College basketball tiers: Edey, Tubelis lead player of the year candidates

Purdue sophomore Zach Edey was the overwhelming favorite to be the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year a few weeks ago, but the award isn’t handed out before the holidays.

As the season reaches the midway point, the race to become the best college basketball player in the country, let alone an All-American, is on.

That said, it’s time to revisit my national player of the year tiers.

Tier 1: Player of the year leaders

Zach Edey, Jr., Purdue

Edey is averaging 21.7 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He still looks like the most dominant big man in the country, but Purdue hasn't looked as dominant as of late. The Boilermakers dropped their first game of the season earlier this week, a 65-64 loss to Rutgers, before escaping Ohio State with a narrow 71-69 victory on Thursday.

Azuolas Tubelis, Jr., Arizona

Tubelis is legitimately contending for the top spot on this list. The 6-foot-11 junior from Lithuania is putting up 20.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He has played sensational in big games this season, including a 21-point, nine-rebound outing in a 69-61 win over in-state rival Arizona State.

Jalen Wilson, Jr., Kansas

Wilson has risen to the challenge of being the Big 12’s best player and leading the Jayhawks back to the top of the league. The 6-foot-8 junior forward leads the conference in scoring at 20.6 points per game and ranks second in rebounding, averaging 8.4 boards per contest.

Drew Timme, Sr., Gonzaga

Timme has re-emerged as a player of the year candidate with his productivity of late. The senior big man is averaging 22.7 points and 8.3 boards per game. He also ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage, shooting at a 65.9% clip.

Brandon Miller, Fr., Alabama

Miller is the best freshman in the country, playing for an Alabama team that could be a possible No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. The former five-star recruit is averaging 19.1 points and 8.6 boards per game while leading the Crimson Tide to an impressive 12-2 start this season.

Marcus Sasser, Sr., Houston

Sasser is leading the Cougars toward a possible No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed and a chance to be a host at the Final Four in Houston. He is putting up a team-best 15.9 points per contest while leading Houston to a near-perfect 15-1 record.

Tier 2: Making a push

Jaime Jaquez, Sr., UCLA

Jaquez came back to lead the Bruins to a Final Four, and he’s looking like he could do just that. The Bruins' do-it-all guard is averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for a UCLA team that has won 11 in a row and is off to a 5-0 start in Pac-12 play.

Adama Sanogo, Jr., UConn

Sanogo and the Huskies have hit a bit of a road snag this past week, dropping back-to-back games after getting off to an impressive 14-0 start. However, the 6-foot-9 big man from Mali is still enjoying an outstanding season, worthy of second-tier status. He is averaging 17.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and is a candidate for Big East Player of the Year.

Armando Bacot, Sr., North Carolina

Bacot has come back from some early disappointments to be an anchor again for the Tar Heels. The preseason All-American is leading the ACC in both scoring (18.6 points per game) and rebounding (11.1). He is coming off an impressive 21-point, nine-rebound effort in an 88-79 win over Wake Forest.

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jr., Indiana

Injuries have slowed Jackson-Davis this season, and losing to both Arizona and Kansas didn’t help. However, he’s still putting up 16.4 points and pulling down 8.2 boards per game this season. He also had a memorable triple-double against Nebraska.

Oscar Tshiebwe, Sr., Kentucky 

The Wildcats are struggling and have been inconsistent this season. Despite dealing with an early-season injury, Tshiebwe is still averaging a double-double at 16.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. So, the reigning Naismith award winner still could repeat.

Tier 3: Hard to keep them this far down

Jordan Walker, Sr., UAB

The Blazers guard is averaging a whopping 25.2 points and 4.7 assists per game for a team that should win Conference USA. He leads the nation in scoring and is coming off a 31-point outing in a 90-67 victory over UTSA.

Mike Miles, Jr., TCU

Miles is an underrated player who plays for an underrated TCU team. He leads the Horned Frogs in scoring (19.9 points per game), assists (3.3) and steals (1.5), and has played a major role in helping the team jump out to a 13-1 start.

Keyontae Johnson, Sr., Kansas State

Johnson is the best story this season, back from collapsing on the court in 2020 while playing for Florida. The senior forward is averaging 18.4 points per game and the Wildcats have become maybe Kansas’ top challenger in the Big 12. 

Isaiah Wong, Jr., Miami, Fla.

Wong is averaging 16.3 points per game for a Hurricanes team that will once again be in the thick of the ACC race. The junior guard has scored in double digits in seven of Miami's last eight games, including a 36-point effort in a win over Cornell back on Dec. 7.

Brice Sensabaugh, Fr., Ohio State

Sensabaugh could have a Malaki Branham-like one-and-done season with the Buckeyes. He’s averaging a team-high 15.9 points per game for the No. 24-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Tier 4: Don't sleep on 'em

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Jr., Creighton

Injuries slowed him early on, but when the 7-foot-1 big man is on the floor, he’s nearly unstoppable in the post. Kalkbrenner is averaging 15.3 points and seven rebounds per game for the Bluejays, who have now won three in a row following a six-game losing streak.

Jaelen House, Sr., New Mexico

The Lobos were the last unbeaten team in the country because of the 1-2 punch of House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. House is averaging 17 points, five assists and 2.9 steals per game for the Lobos.

Kobe Brown, Sr., Missouri

Brown is averaging 15.3 points per game for the surprising Tigers, who are off to a 12-2 start this season. The senior guard scored 30 and 31 points in wins against Kentucky and Illinois, respectively. 

Kyle Filipowski, Fr., Duke

The Blue Devils have struggled of late in the ACC, dropping two of their last three. However, Filipowski has been solid, leading the team in scoring (13.8 points per game), rebounding (8.6) and steals (1.2). He has been the most consistent freshman in Duke’s class.

Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on the Big Ten Network, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.

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