Garza Misses Out On Two National Awards
Iowa center Luka Garza missed out on two national awards announced on Wednesday.
Dayton's Obi Toppin won the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the national player of the year award presented by the United States Basketball Writers Association.
Oregon's Payton Pritchard won the Lute Olson Award, given out by CollegeInsider.com.
Toppin won the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year honor after averaging 20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season. He shot 64.4 percent in league play — his 63.3 percent shooting for the season ranked fifth nationally.
Pritchard helped Oregon to the outright Pac-12 regular-season title. The Ducks finished 24-7 overall, 13-5 in the conference. Pritchard, a 6-foot-2 senior, was one just three players in the nation to average at least 20 points, four rebounds and five assists per game.
Garza averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds overall this season. He was a 54.2-percent shooter from the field.
Garza scored 740 points, a new program single-season record, and had 305 rebounds this season. He averaged 26.2 points in Big Ten play and was named the conference's player of the year. He finished the season with a streak of 16 games with 20 or more points in Big Ten play.
Garza's 44-point game against Michigan was the highest total in the Big Ten this season. His 38-point game against Indiana ranked second.
Garza is still a finalist for three other national awards — the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
GARZA HONORS
• Sporting News, Basketball Times, Stadium, Bleacher Report, and ESPN National Player of the Year
• Dick Vitale, Seth Davis, Andy Katz’s National Player of the Year
• Sporting News, NABC, USBWA, AP, CBS, NBC, ESPN, Stadium, USA Today, The Athletic First-Team All-America
• Big Ten Men's Basketball Player of the Year
• USBWA District VI Player of the Year
• Naismith Trophy Finalist
• Wooden Award National Ballot
• Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy Semifinalist
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalist
• Lute Olson Award Top 30
