7) Dedric Lawson, PF, Kansas
Stats: 19.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.5 apg
LW: 8
Kansas might not be the No. 1 team in the country anymore, but that certainly isn’t Lawson’s fault. He has carried them for virtually every game in Udoka Azubuike’s absence, scoring at least 20 points in seven of KU’s last nine games.
That sheer level of production is his meal ticket into the forefront of this race. He already has eight double-doubles on the year and has three games with at least 20 points and 14 rebounds.
Lawson is a matchup nightmare as a versatile 6-10, 235-pounder with vision and ballhandling ability, and Bill Self has found the best way to use him. He will either get Lawson the ball in the high post or in the short corner with his back to the basket and let him read the defense, letting his big man make the decision to either pass, attack the basket, or shoot.
Lawson will undoubtedly move up this list because of the numbers he’s putting up, the role he plays for a top-tier team, and the number of big-game opportunities he has.
However, he needs to avoid duds like the game he put up against Vermont (zero points) and to avoid fading away late in games, which he has done at times this year.