North Carolina beat Gonzaga 71-65 in the 2017 NCAA National Basketball Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017.
The award is given to the best center in NCAA Division I basketball and is named after the Hall of Fame and three-time NCAA champion.
Karnowski who had to redshirt last season due to a back injury that sapped his ability to walk, came back to have his best season in his five-year career.
He finished the season averaging 12.2 points a game, just under six rebounds a game and morphed into one of the best passing big men in the country.