College basketball tiers: Who are this year's player of the year candidates?
We are officially one month into the 2022-23 college basketball season, and the chase for this year's national player of the year is on.
Fans across the nation have become well acquainted with names like Drew Timme, Armando Bacot and Oscar Tshiebwe over the years, and while all three of those superstars have enjoyed solid starts to the campaign, it's been another dominant post plater who has taken the college hoops universe by storm.
Here is a breakdown of this year's player of the year candidates, separated into tiers, with an early favorite sitting alone on tier one.
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Andy Katz shares his player of the year tiers at this point in the season, with Purdue's Zach Edey standing alone in tier one.
TIER ONE: Player of the year leader
Edey has been the most dominant player in the country through the first month of the season. He’s a double-double machine, averaging 23 points and 12 boards while leading the Boilermakers to an impressive 9-0 start and No. 4 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll. The 7-foot-4 Toronto native is coming off a 23 point, 18 rebound outing against Hofstra, which followed a jaw-dropping 31 point, 22 rebound performance in a win over Minnesota. As it stands right now, everyone in the country is chasing Edey for player of the year honors.
TIER TWO: Making a push
1. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jr., Indiana
Jackson-Davis was named a preseason All-American heading into this year, and he has certainly lived up to the hype early on. TJD is averaging 18 points and eight boards per game, while guiding the Hoosiers to a 7-1 start. He had 21-and-10 in a 77-65 win over North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and is coming off a historic triple-double in a dominant 81-65 victory over Rutgers. It was just the third triple-double ever recorded in Indiana basketball history.
2. Drew Timme, Sr., Gonzaga
Timme has had to carry a heavy load early on for the Zags. The preseason All-American is averaging 19.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game against a loaded schedule. Timme put up 22 points and 13 rebounds in a memorable 64-63 victory over Michigan State in the Armed Force Classic, and is fresh off a dominant 29 point, 17 rebound performance in a 73-66 win over Kent State on Monday.
3. Jalen Wilson, Jr., Kansas
Wilson was the Jayhawks' third option on last year's national championship team, as Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun led the team in scoring. However, with both Agbaji and Braun off the NBA, Wilson has developed into a go-to player for the Jayhawks, while also taking on an important leadership role. Through nine games this season, the junior forward has thrived in that role, averaging a team-high 21.9 points and 9.3 boards per game.
4. Marcus Sasser, Sr., Houston
Sasser made the decision to return to school in hopes of leading the Cougars to a national title. He has not disappointed so far, averaging 16.9 points per contest while guiding Houston to a perfect 9-0 start and the No. 1 ranking in the country. The senior guard will have the chance to show the college basketball world what he can do on the national stage when the Cougars host Alabama in a top-10 matchup on Saturday.
5. Adama Sanogo, Jr., UConn
This is the year of the big man in college basketball, and Sanogo is certainly a part of that group. The 6-foot-9 junior from Bamko, Mali is off to an outstanding start this season, averaging 18.5 points and 6.9 boards per game. He was exceptional in an 82-67 victory over Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational, putting up 25 points, four rebounds and two blocks in the win.
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Adama Sanogo completely overpowered the UNCW Seahawks in an 86-50 blowout victory. Sanogo ended the night with 24 points and five rebounds.
TIER THREE: Hard to keep them this far down
1. Azoulas Tubelis, Jr., Arizona
Tubelis has taken on the role of Arizona's go-to player this season and is excelling in doing so. The 6-foot-11 junior big man is putting up 20.1 points and 8.3 boards per game as Arizona is off to an impressive 7-1 start this season. Tubelis was outstanding in the Maui Invitational, helping guide the Wildcats to the tournament title.
2. Oscar Tshiebwe, Sr., Kentucky
Tshiebwe wasn’t healthy at the start of the season, dealing with a knee injury that he had a minor procedure on just over a month before the start of the season. The reigning national player of the year is averaging 14.2 points and 13.5 boards per game so far this season. He has recorded four double-doubles in the six games he has played.
3. Brandon Miller, Fr., Alabama
There have been several standout freshmen through the first month of the campaign, but Miller has been the best of the group. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Tennessee is putting up 19.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while leading the Crimson Tide to a 7-1 start. His was incredible in the Phil Knight Invitational, with his best outing coming in an 81-70 win over Michigan State, where he put up 24 points and nine boards.
4. Jaime Jaquez, Sr., UCLA
Jaquez is healthy, and that spells trouble for the rest of the Pac-12 conference this season. The Bruins' do-it-all guard is putting up 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per content. He kicked off the month of December with an impressive 27-point outing in an 80-68 victory over Stanford in the Bruins' Pac-12 opener.
5. Kyle Filipowski, Fr., Duke
The Blue Devils are loaded with talented freshmen once again this season, and Filipowski has been the most consistent of all of them. The five-star big man is averaging a team-high 14.9 points and 9.4 boards through Duke's first 11 games of the season. His best game of the season came in a 54-51 victory over Oregon State, where he put up 19 points and 15 rebounds in the victory.
TIER FOUR: Don't sleep on 'em
1. Terrence Shannon Jr., Sr., Illinois
Shannon hasn’t missed a beat since transferring from Texas Tech. The 6-foot-6 senior is averaging 19.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for the No. 17-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini. He had a 29 point, 10 rebound outing against UCLA earlier in the season, and is coming off a memorable game against Texas and his former coach, Chris Beard, where he scored 12 of his 16 points in overtime while handing the Longhorns their first loss of the year.
2. Kris Murray, Jr., Iowa
Murray Jr. is a double-double machine, averaging 19.4 points and 10.1 rebounds for the 6-2 Hawkeyes. His 31 point, 20 rebound outing against Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is one of the top individual performances in college basketball through the fist month of the season. However, he will need to have some breakout games against elite teams if he wants to move up this list in the future.
3. Tolu Smith, Sr., Mississippi State
The Bulldogs are off to a surprising 8-0 start this season, and Smith is a big reason why. The 6-foot-11 big man is putting up 16 points and 10 boards per game. He put up 16 and 16 in an impressive 52-49 victory over Utah earlier this season.
The Billikens are still waiting for a breakout win this season, but Collins has been sensational at the point guard position. The junior floor general is averaging a double-double with 11.8 points and 11.1 assists per game. He has dished out 13-or-more dimes in five of the team's 10 games this year, including 20 in one game.
6. Jordan Walker, UAB
Walker has been a rock star for Andy Kennedy's team, averaging 25.7 points per contest, which ranks first in the nation. He has topped the 30-point mark on three separate occasions, including putting up 31 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds in an impressive 87-73 victory over Georgia.
Read more:
- Michigan's Jaelin Llewellyn out for season with knee injury
- College basketball roundtable: Breaking down Indiana-Arizona, more
- How Azzi Fudd's injury will impact UConn moving forward
- College Basketball Power Rankings: UNC, Arizona, other top teams falter
- Creighton, UNC among teams showing signs of road weariness
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Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on FOX Sports and Big Ten Network platforms, 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.