NCAA Basketball: Ethan Happ, Duke freshmen lead Kenpom’s current POY candidates
By Zach De Jong
1. Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
After six weeks Kenpom has senior forward Ethan Happ at number one in the kPOY rankings. Happ is a rare breed of great college basketball players that stay all four years in college. This has become uncommon as many elite players will leave the college basketball scene after one or two years.
Happ has averaged 19.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in the 2018-19 season. Happ has proven that he has excellent footwork and is a high IQ player. He is also a great rebounder who can easily grab ten or more boards a game. Along with his rebounding, Happ has shown the ability to score in the paint. Because of his combination of scoring and rebounding, he is always on a double-double watch. Happ has already recorded eight double-double’s this year.
The Wisconsin Badgers currently rank 13th overall after starting the season (8-2). Their two losses are versus Virginia and in-state rival Marquette. The badgers AdjO is ranked 21st and their AdjD is ranked 14th in the nation. The Badgers have looked tough this year, but the Big Ten conference is strong. It would be hard to imagine the Badgers finishing the season with at least five or more losses.
2. Dedric Lawson, Kansas
The junior forward Dedric Lawson cuts the list at number two overall. Lawson spent his first two seasons with the Memphis Tigers, before transferring to the Kansas Jayhawks for his junior year. Lawson earned first team All-AAC honors last season before joining the Jayhawks.
Lawson picked up in the Big 12 right where he left off in the AAC. He is averaging 19.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in his junior year. Lawson is a great all-around player on both ends of the floor. On offense he is an excellent finisher around the rim, with a great motor. Where Lawson really thrives is from the free-throw line. He gets to the charity strip a lot, averaging seven attempts a game. Not only does he take a lot of free throws, but he makes them, shooting 76.8 percent. On the defensive side of the ball he does a good job of effecting opponents shots with his long arms.
The Kansas Jayhawks are ranked 2nd overall after starting the season a perfect (8-0). The Jayhawks might’ve not lost yet, but they did need overtime to get a win versus both Tennessee and Stanford. They have been great all-around on both sides of the ball in the 2018-19 season. The Jayhawks AdjO is ranked 7th and AdjD is ranked 6th in the nation. The Jayhawks should continue to improve as Quentin Grimes continues to find his rhythm alongside Lawson.