Top ten college basketball players entering conference tournaments
The college basketball regular season has ended, and we are embarking on conference tournament play. We are officially less than one week away from ‘Selection Sunday.’ That also means we are less than one week away from the transfer portal opening up, but that is another story.
As the regular season has ended, here are the top ten players in Division 1 college basketball entering conference tournaments.
1. Zach Edey (Purdue)
Zach Edey is a 7-foot-4, 285-pound junior for Purdue. His 21.9 points. 12.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks have led the Boilermakers to finish No. 1 in the Big Ten and maintain a spot in the A.P. top five for most of the season. Edey has been the consistent force, and the player opposing teams try to gameplan for and simply cannot stop. His sheer size is tough to deal with, but so is his lefty touch and understanding of what he and his team are trying to accomplish on both ends.
2. Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)
When Trayce Jackson-Davis announced he would be coming back to Indiana for his fourth year, he was immediately considered one of the nation’s best. The 6-foot-9 center has not let anyone down, averaging 20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.8 blocks and helping the Hoosiers to a second-place finish in the Big Ten. He has also continued to get better as the season wore on, averaging 21.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game in conference play.
3. Marcus Sasser (Houston)
Simply put, Marcus Sasser is the best player on the best team in the country. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard is averaging 17.1 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals during the regular season. He takes charge of the scoring load for Houston while also guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter threat. Kelvin Sampson’s teams are known for their toughness, and Marcus Sasser epitomizes that quality.
4. Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
Azuolas Tubelis is a 6-foot-11, 245-pound power forward for Arizona. The native Lithuanian is leading the PAC-12 in points (19.9) and rebounds (9.2) while leading the A.P. top ten team in steals (1.1). The Wildcats are in second place in the Pac-12, and they are a top-five scoring team in Division 1 men’s basketball.
5. Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
This year’s Kansas team is a well-balanced bunch with defined roles on the court. However, when it is crunch time, or when the A.P. top-five team needs a bucket, there is never a question that the ball will land in Jalen Wilson’s hands. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Wilson is averaging 19.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists this season, leading the Jayhawks to another first-place Big-12 regular season finish.
6. Brandon Miller (Alabama)
Brandon Miller started the season strong, and he has continued to build on that start throughout the season. Miller is leading the SEC in points and three-point percentage. The high-scoring 6-foot-9 forward also led this Alabama team to a No. 1 ranking in the coaches poll for the first time in program history. He has averaged 20.3 points during league play while shooting 48 percent from the field as the Crimson Tide are 16-and-2 and in first place in the SEC.
7. Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
Oscar Tshiebwe is the reigning Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year, and he was the first winner of that award to return to college since Tyler Hansborough in 2008. While the season has been up and down for Kentucky, the Wildcats finished third in the SEC after winning five of their last six. Tshiebwe is fourth in the SEC in scoring (16.4) and leads Division 1 men’s basketball in rebounding (13.1).
8. Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
Drew Timme’s production has been a constant over the past three seasons. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound power forward has scored 2,175 career points and is top five in the WCC in points (21.1) and rebounds (7.4). Gonzaga won yet another conference title after finishing 14-2. They have also remained a top-ten team in the A.P. poll.
9. Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)
Keyontae Johnson has been one of the best feel-good stories of college basketball this season. After close to two seasons unable to play after an on-court cardiac incident, the 6-foot-5 wing has led Kansas State to a top 15 ranking in the A.P. poll and a third-place finish in the Big-12. Johnson is second in the conference in scoring (17.8) and field goal percentage (51.9) and fourth in rebounds (7.0)
10. Jaime Jaquez (UCLA)
Jaime Jaquez has been one of the most steady performers in college basketball over the past three seasons. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing from UCLA has saved his best season for last and has come on strong at the right time. This season, for the top-five Bruins, he is averaging a career-high in points (17.5), rebounds (8.0), assists (2.4), and steals (1.5). Over his final seven games to close the season, Jaquez has averaged 22.7 points and 8.4 rebounds. The Bruins have not lost a game since January 26.