Auburn’s Johni BroomeMitchell Layton/Getty Images
2. Kam Jones, Marquette (KenPom: 10)
Season Stats: 20.3 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 19-46 3PT
Jones recorded just the third triple-double in Marquette history, going for 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a mid-November win over Purdue.
That was the game that resulted in seemingly the entirety of college basketball’s national media rushing to insist that Jones is the early favorite for NPOY.
It was also nowhere near his best performance, not even getting a KenPom game MVP for that one.
Lighting up Maryland for 28 points in that narrow road win was arguably more impressive. So was going off for 32 points, six assists and four steals with no turnovers in the rivalry win over Wisconsin this past weekend.
That almost pushed Jones into the top spot, definitely cementing him among the top three candidates.
1. Johni Broome, Auburn (KenPom: 1)
Season Stats: 19.6 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.8 BPG
In going through Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis to win the Maui Invitational, Broome racked up 65 points, 45 rebounds, 13 assists and nine blocks, and shot 6-of-13 from three-point range on those soft rims in the Lahaina Civic Center.
This after he put up 20 points with nine rebounds and five blocks in the win at Houston, and before he went for 20 points, 12 rebounds and three dimes in the close loss at Duke.
In all five games, Broome played at least 32 minutes, which might be the biggest development of all.
His per-40 averages aren’t markedly different from last year—points and blocks are almost identical; moderate increases in rebounds and assists—but he’s playing considerably more minutes for a considerably bigger threat to win the national championship. That’s a pretty fantastic combination of factors for a guy who was already a consensus third-team All-American last season.
If Broome continues to average anything close to 19/12/4/3 for one of the top title contenders, playing in the best league in the country, this could turn into as much of a race as Zach Edey running away with his second title last year.