Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard, Graham Ike named to Oscar Robertson Trophy watchlist

Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike are in the running for some of the most prominent honors in college basketball, from the John R. Wooden Award to the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Gonzaga's lead senior duo was put in the running for another notable award Monday, as Ike and Nembhard were two of the 50 players selected by U.S. Basketball Writers Association for the Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason watchlist.

Nembhard, who was also named to the Bob Cousy Award watchlist on Monday, helms Gonzaga's highly potent offense as the nation's leader in assists with 229, averaging 10.0 per game. He's posted double-digit assist totals in 14 games this season and has a West Coast Conference-best 10 doubles-doubles, which is tied for 11th in the country. Nembhard adds 11.0 points per game on 43.8% from the field and a career-high 39.1% from 3-point range.

Nembhard's efforts are the primary reason Gonzaga is ranked No. 1 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0) and assists per game (19.7). The Zags nearly set a program record earlier this season with 31 assists in a win over Portland on Jan. 25, when Nembhard dished out 13 of his team's 31 assists in a 105-62 victory from the Chiles Center. Gonzaga's single-game assist record as a team is 32.

Ike is fourth in the WCC in scoring at 17.6 points per game while shooting a league-best 59.7% from the field. The 6-foot-9 forward has reached the 20-point threshold 11 times this season, including a current stretch of 20 or more in five of his last six games. Ike also pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the WCC.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy winner will be revealed during the Final Four weekend (April 5-7) from San Antonio. A final watchlist is set to release in early March and those chosen will be included on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's annual awards ballot.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy has been annually awarded to the most outstanding men's college basketball player by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association since 1959.

Oscar Robertson Trophy Watchlist:

Jaden Akins, Michigan State
Ace Bailey, Rutgers
Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State
Nate Bittle, Oregon
Johni Broome, Auburn
Lamont Butler, Kentucky
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Eric Dixon, Villanova
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Maryland
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Chase Hunter, Clemson
Graham Ike, Gonzaga
Ian Jackson, North Carolina
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Kam Jones, Marquette
Alex Karaban, UConn
Trey Kauffman-Renn, Purdue
Kon Knueppel, Duke
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB
Caleb Love, Arizona
RJ Luis, St. John's
Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple
Trent McLaughlin, Northern Arizona
Jacksen Moni, North Dakota State
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
Asa Newell, Georgia
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
Zhuric Phelps, Texas A&M
Maxime Raynuad, Stanford
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
Mark Sears, Alabama
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
Javon Small, West Virginia
Braden Smith, Purdue
John Tonje, Wisconsin
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
Danny Wolf, Michigan
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

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