NCAA Basketball: Top 10 rankings for 2022-23 National Player of the Year

10. Jaime Jaquez – UCLA Bruins

2022-23 stats: 16.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.3 apg

Last season, it was Jaquez and Johnny Juzang that were the duo to lead UCLA to the Sweet 16. This time around, it’s Jaquez that’s the go-to guy offensively for the team. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have help, as Jaylen Clark has overall been a breakout star, while Tyger Campbell has been one of the top point guards in NCAA Basketball.

But the best player on a top-10 team has to get consideration. Jaquez has also been the model of consistency, scoring at least 12 points in every single game, including four games of at least 20 points. That includes back-to-back 27-point efforts against Bellarmine and Stanford, as well as 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and four steals in the CBS Sports Classic win over Kentucky.

His all-around game and versatility are what make Jaquez so valuable for UCLA. He’s a two-time All-Pac 12 defender and is easily on pace for another selection. And he and Clark together have been a dynamic two-way duo on the wings.

For a team that’s in first place in the Pac-12 and with wins over USC and Kentucky, Jaquez warrants a spot on this list. But the lack of true signature wins (Kentucky and Maryland have fallen off a bit) is what hurts him at the moment. He’ll have to come up big in the looming matchups against Arizona to have a shot.