NCAA Basketball: Myles Powell leads early 2019-20 National Player of the Year race

No player’s individual star rose as high as Toppin’s did over the past week, and for good reason. Dayton put the country on notice with dominant victories over Georgia and Virginia along with a narrow overtime loss to Kansas, and it was Toppin’s play that was the biggest reason they were able to be successful.

The versatile 6-9 forward outshined potential No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards in the victory over the Bulldogs, showing off his all-around skill set with 25 points.

Toppin was even more dominant against Virginia Tech with 24 points and eight rebounds, which he followed with an 18-point, nine-rebound performance against the Jayhawks.

The sophomore flashed his ability to handle the ball, attack off the bounce, and use his combination of length and athleticism to his advantage around the basket throughout the Maui Invitational, but it was his three-point shooting that stole highlights – particularly this shot against Kansas.

Toppin’s size and offensive skill set have drawn comparisons to Kyle Kuzma, and have him now projected to be a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

It’ll be hard for him to continue to rise up the Player of the Year rankings with Dayton’s mid-major schedule, but he’ll have big stages in December against Saint Mary’s and Colorado before getting into A-10 play. Toppin will need to have huge performances in those games to crack the top four.