This year’s national player of the year race is shaping up as one that’s much different from what we’ve seen in many years, if not decades.
On one hand, last season’s consensus player of the year, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, is back in school. That’s the first time that has happened since Tyler Hansbrough came back to North Carolina for the 2008-09 season. On the other hand, you also have Drew Timme, a two-time All-American returning to Gonzaga, which is ranked No. 2 to start the season. They’re just part of a spectacularly accomplished group of veteran college big men, a list that includes North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and more. And you can never count out a surprise player of the year candidate emerging; few people were picking Tshiebwe this time a year ago, and nobody picked Dayton’s Obi Toppin before the 2019-2020 season.
So who will take home the trophy? That’s the topic today for our 17-member expert panel. And the voting mostly came down to a two-man race:
Player of the year?
| Player | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Drew Timme |
8 |
|
|
Oscar Tshiebwe |
7 |
|
|
Armando Bacot |
1 |
|
|
Jaime Jaquez Jr |
1 |
Let’s hear some of our experts’ rationales:
Drew Timme
By anyone else’s standards, Timme had a remarkable season, averaging 18 points and six boards for Gonzaga. But last year’s preseason player of the year was not his ebullient, mustachioed self for much of the year, perhaps saddled by the weight of expectation. I suspect that will change this year because Timme did not return to be just an OK version of himself. Plus, without Chet Holmgren, this will be even more about Timme time for the Zags. — Dana O’Neil
It’s Timme’s time. He’ll be option 1, 2 and 3 as opposed to merely being the top option for Gonzaga over the past two years where they’ve had loaded rosters. He’s way more than just the post player he gets credit for being, and showed real flashes of adding a jumper over his time being declared for the 2022 NBA Draft. He goes for at least 22 points and eight rebounds per game and becomes one of the most decorated college basketball players of the last decade. — Sam Vecenie
Yes, unanimous player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe is back, but it would be really hard to replicate last season’s historic stats, especially with what looks like a better supporting cast this season. And Timme, a two-time consensus All-American and 2022 Wooden Award finalist, feels like the kind of longtime star voters finally reward for his full body of work. — Kyle Tucker
It’s wild Timme is still in school. Hooray, NIL. Timme will top 20 points per game for the first time in his career, he’ll be ridiculously efficient in doing so and Gonzaga will be a top seed again. — CJ Moore
Oscar Tshiebwe
There really is no other choice. Tshiebwe proved himself last season to be one of the best rebounders in modern college history, and his offensive game is only going to expand. — Seth Davis
Someone else might win the award, but it’s hard to imagine someone else having an objectively better or more productive 2022-23 season.— Eamonn Brennan
Narratives matter, and the returning national player of the year coming back because he could not stand the idea of his last game being a loss to Saint Peter’s is a compelling one. — Hugh Kellenberger
This is assuming the knee recovery goes as well as hoped. He’s great, Kentucky will be great, and there’s plenty of built-in sentiment for him. — Joe Rexrode
Armando Bacot
If the North Carolina team we saw in March had shown up all year, Bacot might be the reigning player of the year instead of Tshiebwe. It’s tough to go wrong picking Bacot, Tshiebwe or Timme, but Bacot is going to keep racking up double-doubles for the team that begins the year ranked No. 1. That seems like a good recipe to be this season’s player of the year. — Austin Meek
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
I’m taking a semi-ridiculous flyer here, because Tshiebwe and Timme still play college basketball and UCLA is still located on the West Coast. But whatever. If the Bruins hold down a spot in the top 10 for most of the year — and they can — maybe Jaquez Jr. gets a little more love for being one of the best two-way players in the game. And as more or less the clear-cut primary option for Mick Cronin, maybe his numbers get a bump to help the cause. — Brian Hamilton
GO DEEPER
‘Half the battle is wanting it more’: UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. understands what it takes to win
(Our complete panel of experts: Nicole Auerbach, Tobias Bass, Brian Bennett, Eamonn Brennan, Seth Davis, Scott Dochterman, Brian Hamilton, Hugh Kellenberger, Brendan Marks, Austin Meek, CJ Moore, Dana O’Neil, Brendan Quinn, Joe Rexrode, Kyle Tucker, Sam Vecenie and Justin Williams.)
Previous predictions:
Mid-major that can make a March run
Most entertaining player in the country
Most compelling game of 2022-23
First coaching change
Surprise team
Disappointing team
Coach of the year
Freshman of the year
(Photo of Drew Timme: Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP)
