Brogdon (PG), Virginia
’16-17/’17-18: Jevon Carter (PG), West Virginia

With this said, the best returning defender at either of these positions is Konate. Over the course of last season, Konate averaged 3.2 blocks per game (3rd nationally) and a 15.6% block rate (1st nationally). He also finished in the top-10 of the country in Defensive Rating, DBPM, and Defensive Win Shares.

And while individual defensive statistics are not always completely accurate they just reinforce what the eye test tells us about Konate. He is, without a doubt, a difference maker on the defensive end that changes the way opponents have to gameplan for the Mountaineers.

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