Who is college basketball player of the year

Every year there is a player in college basketball that dominates the competition. However, people often wonder how great players would stack up against players of a different year.

This list is meant to rank each player that has won the Naismith Player of the Year award in college basketball of the last 25 years. A note: The players on this list are ranked solely on the year that they won player of the year honors and not on their entire collegiate career. Ford had a very good sophomore season for the Longhorns, and helped the team to the Final Four where they would lose to the eventual champion, Syracuse.

Ford averaged 15 points and nearly eight assists en route to Naismith Player of the Year honors. Joe Smith is another player who won the player of the year award during his sophomore campaign. Smith led Maryland to the Sweet 16, and was selected No.

Kenyon Martin had an outstanding senior season for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Martin led the Bearcats to a No. Martin was later selected with the No. Calbert Chaney is one player in a long line of greats to play for the Indiana Hoosiers. Chaney led the Hoosiers to the Elite Eight in his senior season. Chaney averaged 22 points and six rebounds on his way to the Naismith Player of the Year award. Elton Brand was a flat out star during his time at Duke. Brand decided to leave Duke following his sophomore season to enter the NBA draft, where he was selected with the No.

Andrew Bogut is yet another sophomore that received Naismith Player of the Year honors. Bogut led Utah to the Sweet Sixteen. Bogut followed the path of many of the others who had great sophomore years by declaring for the draft and being selected first-overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jameer Nelson led one of the most improbable seasons in recent memory. Joseph's University is a mid-major Atlantic school that received the No. Check out Chet Holmgren breaking down his defensive prowess and what makes him such a skilled offensive player. It's just rare to have two elite bigs on the floor together for a national title contender in the modern game.

How will they handle the spacing on offense? How will they adjust if teams try to exploit their size and force Holmgren or Timme to defend a wing? That seems to be the thing that coach Mark Few will have to address early on. But those two will learn how to play next to each other throughout the season. That will matter in March and April, if Gonzaga reaches that stage. In , Few had success with Przemek Karnowski as his starter at center and Zach Collins coming off the bench.

That was a rotation most opponents couldn't handle, even though Gonzaga lost to North Carolina and its tremendous frontcourt in the national title. This season's situation is a different challenge for Gonzaga. No team in the country is equipped to deal with both Holmgren and Timme on the floor at the same time.

If it works, the Zags could capture their first national title. Borzello: This may be the first time Gonzaga has the "too much talent problem. Gonzaga shared the ball and the shots effectively last season, but there might be a player or two who see fewer minutes than expected this season.

The Zags have rarely had that problem before, mostly because they haven't recruited at this level in the past. It's a good problem; it's just a new problem. Given I picked Gonzaga to win it all, I'm obviously not too concerned about it, but it's something worth monitoring. Gasaway: It's unusual to see a program win this many NCAA tournament games over the course of two decades or so and not earn a national title. Those teams collectively won nine titles over that span: , , , , , , , and Still trying.

The Bulldogs have reached two of the past four national title games, not to mention four of the past six Elite Eights. Few is in his 23rd season coaching, at the still relatively spry age of Recruiting and, more broadly, talent acquisition, is stronger than it has ever been in Spokane, Washington.

Finally, the the overwhelming choice of both pollsters and laptops as the preseason No. History counsels us that a program checking all of these rather incredible boxes is going to win a national title sooner rather than later. Is this the year? Lunardi: Is Holmgren really the player who delivers a national title to Spokane?

He may very well be, but remember just how hard it is to reach and win that last game in April. The Bulldogs know that as well as anyone, and I have a hard time believing Gonzaga can be as generationally good as it was a year ago.

I'm betting once again for the Zags to come up just short. Gasaway: This is the first head-coaching transition at Duke since the Carter administration and in that time Mike Krzyzewski has won five national titles. North Carolina cut down the nets five times in that stretch and, of course, there's a changing of the guard occurring in Chapel Hill as well. Aside from the Tar Heels, no team has won as many titles in the Coach K era.

So, even if you think you're already annoyed, the question of whether this program can sustain its success after Coach K's departure should be riveting.

With the No. The Blue Devils lost their top two scorers from last season and with some of the playmaking gone to boot, Banchero's going to be a do-it-all weapon for a top Duke team. We're expecting him to create, to score, and to be successful in just about everything he's asked to do as the alpha for this team.

By Matt Norlander. Oct 21, at pm ET 4 min read. Gonzaga vs. Tennessee vs. Top 3 Top 5 Top 14 15 to Top 5 Top 10 All Players. Read More. Play Now.