Its interesting. Stats guy Evan Miya makes an effort to rate the players defensively.
The 10 semifinalists and his ratings of their defense...
| Chase Audige | 1.72 | 94 | Northwestern |
| Moussa Cisse | 3.24 | 2 | Oklahoma State |
| Jaylen Clark | 2.73 | 6 | UCLA |
| Zach Edey | 2.02 | 49 | Purdue |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis | 1.21 | 284 | Indiana |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 1.48 | 164 | Creighton |
| Caleb McConnell | 2.64 | 9 | Rutgers |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. | 2.46 | 16 | Kansas |
| Marcus Sasser | 1.64 | 115 | Houston |
| Zakai Zeigler | 2.43 | 18 | Tennessee |
Obviously Trayce Jackson-Davis is a laughable choice, but it doesn't look like the panel cares too much.