Player of Year Watch: Alabama Freshman Miller Emerges as Front-runner
January 16th, 2023 - 13:21
Distracted by gun-running in your automobile to a nightclub or not, how does national Player of the Year race stack up as we reach mid-season? Whether or not they receive a grotesque pregame routine involving a staged pat down by teammate, following are the top candidates:
| POY Candidate | School | Pos. | Yr. | Odds to Win | Summary of Recent Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Miller | Alabama | F | Fr. | 4:1 | Tide's leading scorer (19.5 ppg/highest for DI freshman) and rebounder (8.2 rpg) has averaged league-high 20 ppg in SEC competition after scoring season-high 36 points against Gonzaga. |
| Zach Edey | Purdue | C | Jr. | 5:1 | Fourteen double-doubles in first 16 games (Big Ten Conference leading 21.3 ppg and 13.2 rpg). Edey (scoring fewer than 20 points in four times in a five-game span before erupting for 32 vs. Michigan State on MLK Day) is vital, but freshman point guard Braden Smith might be team MVP after earlier six consecutive wins over Power Five conference opponents. |
| Drew Timme | Gonzaga | C | Sr. | 5:1 | Season averages of 21.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 3.4 apg. Didn't score more than 20 points in any of last four outings and only had one contest in that span with more than six rebounds. |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | Kentucky | C | Sr. | 5:1 | Defending national POY has SEC-leading 13.1 rpg while also pacing Wildcats in scoring (15.9 ppg) and blocks (1.1 bpg). |
| Mike Miles | TCU | G | Jr. | 9:1 | Big 12 Conference runner-up in scoring with 19 ppg. Scored season-high 33 points at Baylor and dished out 11 assists against Kansas State. |
| Azuolas Tubelis | Arizona | C | Jr. | 9:1 | Team-high 20.4 ppg supplemented by 9 rpg. Scored more than 20 points in four of last six games while grabbing at least nine rebounds in eight consecutive contests prior to contributing only six caroms at Oregon. |
| Jalen Wilson | Kansas | F | Jr. | 9:1 | Team highs of 19.8 ppg and 8.9 rpg. Likely will fall out of consideration if he doesn't improve field-goal shooting (40.4%). |