By Jonathan Edwards
We’ve
hit single digits in the college basketball countdown as the season officially
starts in eight days. This year’s tournament is more wide open than ever, and
here are some of the players duking it out to be the top player in the nation
for this season.
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| AP Photo/ Don Ryan |
Cody Zeller
C/Indiana – The youngest of the
Zeller brothers’ trio, I don’t think anyone doubts that Cody is the best. An
extremely talented 7-footer, Zeller not only has great athleticism for his
size, but also possesses one of the highest basketball IQ’s in the nation. He
plays above the rim, and paired with his instincts and aggressiveness, it isn’t
uncommon to see him average a double-double and have another year shooting 60+
percent from the floor.
Doug
McDermott F/Creighton – McDermott, a
2011 All-American, had one of the best seasons of any player last year. He
could have turned that into an NBA career, but chose to return to Creighton for
his Junior year. Look for McDermott to further improve from last year’s
numbers, which included a ridiculous 58% 3-point field goal percentage. He has the skills to average upwards of
25 points and 10 rebounds per game in the Missouri Valley Conference, which we
need to stop calling a mid-major.
Shabazz
Muhammad F/UCLA – Muhammad, the
All-Everything forward from Bishop Gorman High School, was the number one
prospect and a huge get for Coach Ben Howland and the Bruins. He possesses a
wide range of skills, most notably the ability to score at will. Muhammad could
use a little work on his 3 point game, but is becoming much more consistent
with the jumper. Look for Muhammad and fellow freshman, Kyle Anderson, to lead
the Bruins to their 19th Final Four appearance.
Isiah Canaan
G/Murray State – You’re not going to
find many 6-footers that are as strong as Canaan. He had a breakout year last
season where he finished at just under 20 points per game. He’s an up-tempo
player who always has his motor running, which does lead to some high turnover
games at times. For being such a small guy, Canaan does a tremendous job of
attacking the boards. It would not surprise me to see him finish at 20 points,
5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.
Aaron Craft
G/Ohio State – Craft, the junior
floor general for the Buckeyes, is not flashy by any means. He just continues
to get the job done. Hands down the best on-ball defender in the nation, Craft
averaged 2.5 steals per game last season, and forced a turnover one out of
every four trips down the court for opposing teams. With Jared Sullinger taking
his talents to the NBA and the graduation of sharp shooter Jon Diebler, Ohio
State is going to need a little more scoring production from Craft this season.
You know he’s a kid that looks forward to the challenge.
Second Team:
James
Michael McAdoo F/North Carolina –
With the departures of Kendall Marshall, Harrison Barnes, and John Henson,
McAdoo is now the go to guy for the Tar Heels.
Mike Moser
F/UNLV – The 6’8’’ forward is in his
2nd year with the Rebels after transferring from UCLA. He leads an
extremely talented team who looks to revenge their first round loss from last
year’s NCAA tourney.
Chane
Behanan F/Louisville – Behanan, a
sophomore, is a freakishly athletic beast down low for the Cardinals. As a
freshman, he averaged close to 10 points and 8 boards per game and is only
going to improve upon those numbers, as Louisville will challenge Syracuse for
a Big East title.
CJ McCollum
G/Lehigh – It’s not often that you
see a Patriot League player on these lists, but McCollum is that type of
player. Most noted for his performance in helping Lehigh oust Duke in last
year’s NCAA tournament, McCollum looks to lead Lehigh back into the field of 68
this year.
Pierre
Jackson G/Baylor – Jackson, a Ju-Co
transfer from last year, is pure energy for the Bears. As an even bigger part
of the offense this year, look for Jackson to mightily improve upon his 14
points and 6 assists from last season.
Third Team:
Nerlens Noel
C/Kentucky
Deshaun
Thomas F/Ohio State
B.J. Young
G/Arkansas
Brandon Paul
G/Illinois
Trey Burke
G/Michigan
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