College Basketball

NCAA Basketball: Player of the Year power rankings (Edition Nine)

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:28 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Carmine Carcieri/FanSided via Busting Brackets

Jan 21, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) shoots during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Villanova Wildcats won 78-68. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

After eight editions of the NCAA basketball Player of the Year power rankings, it looks like we have a clear-cut top three.

Conference play continues to heat up, so things continue to round into form regarding the Player of the Year conversation. The top three looks set, but that doesn’t mean that players on the outside looking in cannot build up a case over the next couple of months.

Remember the regular season doesn’t end until early March, which creates plenty of opportunities.

But the time is now to start to increase production.

So how do you progressively build a Player of the Year candidacy? You must have strong overall numbers, your team must be successful and of course, you must have clutch season-defining moments.

Obviously, players’ numbers aren’t final, teams are going to have their fair share of inconsistencies and there are still a couple months remaining for clutch plays and surprising performances. But for now, we will use the information we have been provided with, and the games that we have watched to project the favorites.

Every week until the end of the season, Busting Brackets will list the top five candidates (in order) for Player of the Year. In our eighth edition, Frank Mason III remained on top of the rankings. However, this race has two other significant threats.

Jan 24, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) reacts to a play during the second half of a game against the Michigan State Spartans at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

5. Caleb Swanigan, Purdue

Caleb Swanigan has recorded two double-doubles since the last edition of our Player of the Year power rankings. The sophomore big man dropped 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a blow out victory over Penn State and later burned Michigan State with 25 points and 17 rebounds.

On the season, the 6’9″ big man is averaging 18.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Beyond the numbers, though Swanigan gives the Boilermakers a unique dimension on offense. He’s a stretch four who Matt Painter runs his offense through and is one of the top rebounders in the country. He’s an average athlete, doesn’t have much quickness and is still developing his defensive game, but he creates spacing for the Boilermakers’ guards to attack the lane and get open shots beyond the arc.

Jan 24, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari (L) talks to guard De’Aaron Fox (0) in the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers won 82-80. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

4. De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky

Yes, Kentucky suffered their first SEC defeat on Tuesday night against Tennessee, but we also received confirmation in the last week as to how important De’Aaron Fox is to this Kentucky basketball team.

When the Wildcats played South Carolina on Saturday, Fox left the game in the first half with an ankle injury that was later deemed to be a sprain. Instead of continuing their momentum, the Wildcats let the Gamecocks back in the game. Isaiah Briscoe struggled with turnovers and Malik Monk is obviously not a true point guard, so the Wildcats showed that if they don’t have Fox on the floor, their offense goes down drain and their perimeter defense becomes significantly weaker.

On the season, Fox is averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. He’s only shooting 18 percent from beyond the arc but showed some improvements from beyond the arc against Tennessee (2-of-2). Fox is one of the best point guards in the country, not just in the freshman class.

January 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) before playing against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

3. Lonzo Ball, UCLA

The legend of Lonzo Ball continues to carry on, as the UCLA point guard had two solid games in the last week.

Yes, the Bruins lost to Arizona at home and Ball struggled in the final 10 minutes of the game, but let’s just take a look at these numbers. Against Arizona State, Ball dropped 10 points, dished out 12 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Versus Arizona, Ball scored 24 points, had eight assists and pulled down six rebounds (and that was in a game he had a “quiet” second half).

Ball is right behind the first and second players in our POY power rankings mainly because of his team’s defensive issues. The point guard has been instrumental to UCLA’s overall success as a program this year, but he isn’t exactly known for his defensive prowess and athleticism. I know that may seem like nitpicking, however, that’s exactly what you must do when trying to separate the top three players in the country.

Jan 24, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason III (0) shoots during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

2. Frank Mason III, Kansas

Frank Mason III led our Player of the Year power rankings for the last two weeks. But after a rough performance against West Virginia on the road on Tuesday evening, Mason will drop one spot to number two.

Mason scored just 15 points on 16 shots in the Jayhawks’ loss to the Mountaineers. He also recorded just two assists to three turnovers and had very little impact on the defensive end of the floor.

When you look at the big picture, though Mason is putting up absurd numbers. He is scoring 19.9 points, dishing out 5.2 assists and grabbing 4.4 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 51 percent from the field, 53 percent from beyond the arc and 74 percent from the free throw line.

Mason and our number one player will be neck-and-neck for the rest of the season, and you could also see Ball jump into the top two at some point. That’s how small the margin for error is.

Jan 21, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) dribbles to the net against the Providence Friars at Wells Fargo Center. The Villanova Wildcats won 78-68. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

1. Josh Hart, Villanova

With Kris Jenkins struggling and the bench giving little lift, Villanova lost to Marquette on Tuesday night in a stunner at the Bradley Center.

Mikal Bridges dropped 20 and Jalen Brunson scored in double figures, but it was Hart who was most impressive in the loss. The versatile wing scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and drilled two threes.

That 16-point game followed up a 25-point, six-rebound, four-assist performance in a win over the Providence Friars at the Wells Fargo Center.

Villanova is still one of the best teams in the country and they are the defending National Champs. Hart is the all-around player that is the heart, soul, and engine of the Wildcats’ roster. He not only scores, gets to the free-throw line and makes threes, but he is a versatile defender and one of the best rebounders in the country for his size.

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