(Stephen D. Cannerelli | Syracuse.com)
Syracuse, N.Y. — The Naismith Player of the Year award is given annually to the best player in the country. Syracuse's Tyler Lydon was one of 50 players named to the award's watch list this year, another indication of the respect he's receiving from across the country with the season set to begin Friday.
Lydon is the first Syracuse player to be featured on the preseason watch list since C.J. Fair. Mike Gbinije and Rakeem Christmas made mid-season lists the last two years but were not as highly-regarded nationally at the start of the season.