Many fans of NCAA basketball only watch their own teams or the most prominent programs, and those people are missing a lot of basketball. There are currently 362 Division 1 basketball programs and they’ll all play no less than thirty games in the regular season, not to mention the excitement that happens in the postseason.
Certainly, the best basketball happens at those prominent schools, but it’s important to realize that great basketball is played across the nation all season long. As the calendar has passed the midway point of February, we’re nearing the end of another season of said basketball. It’s getting to be that time of the year where the focus isn’t just on March Madness but on the season that’s quickly passing us by.
This week, the midseason candidates for the Naismith Award were announced, listing thirty of the great college basketball players from this season. More than three months of games have shown us how these athletes have shaped their games, their teams, and their own futures, while some come from very different backgrounds or schools. Each has proven their worth and deserve mention, though only one can win the Naismith Award.
We’ll be taking a few moments to look through all thirty of these players and ranking them. There’s no easy way to order some of the best college basketball players of the season, but we’re doing our best, considering who is most likely to win the Naismith Award. With all of that in mind, let’s get right into our breakdowns of each of these great athletes, keeping in mind that even the bottom names have played fantastic this season.