Nick Richards may not be a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award, but he did make the midseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy, given annually to the best player in college basketball.
Richards is the only Kentucky Wildcat to make the list and one of three players from the SEC along with Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and Arkansas’ Mason Jones. This year, he’s averaging 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and hitting 66.3% of his shots, which would break the Kentucky record for career field goal percentage if the season ended today.