NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Kansas among teams with 2022-23 NPOY favorites

10. Drew Timme – Gonzaga Bulldogs

2022-23 stats: 22.0 ppg. 7.6 rpg, 3.3 apg

We’re at the point where Timme might be competing for the most points scored in the country by a big man. After a career-high 38 points against Pacific, he’s now 5th in NCAA Basketball in scoring. He’s up to 22.6 ppg in seven games in conference play, scoring 17+ points in all but one.

The value of Timme has never been more important for Gonzaga this season. They’ve been in five close games out of seven and recently lost to LMU, the program’s first WCC loss to a team not named BYU or Saint Mary’s since 2014. That defeat alone has hurt the big man’s odds of winning National Player of the Year, as the only other games left on the schedule where he can make a national statement are against Saint Mary’s, which is currently ranked first in the standings.

Still, it’s amazing to watch Timme play, including scoring 18 straight points as the Bulldogs were struggling to put away Pacific on the road last weekend. Gonzaga next faces Portland this weekend, who Timme went for 18 points in 21 minutes in a blowout victory. Based on how the team has played as of late, they’ll need all of his scoring.