NCAA Basketball: Top 25 Player of the Year candidates for 2023-24 season
3. RJ Davis - North Carolina Tar Heels
2023-24 season stats: 20.6 ppg and 3.6 apg
A year ago, we were arguing whether Davis or Love was the best guard at UNC. Now, we can argue who the best guard in all of NCAA Basketball is. Davis is producing career-high numbers across the board, including a stretch of eight straight games with at least 20 points. One was a 30-point effort in a win over Arkansas.
2. Kevin McCullar Jr. - Kansas Jayhawks
2023-24 season stats: 20.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 4.5 apg
I won’t argue too much with those who would put Dickinson ahead of the Team MVP race but in the first few weeks of the season, McCullar was who carried Kansas to wins. The 6’6 guard had back-to-back triple-doubles against both Kentucky and Chaminade, along with a 34-point effort against Yale. He also had 21 points in the defining home victory over UConn.
1. Zach Edey - Purdue Boilermakers
2023-24 season stats: 22.3 ppg and 10.6 rpg
It really wasn’t too hard to pick No. 1, just like with last year’s debate. The senior center is actually more efficient from the field this time around, making 63% of his total shots. Edey had had 13+ points in every game, including 35-point efforts against both Northwestern and Alabama.
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Edey has had big games against the likes of Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Arizona, and others, giving him the best resume of performances to date. Things should get a little tougher in Big Ten play against familiar faces but as long as he keeps putting up 20 and 10 numbers, the National Player of the Year Award is his to lose.