Ranking the top 5 candidates for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award ft. Zach Edey, Armando Bacot, and more
The NCAA hands over the aptly named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award for the nation's best big man.
This year, five names have been picked as the finalists. These are Zach Edey of Purdue, Armando Bacot of UNC, PJ Hall of Clemson, Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton and Hunter Dickinson of Kansas.
Many fans might argue that the award is Edey's to lose, but the other four guys in the list are finalists for a reason. On that note, here's how we'rd rank this year's five Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award finalists in terms of their overall individual brilliance, as well as how big they've been to their teams' continued success this season.
#5 PJ Hall
The Clemson Tigers may be unranked, but there's still a chance for them to make the NCAA tournament. That should be partly thanks to the plays of six-foot-10 senior PJ Hall.
As the second-best scorer in the ACC and also the conference's second-best rim protector, Hall covers both bases for the Tigers night in and night out.
His efforts have also put him on the watchlist for this year's Wooden Award and the Lute Olson Award (via ClemsonTigers.com). That's a testament to how important he has been to the boys in orange and purple.
#4 Hunter Dickinson
Being one of the most impactful (perhaps the one) players in this year's transfer portal, Dickinson's time with the no. 14 Jayhawks have been nothing short of excellen.
At the moment, the former Michigan standout is heading to Kansas' final game of the regular season with a cool 2,163 points and 1,117 rebounds.
These marks make the big man just one of only four active NCAA D1 players to have more than 2,100 points and 1,100 rebounds for his career (via KUAthletics.com).
It's a testament to his overall effectiveness on the floor and a barometer for the Jayhawks' success going deep into March Madness.
#3 Ryan Kalkbrenner
One could say that the Creighton Bluejays have been flying under the radar this year with the more "notorious" programs hogging the spotlight. But don't let that fool you:
Creighton is no. 10 in the nation and has everything they need to contend. Ryan Kalkbrenner should be their literal biggest weapon come the NCAA tournament.
The seven-foot-one senior is in the top-five in the nation in blocked shots with 90 swats and is also in the top-10 in FG shooting at over 65% from the floor (via GoCreighton.com).
He's also the best player in the Big East in the two aforementioned categories.
#2 Armando Bacot
One could say that UNC has slowed down after spending some time in the early season being the second or third-best team in the nation.
Still, the Tar Heels remain among the key contenders for the national title courtesy of Armando Bacot--the other half of their 1-2 punch attack with RJ Davis.
The six-foot-11 senior out of Richmond, VA is a walking double-double machine for the Heels, averaging 14 points and 10.2 rebounds on efficient 54.7% FG shooting.
Considering Bacot's performances, UNC's two-headed snake on offense should be incredibly tough for any team in the NCAA to deal with.
#1 Zach Edey
As the reigning Kareem Abdul-Jabbar awardee, Purdue's seven-foot-foue behemoth Zach Edey is on a mission to redeem the Boilermakers' past postseason failures.
He's also up for his second-straight Wooden Award, and that should tell anyone what they need to know: Edey is one of the most dominant big men to play college basketball.
The No .3-ranked Boilermakers have been going to the Toronto native all season, and he has not disappointed. He's the second-best scorer in the nation at 24.1 PPG on an insane efficiency (62.3% FG) while also grabbing just shy of 12 boards a game.
If this is indeed Purdue's year, Edey will have to be at the forefront once more, considering he's already in his senior season and potentially on his way to the NBA.