Zach Edey, RJ Davis Headline 2024 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Finalists
March 26, 2024
Purdue center Zach Edey headlines a quartet of finalists for this year's Naismith Men's College Player of the Year award.
Edey, the reigning consensus national player of the year, stands alongside UNC senior guard RJ Davis, Tennessee fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht and Houston senior guard Jamal Shead as Naismith candidates.
The Purdue big man entered the tournament averaging 24.4 points on 61.9 percent shooting, 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He was even better in the back half of his season, posting 26.9 PPG and and 13.0 RPG from Jan. 13 to March 16.
Thanks largely to his efforts, Purdue finished first in the Big Ten regular-season standings and entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed following a 29-win campaign.
Davis has been sensational for the No. 1 seed Tar Heels, posting 21.4 points (40.6 percent from three), 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He dropped 30 or more points on four occasions, including a career-high 42 against Miami. Davis also earned ACC Player of the Year honors after leading the conference in scoring. UNC finished first in the ACC standings with a 15-3 record.
Knecht, who finished second in the SEC in scoring with 21.1 PPG, shot 39.7 percent from three and added 4.9 rebounds per game. The transfer from Northern Colorado was a great pickup for the Volunteers, whose 14-4 SEC record landed them atop the regular-season standings.
The No. 2 seed's offense largely revolves around the SEC Player of the Year, who has taken 201 more shots than anyone else on the team. But he's delivered and then some.
Houston was one of college basketball's top teams all season, and Shead was a big reason, averaging 13.1 points, 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The Big 12 Player of the Year, who was also named to the conference's All-Defense team, has guided the Cougars to become the No. 1 defense in the nation, per KenPom.com.
He's amassed four steals on seven or more occasions this year, including six against Texas on Feb. 17. Houston entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed with 30 wins.
This marks the first time Davis, Knecht and Shead have been named as finalists. Last year, Edey beat out Kansas' Jalen Wilson, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Gonzaga's Drew Timme.