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College basketball Player of the Year rankings: Cole Anthony, James Wiseman announce presence with authority

By Nate Williamson

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots over Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots over Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The race for the Player of the Year in college basketball sees freshmen Cole Anthony and James Wiseman make convincing arguments in their opening week.

We’ve seen several five-star freshmen guards come out onto the big college stage and star, right off the bat. Performances from the likes of Cole Anthony, Anthony Edwards, Nico Mannion and more have caught the eye of the majority of fans of the game. That’s not to say this list of Player of the Year candidates is just about the freshmen.

In fact, Michigan State senior guard Cassius Winston might be the favorite.

Also making this Player of the Year power rankings are North Carolina’s Anthony and Memphis’ James Wiseman. The eligibility concerns circumstances surrounding Wiseman will be interesting to watch the rest of the year, but both freshmen are likely to make an impact in the Wooden and Naismith race all season.

Player of the Year rankings

1. Cassius Winston, Michigan State, senior

Winston opened up the season as the clear favorite for this year’s Wooden Award. Last year, he was stellar, putting together a season where he averaged 18.8 points, 7.5 assists while also chipping in about 3.0 rebounds a game as a junior.

He was the Kentucky Wildcats’ main defensive focus in their opener and still managed a nice stat line of 21 points, four assists and one rebound in 32 minutes played for the now-No. 3 Spartans in their loss. Winston followed that up with an inspiring performance in 100-47 domination of Binghamton, tallying 17 points and 11 assists shortly after the sudden death of his younger brother.

2. Cole Anthony, North Carolina, freshman

There are few players with as many expectations to pull their weight on a top-tier blue blood team as Anthony had coming into the season for the North Carolina Tar Heels.  Anthony not only serves as North Carolina’s best (only) ball-handler, he also serves as their alpha scorer, perimeter defender and leader. He can do it all and in impressive style. He’ll fight for the No. 1 spot on this list all year.

Anthony scored a North Carolina record for a freshman with 34 points in his debut against Notre Dame. Anthony proved to be the real deal worthy of all the hype so far. He’s averaging 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and four assists per game.

3. Markus Howard, Marquette, senior

Markus Howard is the best streaky scorer in college basketball That fact is exactly why Howard’s Marquette squad is so fun to watch. They rolled in a big win over Loyola Maryland last week before taking a week off in preparation, before a busy week packed with Big Ten teams. Howard is dynamic on the offensive end and will be putting up show-stopper numbers all year as the leader of the team.

4. James Wiseman, Memphis, freshman

All off-court (or, shall I say, in-court?) issues and controversies aside, Memphis has decided to go ahead and play star freshman James Wiseman. And I don’t blame them.

The loss of Wiseman would be a monumental loss for the program which almost makes any NCAA punishment seem worthwhile if, by chance, the off-court issues are solved. Every game Wiseman is out would be a huge loss not only for Memphis but for college basketball fans everywhere. Wiseman’s talent and skill can’t be overlooked, and that’s not to mention his size. He’s sure to be a factor in the race for the Wooden and Naismith Awards.

Wiseman is averaging 22.5 points on 83 percent shooting, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game despite playing just 23.5 minutes.

5. Jordan Nwora, Louisville, junior

Louisville might be the team to beat in the ACC and Jordan Nwora is a big reason for that. Nwora is averaging 22 points and nine rebounds after feasting on Youngstown State and Miami, respectively. Nwora deserves a mention in this competition, as the best is yet to come from the electric forward who will no doubt catch eyes if only for his smooth paint skills alone.

Next. 15 best home-court advantages. dark

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