All about the non-Big Six: Worthy candidate
Jimmer Fredette’s 47-point effort against Utah air maxes last week made him a household name in homes across America. But what did it do for the BYU star in terms of the national player of the year race?
Kemba Walker had a commanding lead in the quest for the award throughout the first half of the season. The junior guard was averaging 30 points a game at the end of November and helped Connecticut defeat Michigan State and Kentucky. He also hit the winning shot against Texas earlier this month.
Even though Walker’s shooting percentage has dipped recently, he’s still in the mix for the honor along with Ohio State freshman forward Jared Sullinger and Duke guard Nolan Smith.
But what about Fredette?
As of Sunday the BYU standout led the nation in scoring with 26.1 points per game. Walker ranks second with an average of 25.6. The Cougars certainly haven’t faced the same caliber of competition as Walker’s Connecticut squad, but they’ve played more games away from home, and victories over schools such as St. Mary’s and UNLV are tough to ignore.
History suggests that BYU’s status as a member of a non-BCS conference won’t have much bearing on Fredette’s candidacy for the Wooden Award as well as the national player of the year award handed out by the Associated Press.
Four of the last 20 winners (20 percent) of each cheap ugg boots accolade came from a mid-major conference. From 2003-2005, the Associated Press honor went to Xavier’s David West (2003), St. Joseph’s Jameer Nelson (2004) and Utah’s Andrew Bogut (2005).
As long as the shots keep falling for Fredette – and as long as BYU keeps winning – he stands as good of a chance as anyone to be named the country’s top player.
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