Men’s Player of the Year Ladder: Boozer Finishes No. 1 as Final Top 10 Takes Shape

For my final men’s Player of the Year Ladder of the season, I decided to take a step back and look at the full picture, ranking the top 10 players based strictly on their overall body of work. Injuries forced me to remove both Texas Tech’s JT Toppin and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson from recent lists, but their seasons were too strong to leave them off the final rankings. At the top, Duke freshman standout Cameron Boozer has separated himself from the pack and has run away with the Player of the Year award. The real intrigue, though, has been the battle behind him. The race for spots 2-10 has been competitive and fascinating all year. Basketball is a team game, and team success inevitably plays a role in evaluating players. Still, this list is about recognizing the individuals whose production and impact stood out above the rest. Honorable mention: Purdue guard Braden Smith, St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor, Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz. 10. Caleb Wilson, North Carolina freshman forward Despite playing in just 24 games, Wilson makes my list because of how special he was this season, averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds for the Tar Heels. He was the hardest-playing player in the country, too. 9. Kingston Flemings, Houston freshman guard Houston returned veteran backcourt pieces in Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, but it was Flemings who became the go-to guy in close games. The freshman standout led the Cougars in points, assists, and steals while also shooting 48% from the field. Houston has another shot at a Final Four and national title. Outside of head coach Kelvin Sampson, Flemings is the biggest reason why. 8. Keaton Wagler, Illinois freshman guard One of the biggest breakout performers in the country, Wagler arrived as a three-star freshman and quickly became Illinois’ best player. He averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for a roster loaded with talent, while also taking over primary ball-handling duties when Kylan Boswell was sidelined with injuries. 7. Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State senior forward Iowa State has quietly been one of the elite teams in the country this season, which suits senior forward Joshua Jefferson just fine. His averages of 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists are impressive, yet it still feels like most college basketball fans have no idea who he is. They will by late March. 6. Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State sophomore guard Fears led the nation in assists at 9.1 per game, but he also doubled his scoring average from a season ago to lead the Spartans in that department. There have been a few questionable moments in the second half of the season, but they don’t change how I view his overall body of work or the way he has carried Michigan State at times. 5. JT Toppin, Texas Tech junior forward Toppin had a spectacular season that was cut short by an ACL injury, but he earned a final spot on my list. His averages of 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in the top conference in the sport were impressive. Texas Tech was one of the only teams this year to beat Duke and could have won a title if he were healthy. 4. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan senior forward Michigan is my favorite team to watch and Lendeborg is the main reason why. The senior forward’s versatility on both ends of the floor is his superpower. He averages 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. 3. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas freshman guard Is Acuff the best freshman point guard John Calipari has ever coached? I’d say yes, as his freshman season is more dominant than Derrick Rose or John Wall. It’s pretty impressive company, but his averages of 22.2 points (on 49% shooting), 3.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists speak for themselves. The Razorbacks have been inconsistent as a group, but think about what they would be without Acuff. 2. AJ Dybantsa, BYU freshman forward Dybantsa came into the season with massive hype, and the young star delivered. BYU might have nose-dived in the final third of the season, but it wasn’t because of Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring. With all due respect to Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, Dybantsa should have been named Big 12 Player of the Year after averaging 24.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. 1. Cameron Boozer, Duke freshman forward Boozer had massive shoes to fill after Cooper Flagg’s Player of the Year season last year, yet he somehow delivered an even better statistical campaign. Averaging 22.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, Boozer has been asked to carry more of the load than perhaps any star on a top-10 team. The question now: can he lead Duke all the way to a national title?