No. 25 Virginia: Akil Mitchell (13.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg)
Mitchell is bruiser down low, a great rebounder, and has improved every year he has been at Virginia.
No. 24 Iowa: Tie between Roy Devyn Marble ( 15 ppg, 3 apg) and Aaron White ( 12.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
Both Marble and White are tremendous talents. Marble can score from anywhere on the floor, and led Iowa all the way to the NIT final last year. White is an excellent rebounder, and runs the floor well for a big. I simply couldn't choose the better player here.
No. 23 Indiana: Noah Vonleh ( 16 ppg 15 rpg in high school)
Vonleh is absolutely dominate in the post. He rebounds with ease and has possibly the best motor in the incoming freshman class.
No. 22 Marquette: Davante Gardner (11.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
The 4.8 rebounds is not what you want from a big man, but Gardner averaged only 20 minutes a game last year. Per 40 minutes, he scores 23 points and 9.6 rebounds. Gardner needs to lose weight to play more minutes though.
No. 21 Tennessee: Jordan McRae (15.7 ppg, 3.2 apg)
McRae is strictly a scoring guard. McRae exploded last year, leading the Volunteers in points and turning their season around. He is only 185 lbs, so if he puts on weight, McRae could turn into a dominant wing player.
No. 20 Gonzaga: Kevin Pangos ( 11.9 ppg, 3.3 apg)
After a year of being stuck behind Kelly Olynyk and Elias Harris, it is time for Pangos to explode. He can shoot the three well, and can be a great facilitator.
No. 19 Colorado: Spencer Dinwiddie ( 15.3 ppg, 3 apg)
Dinwiddie is a scoring combo guard, and worked on his point guard skills with Team USAs coaches in the World University Games this year. Expect huge numbers from Dinwiddie this upcoming year.
No. 18 New Mexico: Kendall Williams ( 13.3 ppg, 5 apg)
Williams' main struggle last year was consistency. He dropped 46 points on Colorado State, but followed it up with a poor performance. If Williams can be consistent, New Mexico will be deadly.
No. 17 Creighton: Doug McDermott ( 23.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg)
Expect these numbers to go down a little as Creighton moves to the Big East, but McDermott will continue to fill it up, from 5 feet to 25 feet and everywhere in between.
No. 16 Wichita State: Cleanthony Early ( 13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
Fresh off an outstanding NCAA Tournament, Early will be looking to become someone people know for his game and not for his name. Early is a great shooter and finisher inside.
No. 15 UConn: Shabazz Napier (17.1 ppg, 4.6 apg)
Napier became a household name last year although his Huskies were banned from tournament play. Now that they are back in the conversation, Napier will show everyone his amazing style of play.
No. 14 VCU: Juvonte Reddic (14. 6 ppg, 8.1 rpg)
Reddic is the big man in the Havoc defense, so you probably won't see a lot of highlights of him. But in the half court, he is as good of a big man as there is in college.
No. 13 Memphis: Joe Jackson ( 13.6 ppg, 4.8 apg)
Jackson is a stellar shooter, and those assist numbers should rise with the addition of Austin Nichols. He will be asked to be mainly a facilitator but he will still have his shots.
No. 12 Ohio State: Aaron Craft ( 10 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2 spg)
Craft will always be known for his rosy cheeks, getting Bruce Pearl fired, and his on-ball defense. He is in my opinion the 2nd best defender in the NCAA( behind Briante Weber of VCU, 4.9 spg). If Craft can up his shooting numbers, he can be the most complete player in college basketball.
No. 11 North Carolina: James Michael McAdoo ( 14.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
I am not sure if P.J. Hairston will be let back on the team, so I am going with McAdoo. McAdoo underachieved last year, but he should be getting smarter about shot selection and defense.
No. 10 Oklahoma State: Marcus Smart (15.4 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.2 apg, 3 spg)
Smart has some of the most impressive stats on this list, and I believe this is his POY award to lose. He surprised many by returning to Stillwater, but he needs to improve his 3-point shot to be the number 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
No. 9 Syracuse: C.J. Fair (14.5 ppg, 7 rpg)
Fair led the solid Orangemen squad last year in points and rebounds. He did the best thing for himself by coming back for his senior season. He has improved every year under Jim Boehim, and expect no different this year.
No. 8 Michigan: Glenn Robinson III (11 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
I really dislike all of the Mitch McGary hype because of 6 games last year, and I think Robinson will thrive from being the go-to player this year. He was a guaranteed lottery pick last year, but he probably won't be this year.
No.7 Florida: Patric Young (10.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
Young is great defender and rebounder, but he has no go-to post move or jump shot. If he can develop these skills, he should be a top 5 college player.
No. 6 Arizona: Aaron Gordon ( 22.3 ppg, 15.2 rpg in high school)
Gordon is being compared to Blake Griffin, a forward who could rebound and absolutely demolish rims. Gordon is a better shooter and passer than Griffin.
No. 5 Kansas: Andrew Wiggins (23.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg in high school)
The "Canadian Jordan" arrives to a Kansas team that lost all five of their starters. Wiggins can do it all on the basketball court.
No. 4 Duke: Rodney Hood (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
Jabari Parker is many peoples favorite from Duke to win the POY, but Rodney Hood comes in from a deprived Mississippi State program where he didn't play much. He is a star that will shine at Duke.
No. 3 Louisville: Russ Smith (18.7 ppg, 3.3 apg)
Russ Smith can score, defend, and drive Rick Pitino absolutely crazy. "Russdiculous" will be the go-to player at the 'Ville this year and should shine under the spotlight.
No. 2 Michigan State: Gary Harris ( 12.9 ppg, 2.5 apg)
Freshmen don't get much playing time under Tom Izzo, unless your name is Gary Harris. Harris is a lights out shooter that will have a primary responsibility of scoring this year at MSU.
No. 1 Kentucky: Andrew Harrison ( 14.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.1 apg in high school)
Andrew Harrison is known as another one-and-done Kentucky freshman. He will be collaborating with the number one recruiting class in the nation, and will most likely lead the team in assists. Harrison is one of the players that knows how to do everything right on the court.
TOP NON-25 POY CANDIDATE
Jahii Carson, Arizona State ( 18.5 ppg, 5.1 apg)
Carson is the quickest player in college basketball. At 5'10", he is super explosive and has a great shooting touch. Carson exploded onto the scene last year, and proved he is there to stay
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