The finalists for the 2016 Naismith Trophy have been announced on Sunday
While college basketball is a team sport, there are individual players out there that would love nothing more than to win one of the more coveted prizes in the game, the Naismith Trophy. This award is given annually to the best player in all of college basketball, and on Sunday, the finalists for the award were announced.
They are:
- Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
- Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
- Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
- Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
Really, you can’t argue with this list of finalists. These were four of the best in college basketball all season long and are each deserving of taking this home in their own right.
Brogdon has been the engine that keeps the Virginia Cavaliers running all year long, and he has them in the Sweet 16 following their win over Butler on Saturday. Averaging 18.5 points per game on the offensive end, he’s also one of the better defensive players for Tony Bennett and Virginia.
Hield has been maybe the most exciting player to watch this college basketball season for Oklahoma, as he can go off on a scoring tangent seemingly whenever he feels like it. Averaging an amazing 25 points per game, the senior will lead his team into NCAA Second Round action on Sunday against VCU.
Valentine’s college career for Michigan State did not come to an end the way he thought it would, as the No. 2 seed Spartans were on the wrong end of one of the biggest March Madness upsets in history, losing to No. 15 Middle Tennessee State. However, this young man had one of the best four-year careers in Michigan State history and he was maybe the most valuable player this year. The senior averaged 19.2 points per game with 7.8 assists and 7.6 rebounds, nearly a triple-double.
Then we have Ulis from Kentucky who captured the eyes of a lot of people around the country with the way that he continually put this Kentucky team on his back. The journey came to an end on Saturday for Ulis and the Wildcats with the loss to Indiana, but that doesn’t take away the accomplishments Ulis captured this year. On the season, he averaged 17 points per game with 7.1 assists.
Who is your pick to win the Naismith Trophy? Let us know in the comments below.
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