USA Today has announced that Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu is the publications Player of the Year for college basketball for the 2020-21 season. He was chosen over Iowa’s Luka Garza and Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham.

Dosunmu claims the honor after leading Illinois to a B1G Tournament championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Illini finished the year with a 23-6 record.

“The do-everything guard was an electrifying force for the Fighting Illini this year in propelling them to an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed,” wrote Scott Gleeson. “He averaged 21 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists, and posted two triple-doubles in February. His game is ready for the NBA, but he made his last college stint count. The result: A national player-of-the-year season. Dosunmu edged Luka Garza and Cade Cunningham to take home this year’s honor.”

It’s an interesting selection from USA Today, as Garza was named the B1G Player of the Year. Both were first-team All-America selections.

Illinois is scheduled to begin its NCAA Tournament run on Friday, March 19 when it tips off against No. 16 seed Drexel. The game is scheduled for a 2:15 p.m. ET start and the contest will air on TBS.