Bleacher Report releases early rankings
Which two Tar Heels were mentioned, and can you guess?
Bleacher Report unveiled their way-too-early rankings for National Player of the Year yesterday. Zach Edey of Purdue is unsurprisingly at the top after putting up yet another outstanding season in which he averages 24.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 63% shooting from the field. Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), Tristen Newton (Connecticut), Tyler Kolek (Marquette), and Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois) complete the top five. Click here to view the complete list of the top 10 rankings along with the honorable mentions.
Two of the 26 players who were listed are from North Carolina. The fact that those two are Armando Bacot and RJ Davis, who have both been instrumental in the Heels’ success this season, shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Bacot was ranked eighth in the standings, and Davis received an honorable mention.
Bacot has already been selected as a first-team preseason All-American, so he is accustomed to these kinds of rankings. He is, however, supporting it by averaging 15.9 points and 11.9 rebounds, good for a double-double for the third straight season. In the early going, his improvement in the charity stripe, where he shot 78.6% (compared to 66.5% the previous season), has been the most noticeable. In addition, he is averaging a career-high 1.9 blocks per game.
Bacot hasn’t always had the appearance of a NPOY contender because it seems like he has more trouble finishing plays near the hoop. However, the numbers speak for themselves, and as long as this team keeps improving, it seems like Bacot’s best is yet to come. It’s definitely more difficult for him to play with the same physicality he’s used to after losing some weight in the offseason. I don’t see any reason why he can’t at least make an All-American squad once he’s properly adjusted.
Even though RJ Davis is ranked lower, he is currently perhaps the superior candidate. He is shooting an incredible 95.3% from the free throw line (second in the ACC), averaging 21 points and 2.7 assists. Davis is currently enjoying a five-game streak in which he has at least twenty-three points.
When the Carolina offense needs a basket, Davis has been the player the team looks to as it works out the kinks. Although Davis’s scoring ability is well known to Tar Heel supporters, he has had greater leeway to get shots thanks to Elliot Cadeau’s pass-first approach and veteran assistance. He’s possibly been under too much strain at times, but as the other men grow into their responsibilities, that burden should lessen. If Davis keeps playing at a 20-point mark or above, he may displace Bacot as Carolina’s NPOY contender.
To put it nicely, I don’t think this UNC team will have a real contender for player of the year. It is impossible to overestimate the significance of Bacot and Davis, but players like Cadeau and Harrison Ingram have perhaps been just as important. It appears that this team’s “best player” may change from night to night in the early going. Fortunately, I don’t believe that this group cares all that much for individual recognition.
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