With March Madness just around the corner, talented players compete in the race for 2013 Player of the Year. Here is a list of players from a variety of conferences hoping to make a slam dunk in the tournament:
Atlantic Coast Conference
A key player to the Miami (FL) team is sophomore guard Shane Larkin. He is a top candidate for the 2013 Player of the year by Naismith Awards. Larkin is averaging a .477 field goal percentage and .416 three point percentage. Larkin has a big impact at the free throw line with a .707 free throw percentage. He is averaging 13.1 points a game and is an impactful player on the Miami (FL) team.
On the defensive side of the game Larkin is averaging 4.1 rebounds a game. He also keeps the game moving with an average of 4.3 assist per game according to the University of Miami (FL) basketball website.
Big Ten Conference
An important figure from the Big 10 conference is the seven foot hometown native from Watertown, Ind., Cody Zeller. Zeller plays center for the potential number one seed Indiana University and is a giant in the paint. Zeller, sophomore, was just named a First Team Academic All-American player on the academic team. He is also a top candidate for the 2013 Player of the Year by Naismith Awards.
Zeller is a vital player to the Indiana basketball team by leading the team in total points with an average of 16.6 points per game, according to the Indiana University basketball website. He also averages .753 percent from the free throw line making him a dangerous player on the line and in the paint.
Defense is another strength for Zeller. He leads his team in rebounding, averaging 8.1 rebounds per game including 76 offensive rebounds. Zeller also leads his team in blocks with 36 total.
Missouri Valley Conference
A key player from the Missouri Valley conference is Doug McDermott, a 6’ 8’’ junior forward from Creighton University. McDermott leads the team in points with 65; he is averaging 22.4 points per game. He also has a .542 field goal percentage. McDermott has a strong presence at the free throw line as well. He is averaging 4.9 free throws per game with 142 made this season.
McDermott also excels on the defense side of the game as well. According to the Creighton University basketball website, he leads the time in rebounds with 7.6 per game and 219 total.
McDermott is a dominate force on the team leading his team in minutes played with 914 total minutes, averaging 31.5 per game. He is also listed as a top prospect for the Player of the Year title for 2013 by Naismith Awards.
Pac 12 Conference
A key player from the Pac 12 conference is 6’1’’ senior guard Mark Lyons from the University of Arizona. Lyons is a 1,000 career point scorer in his college career. He is averaging .859 percent from the free throw line and is averaging 15.3 points per game. Lyons has a total of 397 points this season. Leading the team in assist with 82 he is an important member to the Wildcat’s team.
Lyons transferred to University of Arizona from Xavier; He is the first player to graduate from a four-year school (Xavier) and then transfer to another school for a year and still have eligibility remaining for another year of playing, as it said on the University of Arizona basketball website.
Big 12 Conference
Rodney McGruder is a key player to watch in the NCAA March Madness tournament. McGruder is a 6’4’’ senior guard who has played in 76 consecutive games with Kansas State. He is a prospect for the title of Player of the Year for the 2013 season according to Naismith Awards.
He is averaging 14.8 points per game and has a .443 field goal percentage averaging 5.5 field goals a game accumulating 414 total points this season. McGruder is also a force to be reckoned with at the free throw line as well with a .759 percentage from the line and is averaging 2.4 free throws a game.
McGruder leads the team in rebounds with 150. He is averaging 5.4 a game and has a total of 60 offensive rebounds according to the Kansas State basketball website.
Big East Conference
A top prospect of the 2013 Player of the Year by Naismith Awards is 6’6’’ sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams from Syracuse University. Over the season he has 351 points and is shooting 12.5 points per game. He also has a strong presence at the free throw line with a .774 free throw percentage.
Carter-Williams makes his contributions on the defensive side as well. He has 132 rebounds with 40 of them being offensive rebounds. Along with helping his team with points Carter-Williams helps his teammates as well with 222 assists and is averaging 7.9 a game, leading the team. He also is averaging 2.9 steals a game with 82 on the season this far said the Syracuse University basketball website.
Madi Arends is the Layout Editor for The Spartan Speaks.
