College Basketball: National Player Of The Year Race Heating Up

This year’s college basketball season has been an exciting one to this point and it’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive NCAA tournaments in recent college basketball history. The top team in the country is the Auburn Tigers, who are led by fifth-year senior Johni Broome. The next best team in the country is the Duke Blue Devils, led by freshman Cooper Flagg. These two players have not only had amazing team success but have had phenomenal individual years, which is a big reason why they are the two favorites to win the National Player of the Year award.

Let’s dive into both players and why they both have a chance at winning this award.

Let’s start with the veteran center first. Broome is averaging a double-double on the season and is sixth in the nation in rebounds per game. His averages are 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 blocks per game. He has absolutely stuffed the stat sheet and has been a dominant force all season long for the Tigers.

Broome is a good post scorer who has a nice left hook over his right shoulder and can finish above the rim. If he ever attracts a double team, he’s able to find the open teammate as he’s a solid passing center. The versatile big man isn’t a good shooter from behind the arc, but he’s a capable shooter so it keeps the defense on their toes.

His ability to impact the game in a variety of different ways for a center has allowed him to put up big-time numbers and also have a positive impact on the court, which has helped Auburn win a lot of games. His stock has really risen as of late and his chances of winning the award are quite yet. His only competition is obviously Flagg.

The 6-foot-9 freshman out of Duke has been the key player for the Blue Devils all season long. He is one of the only players in college basketball to lead his team in every major statistical category. On the season, he’s currently averaging 19.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, four assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.

This is a special freshman prospect, and he should be discussed as such, given we likely will never see a first-year player lead their team in every major statistical category for a very long time. Flagg is a talented scorer who thrives as a slasher and mid-range shooter but has also improved as a 3-point shooter throughout the course of the college season, so he’s rounding out his offense game into becoming a legit three-level scorer.

He has shown to be a very good secondary playmaker and certainly has enough offensive versatility to be a primary option on an NBA team. Defensively is what he’s known for, as he possesses special defensive versatility. He’s capable of defending up and down a lineup while also being an elite off-ball and team defender. His ability to play both ends of the floor at such a high level is why Duke is one of the top teams in the country.

The Broome versus Flagg debate is a lot closer than many would like to admit when it comes to the National Player of the Year race. It’s a fifth-year senior versus a freshman, with both having unique experiences in getting to the point where they are now in their young basketball careers.

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