Naismith Trophy names 2 Big Ten players among 10 Player of the Year semifinalists

The Naismith Trophy trimmed its list of top players in college basketball to 10 semifinalists on Friday, and the Big Ten landed a pair of household names.

Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Purdue’s Zach Edey made the list. They are the only 2 high-major players to average at least 20.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game in the regular season.

Jackson-Davis ended the regular season averaging 20.5 points (2nd among Major Conference players), 11.0 rebounds (4th), 3.8 assists (2nd among players 6’9 and taller), and 2.8 blocks (3rd) per game. His 16 double-doubles ranked fifth among Major Conference performers.

Since the beginning of 2023, Jackson-Davis has averaged 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game. His rebounding figure marks the second-highest tally in the country during the 18-game stretch.

Edey averages 21.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 assists per game while shooting nearly 60% from the field and nearly 75% from the free throw line. He ranks eighth nationally in scoring and second in rebounds. He also leads the country with 23 double-doubles.

Here’s the list:

Zach Edey Purdue Big Ten
Trayce Jackson-Davis Indiana Big Ten
Jaime Jaquez Jr. UCLA Pac-12
Keyontae Johnson Kansas State Big 12
Tyler Kolek Marquette BIG EAST
Brandon Miller Alabama SEC
Marcus Sasser Houston AAC
Drew Timme Gonzaga WCC
Azuolas Tubelis Arizona Pac-12
Jalen Wilson Kansas Big 12

The award’s 4 finalists will be announced on Tuesday, March 21. The Fan Vote to help narrow the list down to the final honoree will open Tuesday, March 21, and close Tuesday, March 28. The fan vote will account for 5% of the overall final vote. The honor will be awarded on Sunday, April 2 during the Final Four.

Keith Farner

Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.