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College Basketball: Top 5 candidates for Player of the Year

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jan 2, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) reacts after a play against the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) reacts after a play against the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 12, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) reacts to a play against the Florida State Seminoles during the 1st half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) reacts to a play against the Florida State Seminoles during the 1st half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State

Had Valentine not missed four games with a knee injury, he’d likely be as high as second in the race. Still, Valentine deserves recognition for the terrific season he is putting together.

Valentine showed great improvement as a junior last season and has only gotten better in 2015-16. The senior is averaging 18.6 points per game according to CBB Reference and helped Michigan State hold the No.1 ranking nationally for a long stretch of time prior to his injury.

That’s an impressive point total on a deep team like the Spartans, but Valentine is so much more than a scorer. Valentine has become a triple-double threat every game, averaging 7.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists a contest to go along with his scoring ability.

Like Brooks, everything the Spartans offense does runs through Valentine, and they are tough to beat when he’s at his best. Valentine is having a Draymond Green-like senior season and could easily lead the Spartans to a one-seed and possibly a deep run in March.

The injury unfortunately deprived us of what could have been a more exciting race between Valentine and Hield, but he’s still going to get plenty of recognition for an outstanding senior season to cap off a memorable career.

Next: Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa