Baylor Basketball: 3 takeaways from decisive win over No. 9 Kansas
2. With the NPOY race obviously set in stone, it is a wash for those below – but Jared Butler is making the best case
It is obviously no mystery that Iowa’s Luka Garza is the clear and concrete frontrunner for most – if not all – national player of the year awards. What remains a mystery is how the players rank after Garza. According to KenPom, Garza is – by far and away – ahead of the rest of the field with a rating of 2.032, but at least four other players maintain a rating between 1.643 and 1.452.
Entering Monday, Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu was ranked second, with Baylor’s Jared Butler, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Gonzaga’s Drew Timme rounding out the top five. But coming out of Monday’s contest, Butler now ranks second – and deservedly so.
Butler has been sensational for the Bears, to say the least. A First Team All-American caliber type of player, Butler had one of the best performances in his three-year career against the Jayhawks, pouring in 30 points (3-5 2PT, 7-9 3PT, 3-3 FT) while dishing out eight assists. The junior was involved in an overwhelming 32% of Baylor’s possessions and owned the second-best offensive rating for the game, just behind Kansas’ Christian Braun.
This was a significant performance for Butler, especially after coming off a lackluster seven-point showing at Texas Tech – his lowest amount this season. But, despite his struggles, Butler came through as the go-to guy against the Red Raiders, where, with the Bears barely leading by two in the second half, Butler scored all seven of his points in a one minute-stretch to balloon Baylor’s lead to seven.
Baylor’s four-guard backcourt is, arguably, the best in the nation – and there might not be a more valuable cog in that group than Butler. That might be the most obvious thing to say, but it needs to be realized just how important – and huge – Butler has been for Baylor this year. He has reached double-digits in 11 of Baylor’s 13 games this season and is averaging 16.7 points on 49.4% (FG) and 45.9% (3PT) clips.
No one will threaten Garza’s place as the frontrunner for National Player of the Year, but Butler would be considered a favorite in any other year. He has cemented himself as the stand-out player on the nation’s second-best team and is absolutely capable of leading the Bears to a national title – and, undoubtedly and deservedly, owns the biggest stake in being the nation’s second-best player.