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Despite a recent downturn in production, which led to him possibly losing his confidence against Stanford on Wednesday, Arizona Wildcats freshman forward Lauri Markkanen was named a finalist for the 2017 Naismith Trophy.
The Naismith is awarded to the top player in college basketball each season.
He is one of 30 finalists. Here is the complete list of names that were released:
Naismith Finalists
| FIRST | LAST | CLASS | POSITION | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST | LAST | CLASS | POSITION | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
| Dwayne | Bacon | Sophomore | G | Florida State | ACC |
| Lonzo | Ball | Freshman | G | UCLA | Pac 12 |
| Joel | Berry II | Junior | G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Dillon | Brooks | Junior | F | Oregon | Pac 12 |
| Jalen | Brunson | Sophomore | G | Villanova | Big East |
| Bonzie | Colson | Junior | F | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Jawun | Evans | Sophomore | PG | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| Marcus | Foster | Junior | G | Creighton | Big East |
| De'Aaron | Fox | Freshman | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Markelle | Fultz | Freshman | G | Washington | Pac 12 |
| Ethan | Happ | R-Sophomore | F | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Josh | Hart | Senior | G | Villanova | Big East |
| Josh | Jackson | Freshman | G | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Justin | Jackson | Junior | F/G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Marcus | Keene | Junior | G | Central Michigan | MAC |
| Luke | Kennard | Sophomore | G | Duke | ACC |
| Jock | Landale | Junior | C | St. Mary's | West Coast |
| TJ | Leaf | Freshman | F | UCLA | Pac 12 |
| Lauri | Markkanen | Freshman | F | Arizona | Pac 12 |
| Frank | Mason III | Senior | G | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Donovan | Mitchell | Sophomore | G | Louisville | ACC |
| Malik | Monk | Freshman | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Monte | Morris | Senior | G | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Jonathan | Motley | Junior | F | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Alec | Peters | Senior | F | Valparaiso | Horizon League |
| Dennis | Smith Jr. | Freshman | G | NC State | ACC |
| Caleb | Swanigan | Sophomore | F | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Sindarius | Thornwell | Senior | G | South Carolina | SEC |
| Melo | Trimble | Junior | G | Maryland | Big Ten |
| Nigel | Williams-Goss | R-Junior | G | Gonzaga | West Coast |
This also comes on the heels of Vegas giving Markkanen 20/1 odds to be named the National Player of the Year.
National Player of the Year odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Player | Odds |
| Frank Mason (Kansas) | 5/2 |
| Josh Hart (Villanova) | 4/1 |
| Lonzo Ball (UCLA) | 6/1 |
| Malik Monk (Kentucky) | 7/1 |
| Justin Jackson (North Carolina) | 15/2 |
| Luke Kennard (Duke) | 12/1 |
| Bonzie Colson (Notre Dame) | 16/1 |
| Ethan Happ (Wisconsin) | 16/1 |
| Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) | 16/1 |
| Nigel Williams-Goss (Gonzaga) | 16/1 |
| Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) | 18/1 |
| Lauri Markkanen (Arizona) | 20/1 |
| Dennis Smith (NC State) | 20/1 |
| Jonathan Motley (Baylor) | 22/1 |
| Kelan Martin (Butler) | 33/1 |
Through 25 games, Markkanen is Arizona’s leading scorer (15.6 ppg) and rebounder (7.3 rpg). He also has the best three-point and free throw percentages — by far — among Wildcat players this year. Lauri is shooting 47.5% from three and 84% from the charity stripe. Kadeem Allen is the next closest from three, having dropped down to 43.4%. Kobi Simmons is second on the team in free throw shooting at 80%.
According to DraftExpress, Markkanen is the 7th-best NBA Draft prospect this year. At 7-feet and 225 pounds, his skillset is quite unique, and should translate to the NBA right away, at least on the offensive end.
Markkanen and the Wildcats return to the court Saturday night in Tucson. They will face the California Golden Bears at 8 PM MT on ESPN2.