College Basketball Player of the Year rankings: Caleb Swanigan making his move
Purdue's talented sophomore has a national-best 17 double-doubles
By
Gary Parrish
•
4 min read
Frank Mason and Josh Hart have been first and second (in some order) in the CBS Sports Player of the Year rankings from the jump, and they remain that way. But if Caleb Swanigan keeps stacking double-doubles, and Purdue keeps winning and takes the Big Ten title, the Boilermakers' terrific sophomore might pass them both.
Swanigan got 25 points and 17 rebounds in Tuesday's win at Michigan State.
"He basically won the game for them," Michigan State's Miles Bridges said about Swanigan afterward, and that is an accurate assessment.
It was Swanigan's 17th double-double that lifted Purdue.
He's now third in the POY rankings.
(Note: National Players of the Year do not come from non-NCAA Tournament teams. So players from teams unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament are not considered.)
Player of the Year rankings
 | 1. FRANK MASON Kansas Jayhawks Senior | Guard Previous rank: 1 |
| Mason has scored at least 15 points in eight consecutive games and is leading the Jayhawks in points (19.9) and assists (5.2). The senior point guard is also averaging 4.4 rebounds while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 52.8 percent from 3-point range. And he's doing all of this for a Kansas team that remains a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament despite Tuesday's loss at West Virginia. | |
 | 2. JOSH HART Villanova Wildcats Senior | Guard Previous rank: 2 |
| Hart was limited to just 19 minutes because of foul trouble in Tuesday's loss at Marquette but still finished with 16 points on 10 shots. The senior guard is averaging 19.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 53.6 percent from the field for a Villanova team that, like Kansas, remains a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. His best outing is a 37-point, 11-rebound effort in last month's win over Notre Dame. | |
 | Purdue Boilermakers Sophomore | Forward Previous rank: 4 |
| Swanigan got 25 points and 17 rebounds in Tuesday's win at Michigan State for his 17th double-double of the season. The sophomore forward is averaging 18.8 points and 12.7 rebounds while shooting 56.2 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range. He is clearly closing the gap on Mason and Hart and should be considered a legitimate option for the No. 1 spot. | |
 | 4. LONZO BALL UCLA Bruins Freshman | Guard Previous rank: 3 |
| UCLA lost at home to Arizona last weekend but Ball was not the problem. The freshman point guard had 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds in that game and is averaging 14.9 points, 8.2 assists and 5.6 rebounds while leading the nation's top offense. He's shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from 3-point range. The only player averaging more assists is Creighton's Maurice Watson, who is done for the season with a torn ACL. | |
 | Baylor Bears Junior | Forward Previous rank: 7 |
| Motley backed last week's 32-point, 20-rebound effort in a win over Texas with a 15-point, eight-rebound performance in a win over TCU. The junior forward is averaging 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds for a Baylor team that's 18-1 with nine top-55 KenPom wins and ranked No. 2 in the Top 25 (and one). He has seven double-doubles in 18 appearances. | |
 | 6. DE'AARON FOX Kentucky Wildcats Freshman | Guard Previous rank: 5 |
| Fox was limited to just eight minutes in last weekend's win over South Carolina but returned to the lineup Tuesday and scored 17 points in UK's loss at Tennessee. The freshman point guard is averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game. He's been Kentucky's most consistently good and important player all season. | |
 | Gonzaga Bulldogs Junior | Guard Previous rank: 6 |
| Williams-Goss is the primary ball-handler and scorer for a Gonzaga team that remains undefeated and is now ranked No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). The Washington transfer is averaging 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 87.5 percent from the free throw line. But he's been off a little the past two games and made just five of his past 20 field goal attempts. | |
 | 8. ETHAN HAPP Wisconsin Badgers Sophomore | Forward Previous rank: NR |
| Happ backed his 28-point, 12-rebound effort in a win over Minnesota with a 14-point, eight-rebound effort that helped the Badgers beat Penn State easily Tuesday. The sophomore forward is averaging 13.7 points and 9.2 rebounds for the projected Big Ten champs. He's shooting 60.0 percent from the field and has made 16 of his past 28 field goal attempts. | |
 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish Forward | Junior Previous rank: 9 |
| Colson finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds in last weekend's win over Syracuse, then added 20 points in Tuesday's loss to Virginia. The junior forward is averaging 15.6 points and 10.5 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game. He's shooting a career-high 84.5 percent from the free throw line. | |
 | 10. LAURI MARKKANEN Arizona Wildcats Freshman | Forward Previous rank: NR |
| Markkanen got 18 points and seven rebounds in last weekend's upset of UCLA and is averaging 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds for an Arizona team that's ranked sixth in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). The freshman forward is leading the Wildcats in both points and rebounds. He's shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range. | |
THE NEXT TWENTY (in alphabetical order): Dwayne Bacon (Florida State), Joel Berry (North Carolina), Jevon Carter (West Virginia), Marcus Foster (Creighton), Deontae Hawkins (Illinois State), Jonathan Isaac (Florida State), Josh Jackson (Kansas), Justin Jackson (North Carolina), Luke Kennard (Duke), Jock Landale (Saint Mary's), TJ Leaf (UCLA), Kelan Martin (Butler), Donovan Mitchell (Louisville), Monte Morris (Iowa Sate), Malik Monk (Kentucky), Semi Ojeleye (SMU), London Perrantes (Virginia), Alec Peters (Valparaiso), Sindarius Thornwell (South Carolina), Melo Trimble (Maryland).
