Back to the Illinois Fighting Illini Newsfeed

Tipoff: Top 10 Player of the Year candidates

Too early to start thinking about the player of the year race? Maybe a little given somebody might have a stellar January and February, but as nonconference play mostly comes to an end, our college basketball writer ranks his top 10 choices:

1. Zion Williamson, Duke

If POTY honors were (solely) awarded on hype, Williamson would be the runaway winner. As in no contest. The 6-foot-7, 285-pound athletic freak has even passed teammate R.J. Barrett as the likely No. 1 pick come the 2019 NBA Draft.

2. Dedric Lawson, Kansas

The Jayhawks' go-to scorer is averaging a double-double so far this season, putting up 19.